Camp Observations: Day 3
Wanted to get this out much earlier than this, but hopefully I can make up for it with some informative and interesting notes from today’s session.
* The most newsworthy thing from today is coach P.J. Carlesimo said he will hold out some guys from the exhibition schedule. I’ll have a note in Friday’s paper on it. This sort of thing happens all the time, but in the Thunder’s case franchises aren’t beginning their inaugural season. P.J. wants to hold out some players on the second game of back-to-backs. Problem is, the Thunder’s Oklahoma debut is in Tulsa on Oct. 13 against Houston and its OKC debut is a night later against the L.A. Clippers. Said Carlesimo: ”I’m sure the people (of Oklahoma) are going to want to see the players. And if we announce six guys aren’t playing tonight that probably isn’t going to go over too well. So we’re going to have to figure that one out.” P.J. didn’t say which players he’d want to sit. But the likely candidates are Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Chris Wilcox, Nick Collison, Joe Smith and Desmond Mason.
* The team began scrimmaging today, picking up the pace of practices that had involved more teaching in the first two days.
“Today was the most we’ve done in the first three days,” said Earl Watson. ”But it’s so much information we need to get compared to last year when we didn’t have all this information to begin with. So I feel like automatically we were behind (last season), especially playing games. We’re putting a lot in now.”
* P.J. also said he isn’t even close to flushing out lineups. He said he won’t begin that process ”for a long time” and is more focused on the first five preseason games. “Every practice and every game you’re saying, ‘This guy’s looking good, that guy’s looking good or whatever,’” Carlesimo said. “But (the decisions won’t be made) until we put combinations together, until we see how they play against other NBA players and get deeper into the preseason where guys are playing more of their own (regular) guys.”
* Only about one-third of the playbook will be in and on display during the team’s first five preseason games, Carlesimo said.
* Here’s why the Thunder isn’t doing two-a-days during training camp like a lot of other teams around the league: “I like it better this way,” Carlesimo said. “We’ve done double sessions in the past, and I don’t really like them. I think the players like (one session) more. They don’t have to come back a second time and get taped up and do that whole thing. It really makes for a long day.”
* A lot more praise showered today on the temporary practice facility, which I’m hesitant to even mention considering some fans have interest in the venue but never will get to see it. Said Desmond Mason: “This is a nice facility and it’s temporary, so I can only imagine what the real one’s going to be like…It’s very nice to be a temporary facility. So I think we should enjoy it for the next couple of years, but I’m very excited for what that new one will look like.”
Said Damien Wilkins: “It’s hard to imagine we’ll be moving out of this one. This is a great, great facility and the staff and the people who worked on it did a great job. It’s really hard to believe they got it looking the way it’s looking in such a short amount of time. That’s just a testament to their hard work and to the belief that they have in us and this organization. So I was excited about it when I saw it and this is one of the best that I’ve seen.”
* Wilkins also had a good line about the upcoming road trip, one that will see the Thunder play three games in four nights starting Wednesday. “I’d rather be doing that than practicing,” he said. ”It’s a lot easier to go in there and play a game for 48 minutes than to be out here for three hours killing each other. So it’s going to be fun. We’re going to learn a lot about each other during preseason as all teams do, and hopefully we’ll just be able to continue to build and continue to improve.”
* Mason said the young players, particularly Durant and Green, are better than he thought they were: “I worked out with them before the season started, and I said then that these guys are a lot more talented than I thought having been around them on a daily basis,” he said. “I played against them and I knew they were very talented basketball players…So as the years go on I think this franchise is going to be something special because of the young nucleus we have…I haven’t played with this many young guys that have such high level of talent. I think as these guys continue to grow together that’s what’s going to make a difference.”
* Mason said he and John Lucas have plans on attending Oklahoma State’s homecoming festivities.
* Jeff Green it seems is a player who likes to have a good time and always is having good-natured fun. He has already started dishing much of what he and Durant had to endure as rookies last season. Green let Russell Westbrook have it a little near the end of practice today.
“Rook, toss me a Gatorade,” Green said
Westbrook throws a yellow one.
“I want a red one,” Green demands.
* The team’s practice facility also is undergoing the final touches on its high tech security system, one that reads players, coaches and management’s fingerprints. Following practice, the players, coaches and support staff had to get their fingerprints taken and many were impressed with the system.
“Is this the security set up?” asked Wilkins. ”My goodness. This thing is like Fort Knox.”
True to form, Green continued having his good-natured fun: “Why I got to be No. 43?” he asked. ”Why can’t I be 22?” (The numbers went in order of appearance.)
* Watson playfully chimed in on Collison’s lost Boston Terrier. “I would like to say we need to find Nick Collison’s dog,” Watson jokingly interjected as Collison walked behind me while I was interviewing the point guard. ”He talks about it all of practice.” Watson said he’s seen “Morty” a few times, remembering the pet when Collison had teammates and friends over his house for a Halloween party last year. “He loves that dog,” Watson said.”
-DM-
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Comments
DM, have you read John Hollinger of espn nba insider review of the Thunder basketball team? Just wonder if we will be seeing this hate of the team, name, owner, ect…. by alot of the other writers around the country?.. His Thunder(thwack) pizzed me off the whole time I was reading his article. Just wondered if I should expect a good deal of booing when the Thunder play in other arenas? Hopefully this is something that will slowly burnout as the season goes on. Thanks for letting me vent…lol
(Paul, yes, I have read it. I would say get used to seeing much of the same opinions. Throughout the season you’ll likely see similar shots taken when columnists from Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Denver, Houston, L.A., New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Portland come to town. A lot of national writers loved Seattle and looked forward to making that stop on the NBA schedule. I think the tone of several columns will be negative initially and harp on how it was a bad move from a market size standpoint. But those opinions will be from columnists who get paid to give their two cents. I fully expect many of the news outlets in the aforementioned cities to have a staff writer who writes non-opinionated pieces. It will be those pieces I think you’ll find will be more favorable to OKC, particularly as the season wears on and they come to town and witness sellout crowds enthusiastically supporting this franchise. -DM-)
Paul, you have to realize that Hollinger spent a while at The Oregonian. The Sonics were the Trailblazers’ natural rival. Even though they may not have particularly liked them, they liked the rivalry.
So, yes, there will be some pot shots taken every now and then. But give it 2-3 years and it’ll be mostly forgotten.
I also wonder how the team will be treated on the road. With the national columnists setting the tone, a lot of mindless fans will follow right along.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sonics/2008041629_readers100.html
I just thought this would be a good read for OKC Thunder fans.
Enjoy the team.
Cheers from Seattle
that was a really cool article. my favorite was:
“As I’m sipping on my double tall latte, wearing my grunge outfit, and playing Nirvana, I’m remembering the 1987 NBA draft, when the Sonics traded away Scottie Pippen to Chicago for Olden Polynice. Enough said.
— Ryan”
or…
“It can’t at all be said that professional basketball has left Seattle. We still have the Storm, for which I’m grateful. I’ll continue to support ‘em. They play well, are professional yet personable people, and make me proud of pro sports in Seattle.
— Jeff”
Go OKC Potatoes!!!