Wednesday Bolts – 9.9.15
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com: “The idea of overhauling it is also more complicated than it sounds. The storm concept seems pretty simple. Drop a cloud and some lightning on a dark blue background, and shazam. But bear in mind that the state of Oklahoma suffers from 54.9 tornadoes every year, including some of the deadliest in its history in 2013 when they saw 82 rip through the countryside and Oklahoma City itself. To coastal fans, tornadoes are a novelty. For Midwesterners, they are nothing to mess around with, and certainly nothing to make caricature of in sports. Live through one and you’ll agree. So the shield stays, but it could definitely use an upgrade. Anything to make it look less like the logo on a piece of knockoff generic sportswear you’d find in a clearance bin.”
Serge Ibaka: “If you don’t like refugees coming to your country, then stop voting for politicians who love to Bo[m]b the shit out of other countries. you dont like refugees coming to your country, but you like their resources.”
Sean Highkin of PBT: “Becoming a contender is easier when you have a transcendent superstar, and the Pelicans are lucky enough to have one. But that’s not all they need, especially in a brutal Western Conference that looks to have six legitimate contenders ahead of them (the Warriors, Spurs, Thunder, Clippers, Rockets and Grizzlies). There’s a lot of talent on their roster, but outside of Davis, everybody has question marks stemming from either health or fit.”
Carla Hinton of NewsOK.com on Enes Kanter: “Arriving at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in February and donning a Thunder jersey for the first time, Enes Kanter felt at ease. At his request, the Oklahoma City Thunder organization had prepared a prayer room at the downtown arena specifically for him — an observant Muslim whose Islamic faith calls for obligatory prayers five times a day. The Thunder center talked about the Thunder’s efforts to make him feel welcome during a recent reception held in his honor at the Oklahoma City home of Clayton and Marnie Taylor.”
Matt Dollinger of SI.com in a roundtable asking which NBA players would make best late-night host: “Network executives may (rightfully) be hesitant to hand over the talk show reins to Russell Westbrook, an occasionally media adverse superstar, but they would only need to see the pilot episode to be convinced of his prowess. For starters, Westbrook, a fashion aficionado, would instantly boast the best wardrobe on late night. His high-energy game on the court would translate seamlessly off it, making the whirling dervish pop on television and in front of studio audiences. As for interviews, Westbrook has a long history of shooting down reporters’ probing questions—here, here, and here—but we’ve yet to see him when the tables are turned. Westbrook would have no problem setting his guests up for punchlines, as evidenced by his 8.6 assists per game last season (No. 4 in NBA), and he’d have little trouble scoring his own laughs, as evidenced by his league-leading 28.1 points per game. Late-night hosts essentially need to be one-man shows, and as we saw when Kevin Durant went down last season, Westbrook has no problem owning the spotlight.”
Jack Winter of Upprox: “What’s become increasingly clear, however, is that the presence of Westbrook will be an advantage for the Thunder that competing teams just don’t have. Not only is he one of the several best players in basketball, but also a trusted, time-honored friend and teammate of Durant that other prospective running mates may not be. With Westbrook, Oklahoma City is a known commodity for the the four-time scoring champion; he won’t be able to say the same for any other franchise when the time to make a decision finally comes. And if the Thunder can finally avoid the injury bug in 2015-16, Durant’s choice could come just weeks after he and Westbrook have led Oklahoma City to its first championship in franchise history.”
