Scott Brooks: Another Olympic roster addition?
The U.S. Olympic men’s basketball roster has been in flux due to injuries suffered by members on the team’s original 20-man invitation list. Thunder sixth man James Harden received an invitation last week to try out for the squad after Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose suffered a serious knee injury in Game 1 of the playoffs.
Harden will join Thunder teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who were previous invitees and valuable members of the gold-medal team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey. Durant was named most valuable player of the tournament and chosen 2010 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year. Thunder head athletic trainer Joe Sharpe also was on staff for the FIBA team and will assist with this year’s Olympic team.
With three potential players for the 2012 Olympic team in London, USA Basketball should consider adding Thunder coach Scott Brooks as an assistant to Mike Krzyzewski’s staff.
Team USA assistant coaches Mike D’Antoni (New York Knicks) and Nate McMillan (Portland Trail Blazers) lost their jobs within hours of each other in mid-March. D’Antoni resigned and McMillan was fired, but both remain on the Olympic team staff.
A USA Basketball official said D’Antoni and McMillan are still in good standing to remain on staff, having been employed three of the last five years. No coaching changes for Team USA are anticipated because of the resounding success of Krzyzewski’s staff, which also includes Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim and managing director Jerry Colangelo.
However, what would be the harm inviting Brooks as an observer to Team USA’s training camp in July at Las Vegas? Brooks could share his insight on Durant, Westbrook and particularly Harden, whose stock continues to soar.
Brooks has no experience with USA Basketball, but this could get his foot in the door, perhaps as a Team USA staff member for the next quadrennial. Durant and Westbrook are only 23 and Harden is 22, which makes all three prime contenders for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Asked Monday if he would have any interest in serving as a coach for USA Basketball, Brooks said: “Oh, heck yes. It would be an honor. It’s your dream as a player or a coach to represent your country.”
Thunder: No new playoff shoe design for KD
No new shoes for KD
A photo of some black-and-gold Nikes with Kevin Durant’s KD insignia on them got us believing that the Thunder star might be debuting some new shoes during the playoffs.
I asked him about it today after the Thunder’s morning shoot around.
He told me that he’ll be wearing no new designs during the playoffs.
Bummer.
KD was quite the trendsetter during last year’s playoffs, most notably with the backpacks in the post-game press conferences. This year, there’s been no backpack. No unexpected twist. No new fashion statement of any kind.
I told Durant that I was disappointed about that.
While he made no promise, he said he might bring something out soon.
I’ve got my fingers crossed.
***
If you need a Durant-related fashion fix, check this out. You can go to Nike.com and design your own look for the Nike Zoom KD IV iD. Now, granted, Nike wants you to actually buy the shoes after you design them, but there’s no rule that says you have to do that.
So, just go and have some fun.
Thunder: Life on the road brings out best
I’d like to interrupt our coverage of the Thunder’s playoff run for just a minute.
I want to tell you about another team that is pretty darn amazing.
Team OPUBCO.
We’ve got a group of six folks here in Dallas covering the playoff games — our Thunder beat writers Darnell Mayberry and John Rohde, one of our sports videographer Damon Fontenot, one of our sports photographers Bryan Terry, and columnists Berry Tramel and I. It’s a great group that I’m so proud to be a part of, but my pride goes way beyond the content that we’re providing in The Oklahoman and on NewsOK.com.
As some of you may have noticed, I’m pregnant. If you’ve seen me on any of our videos on NewsOK.com lately, that fact is nearly impossible to miss.
(Needless to say, I’m really happy that we shoot our videos from straight on instead of from the side. If we shot with a side view, I might take up the whole frame.)
While driving to Dallas on Thursday with Berry and Damon, Berry let it be known that we had to have a plan for me in case anything were to happen. I’m still eight weeks away from my due date, in case you’re wondering, so I’m not in the danger zone or anything. But Berry was insistent that we have a plan.
I have to call one of the guys if I need anything no matter what time of day or night.
I have to let the guys help carry Damon’s camera gear. (I did manage to carry his camera about 30 feet today, but it took me reminding Rohde that I was pregnant, not broken before he’d allow it.)
Should I go into labor on a game day, Damon will take me to the hospital if it’s before the tip and Berry will take me if the game is over. And, of course, if the little one decides it’s go time during the game, then we’ll just put one of the Dallas EMT units at the arena to work.
I’m telling you, these guys have got my back.
We have written and talked a bunch in past couple years about how the Thunder has become such a great team. They help each other. They support each other. They like each other.
I feel the same way about Team OPUBCO.
I hope all of this isn’t too sappy for everyone; I just wanted to share a bit about these faces and names that you see every day on our Thunder coverage. Life on the road isn’t easy — and chances are good, this series against the Mavs will likely be my last road trip for awhile — but being part of a team like this makes it a million times easier. I knew that before I got pregnant, but these past couple days have definitely reminded me of it.
***
P.S. I got this email from Rohde after my blog posted: “True, we have your back. We also have your front, which is important for someone in your condition.”
Told you I loved this team.
Thunder: First-round talk? Get used to it
Dirk Nowitzki grabs a rebound over Kendrick Perkins
This first-round series against the Mavericks has been filled with all sorts of talk.
Rick Carlisle lamenting about officiating.
Scott Brooks lamenting about Carlisle.
Dirk and Perk yelling at each other on the court.
Carlisle using profanity in the postgame presser.
Hey, doesn’t this all sound familiar, Thunder fans? I mean, it’s not the exact same words, but the jabbering in this first-round series sure is reminiscent of the babble that we saw a year ago in the Thunder’s first-round series against the Nuggets.
You remember how that went, starting before the games even did with Denver coach George Karl talking about how cocky the Thunder was.
And here’s the deal — Thunder fans might want to get used to this kind of gamesmanship.
Really, that’s what this is. Gamesmanship. Opponents trying to get any kind of advantage possible against the Thunder. Last year, the Nuggets realized they were overmatched, so they did whatever they could think of to try to level the playing court. This year, the Mavs are doing the same.
Now, the Mavs aren’t nearly as overmatched as the Nuggets were — Dallas actually has a guy who can guard Kevin Durant — but it’s pretty clear that Dallas is trying to do everything possible to get an advantage here and there.
Who can blame them?
I mean, Thunder fans have no doubt been frustrated to have to hear all the hyperbole, but the truth is, as long as the Thunder is one of the best teams in the West, these early-round playoff opponents are going to do this. And it looks like the Thunder is going to be among the best in the West for a long time to come.
So, you might want to get used to this, Thunder fans.
My advice: earplugs.
Thunder: Have you seen KD’s new shoes?
KD's new shoe? Photo from NiceKicks.com
The playoffs are here, and you know what that means.
New shoes!
Nike makes sure to put its biggest stars in new kicks during the playoffs, and it looks like Kevin Durant may join the ranks of Kobe and LeBron with a new look. KD has yet to wear anything new, but a photo from NiceKicks.com (right) sure looks like a shoe similar to the Kobe and LeBron shoes that have already been released.
Same color scheme. Same general style.
Nike, of course, is super secret about its product releases, and hey, all we’ve got to go on is one random photo from the web. But it seems entirely possible that KD will debut the new shoe Thursday when the Thunder plays on the road for the first time in these playoffs.
KD wears lighter colored shoes for home games when the Thunder wears its home white jerseys. On the road, though, he tends to go with darker colors.
Stay tuned.
What do you think of the new kicks, Thunder fans? Love ‘em? Hate ‘em? Let us know.
Thunder: Perspective on KD’s struggles
Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant had another tough night Monday.
Missed 12 of the 17 shots he took.
Turned over the ball seven times.
The Thunder star is now 15 of 44 in the first two games of this Western Conference playoff series against the Mavericks. No doubt he’s frustrated about his own performance, despite his team’s 2-0 lead and his contributions in other areas (blocks in Game 1 and rebounds in Game 2 come to mind).
But Durant offered a dose of perspective on his Twitter account late Monday night.
“7 years ago today we lost a Loved one…RIP Big Chucky, thank you for shining down on us!” Durant wrote. “Ima keep this #35 alive forever! Love u big dawg.”
Big Chucky was the nickname for Charles Craig, the man who was Durant’s first basketball coach. They developed an amazing bond, and as Durant developed, the two talked of all the milestones that they would one day share. When Durant signed a letter of intent. When he got drafted. When he made it to the NBA.
But it didn’t happen.
Big Chucky died on April 30, 2005 when he was shot and killed in Laurel, Md.
He was only 35 years old.
Durant has worn No. 35 since then. Our man Darnell Mayberry wrote a fantastic piece about the story behind Durant’s jersey number a couple years ago, and if you read what Durant said then, you can tell that his emotions about Chucky still run high.
It’s a dose of perspective.
Yes, Durant’s struggles have been brutal. Yes, they have been uncharacteristic. But this is a guy who has fought through much tougher circumstances than this.
OKC Thunder: Fancy meeting you here, Mr. Cuban
Mark Cuban with @HotDogOKC's Gail Van Campen, photo courtesy @HotDogOKC
Gail Van Campen sees all sorts of customers at her late-night hot dog stand in Bricktown.
Self-made billionaire entrepreneurs, though, are something of a rarity.
But not on Sunday.
Hot Dog OKC had a visit from Mark Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks owner who is in town for his team’s playoff series against the Thunder. He had his picture taken with Van Campen — no word yet on the hot dog that he ordered — and then she posted it on the stand’s Twitter page, @HotDogOKC.
It was a pleasure meeting you today @mcuban #SharkTank #DallasMavs #NBAPlayoffs twitgoo.com/5txbbp
— Hot Dog OKC (@HotDogOKC) April 29, 2012
Not long after, Cuban (@mcuban) replied to her.
..@HotDogOKC. Love that you are using social media for your hotdog stand in OKC.Everyone should stop by ! #alwaysbehustling — Mark Cuban (@mcuban) April 29, 2012
Hey, say what you will about the brash owner who’s known for his courtside tirades and his referee lambastings, Thunder fans, but that was a pretty cool thing for Cuban to do. Monday morning, Van Campen was clearly still thinking about her encounter with a guy who turned a college start-up into a business that was purchased by Yahoo! for almost $6 billion.
I was #DreaminBig about meeting one of my idols.Oh wait, that really did happen?Inspired to step it up to the next level #WienerUp
— Hot Dog OKC (@HotDogOKC) April 30, 2012
Thunder: Fans, we want your playoff stories
The playoffs are here.
Life as we know it is changing.
You know how this works, Thunder fans. The playoffs will consume your life, dictate your sleep patterns, affect your work and rearrange your schedule. Some of you will go to crazy lengths to get tickets. Some of you will have brushes with players. Some of you will have once-in-a-lifetime moments that you will remember forever.
Here at Thunder Bandwagon Headquarters, we want to hear about your playoff experiences.
“My Playoff Story” is an ongoing feature that we’ll have throughout the playoffs. There, you can read about other fans’ experiences and add your own story. It’s a place for fans to interact and add to the narrative of the playoffs.
The playoffs in Oklahoma City are unlike any other city, and the reason is you, Thunder fans. We want to be able to tell your story.
Thunder: No personal apology for Harden
So, Ron Artest tried to implant his elbow in the back of James Harden’s head, but after almost a week, he hasn’t offered any sort of personal apology to the Thunder guard.
I wish I could say I expected different.
On Friday, Harden spoke to the media for the first time since taking that vicious elbow behind the ear. He had all sorts of interesting stuff to say — though, I guess, anything he would’ve said would’ve been interesting considering how high-profile an incident this was — but prime among them was what he said when someone asked if Artest had apologized:
“I think he apologized in an interview,” Harden said. “I don’t know.”
Artest has said that he didn’t want to reach out to Harden personally because the teams might meet in the playoffs. It’s a pretty weak stance, but OK. Whatever. But you know what? Artest has people. Agents. Associates. Friends. You mean to tell me that one of them couldn’t figure out a way to contact Harden personally and pass along an apology?
That’s not weak.
That’s sad.
Someone from the Artest camp should’ve contacted Harden. Not because Harden deserved an apology. Not because it would’ve saved face for Artest. But rather because it was the right thing to do. Saying you’re sorry after an incident like that is the correct and proper thing to do.
Then again, that elbow was evidence that Artest doesn’t have much of an idea what’s correct or proper.
So, what do you think, Thunder fans? Should Artest have offered a personal apology to Harden?
Thunder: Who’s more clutch, KD or Russ?
Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant (35) and Russell Westbrook (0)
USA Today had a fascinating piece as its “Cover Story” today, and the Thunder was front and center.
If you’ve read the national newspaper, you know that the “Cover Story” is the meaty feature that appears on every section front. The sports page today focused on clutch players in the NBA Playoffs. The piece, written by Jeff Zillgitt, delves into all the different aspects that make a player clutch.
This is a topic that we’ve written about before as it relates to Kevin Durant. He’s become a much better player in the clutch — which is defined as the last five minutes or less of a game with a score margin within five points — and it doesn’t take a lot of statistics for folks in these parts to know that.
Thunder fans have seen it with their own eyes this past couple years.
But Zillgitt sites some fascinating numbers about KD and his tag-team partner Russell Westbrook. This season, the Thunder has had 30 games that came down to clutch situations. Durant and Westbrook both averaged 4.9 minutes in the last 5 minutes of those games. Not a shock since both of those guys are going to be on the floor at the end of close games.
But here’s what’s interesting about their clutch-time performances.
“Durant averaged 4.8 points to Westbrook’s 4.1,” Zillgitt wrote. “Yet Durant took 32 more shots and had a lower shooting percentage (39.3%) than Westbrook (43.5%).”
Now, this isn’t to say that either player is bad in the clutch. The truth is that statistically, these two guys are the top two in terms of points scored in the clutch in the NBA this season.
But isn’t it interesting that the perception is out there that Durant is way more clutch that Westbrook. I mean, if you asked some pundits, they’d tell you that Durant should take each and every shot in the clutch, even though the numbers tell us that he is shooting a worse percentage than Westbrook while taking more shots.
Who gets the big shots in a close game has never mattered to me. What matters is whether they get a good shot.
If Durant has a good shot, take it. If it’s Westbrook, the same philosophy applies. Heck, as long as it’s a good shot, it doesn’t matter if it’s Serge Ibaka or James Harden or anyone else in Thunder blue from where I’m sitting.
But still, in light of OKC’s recent late-game woes, this is an interesting question, Thunder fans — who do you think is more clutch? Is it KD? Is it Westbrook?
Who do you want to have the ball in their hands when the game is on the line?
