Meet the New Daily Thunder Parents
We (John Napier and Cray Allred) are the proud new owners of DailyThunder.com, and want to introduce ourselves and give you an idea of how we envision Daily Thunder. If you missed it, please check out Royce Young’s goodbye note to the site.
The Thunder are obviously on the precipice of a massive rebuilding replenishing project. While GM Sam Presti is not a predictable executive and no two situations are identical, the team has started publicly laying out their plan to concede short-term competitiveness with an eye to a stronger future; we hear faint echoes of Sam Hinkie and the “Process” era Sixers. We know that many fans will check out if and when the team starts missing the playoffs, let alone returns to the bottom of the standings for multiple seasons. But we also know there are those of us still gripped by the Thunder who will be following the team closely–optimists and cynics, all, tracking player development here and player availability elsewhere, reading between the lines of every Presti statement, and caring/arguing way too much about second round draft picks. Even the NBA audience at large remains intrigued by the Thunder as the little market franchise that could, a charmed and/or cursed organization that will never be pushed all the way to the margins of the league thanks to a competent, aggressive front office and the passion of a fan base that won’t let the team be forgotten.
And that’s why we love Daily Thunder. Before building a career for himself as a big-shot national reporter who goes on TV and stuff, Royce made something special at DT. The site always complemented the team holding our gaze, at times as a curiosity, a dominant juggernaut, or a baffling disappointment. And the readership has been along for the ride, filling the comments with streams of hearty discussion and debate, with real-life relationships and the kind of happy surprises that form around a fervent community.
Other sites may serve those with passing interest; Daily Thunder is and will remain a place for those who are totally engrossed. We don’t yet know what the next iteration of the Thunder will be like, but we hope to be a part of cracking the code with you.
All that to say, we don’t have a lot of specifics to share just yet, but we’re excited to get there soon. You shouldn’t expect massive changes overnight, but in the very near future you can count on both an uptick in content and some focused adjustments that enhance what you already love about the site. In the coming days we will be asking for your general and directed feedback to help us accomplish a lot more. We thank you in advance for your patience as we take our first steps in a brand new project for the both of us.
John and Cray
