Author: Mike

With Caligula driving such a hard bargain on Putin, I need two videos on this Sunday. I think I love watching women sing almost more than anything besides food and sports.

When I leave to move to Toronto, I picture it this way. Me sitting at an outdoor café along the streets of downtown Toronto as Diana sings this to me as we share a pitcher of mimosas.

LET’S GO RAPTORS!

My feelings on Donald Trump haven’t changed one iota. I believe him to be a corrupt, callous, insensitive, pathological lying douchebag. But here’s the thing. He won the Electoral College.

So, instead of me going into Keith Olberman-like rants every time Caligula Lite infuriates me, instead I’m going to pause and think of something which gives me joy, pleases me, or makes me laugh.

So instead of ranting every day, what I think I’ll do every Sunday morning is play the song My Favorite Things then promote something which gives me a good feeling or makes me laugh.

First, the song.

My favorite movie scene from 2016.

Fairly simple job description. Come in and give Billy Donovan around 14-16 minutes of functional point guard play when Russell Westbrook needs a blow. Westbrook hovered around 36 minutes a game this past season. It was an all too familiar sight seeing Westbrook take a seat with the Thunder leading, only to return to the floor with the Thunder trailing at around the 8:00 mark.

Donovan might even be able to double dip Felton with Westbrook and come up with some occasional sets with both of them on the floor. But Felton’s main job is to improve this Thunder bench. To penetrate with either a run to the rim or a kick out to Abrines, McDermott, or Grant. Or if this roster stays this way go with some pick and roll action with Kanter.

Bottom line, OKC’s bench has to be much better this season and probably will determine how far this team can go.

In my estimation a very solid week for one Sam Presti. The needs entering this off season were obvious from a Thunder standpoint. Shore up three point shooting. Improve the perimeter defense. Re-sign Andre Roberson. Add more physicality to the team. And give the team more of a veteran mix rather than Russell Westbrook playing with a team too young to aspire for late May and June playoff basketball.

I’m giving Sam Presti an A for his work this summer as he’s checked all the boxes. He first drafted wing player Terrance Ferguson. This is a learning year for Ferguson, I’m not expecting great things. Presti pulled off the Paul George trade which gives OKC an NBA top ten player who’s a tough defender. Someone who can score consistently while being be the No. 2 offensive piece for this team.

He then signed a solid stretch four vet in Patrick Patterson. What Patterson will give this team is the fifth starter at the four. A player with interior physicality who can defend, yet make threes and keep the floor spaced for the Thunder offense. Add to this, Presti acquired Patterson at a much more affordable price than what it would have taken to sign Rudy Gay. Patterson is a better fit for this team as well.

The last piece on Presti’s to do list was done yesterday as he acquired 12 year vet point guard Raymond Felton on a one year deal. He’s a tough physical player who can get to the rim and should fit with Abrines, McDermott, Grant and possibly Kanter on the second unit.

I’m not exactly sure what Presti’s options are with moving Kanter. We’ll see. OKC is currently 8 million over the luxury tax threshold at 127 million–so we’ll see where Presti is going with Enes Kanter or if he keeps him around until he can work a deal before the trade deadline. Semaj Christon’s future in OKC appears tenuous.

But all in all a good summer for Sam Presti and the Thunder. I’m not ready yet to draw up my 1-8 Western Conference projections for the regular season, but I for sure have the Thunder in the top four and possibly as high as No. 2 entering the regular season. Obviously, the Nike West Coast All-Stars are at No. 1. Then there’s a group of OKC, San Antonio, Houston, and this interesting roster Minnesota has put together. Then there’s Memphis, the Clips, Portland, Utah, Denver, and maybe New Orleans. But for sure what Presti has done is make OKC a legit contender for a spot in the Western Conference Finals if they can nab the No. 2 or No. 3 seed.

Sam Presti did his job. If you’re not jacked as a Thunder then you need to be following some other team. I’d love to see this team play Cleveland–I think they’d do well. But there’s that hurdle called the Warriors. To me, the key guys who really need to elevate their games this season are Adams, Roberson, Grant, Abrines, and McDermott.

This is going to be fun. Winning is fun.

A good two days for Sam Presti. The Rudy Gay deal didn’t happen, but Presti has reportedly signed Andre Roberson to a three year thirty million deal which will keep him in OKC thru 2020. Additionally, Presti signed 6’9″ power forward Patrick Patterson. But for today, I’m just talking Andre because I think him staying here is a big positive for the Thunder moving forward as a contender in the West.

This isn’t rocket science. To contend in the West you have to defend the perimeter against the Warriors and Rockets. The Thunder now have two elite defenders in their starting lineup. I look at it this way—Paul George on Durant, Andre Roberson on Klay Thompson.

Other than Roberson’s free throw shooting, he’s a talented player who runs the court like a deer, rebounds well, is an elite defender, muddies up opponents passing lanes, deflects passes, scores well in transition, and does a multitude of tough-minded teams things which would make you love him as a coach or a teammate.

Presti has now given Billy Donovan some nice tools to roll multiple lineups. Top nine off the top of my head would read Westbrook, George, Adams, Roberson, Grant, Patterson, Kanter, Abrines, McDermott, and whoever ends up as the backup point guard. If Presti can’t move Kanter, then just use him against teams where his defense isn’t an acute team liability for the time being. But with those first six players on the list, Billy Donovan has some things he can roll with against Golden State and Houston.

I’m happy Andre is staying. He seems like a young man with a great deal of character who brings much to the team table.

He obviously has to get better at the line and I think he will. If he can just raise his free throw percentage to around 65% that’s reasonable and Donovan can be more creative in utilizing offense to defense situational substitutions when needed with either Grant or Abrines.

Team is shaping up well.

2016 exit interview following series loss to the Warriors.

For the second July Fourth in a row, a free agent from a predominantly red state broke their basketball hearts by bolting to another team. I have no idea why this has to happen on the Fourth, but Gordon Hayward did the Kevin Durant routine yesterday by accepting a four year deal worth $128 million from the Boston Celtics.

By making the move to Boston, Hayward reunites with his former college coach Brad Stevens. Hayward and Stevens were the darlings of college basketball when cinderella Butler made it to the NCAA Championship Game two seasons in a row. Not a shock that the two reunite at the professional level if you think it all through. Again, too bad Big Al Horford didn’t feel this love for Billy Donovan where he won two NCAA Championships with Donovan and the Gators. But now Horford and Hayward find themselves along with Isiah Thomas as the Celtics’ core which will try to take Boston back to its glory days.

You take away LeBron and move him to the Lakers or somewhere in the West and this Celtics team probably is the best team in the East.

Utah fans are heartbroken and some were burning Hayward jerseys yesterday. I feel for them. As Thunder fans we understand the heart break, but life goes on. As far as the Jazz, this drops them from an up and coming team in the West to a fringe playoff team given what Minnesota has done this off season.

Hayward clearly makes Boston better, but I don’t think it puts them past Lebron and the Cavs as long as their core remains intact.

This is a cool video. Butler punches their Final Four ticket for the second straight season by beating Billy Donovan’s Florida team. Go figure.

I was going to go with a shot of Chris Christie’s carcass in a lawn chair on a closed beach in New Jersey. But thought to myself, put something inspirational on here instead. This is my favorite rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. It still gives me chills. Don’t forget what it really means to be an American. Never take the freedoms and liberties for granted.

I refuse to write a word about Donald Trump on the Fourth of July. I’m even going through a 12 Steps Program where I’m working inwardly to pretend he doesn’t exist. I think we would all agree listening to Whitney Houston and Lady Gaga is the way to go.

Trump probably is in Louisiana, Alabama or some other outlier of the New Confederacy campaigning for 2020 with Luke Bryan glaring in the background, but I can’t be overwhelmed by it. I won’t be.

I live in Oklahoma, what can I say. I like a little Luke Bryan here and there.

Sam Presti in all likelihood will match Andre Roberson in restricted free agency because he’s a valuable piece moving forward. The model in the league has changed, being able to morph into small ball lineups is a must in the West where Golden State and Houston throw small lineups at you constantly.

Players like Enes Kanter and Taj Gibson aren’t nearly as valuable as players like Steven Adams, Andre Roberson, and Jerami Grant who can defend multiple positions.

Golden State didn’t just beat the Cavs in five games because they can score the ball. They are the best team in the league because when they need to they can clamp down and defend as well as any team in the league.

Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Andre Iguodala are all versatile defenders. Sam Presti knows this and is trying to retool his team in this direction. Paul George is an excellent defender. Same with Andre Roberson. Jerami Grant can defend multiple positions. Steven Adams is a very mobile defensive center. When Russell Westbrook wants to he can be a lockdown defender as well. That’s five very solid defensive players Billy Donovan will have at his disposal this season as he tries to find a way to deal with the Golden State juggernaut.

It’s what makes Golden State so tough beyond having the best three shooters in the game. They play defense.

Most thought Taj Gibson would resign with the Bulls. But with the best part of the Bulls now being in Minnesota it’s no big shock Taj Gibson became a Minnesota Timberwolf today. Jimmy Butler and Tom Thibodeau were the lure and Gibson signed a two year deal worth $28 million.

In case you haven’t been paying attention–the Minnesota Timberwolves starting five next season will be Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague, Karl Antony-Townes, Andrew Wiggins, and Gibson. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to call it the second most talented starting five in the West currently. We know who’s first and let’s assume OKC resigns Roberson and signs Gay–I would give the Wolves’ starting five a slight edge over the Thunder.

All of the sudden the Northwest Division of the Western Conference has become a bear. OKC, Minnesota, Utah, a decent Portland team, and Denver comprise what could be the toughest division in the NBA next season.

There will be some blood letting in the Northwest this season, but fans of these teams are going to see some great regular season games throughout the regular season.

You could tell by Gibson’s facial expressions the other night at the MVP show he was gone and there’s nothing wrong with a guy being loyal to his old coach. Too bad fucking Big Al Horford doesn’t think that way. Serves him right being being stuck in Danny Ainge purgatory. Note to Big Al Horford…Danny Ainge isn’t Jerry West. I would think Rudy Gay becomes a member of the Thunder fairly soon.

I still love Jerry West even after he stole Durant away to the Warriors. Billy Cunningham and West were my two favorite pro players when I was a kid. Then maybe some other Sixers in Dr. J, Hal Greer, Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley, and Maurice Cheeks.

He got bored in Oakland with the West Coast Nike All-Stars. He needed a new challenge.

This is a great interview. You don’t find out what’s in a player’s soul by looking at color spheres and charts. Usually, listening to them tells you more. I know that’s too simple for the average run of the mill millennial, but it’s the truth.