Berry Tramel, the Newsok Poll and Durant’s Return in February

Berry Tramel appears to be lost. I’ll need to play my Durant closure music for him one more time. He’s lost. Totally. The writer who along with now San Jose Mercury News scribe Anthony Slater gave us the Mr. Unreliable story several seasons ago in the Memphis series and who just recently called Durant a douchebag can’t decide if he wants to be aggressive or passive.

He wrote a piece telling his readers why they should applaud Durant in February when the Warriors come to OKC. Fortunately for them they weren’t buying any of that bullshit. A poll with four options accompanied the piece. Tramel’s suggestion wasn’t reflected in the results of the poll.

The option which won the poll was just remaining absolutely silent when Durant was announced for his opening lineup call.

I’m not a booer. Athletes aren’t boo worthy. Trump is, Durant isn’t. Lyin’ Ted Cruz is, Draymond Green isn’t. So if you want to boo go ahead–it’s your individual constitutional right. None of us should be telling others how to handle this.

I will admit to have called both Ron Artest and JR Smith cock roaches during heated playoff games, but I never booed either of them.

I won’t be booing nor applauding Durant in February at the Peake. I’ll be cheering Westbrook. Cheering Steven Adams. Urging Victor Oladipo to do great things.

But I will not be giving Kevin Durant any love. But if others want to it’s clearly their call.

When Al Horford left Atlanta for Boston this summer in free agency he actually paid to take space in the Atlanta paper and told the city of Atlanta how much he appreciated his time there. He didn’t diss a teammate. Didn’t diss his coach. And didn’t act like a douchebag in the aftermath.

So when Durant arrives with his Oakland AAU Super Team in February he won’t get anything from me.

Nothing.

For Berry Tramel. Move forward, buddy. It’s a grand glorious world out there.

Thanx for the edit, TC.

Victor Oladipo and Russell Westbrook Guard Tandem

When I heard Sam Presti made the Ibaka trade with Oladipo being one of three pieces coming OKC’s way I thought it was a great trade. What this should do for the Thunder is give them the best backcourt in the league save the Splash Brothers. But as far as rebounding, defensive versatility, physicality, and sheer athleticism the Thunder will have the best overall backcourt in basketball if the synergy works between Westbrook and Oladipo. Throw into the mix Andre Roberson’s defensive prowess and the eventual evolvement of Cam Payne and I can’t imagine anyone feeling sorry for the Thunder too long because of the departure of Durant to the AAU team in Oakland.

I’m very familiar with Oladipo because I watched him play quite a bit at Indiana. If you’re a true basketball fan and you’re not pumped of what Oladipo should bring to the Thunder then I don’t know what to say to you. This will be the most talented and deep the Thunder have ever been at the guard position and if you throw in Ronnie Price, Alex Abrines, and Anthony Morrow the depth goes far deeper than just Westbrook, Oladipo, Roberson, and Payne. Billy Donovan and Mo Cheeks should be salivating at what Sam Presti has put at their disposal as far as guard combinations.

Lest you’ve forgotten one of the best regular season games from last season here’s Victor triple-doubling in the double overtime thriller in late October.

Oklahomans especially should love this because these are the type of guards Eddie Sutton loved coaching. Big, fast, athletic, and tough guards who are able to defend multiple positions and dictate the flow of the game.

Welcome to Oklahoma City, Victor Oladipo. Hope you’re as jacked as some of us in OKC because we need to figure out how to become a good enough team to beat that AAU team in Oakland with the punk who loves kneeing and punching other men between their legs. Kerr might want to rethink that next time they play LeBron if you follow my drift. Anyway, welcome to OKC, Victor…home of the most passionate fans in the NBA.

Wishing the Season Were Starting Next Week

Usually in early August I’m in a chill mode as far as the NBA season. OU football is usually on my mind, but not this August and OU has a team with enough talent to make the Final Four again.

It’s Thunder right now with me given the events of the past month, plus the excitement of seeing a team with Westbrook, Adams, Oladipo, Kanter, Payne, Roberson, Ilyasova, Abrines, Sabonis, and others begining the journey of becoming a contender.

There will be some tough moments, but there’s potential for this to become an interesting ball club especially with the addition of another swing player who can shoot and play some defense. Maybe he’s already on the roster.

Westbrook said in his presser he’s ready for the season to start and I believe him. The city will galvanize behind this team.

This should be a very physical team with a chip on their shoulder. Much to prove and incremental team improvement needed every month to become the type of team they want to become in April.

The Thunder will make the transition from finesse ball to blue collar pounding their opponent ball. But they’ll still have the most talented point guard in the league and probably the second most talented player in the league only behind LeBron James.

It would not be surprising at all if the MVP race ends up with Westbrook dueling one of the players from the Oakland AAU team for the trophy.

Storylines will be omnipresent.

There should be genuine hatred between the Thunder and the Oakland AAU team. I won’t be able to sit low at these games in fear of getting into a verbal exchange with Draymond Green and being removed from my seat by arena security. OKC won’t be tethered with high expectations. They’ll be an underdog, but an underdog with Russell Westbrook, Steven Adams, and Victor Oladipo. An underdog with a puncher’s chance if they do the little things the right way.

This should be a very fun season. Time to start training.

Yo, Russell. Let’s go, buddy.

A Good Day in Oklahoma

First time I’ve felt decent since July 4th. The thought of having to do that Boston trade and going through an arduous rebuild just didn’t seem right. Isn’t it amazing how some people like me live through our sports teams.

Maybe it’s because we only have the one major league team in OKC it runs so passionate. So deep and heartfelt. I have other favorite teams. The Oklahoma Sooners. The Green Bay Packers in the NFL. The Boston Bruins in the NHL. The Pittsburg Pirates in major league baseball. Truth be known, John Kasich and I share the same favorite ball player of all-time…Roberto Clemente. Seemed like enough of a reason for me to endorse him.

But as these years have passed it’s clearly the Thunder which has captured my heart and altered my life. OU has become second even in a year in which they made the Final Four in both football and basketball.

So today was a good day for me and the rest of Thunder Nation knowing Russell will be here for awhile.

A little bounce to the step. Some swagger for the first time since Game 6. Some hope this will be an extremely fun basketball season with a team which has some potential to be pretty good.

Amazing how one athlete saying he’s staying can do that to your inner competitive soul.

Anyway–this is for Russell. Thanks for staying and let’s go have some fun. Because ostensibly that’s what basketball is supposed to be about.

LET’S GO THUNDER!

Clarification of the Usage of the Word Douchebag in Reference to Durant

I seldom use this word if ever. But it amused me when of all people Berry Tramel used it on air on the Sports Animal in reference to Kevin Durant. I would guess offhand Tramel has never uttered an F bomb in his entire life except maybe that one time when Little House on the Prarie was cancelled. I assume what put Tramel over the top was the Howard Beck piece where either Durant or one of his unnamed groupies in his entourage threw Russell Westbrook under the bus as to why Durant ultimately decided to play for the Oakland AAU team.

Do I think Durant is a douchebag? It would be hard for me to answer yes to this all things considered since I cried when I heard his MVP speech and was moved when he donated a million dollars to the tornado relief fund in Moore, Oklahoma.

But again, I think Durant was incredibly weak in the manner in which he handled his decision and in no way should Russell Westbrook have been thrown under the bus.

I was at midcourt for Game 6. Kevin Durant went 10-31 and was basically awful in the biggest game of his professional career. My take is if you’re going to switch teams then fine, but don’t throw your friend under the bus using an unnamed source in the aftermath.

Douchebag stays on the previous title line.