Author: Mike

I laughed to myself several times last week when I observed Mitch McConnell vote no on two of Donald Trump’s over the top Cabinet nominees.

None of this bullshit we’re currently witnessing in America would be taking place if Mitch McConnell, Lindsay Graham, and several other GOP leaders had simply had one/tenth of the set of balls the late John McCain possessed. ONE-TENTH.

None of this would still be dividing our country because Donald Trump would have been impeached and exiled on some island with his MAGA buddies and robber barons.

American historians will not be kind to Mitch McConnell. When the moment required courage, strength, integrity, and some valor. He whiffed all four times like some sheltered bitch looming in the shadows of Koch Industries and the Federalist Society.

But to Donald Trump’s credit…from the juncture he walked down the escalator in 2016 with his young payrolled wife…Trump was right. MJ was wrong.

Trump was correct in saying about 90% of the then orthodox Republicans were in effect even less honest and human than he was. Trump was spot on. And to his credit…I can’t totally assail him any longer because… he was correct.

So, yeah, as we witness the destruction of the Rule of Law, our three independent branches of government being torched, our judicial system blown up, and the shutting down of Associated Press access to the presidency…enjoy the journey as other nuances of American democracy head for the rocks as well.

And in the end, one thing Mike J has always been true to in his life here on earth–is a guy who’s big enough to admit when was wrong.

I WAS WRONG.

But my legacy will be fine. Mitch McConnell’s though will be in a very dark place. Very dark.

• My big sister on the West Coast, the highly liberal Del Mar Okie, has let me know from time to time she’d like to be Maureen Dowd on here and keep me somewhat within the guard-rails. So this will be that first time.

So Jan…let’s go.

Love, Mike

No blogging for me since Thursday or so. I laid up, never left the house, and went through what is called the ‘chemo recovery period’ in days four, five, and six post infusion. This one for some reason was the toughest…or maybe my immune system is getting a little weaker with each infusion. Two more and I’m done for awhile.

I thought the overall All-Star production was poor, but the $100,000 shot contest between a local college kid named Jaren and Damian saved it for me. I needed something like that.

Having Draymond Green on the TNT panel did not inspire me much at all either. As in none. I don’t need a guy who sabotaged his own team’s previous two seasons explaining the nuance of why this NBA format was brutal. It’s not that I disagreed with Draymond…I just don’t want to hear that shit from him.

Kevin Hart, dude, you’re better than that. That needs to be your last NBA All-Star permorfance for awhile.

Steph, was the other bright sphere of light. An MVP at the Summer Olympics in Paris and now add this All-Star trophy to the case as well.

It’s a shame the Warriors aren’t good enough to contend so as Steph could contend for the MVP Playoffs MVP as well. The MVP Triple is what I would call it. I don’t think it’s ever been done unless Wilt might have done it in his early years….of maybe the other MJ with the Bulls.

Anyway…thank you Jaren B for giving this MJ a little sunshine.

It will be a tough day for me on here tomorrow as I explain why this should be Porter Moser’s last season as the OU mens’ basketball coach.

Stay warm these next three days in Oklahoma. It’s going to be brutal.

Mike J

Having said bravo on here, I would guess every GOP gutless Senator will vote to confirm JFK Jr. tomorrow.

Can any reasonable person who has any clue whatsoever suggest that out of 340 million people… that this person should be making decisions which will have consequences in regard to the U.S. health system?

If I were a policeman, and I stopped a jabbering fool like this… looking incoherent, confused, and dazed…I’d do his blood-alcohol test as quickly as possible and drive him to the station for booking.

Wow. I mean…wow.

But you still won’t get a GOP vote tomorrow.

Not one…would be my guess.

MJ

MORE AARON WIGGINS.

I like what I’m finally seeing from Coach Mark and Sam Presti, but with Chet’s return and less of the 240 minute total team minutes pie available…I hope in no way do I see Aaron’s minutes minimalized in any manner.

No disrepect intended towards Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace, but I’m pretty certain most Thunder fans agree with me on this. That being said, Aaron needs at the least 25 minutes a game and maybe more on some nights.

It’s frigid, icy, snowy, and misreable out here on the Deer Creek mini-ranch today and will likely be the same for the next two days. So…since I had my fourth chemo infusion in the last eighty days yesterday…I think what MJ will do is stay inside, minus feeding the wild turkeys and our nine deer.

Since the Thunder close out the pre-All Star segment of their schedule with a back to back versus Miami and Minnesota…I think what I’ll do is watch both games and blog on both games since I have a blog named okcthunderground.com. But I’ll watch the Portland-Denver game as well with my radio headphones on the OU-Missouri game.

Chemo is going great with minimal side effects so far. There is no such thing as beating the Stage 4 bone cancer I have. You subdue, you corral it, as God, you, and your doctor figure out the most effective course moving forward. Hence—I will not be wearing a pink I Beat Cancer T-Shirt. Nor will I ever be seen wearing one of those goofy Thunder playoff T-shirts.

I wonder..if the Thunder do win the NBA championship if they’ll riot, set downtow OKC on fire, and loot like the Philadelphia fans did after their Super Bowl win. Very sad commentary on Philadelphia. Why would you destroy your city after something as joyous as beating the Chiefs and claiming the Super Bowl. I saw some of that in Stillwater last year when O State won a Bedlam game with Mike Gundy as coach…but not to this extent as I witnessed after the Super Bowl.

Our country is stupid and broken…and Donald Trump in no way had anything to do with this disgraceful display in Philadelphia.

Grow up, people.

Anyway…I look forward to all the hoops these next two nights.

Eternal love, MJ

Man…what a soap opera in the West. The Lakers deal to acquire center Mark Williams fell through due to a failed physical. The options at this point to fill the center void created by Anthony Davis’s departure are limited. This is a sizeable hole for the Lakers considering Luka has never been considered all that much as a defender. In fact…he might fall into my category as a pylon on that end of the court. So unless one is considering Jaxson Hayes as a big-time rim protector–the Lakers have a significant problem.

Then there’s the drama in Dallas. Some fans in Dallas last night had to be removed from the AAA Center by law enforcement due to several unruly exhanges and ugly behavior because they feel the Mavs got fleeced in the deal. And, of course–the seemingly always fragile AD got himself injured in his first game as a Mav while Derek Lively is still out with his injury. So…like the Lakers–the Mavs are one Daniel Gafford injury away from being centerless for the time being.

It would seem to MJ…the Thunder are somewhat in what would be called a Zone of Good Fortune right now given Chet has made it through two games himself without being broken or fractured. The Basketball Gods may indeed be with the Thunder. Maybe the gods have for the time being been fooled by all the Trump fake Christian praying in faux Christian, Oklahoma. Only time will tell as we head towards the stretch run following the All-Star break.

In San Antonio and Golden State though…it’s all good though post trade deadline.

De’Aaron and Wemby seem to fit like a glove and I wouldn’t discount the Spurs’ chances of making one of the play-in slots.

Jimmy Butler in his first two games with the Warriors–which were both wins…has in fact been a perfect fit alongside Steph. Jimmy is a smart player and an All-Star level player whose skill set is a match to that of Steph in the regard he’s an excellent defender, a guy who can get to the free throw line ten times a game, and someone who doesn’t have to posess the ball all the time to score.

And so far…he and Draymond have made it look like destined love in Camelot. But then again…the Warriors haven’t lost a game yet with Jimmy and Draymond on the same team.

But so far, two games in…it ‘might’ appear Warriors’ general manager Mike Dunleavy has found his replacement for Klay for maybe two years if injuries don’t rear their head.

In closing…here come the Denver Nuggets–one game out of second place in the West. And shouldn’t that be the way it is as Shai and Nicola battle it out for the regular season MVP award.

It’s all wild in the West, minus the fact the Thunder appear to have clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference before the All-Star break.

Mike J

Jalen Hurts is the king of the football world this morning. His journey is one every young person in this country should aspire to follow in whatever their specific aspirations are in life.

How unfortunate someone like Jalen isn’t the role model for the young males in this country, but instead for some depressing inexplicable reason….so many of our young men aspire to be lazy pussy grabbing con artist crypto Ponzi grifters or worse.

Jalen’s integrity, his character, his dogged belief in himself are the qualities we as a country used to generationally embrace. But not so much anymore.

How sad for our country.

The manner in which Jalen handled his benching by Coach Saben at Alabama should be a mini-documentary for every young person in this country to watch.

He didn’t pout. He didn’t immediately transfer. He simply went to work and incrementally made the throwing part of his game better. Not only as a college player, but as a young NFL quarterback.

I’m so happy for Jalen…and proud that I was able to personally witness his last college season at OU.

Jalen Hurts…you and every one of your teammates are kings of the NFL football world this morning.

Embrace it.

Mike J

I think the Eagles have the better team. It’s tough to go against Patrick Mahomes, but in reality…if the Eagles weren’t playing opposite Mahomes to day I think the Eagles would be a 3.5 to 4 point favorite against any other NFL team currently without PM.

If the Eagles don’t do self-destructive things..and they allow their huge offensive line to take control and wear down the Chiefs–I just think Jalen Hurts has so many playmaking options not only with Saquon, but with AJ Brown and DeVonta Smitch. Plus…Jalen has former OU tight end Grant Callatara at his disposal. Jalen’s pocket presence flushes could be big in this game as the Chiefs stretch the field to control the three primary Eagle playmakers…Saquon, AJ, and DeVonta.

Nine ex-Sooners are playing in this Super Bowl and that’s cool. But the one who matters most is Jalen Hurts and this game may or may not fairly determine his place on the current QB ladder in the NFL. But that’s what comes with the position.

Hope it’s a great game…and yes–I passed on President Musk’s shadow POTUS doing his little performance for the MAGA radical right domestic terrorists on the Fox Entertainment Network.

A new low in the history of Super Bowl Sunday presentations.

Sigh

Mike J

Well…f–k, it would appear Donald Trump’s second term presidency ended after his dual trips into POTUS magic mushroom wonderland delusion after the clueless plane tragedy presser and the even more senile Gaza real estate proposal.

Here’s how I think it went down…Elon phoned FLOTUS 47, Ivanka and Jared and pretty much said, “Just keep him medicated and Besos, Zuckerberg, and I will run the country. JD Vance is not in play….we own his Silicon ass. Allow Trump to speak once a week…that’ll keep the MAGAs satiated.”

My, my, my….you Trump faux Christians have really at this point abdicated anything even remotely attached to half a moral compass, but, hey…this was always about the lowest effective marginal tax rates and you’ll probably get those with POTUS 48 Musk.

I can tell you this though, me being the lone voice of steady courage in Oklahoma out here at the studios of okcthunderground.com in no way is going to change any of this.

Nope.

I’m going to absorb the tax cuts and hope some the Oklahoma MAGAs in Oklahoma and around the nation feel okay about all this and don’t set us all on fire.

But this in no way means I’m going to buy any Donald or Melania crypto, buy an advance timeshare in Columbia overlooking the Panama Canal, or buy a costal view time-share in Gaza. Mna…this go around the grift makes Trump firstterm seem innocent in comparison.

Nope. Nope. Nope.

What MJ is going to do is sit in the OU student section tomorrow at 11:00am and see if we the ‘students’ can lead our Sooners to a huge upset over No. 4 Tennessee.

Big, big, big game for the Sooners tomorrow. Congrats to the Lady Sooners for a gritty road win last night at Ole Miss without Reagan B in the lineup.

You Trump people in Oklahoma…you never fail to amaze. Nor do our elected GOP officials in the U.S. Senate.

I think I’m going to pick the Eagles to win the Super Bowl, but I’ll do that in detail on Sunday morning. Denver Nuggets climbed into third place in the West last night. The Lakers looked great and Dallas beat Boston in Boston without AD and PJ Washington. Vintage Klay in the first half. The West is about to be lit. Plus…Clevelanded landed DeAndre Hunter at the deadline. DeAndre and Ty Jerome reunited. Very cool.

Eternal peace, MJ

Holy shit. I would say with this last move the Lakers won the Luka trade. My goodness.

What a trade deadline in the West! Not so much in the East.

Jimmy Butler is now a Warrior. De’Aaron Fox is now Wemby’s running mate in San Antonio, and all of the sudden the Lakers sitting in the 5th seed look like ‘maybe’ they could have the second best starting five in the West if Luka can get his fat ass into shape.

I hope I have this right with all the Laker departures still swirling in my head. The Lakers’ starting five would now go LeBron, Luka, my favorite lunchpail player in the league–Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Mark Williams at the center position. You people out there…take notice–Austin Reaves was not traded among the Laker departures. MJ has been right about Austin since Day 1.

This is why I wrote what I wrote yesterday. That being, “I want to see who the Lakers land as their incoming center before we judge the trade in its totality.”

The Jimmy Butler trade, I’m not so sure how that will work. Pray for Steve Kerr is my first thought. Coach Kerr now has to manage Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, and Gary Payton Jr. Maybe it’ll work. The Warriors didn’t give up all that much in Aaron Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, and Dennis Schroeder. We’ll see is all I’m saying. Draymond and Jimmy Butler together just seems like an ‘ask’ of sorts.

The sleeper trade I like though is De’Aaron Fox going to San Antonio to be Wemby’s point guard. The battles for the play-in slots are going to be fascinating in the West.

And the Thunder picked up some center ‘insurance’ with the addition of Theis. I don’t see Theis being a factor at all unless either Chet can’t stay healthy or Isaiah gets hurt again. This is like a personal center umbrella liability policy for Sam Presti—if you you know what those are. For you Oklahoma-Trump readers on here…well, never mind. Let’s move on. You’ve got to rebuild Gaza and figure out where you’re moving 2 million Palestinians.

Of course… the deadline isn’t over till midnight.

The West needed this.

Mike J

Good game last night in Cleveland as the defending champ Celtics reminded all of us why they’re still the team to beat this spring in the NBA Playoffs.

The Celtics are starting to get that look of a team focusing in on the goal achieving arc of what it takes to repeat in the very challenging landscape in the NBA Collective Bargaining Era. It’s tough to repeat. Only the Kansas City Chiefs currently have had success in this regard amongst our four major sports leagues.

The Thunder play tonight and OKC is currently the No. 1 seed overall in the NBA. OKC…39-9, Cleveland, 40-10, and Boston 36-15.

My odds right now go…1 Boston, 2 OKC, and 3 Cleveland. If OKC were to meet Boston in the NBA Finals with homecourt, I’d probably be picking OKC to win in seven games. If OKC were to play Cleveland…I’d probably take the Thunder in six games.

So while the Thunder probably aren’t going to be able to pull off the 70-12 feat, I think it would be a fairly substantial accomplishment to have homecourt throughout the playoffs.

On the 70 win deal…the Thunder still have mathmatical chance. They would have to reel off a 31-3 to reach that incredible goal in the era of load management.

But, hey…they’ve got a chance and Shai shouldn’t be sitting because he’ll be dueling with Nicola for the MVP.

So…there’s a lot of interest in these final 34 games for NBA people like me to keep a close eye on the Thunder.

The Luka-Anthony Davis trade? I don’t know yet. I want to see if Dallas or the Lakers make anymore moves on the trade deadline before I cement my view on the trade. I want to see LA’s final roster as pertaining to the center position after tomorrow. Dallas should be a contender if AD plays as he should. I think for me the emergence of PJ Washington as a star and the addition of Max Christie make me think Dallas got the better of the deal for this season. But let’s see what happens tomorrow.

Closing…if I were Adam Silver… I would have fined the Milwaukee Bucks at a minimum $100,000 for that bullshit team they put on the floor in Oklahoma City the other night. What an insult to the overall integrity of an NBA regular season game which was a rematch of the Emirates NBA Cup Finals in December.

Pathetic.

Have a nice evening.

Mike J