Friday Bolts – 11.18.16
Housekeeping Note: It’s time for Keri’s 9th Annual DT Takeover. Please be nice to me.
Don’t know if y’all know this or not but Russell Westbrook was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame last night. Here are all the stories.
Royce’s AKA THE BEST ONE: “One year ago the Thunder organization gathered in Tulsa to induct Durant into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. Westbrook was his presenter. At the end of his speech, Durant said, “Hopefully we’ll be here next year for Russell Westbrook’s induction.” Durant was not in attendance. Westbrook focused his speech speaking on unity and the current social climate.”
Fred Katz: “Westbrook paused as a predominantly white crowd broke into applause. “I accept this award,” he continued. “For all the young kids who are told because of the color of their skin, where they come from or what talent they don’t have, they somehow can’t achieve.” Though political activism has grown with the most recent generation of NBA players, Westbrook’s approach was an obvious contrast to the one his presenter, Michael Jordan, took during his time as a player. Jordan was famous for avoiding political conversations, though he broke his trend in July releasing an extended statement via ESPN about police brutality.”
Erik Horne: “The night consistently circled back to the Thunder star and his mega-star presenter, who sat by Westbrook’s side at a table front and center at the event. Surrounded by Thunder staffers and all of his teammates, Westbrook wore a tapered black tuxedo and spoke in reverential tones about his inductor. When Westbrook knew he was going into the Hall of Fame, he and his group started thinking of candidates. He selected Jordan, who “responded right away.” Westbrook had the opportunity to induct former teammate Kevin Durant into the Hall last year. Durant predicted Westbrook would be back in 2016, this time as an honoree.”
Berry Tramel: ‘The rousing night prompted three questions. 1. What would Westbrook wear? Sorry to disappoint, but Westbrook went conventional. Sharp black tux. Sharp bow tie. About the only thing that could get Westbrook written up in the fashion blogs were his black suede loafers, complete with turquoise pattern on top. And no socks. Quite likely the first male Oklahoma Hall of Fame inductee to be honored sans socks.”
Before Royce left this morning he said he had some tabs pulled up that I could use for Bolts so I guess this is them:
NBA players are tall: “PLANES, TRAINS, AUTOMOBILES and … roller coasters? The world is just not built for the extremely tall, lament those longest of limb. “I couldn’t get on the Batman ride at Six Flags!” one 6-foot-9 baller says. So to walk a mile in their ridiculously big shoes, we offered confidentiality to 66 NBA players who measure 6-8 and up in exchange for their honest takes on what it means to be the tallest guy in the room.* Here’s the weather report from way up there.”
Kevin Arnovitz is always a must read: “CONSTRUCT A WORLD and it will evolve over time. We can debate the nature of that evolution — whether it’s good, bad or just is. But change is irrepressible, and species that don’t respond to the conditions of that change eventually die out. So it is with basketball and the evolution of the big man. From the game’s beginning, basketball roles were defined by edict. A team was an aggregation of individual skill sets, a division of labor, and the name for the tallest presence on the floor, “center,” said it all: The game would revolve around this guy. The big man was an immovable force, dominating as a defensive presence in the paint. And when one of them got the ball in close proximity to the hoop, you’d better have had a defender of equal stature, or send a second body at him, or both.”
