Worst thing about the Chandler mess
My heart goes out to Tyson Chandler.
Not because he’s not coming back to Oklahoma City. Sure, that came as bad news late Wednesday night when the Thunder announced it was rescinding its trade with the Hornets, a trade that would’ve brought the talented big man back to town. Chandler spent time here before, embracing the city and becoming a fan favorite. Truth be told, he seems like one of the good guys in sports.
But Chandler not returning to OKC is not why I feel bad for the big guy. I feel bad because something must really be wrong with him.
Trades aren’t often rescinded in the NBA, especially not ones that are celebrated like Chandler’s was. Everyone with the Thunder seemed to be glowing about the news Wednesday. Sam Presti. Scott Brooks. Players. Fans.
The thing is, this was a trade for the future. Of course Chandler was going to play this year, but he was really going to be important next season and seasons to come when this young franchise really looked like it was going to start coming into its own. Chandler has had nagging injuries, but the Thunder could give him time to heal. Really heal. There was no need to rush him into action.
I even asked Brooks about that Wednesday a few hours after the trade, and he agreed that there was no rush to get Chandler on the floor.
And still, the Thunder saw something bad enough in his physical that it pulled the plug on the trade.
It’s bad news for the Thunder, but I fear that it’s even worse news for Tyson Chandler.
Thunder’s Collison hosting charity event
Nick Collison made a trip last year that changed his life.
The Thunder forward and his wife, Robbie, went to Africa last September with the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders initiative. Both of the Collisons were deeply affected by what they witnessed in a part of the world where the AIDS epidemic is critical.
They realized they wanted to do something to help those who suffer from the disease.
The Collisons will host the Passion for Fashion AIDS benefit on March 5 at the Chesapeake Boathouse. The event will benefit Guiding Right, Inc., an AIDS charity that works in the Oklahoma City area.
The evening’s activities will be highlighted by a fashion show. The fashion show will feature spring fashions from Oklahoma City boutiques as well as Dallas-based designer Abi Ferrin. De Luxe Parties and Events, an event planning business owned by Robbie Collison, along with Regalia Personal Wardrobe Stylists and Fashion Consultants will coordinate the event.
There will be something for sports fans, too, with raffles and a silent auction that includes Thunder tickets and autographed memorabilia. Those in attendance will also be able to mingle with the Collisons and other members of the Thunder.
Tickets start at $75 with a limited number of VIP tickets available at $150.
For tickets or more information, call (206) 359-2054.
Are you a Thunder super fan?
We had some fun in today’s sports section profiling four Thunder super fans.
With the team preparing to unveil its new mascot, we thought it would be fitting to celebrate the fans who’ve been unofficial fill-ins during the first half of this season. These are folks who dress up, wear costumes, have props — the whole zany nine yards.
But they aren’t the only super fans, of course. There are plenty of other Thunder fans who are super but just not quite as noticeable.
Maybe they come every night and always root, root, root for the home team. Maybe they drive for hours or even from out of state to see the team. Maybe they sacrifice their tickets so others can see the team. Maybe they do the defense chant when no one else in their section is.
We would love to tell their stories, too.
If you or someone you know is a Thunder super fan, let me know. E-mail me at jcarlson@opubco.com. I’ll be gathering ideas for a future story about these dedicated fans.
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.
What will the Thunder wear?
Thousands have claimed their seats for the inaugural season of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Just what are they going to see from those seats? And I’m not talking about what kind of team this will be. Improved? Good? Bad? Those sorts of discussions can wait for another day. For now, I’m wondering what the team will look like, and that comes down to the jerseys.
What will the Thunder wear?
Watch my latest video commentary or continue reading below:
The design of the jerseys has yet to be revealed. We’re told that when the team reports for preseason camp in a few weeks, the jerseys will be unveiled, and really, this will be another big moment in the branding of this team.
Getting a name was the biggest moment. That’s how most people will identify this team — by its name — but next in line is the jersey.
There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth about the Thunder logo. Many lamented that it wasn’t good enough, wasn’t cool enough, but really, what the team wears is much more important than the logo it has. Sure, that logo will be used, but the jerseys will be seen so much more.
Think about it. When the Hornets were here, you saw their logo from time to time, but it wasn’t constantly front and center. Their uniforms, on the other hand, were seen all the time. At games. On TV highlights. In news photos.
I have a much clearer picture in my mind’s eye of their home whites with Hornets across the chest than I do of their logo.
And so, the Thunder jersey will be important. Here’s hoping it’s a strong, classic look. Simple color scheme. Clean design.
These jerseys, after all, aren’t going to be seen only by the thousands who’ve bought ticket at the Ford Center. They’re going to be seen by the world.
Thunder fits in nicely
There are lots of folks hatin’ on the new name and logo of Oklahoma City’s NBA team.
Not me.
Watch my latest video commentary or continue reading below:
Oh, sure, it’d be easy to nitpick at the Thunder nickname or the OKC shield logo. I could lament that there are stronger names. I could argue that there are better logos.
But you know what? I think these are pretty darn good.
Wednesday when the team finally made its name and logo official, it gave a sheet to the media with all of the NBA insignias on it. All 30 teams were there, side by side, row after row.
And that’s when it hit me — the Thunder and its logo fit in just fine.
I let my eye wander over the sheet, wanting to see if I’d be drawn to the Thunder because it was different than the others. Would it stand out? Would it look inferior? Would it seem cartoonish?
No, no and no.
The Thunder name and logo fit right in with the other NBA teams.
Granted, the logo bears a striking resemblance to the Nets’ logo, but frankly, there are other logos that look alike. The Phoenix Suns and the Portland Trail Blazers have similar slanting rectangles. The Los Angeles Lakes and the Detroit Pistons both have basketballs with their names across the front. The Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers both have logos with basketballs streaking to the right.
Just as Clay Bennett admitted after the press conference Wednesday, there are no new nicknames. Ditto for the logos, I say.
Frankly, I suspect that the folks who are down on the name and the logo are just not used to either of them. Things that are new tend to be jarring, even if they are good things. A beautiful new building, for example, looks out of place simply because it wasn’t there the last time you drove down that road. Eventually, you get used to seeing it and you realize how good it looks.
The same will happen with the Thunder nickname and logo. In time, we’ll all realize that they aren’t out of place at all.
Not blue about Thunder colors
All the talk Wednesday centered on the nickname and the logo of Oklahoma City’s new NBA team.
The name Thunder is growing on folks.
The logo is not.
Least talked about are the team colors, but frankly, they might be what I like best about the whole shooting match.
The main color, sky blue, is fashioned after the blue on the Oklahoma state flag. It is a little deeper that that state flag blue, though. Look at the T-shirts worn at the announcement ceremony, or check out the ones being sold on the team’s online store. You’ll notice that the blue is a couple notches darker than the color of the flag.
It is not only vibrant but also strong.
That is a unique but grand blend. I like that this blue is the color we’ll see most often in association with the Thunder.
The complementary colors — the yellow and the red-orange — are good choices, too. If the team decides to do special jerseys and use either of those hues as the primary colors, they’ll still look good.
I also like that there’s a nod toward the two major colleges with that red-orange color. Just as Clay Bennett said on Wednesday, it’s not too red and not too orange, and he’s right. Look at it, and you’ll think it’s more red one minute and more orange the next.
Nice touch.
All in all, this team’s color scheme is solid. You can debate the name and the logo all you want, but there’s no need to argue about the colors.
Presti has look of hard worker
Got a chance to meet Sam Presti up close and personal on Thursday.
Even after a short time around the general manager of OKC’s new NBA team, at least one thing is certain — the guy is a hard worker.
You can see it.
Literally.
Presti might be the palest person I’ve ever seen. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that he’s spent the last few years in Seattle, a place where the sunshine is in short supply, but I have a feeling it has more to do with Presti. This is a guy who has worked his way to one of the NBA’s top spots at the ripe ol’ age of 31.
It’s difficult to work on your suntan when you’re inside a gym or at a desk all day.
Maybe Presti is just a big believer in sunscreen; he could be a poster child for those use-your-SPF campaigns. But really, this seems like a guy who doesn’t spend a lot of time golfing or chilling at the lake or grilling out in the yard. This is a guy who spends his time on basketball, whether that means scouting prospects or working the phones or plotting the next move.
After many of the cameras and the reporters left Thursday, Presti talked about how basketball became an all-consuming passion when he was in high school. Every day since, he suspects, he’s thought about basketball. He’s schemed. He’s planned. He’s obsessed.
No doubt that has only increased since Clay Bennett and Co. chose Presti as its general manager a year ago.
Perhaps Presti will get a little more sun with the team moving to Oklahoma City – our fair city does have a few more sunny days than our good friends in the Pacific Northwest — but then again, there is more work to do than ever.
Don’t expect Presti to be doing ads for Hawaiian Tropic any time soon.
Decision Day is here
In less than 10 hours, we’ll know the outcome of the federal court case between the City of Seattle and the Sonics.
What will it be?
Only the judge knows for sure.
But perhaps the bigger question is this — what will it mean?
That will be much more difficult to answer before sundown today.
If the judge rules in the Sonics favor, the ownership has indicated that it wants to move to Oklahoma City as soon as possible. Does that mean the moving vans will load up tonight? Does that mean the team and the city will start negotiating a buyout? Does that mean the city will request an injunction to make the team stay put?
It’s impossible to know.
If the judge rules in the city’s favor, the outcomes are equally clouded. Will the team appeal the decision? Will the team try to talk the city into sitting down at the bargaining table anyway?
Again, the only certainty is uncertainty.
And so, we wait. By day’s end, we’ll know a little better how long the wait will ultimately be, and yet, my guess is, we still won’t know for sure. The judge’s decision is final, but this is hardly the end of the saga.
The power of three
Turns out, the Lakers aren’t dead yet.
Doesn’t mean they’ll win the series, though.
The Celtics are still my favorite to win the NBA Finals. I picked them during the first round, and I’m sticking with them even after the Lakers won Game 3 on Tuesday.
Here’s why: the power of three.
There are lots of ways to build successful basketball teams, but the best formula for winning a championship is having three go-to players. The Celtics have Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Sure, the Lakers have Kobe Bryant, one of the best players to ever walk planet earth, and Pau Gasol, one of the nicest gifts to ever be given from one NBA team to another, but they don’t have that third star.
Lamar Odom has moments when he’s great, but he’s still too sporadic to be considered a go-to player. Derek Fisher is a nice player and an even nicer person, but he doesn’t have that go-to quality either.
The Celtics have three legitimate stars, which takes pressure off of them and puts it squarely on opponents.
The power of three is nothing new in our neck of the woods. The last Oklahoma State men’s basketball team to make it to the Final Four had Tony Allen, John Lucas and Joey Graham. The last Oklahoma men’s team to make it had Aaron McGhee, Hollis Price and Ebi Ere.
Even when the gender changes, the power of three still holds. When the Oklahoma women went to the Final Four a few years back, they had Stacey Dales, LaNeishea Caufield, Rosalind Ross and Caton Hill. I’ll leave it up to you to decide who the best three were.
Honestly, the most important thing is having at least three go-to players. More is great, though it can become a little more challenging for a coach who has to manage minutes and balance scoring. But those are challenges that you accept.
Three is the minimum.
Three is the magic number.
That’s why I like the Celtics in the NBA Finals. A few days ago in a video commentary, I predicted that the Celtics would sweep. OK, so that isn’t going to happen, but it’s difficult to think that the Celtics won’t win this series. They don’t have the best player in the series, but they have three very good ones. There is great power in that, and for the Celtics, that means they have a great chance of winning a title.
