Tuesday Bolts – 9.29.09
First off, Happy Training Camp Day and Happy birthday to Kevin Durant who turns 21 today. Go get yourself an
adult beverage young man. You deserve it.
John Hollinger has his forecast up for OKC. He has the Thunder finishing with 36 wins and finishing 10th in the Western Conference (Insider): “Could the Thunder make it to the playoffs? Absolutely. I have them finishing out of the money, but they’re certainly in a position where if enough things break right, they could make it. Chief among them would be breakout years from the youngsters and a monumental campaign from Durant, and along with that would have to come an outstanding run of health; this team is not laden with quality depth.”
Darnell Mayberry asked KD some reader submitted questions: “Q: Does Velvet Hoop plan on making any more music videos this year? A: I asked that myself, but as of right now I don’t know. I hope. I want to. That’s the goal.”
The AP’s recap of media day: “The moving trucks and house-hunting trips are in the past for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Season 2 will be all about basketball. Here’s an idea of how little of a factor the transition from Seattle will be for the Thunder players this preseason: Only Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Nick Collison played for the franchise when it called Seattle home. Everyone else has had a clean start in Oklahoma City, whether through the draft, free agency or a trade.”
Chris Silva’s media day recap: “Sefolosha was gleaming when he spoke about his newborn daughter. The Thunder guard spent nearly the entire offseason at home in Switzerland, where he worked out with the Swiss National Team, held a week-long basketball camp and had a visit from General Manager Sam Presti. Sefolosha said he will not be shy in taking on a defensive leadership role, but that he felt that he made strides offensively this offseason, particularly with his jump shot.”
Chris Mannix of SI asks a question for each team: “Question: Who will emerge as the starting shooting guard? Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Jeff Green are locks to start and Nenad Krstic figures to open the season at center. Smooth rookie James Harden will eventually take over at two-guard but the Thunder love Thabo Sefolosha’s versatility and his experience may give him an edge at the starters job.”
Kyle Weaver, who cut his braids, looks like a certain C-list movie star according to Kevin Durant. And as one reader pointed out, “Kyle Weaver is Undercover Brother!” You be the judge.
One thing Silva mentioned that slipped my mind – Kevin Ollie is total class. He’s a pure professional and he’s willing to accept any role that he may be given. I was really impressed by the way he spoke. I think he fits this organization perfectly with all those qualities. I’m sure he’s exactly the kind of veteran the Thunder are looking for.
Jenni Carlson ventures into the land of Thunderer’s Twitter accounts. Remember what happened last time?
Operation Sports has NBA Live 10 screenshots up of every Thunder starter. Here’s Nenad Krstic. Looks like they were pretty generous up top.
Both NewsOK.com and the official Thunder site have a good amount of videos up from media day.
HoopsWorld has a number of players that could be traded: “Chris Bosh – Many people are under the impression that if the Raptors are a playoff team, Bosh will stay put. If they’re really, really bad this year the trade rumors will start kicking right back up. The last thing the Raptors want to do is lose their lone All-Star on the free agency market for absolutely nothing. It’s not the most likely of trade possibilities this season but certainly something to keep an eye on.”
Oh, and individual game tickets go on sale today. Get sum.
