New (good) guys in town?
Sometimes being in the sports media is drudgery. Waiting in hotel lobbies hoping someone will talk to you. Standing outside locker rooms praying for a willing source.
But then there are times when we get a gem of an assignment.
Monday was one of those days. We in the media had a chance to meet the new guys in town. It was media day for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Watch my latest video commentary or continue reading below:
For the better part of four hours Monday, we had a chance to chat with the players. Kevin Durant. Jeff Green. Earl Watson. Nick Collison. Joe Smith. All of those guys were there, and so many more.
Much of their time was ate up with interviews and photos and the like. These guys were doing everything under the sun. They were reading radio liners. They were taping spots for the NBA’s overseas TV networks in places like Italy and China. They were doing videos that you’ll see all season on the Ford Center jumbotron. All of them had a full day.
And yet, there were down moments during the day. That’s when I had a chance to strike up several conversations. I talked to Earl Watson about how tough it is moving because no two houses are the same so you’re always having to buy something or ditch something else. I talked with Jeff Green about his fun-loving personality. I talked with Damien Wilkins about the summer AAU tournament that I saw him play in many moons ago in Kansas City.
I also had a chance to chat with some media types about their experiences during media day.
From everything I experienced and everything I heard, it seems like Oklahoma City got itself a good group of characters on this NBA team. This is something that Clay Bennett and Sam Presti have said would be a priority, getting players who would play the right way and act the right way. Monday, the latter was evident.
Granted, none of us every really know pro athletes. Kobe was thought to be a great guy right up until that incident in Colorado a few years back. We just don’t know for sure what these guys are like when they’re out of the spotlight.
And yet, the first-blush impression is that this is a team that Oklahoma City is going to be proud of. There didn’t seem to be a lot of bad attitudes or massive egos. Most of the guys I talked with were not only well-spoken and thoughtful but also funny and sincere. That’s a pretty decent combo.
I had much the same feeling Monday that I had a couple years back when the Hornets first hit town. They seemed like nice guys then, and as it turned out, there were very few knuckleheads in the bunch.
Let’s hope we’re as lucky with the Thunder.
First impressions lead me to believe that we just might be.
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