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So far into this summer… after the loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals–it would appear the Thunder wunderkind is a reader of okcthunderground.com.

Sam Presti, dude—you’re doing exactly what I said you had to do to keep the Thunder in pace with the Spurs minus taking Yaxel Lendeborg in the draft.

A new three year deal for Isaiah Harterstein so as to protect the Thunder from the Wemby-Chet dynamic was a must. Sam Presti maybe didn’t want to do this after using two first round picks on centers in these last two drafts. But very clearly…there is that championship window I allude to constantly on this blog, and with all due respect to Thomas Sorber and Aday Mara…that doesn’t cut it as far as giving Shai the best chance possible to win another ring in Oklahoma City.

There’s nothing I can bitch about with Isaiah’s new deal because it’s as if I was in the room with the principals helping to forge this pragmatic contract extension.

Hate to see two fine young men like Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe departing OKC, but it was obvious they were not returning given their limted floor time in the conference finals versus the Spurs. I have nothing to say but good things about both of these guys.

Presti did this beautifully in my view. He traded Aaron to a contending Atlanta team, and Isaiah to a contending Detroit Piston team. Both teams are in the Eastern Conference where these guys have the opportunity to define their NBA careers, and the Thunder in both deals get two 2nd round picks for the future. Win-win for all parties concerned.

I would think Topic will be the next Thunder player traded. Nice kid and a cancer survivor, but the lack of foot-speed to me is an obvious issue with the pace the Thunder want to play at with their defensive attack mentality. The Eastern Conference should be the place for Nikola as well.

Now this gets tough for me because I’ve always loved both Kenrich Williams and Lu Dort.

Kenrich first, Thunder hold a team option this upcoming season and there’s no way they should pay that money. The reason is simple…Kenrich has been an insurance policy for Sam Presti, and the Thunder GM can no longer afford those premiums. This is not complicated finance.

If I were Sam Presti… I’d suggest to Kenrich if he wants to remain a Thunder player then he would have to consider playing for considerably less money than he received this past season. He would be that vet guy in the room like Nick Collison was at the end of his career. Or…Kenrich could go play for someone like the Denver Nuggets who could very much use his Swiss army knife skill set which he brings to a contending team.

Then that brings us to Lu Dort. That guy who crawled through the tanking shit with Shai from Shawshank Prison to an NBA championship. There’s also Cason Wallace to consider…he wants to be a starter and quite frankly he deserves to be a starter.

This is a tough one. This is where maybe Shai says something and does something akin to what Timmy Duncan with the Spurs during their dynasty run and takes less money. I don’t know. I know this though…the intelligent Thunder fans know what Lu Dort has meant to this city and that championship banner that hangs in PayCom Arena.

Or maybe the right move is for Lu to become a member of the Toronto Raptors.

This is a tough one for Sam Presti. But I will write this in closing in regards to both Kenrich and Lu….Sam Presti has shown with his committment to Nick Collison that if he loves both your basketball and human soul…then he goes to try to find a way to keep you in Oklahoma City–one way or the other.

Eternal kindness and love,

Mike J

It was beautiful. Something I’ll remember forever. Especially in this era of NIL and the transfer portal… it was a refreshing break from all of that. This OU baseball team was a bottom third team in the SEC as far as NIL money paid to players. There were 13 jucos on this roster. This was a little different.

This last month of OU baseball will be immortalized even beyond the two previous baseball national championsips from 1951 and 1994. This was even more special.

Last night was surreal. Jaxon Willits was spot on. Surreal is the word for what these Sooners did in this NCAA Tournament and the College World Series in Omaha. These guys were down 8-2 in an elimination game in Atlanta to the No. 2 team in the country. There can be no other word for it… surreal.

It kind of reminds me of what the Washington Nationals did a few years back when they jelled late under manager Dave Martinez and behind that strong pitching staff stunned the world by winning their first ever franchise World Series.

The highlights of this OU run for me are plentiful. There’s a montage of plays I’ll never forget:

Dayton Tockey’s walk-off homer in Atlanta to beat Georgia Tech. Kyle Branch’s three run homer on Championship Monday. Dasan Harris’s perfect throw from right field to nail a North Carolina baserunner at third. Big Maple lumbering around the bases on sprained ankle like Kirk Gibson rounding the bases after going yard. The rock solid steady play and leadership from MVP Jaxon Willits.

Even last night added to the playlist when new OU AD Roger Denny revealed Skip Johnson’s real first name was Arthur Ray. I never knew that previously. Arthur Ray Johnson…national championship coach has a nice ring to it.

One assistant coach has already left for Florida. I’m sure in this era of college athletics there will be other departures. But for me…for these past four weeks, and especially on this one night—this was a joyous departure from what college athletics has become.

It was joyful, almost innocent.

But most all it was surreal.

For that I’m grateful… I was still around to take it all in.

Mike J

We all knew who was going in the top four of this draft class and none of those players were in any way going to be drafted by the Thunder. So for me on this draft night… the thing I was looking for most was if the Thunder were going to move up and take the very unique, versatile forward Yaxel Lendeborg from the national champion Michigan Wolverines.

Sam Presti came into draft night with his tanking bank bag of draft picks, the 12th and 17th picks in this draft, and some nice role players he could have dangled at the Golden State Warriors for the 11th pick.

But the Warriors held on to the No. 11 pick and took the 24 year-old Lendeborg who was the Big Ten Player of the Year and a key piece to the Wolverines success and why coach Dusty May is now the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.

I know, I know…Presti doesn’t like drafting older players who graduate at this age, but in this case with the Thunder already in their championship window… an NBA ready made Axel Lendeborg would have made enormous basketball sense for the Thunder.

Maybe Sam Presti did dangle some assets the Warriors way and Steve Kerr and Company just said no. Maybe the Warriors see Yaxel Vendeborg as their next Draymond Green without all the histronics and emotional baggage.

MJ knows this though…Lendeborg would have fit multiple current needs of the Thunder as their Swiss army knife moving forward in the SGA era.

Yaxel could have filled JDub’s role if the hamstring is still a probelem. He could slide next to Isaiah Hartenstein and help put the clamps on Wemby so as Chet never has to get within ten feet of Wemby again. He could even give the Thunder that tough physical small forward look if the Thunder do indeed trade Lu Dort.

But instead of landing Yaxel, the Thunder drafted the very unathletic Aday Mara from the same Michigan team. I mean, damn…Presti already has one big white guy who won’t engage with Wemby. How does this pick address any of that need?

But maybe the Warriors just said no way to trading a mature, excellent overall player to Sam Presti. I hope we discover more about this later this week as I would hope the Thunder were dangling not only draft picks for the Warriors, but maybe a key role player or two like Isaiah Joe and Kenrich Williams to the offer.

Then of course…the Thunder used their No. 17 pick to take the Iowa white guard Bennett Stirtz. Nice player who helped take the Hawkeyes to the Elite 8, maybe in the end he turns out to be the best player Presti took in this draft. I do like what Stirtz offers offensively though.

I in no way am suggesting Yaxel makes the aged bodies of Steph and Jimmy Butler young and vibrant again…I’m just lamenting the Thunder could have moved even higher than the Warriors at No. 11 to snatch Yaxel.

That’s part of the beauty of the NBA draft though…these what if questions which down the road shape the teams we follow.

Aday Mora…oh, boy. Hope this isn’t another Sam Presti Poku pick….because the Thunder are going to need a tough-minded, smart, physical-mobile player to help defend Wemby down the road. The Thunder are on the championship window clock…now is not the time for a project.

I’m on to the Sooner celebration tonight in Norman, and then off to cover Team USA in the World Cup. That’s why I created this blog in the first place…to have the best beats in sports. Just covering the Thunder is too pedestrian for me. I need more.

Eternal love,

MJ

Surreal…that’s the descriptive adjective I have to summon at this point. This is dreamlike and surreal for certain. Jaxon Willits, the Sooner College World Series MVP said it was surreal, and Mike J the underground blogger has to agree.

Like Jaxon Willits… my eyes are moist and will remain moist through the Wednesday on campus celebration. I’m in a dream-like state close to what Sooner Nation nirvana must feel like.

No one in Sooner Nation saw this coming after these Sooners were down 8-2 in an elimination game versus No. 2 Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Fact of the matter is… there probably would have been grumbling about this OU baseball season if the Sooners hadn’t rallied in that baseball game in Atlanta.

This has to be about God. There can be no other plausible explanation. This was biblical when you slowly dissect every nuanced occurence in these past four weeks for Skip Johnson’s gritty, never say die Sooners.

I’m just sitting here at the computer struggling for what words can describe my utter joy in watching what I just witnessed this past month.

Game 3 star Kyle Branch had done nothing with the bat in this College World Series…and then breaks out with a six RBI night hitting from the 9-hole on Championship Monday.

Even Kyle said after the game, “This has to be God. What other explanation can there be?”

I agree. How could I not agree as a miraculous Stage 4 cancer survivor. This was about God, faith, those wonderful Mercurius brothers,, and those equally wonderful Branch brothers.

This was about brotherly love, and sticking with it when others would have surrendered. But most all of all…this was about faith and God.

I thought about doing my Three Stars of the Game thing then said to myself, “Nah. That would not be appropriate here in the now.” This was a total team thing. From having team Bible studies to just pulling together on the proverbial chain. It was just that beautiful spiritual inertia which evolves in team sports in championship runs.

The Sooners will be having their on campus celebration on Wednesday at Kimray Stadium at 5:30 pm. I will be there sitting somewhere in the throng with eyes moist and head bowed in thankful appreciation of what I’ve just lived these past four weeks with this baseball team.

In closing, the words of Kyle Branch… ‘utter and complete joy is all around us.’

Let’s not overthink this.

Have a beautiful week.

Love, Mike J

One game left in this College World Series Championship Finals between Oklahoma and North Carolina. Game 3…winner take all.

Two programs who in recent years have experienced the feeling of being national runner-ups. No. 5 North Carolina was expected to be here. Unranked Oklahoma wasn’t expected to get out of Atlanta versus No. 2 Georgia Tech four weeks ago.

Oklahoma is clearly playing with house money at this point. This is a team which dropped its last four regular season series in the SEC. This is a team which lost 6-2 to LSU in the SEC Tournament, and a team which closed out the regular season 32-21… and not ranked in the national polls. These Sooners were the 11th seeded team from the SEC.

These Tar Heels aren’t the Soviet hockey team from 1980, and yet, these Sooners coming into this NCAA Tournament were not even underdogs worth note of mentioning until they dropped No. 2 Georgia Tech twice to advance for their Super Regional wins over No. 15 Big 12 champ Kansas. In those two games…it became apparent the Sooners were beginning to think this might be possible as they drubbed the passive-submissive Jayhawks by a score of 21-3 in those two games played in Lawrence.

Then fell No. 7 Alabama 9-0, then No. 3 Georgia 4-3, then No. 3 Georgia again 11-4 for the Sooners to get to the Finals opposite North Carolina. These No. 5 Tar Heels had a cupcake draw with No. 3 Georgia, No. 6 Texas, and No. 7 Alabama on the opposite side of the bracket. On the Tar Heels side of the bracket, No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 Georgia Tech didn’t make it to Omaha.

OU drubbed the Tar Heels 11-4 in the first game of these Finals, while North Carolina dropped the Sooners 6-2 on Saturday in the first sloppily played game by the Sooners in Omaha.

Tonight OU will start its third straight freshman on the mound in these Finals. Yes…this would be a ‘Miracle’ if the Sooners win this championship, but here’s the thing…in these last 3-4 weeks the Sooners have been the best team in the country. Not really close.

So not long from now…I’ll be settling in to see how this ends in Omaha, and just in awe minus the two bad innings on Saturday from what I’ve witnessed from Skip Johnson’s gritty Sooners who have made this a magical run for Sooner Nation.

My favorite scene from Miracle. Let’s go boys, nothing to fear. Nobody expected you to be here. You collectively earned this opportunity. Let it fly.

May the best team win tonight in Omaha.

Mike J

Very cool indeed. It is an amazing thing in sport how a championship run it can galvanize humans and for maybe but a day, a week, a month, or an entire NBA championship run bring people together as one.

Congratulations to the New York Kncks and their loyal fans for their first championship in 53 years.

I warned you Thunder fans…it’s very hard to repeat in this modern day version of the NBA. It is an extremely difficult landscape to navigate. To do such there has to be some degree of good luck involved with injuries.

So who would I pick right now after this parade to win next year’s NBA championship?

Since I’m not JDub or Aaron Gordon’s hamstring…I’m somewhat hesitate to pick either OKC or Denver. I’m not Jayson Tatum’s Achilles either so I’m not sure I could pick the Boston Celtics either.

I’m assuming the Spurs are going to trade De’Aaron Fox, but not sure who they might add as a veteran hybrid guard to their mix of Wemby, Castle, Harper, and Vassell.

And maybe the Detroit Pistons can add another veteran piece to make them a more viable contender. That six teams. Very rarely does a recent NBA champ come from outside a logical top six group.

I guess…in reality, the Knicks are the team right now with the trophy and what appears to be the most stable roster with no huge question marks attached for next season.

But again, those hamstrings of JDub and Aaron Gordon, who are both the two best two-way players on their respective teams are what will keep me very interested as we hit late August.

As far as Chet…my gut feel is Sam Presti will not trade him. That move is not in Sam Presti’s DNA. He picked Chet with the 2nd pick in his draft class. To trade Chet would be an admisson of error. I mean, it was clear at a certain point…Russell Westbrook wasn’t ever going to be a championship point guard in Oklahoma City…and Presti never flinched until the very end when he graciously traded Russell to the Houston Rockets.

Plus…you never sell low at a 52-week low. Never. So I’m not in any way looking for Sam Presti to deal Chet Holmgren. What I would look for more is Sam Presti’s hope JDub’s hamstring isn’t a chronic issue and JDub will be available to Coach Mark to in effect somewhat offset Wemby’s overall game against the Thunder.

But right now…there need not be speculation. The NY Knicks and their fans are atop the NBA world and should savor every single day of being world champions.

Enjoy the moment and embrace it.

Mike J

There is immense joy in MJ’s heart this cool Thursday morning in Deer Creek at the mini-ranch. My Sooners have fought back from near death and have pushed aside No. 2 Georgia Tech, the Big 12 champion passive-submissive Kansas Jayhawks, No. 7 Alabama, and No. 3 Georgia twice by a two game run count of 15-7.

My only regret is that it wasn’t my Sooners who sent the grossly over compensated No. 5 Texas Longhorns home as well. Georgia did that…so, thanks guys.

Unseeded OU was pushed into the dark money of the SEC into the side of CWS bracket with all top ten seeded SEC teams. Probably the most corrupt group in American society minus the Trump cabinet.

And like Secretariat…my Sooners did not fear the darkness. My Sooners did not fear the sword of SEC dark money corruption. Instead, my Sooners heard the call of the trumpeteer and raced to the goodness and light of the Lord.

Blessed are the kind of heart, for they shall see the light of God.

Amen, brother.

Seriously…god bless these Sooners of Coach Skip Johnson and this amazing group of young men.

That’s it for me. I need to take in this equally amazing parade the New Knicks are having this morning.

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for their rightousness,

For their’s shall be the Kingdom of Heaven forever.

Eternal love,

Mike J

This is something I didn’t see coming and that makes it even sweeter as Skip Johnson’s Sooners only need one win in the next two games versus the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs to punch their ticket to the championship finals opposite the winner of North Carolina vs. West Virginia.

This is like an epic movie such as Field of Dreams or The Natural. I mean…this run by the Sooners has been close to what MJ would describe as semi-biblical. OU Coach Skip Johnson has evoked the name of God several times and I’m with him on that.

I know…I know….that’s not how God works. But still. There’s so many acts perpetrated by Trump that God would deem more worthy to address than the fate of a baseball team. The Sooners fate pales in comparison, but its hard not to take destiny and fatedom into account on this incredible late season surge.

We all have our superstitions in baseball. Our spiritual rituals before the next huge game. I certainly have mine.

In about two hours… I’ll start my game preparations for my exclusive okcthunderground.com coverage of tonight’s game versus the heavily favored No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs who have a NIL roster/payroll more like that a professional team than that a group of overacheiving kids from Norman.

Don’t back down guys…dream big.

Mike J

That Team USA ‘Free Bird’ video was fine, but I need more given my Sooners are playing out of their minds right now having taken down No. 2 Georgia Tech at Atlanta, then No. 15 Kansas Jayhawks from the passive-submissive Big 12 at Lawrence, and then No. 7 Alabama in the first game of the College World Series from Omaha in a 9-0 rout which should have been run-ruled.

Skip Johnson’s Sooners are the only team MJ pays to see minus the occaisional Triple A OKC Dodger affiliate game here and there in Bricktown.

The last thing in the world I want to do is get on here and jinx my Sooners before tonight’s winner bracket game versus No. 3 Georgia….but MJ needs more Free Bird after that teaser on the Team USA video.

Let’s go boys…this is the time of year that matters.

BOOMER!!!

There is no moment in team sport even close to the finals seconds of a team clinching the Stanley Cup. The Knicks winning their championship was special, but unless you’ve been around hockey and fully grasp the sacrifices each player along with their family has traveled to make this moment special….you just couldn’t understand.

The families of dedicated players literally have to change their lives for their loved one to advance in this sport….and it’s not an inexpensive sport to play. Sacrifices are made from every member of a hockey family.

Hockey requires dedication from the onset in developing the very special set of skills which allow a player to ascend to this level. Ask yourself…how many humans in the world even ascend to the level of making an NHL roster? There you go. It is a select group of men because being a hockey player isn’t for sissies, dummies, or those lacking life journey grit and character.

It is a special human journey. Maybe kind of like becoming a Navy Seal or something of the like.

Anyway…I cry at this moment every hockey season. But it’s a very positive cry.

These Carolina Hurricanes of Rod Brind’Amour are our deserving 2026 Stanley Cup champions. Like the NY Knicks, this is a group which won 53 regular season games and was in most peoples’ top two or three entering these playoffs. I had Colorado, Carolina, and then Vegas on my short list of favorites entering the playoffs.

Also, like the NY Knicks, this is a group of excellent young men nary a knucklehead in the group. This is a group which makes you feel good about the final outcome.

The first three games of these Finals were spectacular, but very sloppy as both teams turned over the puck, and committed numerous defensive puck support errors which just can’t happen at this level. I’m sure watching the film was painful for the players between games in that regard after the first three games.

Coach Brind’Amour did a tough thing though in benching his veteran No. 1 goalie Freddie Anderson and replacing him with the younger Brandon Bussi. It’s funny in hockey…when you change goalies sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it send that clear ringing message of total team defensive accountability for sixty minutes….from the net outward.

This time it worked to prefection as Carolina tightened up across the board and in essence won the final three games of these Finals displaying near perfect hockey at every level of the game.

What I mean by this is Carolina dominated 5 on 5-even strength play, easily had the better power play, was dogged almost to perfection on the penalty kill, and had their goalie stand on his head just enough to win the final three games in somewhat dominant fashion.

But most of all…did the unthinkable as a speed team and outchecked the Vegas Golden Knights into submission the final two games.

The old veteran Jordan Staal won his second Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe trophy which is okay. I get it…it’a nice story. The goalie Bussi is a nice story in that I’m guessing he was the runnerup for the award.

But if you want to know who Rod Brind’Amour’s best two-way hockey was in this series …I’m guessing Coach B would tell you it was defenseman Jacob Slavin.

Jacob Slavin becomes only the second American hockey player to ever win the Olympic gold medal and the Stanley Cup in the same year.

And so that’s where I need to end this with a song for Jacob Slavin, the Carolina Hurricane, and their fanbase for winning the Stanley Cup for the second time in their existence.

Great job, guys. But you know what they say about repeating. Just ask Shai and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Best wishes.

Mike J