The Thunder season starts next week with the opener at Oakland versus the Warriors. Hopefully, Russell will be good to go. I refuse to watch any NBA preseason action whatsoever because the regular season of 82 games is way too much as it is. But I feel refreshed and ready to get after it here on my modest Thunder blog in which you can read the things Barry Tramel, Royce Young, Nick Gallo, and Erik Horne aren’t really allowed to write on the record because their employers are all pretty much Heritage Foundation GOP types who don’t have any sense of humor per se. Net worth ‘trumps’ everything in that world. Always.
I’m pretty excited about the upcoming season. I think Sam Presti did about as much as he could in the off season minus getting Klay Thompson or Draymond Green to join the Thunder. Those are the two dudes on my wish list if ever Presti is able to pull off a coup of sorts. Remember this, you not only want to make the Thunder legit championship contenders, but you want to seriously weaken the Warriors just like they did to us when Kevie headed for the sure rings in Oakland. Again, you don’t just want to get better, but at some point Golden State needs to be weakened.
I’m excited to see some of the news guys like Schroeder, Noels, TLC, and Diallo. I hope Andre Roberson isn’t rushed back too quickly from that very serious patellar injury as well. Gosh, I hope the down time doesn’t hurt his free throw shooting. Another plus, I never have to look at Kyle Singler suffering again through another Thunder season. And of course, I won’t have to listen to television play by play from Brian Davis. I hope he landed on his feet, but enough is enough.
Obviously, Golden State is a prohibitive favorite to repeat. To me, a really good Thunder season would be to win 55-57 games in the regular season, finish second in the West, and make the Western Conference Finals. I don’t think those should be pipedream goals given the roster. For me, this is the time Billy Donovan needs to show me he can do this. Since Durant’s departure the Thunder have yet to win a playoff series and are a combined 3-8 in post season play.
It’s one thing to go 3-8 if your ownership isn’t spending money, but the Thunder have dipped heavily into the luxury tax and if you’re going to do that as an organization you should be advancing deep into the season at the goal achieving portions of the NBA year.
For me only, Billy Donovan and Russell Westbrook have a great deal to prove to me as far as playoff basketball this season.. You know like, either shit or get off the stool.
Great stuff on the sports horizon, the Cleveland Browns host the Chargers this Sunday, the baseball league championships get going with the four best teams in baseball having all advanced, and the Thunder kick off their 11th season.
My entire blog camp consisted of reading Boom Town and Steven Adams’s book. That’s it. I needed a refresh. I’m good and ready to go.
I love this song. I dream of coming back in the next life as Tom Petty.
This is probably my second favorite Tom Petty song, but only the version with Stevie Nicks doing vocals. This is the thing about being a real rock star when you can call Stevie Nicks to come sing with you and she’s good with it.