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I heard this and smiled as only an older man can. Time heals wounds or at least we hope that’s what happens.

Kevin Durant is coming back to Oklahoma City in the midst of his own season with Golden State to attend the jersey retirement ceremony for Nick Collison on March 20th.

Very nice from all parties concerned.

Enough with the angst and I write that especially to the fans in OKC. Get over it. You look foolish still booing Kevin Durant. I was pissed for about six months and I even refer to him affectionately on here as Cup Cake still, but stop it with the Kevin Durant hate.

He was a free agent, not a slave bound to a redneck city which BTW appears to be growing up a little even in the age of Donald Trump. It’s funny many of my Republican friends are now admitting to me in private they’re ashamed they voted for Trump. How could you blame any young black man for leaving this place at the height of his prime to explore another perspective, another city. Now—I understand it was somewhat weak to do the exploring with Steph and Klay, but life goes on.

And let’s be honest, I know from what Russell Westbrook says around the fringes is that like me he thinks Trump is a douchebag grifter as well. I’m guessing Nick believes the same as well. My point in this is to say as Kevin has lived thru this he’s not the same person he was two and half years ago. He took some heavy heat for his move to Oakland. But it’s his life, his journey as a man, and at the end of the day it doesn’t matter that a bunch of white people in Oklahoma City think booing Kevin Durant somehow brings adult closure to any of this.

It doesn’t. It makes the city look like a bunch of dumbasses with no overall life or big picture perspective.

I’ll probably cry. I cry at chick flicks and I’m sure my eyes will be moist. As a fan, I lived this with these guys with my fan heart on my sleeve.

Life moves on. We’re all on our own unique journey. Kevin Durant is no different. He just made a decision people in Oklahoma City didn’t like.

I’m glad he’s coming back.

I do hope Kevin leaves Oakland after winning this third ring with Steph and Klay this upcoming summer. But I don’t mean that as a way he should come back to play for the Thunder. Instead, I’d like to see Kevin go to Toronto or Denver or Portland and take his journey to another frontier.

Maybe at he end, he could return and play a season in Oklahoma City just for closure.

Don’t make yourself a stranger, Kevin.

Donald Trump and I finally agree on something, that being–former Seattle Sonics owner Howard Schultz has no business running for President of the United States as an independent.

I laughed when I saw the Scott Pelly piece on Sixty Minutes. This is the same Howard Schultz who as owner of the Seattle Super Sonics bailed out on his city of Seattle by selling the team to Oklahoma City’s ownership group headed by Clay Bennett and Aubrey McClendon. He couldn’t get a new arena built in Seattle after five years of haggling. David Stern became weary of the situation with the franchise, and then Schultz sold the franchise to a group from Oklahoma he knew had virtually no chance of getting an arena built in the Seattle area.

Then to save face, he filed a lawsuit against the Clay Bennett group after they of course failed to get financial support from Seattle and moved the team to Oklahoma as every fourth grader in Oklahoma knew they would do upon the purchase of the team.

So…this Howard Schultz is the guy who is gong to navigate the complex problems of the presidency?

I find that amusing.

Trump may actually have this one right in that I can’t imagine the coffee billionaire is tough enough to handle the job. If I were to vote for a billionaire independent maybe I’d vote for Michael Bloomberg or maybe either Bill or Melinda Gates, but in no way would I take Howard Schultz seriously.

So answer me this, if you as one of the most visible CEO’s in Seattle can’t get an arena built in your own hometown, then explain to me how you’d get anything accomplished dealing with the American Freedom Caucus.

Good luck with that.

If I were Howard Schultz I’d just focus on the foundation work and leave 2020 to someone who might have a clue as to how to handle the American Freedom Caucus and start getting some things done in this country again.

I’m not sure who that person is or if one exists, but I’m fairly certain it isn’t Howard Schultz.

I made a point of watching all Eight Dwarfs this week-end, plus the Golden State Warriors so I could come to some conclusion on if anybody could hang with the Warriors. My conclusion is no and in reality I see no real separation of all that much within these eight teams who are the cream of the crop to challenge Golden State.

Each of the eight have a star with the possible exception of Denver unless you feel Paul Milsap can lead a team to an NBA championship. Toronto has Kawhi and Kyle Lowery…. the Sixers have Butler, Embiid, and Simmons…. the Celtics have Kyrie, Tatum, and Al Horford…and the Bucks have the Greek Freak.

In the West after the Warriors the star pecking order goes Houston with Harden, Chris Paul, and Clint Capela… the OKC Thunder with Paul George, Russell Westbrook, and Steven Adams… the Jazz with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert… and the Denver Nuggets with Paul Milsap and Nikola Jokic.

Based on what I saw this week at this juncture of the season with the exception of LeBron, Chris Paul, and Capela being hurt the Thunder have on paper as good of an argument as any of the eight. But with the Thunder it will be all about Westbrook and can he corral his overall game when we hit March and April. NFL teams don’t advance with their QB throwing picks and NBA teams don’t advance with up and down point guard play.

But if you held a gun to my head today and made me rank the Eight Dwarfs…I’d go:

1 Houston

2 Boston

3 Toronto

4 Oklahoma City

5 Milwaukee

6 Philadelphia

7 Utah Jazz

8 Denver Nuggets

* I can’t rank the Lakers until I see proof LeBron will be ready to go when the games start meaning something. We’ll circle that for the time being and see if LeBron is a hundred per cent for the long haul.

Since the biblical ending in those waning seconds in Philadelphia when the waters parted and Paul George carried the Thunder past the Sixers with that improbable rescue—something else has happened…namely the Thunder have gently become PG’s team or at least until Russell Westbrook somewhat finds a balance with his shot and being the father of newborn twins.

You can see it in the faces of the Thunder players. It’s a look in their eyes. A calmness in Paul George’s play which is the polar opposite of the whirling dervish Wild Thing. Like paternal order has overtaken the team since Philly. This could have only been Paul George’s decision. His play to put this team where they should be given the roster Sam Presti put in place. And to Paul George’s credit he’s doing it with a subtle kindness which exudes respect to Russell Westbrook. But it had to happen….and Paul George had to be the person to do it.

The Thunder won their 5th straight including the Philadelphia Miracle by outclassing the Milwaukee Bucks by a score of 118-112 inside the Peake on Sunday evening. Paul George was not only the best Thunder player on the floor, he might have been the best NBA player in action on Sunday. I’ve never seen Paul George better. Total command…those are the two words I’d use to describe his play.

The PG line went 36 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals, +18, 8-12 from 3pg range. He was simply the best player on the floor and he knew it.

It was clearly one of the Thunder’s best games of the year, yet I have to write they beat the first place Bucks on a night when Russell Westbrook’s broken shot went 5-20. The notion this Thunder team could win against a contender for being the second best team in the NBA behind the Warriors on a Westbrook shooting performance like this bodes well.

OKC’s defense was good. It was smart. It looked like they had a plan to harass Giannis Antumpoopoo (Oklahoma spelling) every time he touched the ball. The Greek Freak scored 27 points, but he had seven shots blocked and went 8-22 to get those points.

Jerami Grant, Paul George, Terrance Ferguson, Nerlens Noel and Russell all at various times used their length and athleticism to harass the Greek.

All told six Thunder players scored in double figures. All five starters scored in double figures. Only one Thunder player had a negative +/- rating and it was Russell Westbrook at -11.

Billy Donovan used nine players and all nine contributed. The rotations looked like post season rotations. The minute distributions were fine, but at some point Nerlens Noel may need some more minutes to help this team defensively. He was a stud on Sunday night and it can’t be a coincidence the Thunder’s resurgence came when he came back from the nasty blow he took to his head.

Even if Andre Roberson can come back, I’m not sure how Billy Donovan would do it given the defensive and offensive play of Grant, Ferguson, and Noel. All three can defend and make free throws.

Sam Presti finally has his two way shooting guard. He also has a defensive stopper in Noels to come off the bench. He has a sixth man in Dennis Schroder And he has a Jerami Grant who literally gets better every time he takes the floor. These four players players give the Thunder a chance to keep getting better. Plus, Patterson and Nader are giving the Thunder solid minutes at the No. 8 and No. 9 spots in the rotation. Nine is a good way to go that way Donovan can stagger the bench with starters.

Did you notice Ersan Ilyasova on the floor tonight for the Bucks? Not much. That was who Presti traded to obtain Jerami Grant.

It was a good night for Sam Presti.

The Thunder improve to 31-18 and now hit the road for three games starting in Orlando.

When you look at the NBA right now there’s the Warriors and then maybe seven other teams which behind them have the rosters to make this upcoming post season interesting to a certain degree. As in—who can compete with this all-star team in Oakland to a certain degree.

If Houston ever gets completely healthy with Chris Paul and Clint Capela coming back and with the addition of Kenneth Faried… I would have the Rockets in the West as the team to give the Warriors the best test. Them maybe….at this point the surprising Denver Nuggets, the Lakers if LeBron is at full speed, then our seldom urgent Thunder, and then perhaps the Utah Jazz. New Orleans is far and away the West’s biggest disappointment. Give some props to Sacramento for a nice uptick this season as the Kings appear to be a young team on the rise along with the Nuggets.

In the East the stories have been in Milwaukee and Toronto as first year coaches and two MVP candidates in Giannis Antetukounmpo and Kawhi Leonard have made the East the more compelling watch so far this season excluding of course… the Warriors. Boston and Philly should make the semis in the East as well.

I don’t get hyped up for the Thunder as I used to. Don’t get me wrong, I very much appreciate the talent ownership has put in place twenty minutes from my front door, but I’m enjoying the NBA this season more from an overall league viewpoint than just watching the Thunder. I’m watching more NFL and NHL games and keeping up more with Lon Krueger’s OU team…. and of course OU football, the Cleveland Browns, and the Colorado Rockies.

I don’t even hate the Warriors anymore. I’m over that. In fact–I admire what they’ve done. They created a dynasty in the collective bargaining agreement era in the NBA. They play smart. They play hard as the goal achieving portion comes into view. How can you not admire that?

So–in reality, it’s Golden State and let’s say around eight dwarfs this NBA season. And in Oklahoma City this evening we get to see two of the dwarfs meet in a game which might tell who is the best team in the East, but not the West. Because we know who those dudes are.

I have to admit–I like the way the Warriors have handled the whole Trump thing…as in disdaining him. I know that could never happen in Oklahoma City because ownership would endorse Joseph Stalin if he were the GOP candidate, but in all candor, this has lessened my angst towards the Warriors…as in I like them and respect them as a team even with all the Cupcake-Draymond drama.

Here’s the Warriors meeting with Barack Obama after their first championship at the White House meeting. Since then thru Ambassador Steph Curry the Warriors have met with Obama outside of the White House after their other two championships. Just earlier this month the Warriors met with Obama after they played the Wizards in D.C. Like the Warriors–I’d never waste my time having lunch with Donald Trump and would consider it an honor to have lunch with Barack Obama even though I’m not a liberal per se. I respect and admire the man. I’d love to ask him for his insights on Westbrook. But more than that I’d like to thank him for his service to our country. Obviously, I’m not alone feeling that as Barack Obama is by a wide margin in public opinion polls the most admired man in America two years after he left the White House.

Here’s the Warriors last visit to the White House before Barack Obama’s departure.

A lot of NBA fans have the Warriors vs. the Celtics as their projected NBA Finals matchup and Saturday night’s game in Boston gave us a preview of what that might look like if the Celtics emerge in the East.

Boston will be challenged to get out of the East given what we see from Toronto, Milwaukee and perhaps Philadelphia. So we’ll have to see if they can get there. But in this game we saw a Boston team which pushed Golden State to the brink, but couldn’t make the plays when they had to down the stretch. My feeling is if the Warriors stay healthy there won’t be any team in the East or West who pushes them to a Game 7 this post season.

The Warriors were and should be even more with DeMarcus Cousins on a basketball planet of their own. The only team which can beat Golden State is….Golden State. Period.

The Warriors with Curry, Durant, and Thompson combine three of the best shooters the game has ever seen on the same team.

I don’t see a team in the West who can hang with them when the Warriors focus and put on their serious game faces.

We’re watching basketball excellence. A team on another plane which is not only talented, but is well coached and still hungry and plays with an edge when they need an edge.

It was a great game to watch, but in reality we all knew how it was going to end.

Tenth win a row for the streaking Warriors who own the NBA….the West, the East, and everything in between.

Perhaps if Ann Coulter didn’t overestimate her value to the world she at some point might be able to grow up and resemble a human being. Maybe she should read Michelle Obama’s book as a personal intervention of sorts.

Predictably, Anne Coulter insulted Donald Trump after his clueless course with meaningful immigration reform. I find it odd though she insulted Bush 41 as a way of rightfully calling out Trump for what are his so obvious and many shortcomings.

For Anne Coulter….who I’m sure like Donoald Trump never served anyone but herself.

The world we live in. As we observe the world in correlation with the 2020 presidential election, wouldn’t it be a novel concept to possibly elect a person who actually understands the world as a whole.

After 35 days of mastering the art of the deal… Donald Trump negotiated pretty much the same deal he had 35 days ago when Lindsey Graham and Dick Durbin in essence had for him the very same deal as the one he just took as of today. I’m sure Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Jim Traber, and Sean Hannity aren’t going to be happy….but what do you say to these people. It’s almost worse than watching Mary Fallin and the Oklahoma state legislature. Almost. It’s as if each is a microcosm of the other.

So…there won’t be a wall and Mexico won’t be paying for the wall and one might think Putin is laughing hysterically somewhere in Moscow.

I tried to tell you…women are smarter than men. Not even close.

Who could write this shit?

Every village has its idiot: Part 10 The Presidency of Donald Trump

Is there really any surprise in any of this? Of course not, unless you’re a graduate of the Rush Limbaugh School of Political Science. The great trial lawyer Vincent Bugliosi once said of circumstantial cases, “It’s like the construction of a rope. One strand leads to another until of a rope of conclusive evidence is created that moves beyond the realm of reasonable doubt.”

Bob Mueller is simply constructing the rope until it’s snug around the neck of Caligula the Dumbest.

It’s difficult to write a story on the Thunder’s lackluster win over a team of reserves from New Orleans on a morning like this. But you take the win and move on to the next game. That was my Thunder recap.