Thundersucked
Jeff Green (photo. David Deal)In a D-League kind of city where they were rocking those D-League looking unis, the OKC Thunder made their on-court debut in front of a D-League sized crowd, dropping their preseason opener to the Wolves. Minnesota was technically the “home” team in a game that was played in Billings, Montana, to a crowd of about 3,800. (Not gonna lie, though, there were plenty of games in Seattle that were like that last year.) Kevin Durant scored the first bucket for OKC and finished with 10 points, while Damien Wilkins had a team-high 19 and Russell Westbrook put up 13. Rashad McCants led Minnesota with 15 points after going off in the fourth quarter, Al Jefferson put up 13 and 9 boards, and Kevin Love — still coming off the bench behind Mark Madsen — went for 10 points and 5 boards … With the usual preseason assortment of blowouts and less-than-intense games so far, Knicks/Raptors at least gave us a good down-to-the-wire contest. Jason Kapono was the difference-maker, hitting the go-ahead triple and a couple free throws in the final two minutes to help Toronto get a two-point W, and Chris Bosh led the way with 20 points, 7 boards and 3 steals. Of course, the main storyline was seeing the beginning of Mike D’Antoni’s plan to turn the Knicks around. Chris Duhon, Jamal Crawford, Q-Rich, Zach Randolph (19 pts, 13 rebs) and David Lee (22 pts, 9 rebs) were the starters, and Steph came off the bench for 10 points in about 20 minutes. (Nate Robinson had 15 off the bench plus the rare in-game dunk.) The Knicks did push the ball like crazy and got up a lot of threes, and they had stretches where they forced Toronto into a lot of turnovers. But ultimately they couldn’t hang on to the ball themselves. Marbury committed five turnovers and Duhon coughed it up seven times (and he couldn’t hit a J to save his life) … Meanwhile, Terry Porter lost his first game replacing D’Antoni in Phoenix at the hands of the Hawks. Shaq posted 21 and 10 rebounds as the Suns played more of a half-court style (although Amare and Barbosa didn’t play) and looked noticeably more active and committed on D than they did in the D’Antoni era … BTW, did you see Shaq’s “SportsCenter” interview where he said the “Tell Me How My Ass Tastes” track had “just a line or two” about Kobe? We get what Shaq meant when he said he wasn’t trying to be vicious or anything, and that he would do stuff like that on the team bus all the time, but half of that freestyle was name-dropping Kobe … The Sixers knocked off the Celtics on UMass’ court, getting 27 points from Louis Williams (”He’s a passing FOOL!” screamed Tommy Heinsohn), 21 from Thad Young, and 11 from Elton Brand. The Big Three (and Rondo) didn’t play much, and the C’s broadcast actually gave Patrick O’Bryant (10 pts, 8 rebs, 3 blks) its Player of the Game nod … But the play of the game was when Bill Walker caught it baseline and threw one down Theo Ratliff’s neck. The whole Boston bench rioted after that one on a damn-near stop-the-game playground level. We’re kinda hyped waiting for Walker and Tony Allen to hook up and replicate the garbage-time highlight magic that TA and Gerald Green had in Boston once upon a time … Darius Miles had six points in 16 minutes, and after catching an alley-oop from Eddie House, dusted off the antennas/head-tap. Quote from the Heinsohn we never thought we’d hear again: “Good hustle by Darius Miles!” … The Pacers went all-out with their old-school theme last night — throwback unis, playing in the arena they used back in the ’60s, even having Jim O’Brien take a backseat and letting Bobby “Slick” Leonard, who coached the team back when they were in the ABA, run the show for a quarter. Problem is, Indy got on the court and played like a bunch of ABA old-timers, getting an old-fashioned flogging by the Hornets. Chris Paul scored 17 in N.O.’s 34-point win where the Pacers scored six whole points in the third quarter (not the one Leonard coached) and shot 3-for-21 from deep … Was that some fire we saw from Roy Hibbert, or just clumsiness? Late in the game he clocked Melvin Ely with an elbow that drew a Flagrant-2 and an ejection … Wednesday’s other big blowout saw the Magic serve the Bobcats a 38-piece meal. Larry Brown watched his team fall behind 40-9 at the end of the first quarter, where they had more fouls (13) than made baskets (3), and LB may or may not have been texting John Paxson on the sly seeing what’s up with the Vinny Del Negro cat … We know it doesn’t count this time of year, but damn. The ‘Cats had all of their main guys playing, they got their veteran coach, and they still looked sorry as ever; no motivation, and it was almost like they were a high school squad out there. Emeka Okafor got beasted by Dwight Howard again, as Dwight finished with 20 points, 8 boards and 5 blocks … We’re not blaming Eddie Jordan at all for keeping Caron Butler out of the Wizards/Grizzlies game. Caron wasn’t hurt or anything, but with the Gilbert Arenas knee situation, the fact that Antawn Jamison just dodged a bullet when his MRI came up clean, and the latest news that Brendan Haywood could be out for a few months with a wrist injury, Jordan might wanna put a bubble around Caron until Opening Night … Continuing with our team-by-team season previews, yesterday we looked at the ‘08-09 Chicago Bulls. The roster has talent, with scorers and defenders and bigs and creators, but they have a lot relying on a rookie point guard (Derrick Rose), a rookie coach (Del Negro), and a guy who you know is gonna be JACKING shots all year (Ben Gordon). Do you think the Bulls are playoff material? … CLICK HERE NOW, thank us later … Earlier on Wednesday, we were just talking in the office about how if there is a position where the Blazers can sustain an injury and not take a major hit, it’s small forward. Then we found out Martell Webster is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a stress fracture in his foot, and later Rudy Fernandez went down in the Blazers/Warriors game with an ankle injury and didn’t return. Depending on how long Fernandez is out, though, Portland still has Travis Outlaw and rookie Nic Batum at the three, so they’re not in the worst shape, and if it’s that serious, Brandon Roy can even play some SF in a pinch … Sneaker update: check out the Kobe/Ronaldinho Nike Hyperdunks, and Brandon Roy’s version of the Nike Blue Chip Supremes. It’s not Roy’s signature shoe; guys like Deron Williams and Caron Butler will have their own colorways, too … At this point, Phil Jackson must be either REALLY pissed at Lamar Odom for his no-show in the Finals, or he’s just railing on L.O. as a motivational tactic. The day after the Lakers’ preseason-opening loss to the Jazz — which Phil missed with soreness and swelling in his legs — he was back at practice taking more shots at Odom. “He looks like he’s either curling or doing some other kind of sport,” Jackson told the Los Angeles Times. “He’s not playing basketball.” Phil has to know his guys’ psyches well enough to feel confident talking so greasy about them, otherwise we’d be worried about L.O. giving him a Sprewell Special any day now … We’re out like Hibbert …
October 9th, 2008 at 6:14 am
j from la says:
FIRST
October 9th, 2008 at 6:23 am
smity far away says:
@j from la
you are lame (or just really young and not knowing any better)
October 9th, 2008 at 6:27 am
M says:
I hope Jackson knows what he is doing; dissing a player like that for extended periods of time can’t be good for either a team or a player.
I mean, not like L.O. is dissapearing “on purpose”.
M.
October 9th, 2008 at 6:28 am
Steve Nasty says:
Your gay
October 9th, 2008 at 6:29 am
Steve Nasty says:
j from la that is
October 9th, 2008 at 6:29 am
bordado says:
during a game LO should dive for a loose ball in the sidelines and aim at phil’s legs or hips… hustle + revenge..
October 9th, 2008 at 6:38 am
smity far away says:
and also, damn dime, is there not one ben gordon supporter amongst you (the whole crew?) you all stay killing him and his potential this year and his decision making process in the off season (granted, there were other options for him to consider, i’m one of the few maybe that think the team did him/ is doing him a little dirty…but anyway.)
i hope the bobcats can put up a season good enough to hang their hats on. Wallace is one of the players i give props to for playing so hard every night. he’s like a tim duncan or kg without the rings and all star status/hof ability (i’m commenting on his consistent full season effort)
you guys are right about new york. and right about duhon (but you all also already know that he’s a known non shooter so i don’t know what kind of shooting consistency dantoni expects from the point position but if he expects any at all he might wanna have marbury start.)
lastly (for now anyway) these mind games phil plays are a little obnoxious. hof coach. love him for the chips he helped us get in the chi (and his thank yous to the g.o.a.t) are recognized) but i don’t know about calling odom or anybody out like that, like he does. It didnt work with radmonovic…but you are right when you say that a guy like him has to know the players he’s dealing with so says what he says because of the helping factors involved instead of the (potential) hindering factors of his actions. can you all at dime or anybody else remember if he used to do this thing (that he’s now known for doing) of calling out players in the media when he was in chicago? I can’t ever remember him doing that to a jason caffey or a kukoc or cartwright or whoever.
Also, did he not do so then because he had jordan to keep everybody in check and on top of their games whereas he hasnt had that privilage since with the players he’s had on the lakers? Like have kobe and shaq (namely kobe) been incapable of getting their teamates to give their best? is that why phil is being phil and talkin down to cats in front of the world (via the media outlets)?
October 9th, 2008 at 6:41 am
sans says:
that wasn’t know fire in Roy Hibbert…I didn’t see the play but I have seen Hibbert play, and he looks laid back more than anything else.
If Rose takes Chicago to the playoffs, he might get the MVP. He’ll have to turn Ty Thomas into Ty Chandler to get it, but he might. Where the hell are they gonna trade Hughes and Hinrich, Gooden/Noah? Gordon is useless trade bait, except for teams looking to dump salary at the end of the year. I think they keep Thomas to try and soothe their sorry souls after trading Lamarcus Aldridge for them. I’m out like admitting a mistake…
October 9th, 2008 at 6:55 am
YOUNGFED says:
Damn Dime maybe I missed something but I didn’t see one mention of the Pistons game yesterday.
Also where do you guys think Al Jefferson ranks in Top 5 PF’s.
1.) Duncan
2.) KG
3.) Bosh
4.) Dirk
5.) Sheed/Al Jefferson (that’s my take)
BANGER OF THE DAY: Hip-Hop at it’s finest
http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=26291
let me know what yall think.
Holla!!!
October 9th, 2008 at 7:01 am
schoops says:
Smity… ben gordon passed up a cool 59 mil. I’d say his decision making sucks. And tell you what, any team can “do mean dirty” (as you would say) if in the end they offer me enough money to buy rhode island. BG thinks his undersizzed SG body that only contributes points is worth d-wade kinda money, he needs a reality check.
david lee is going to have a monster year.
October 9th, 2008 at 7:13 am
smity far away says:
@schoops
deng wasnt producing like gordon was, as the go-to scorer. and deng wasnt the only reason miami the bulls swept miami a couple of years ago. kirk, deng, gordon (and even malik allen and pj brown) but kirk and deng got monster contracts. gordon is looking at them like, “yo, i’ve done what they have (and sometimes more as the one bulls depended on to put points on the board) and i can;t get paid like them?” I think he is better than kirk ( or i’d rather have gordon than kirk) and he probably thinks he is too. he wasnt asking for d-wade money (and correct me if i’m completely wrong). he was askin/lookin for deng money…
would it be a terrible idea for new york to go small up front with undersized zach at center? ( he probably gon play as much d as curry but will get you double the rebounds and almost double the points too.) then between him and lee ny could out rebound a bunch of teams…easily…
October 9th, 2008 at 7:21 am
smity far away says:
they seemed to do ok with that lineup last night (except for the fact that they lost…)
October 9th, 2008 at 7:58 am
loganlight says:
LOL at the Sprewell Special…
For real, I think Phil might be pushing this cat a little hard. The season hasn’t even started and he’s all over his nuts. Imagine after a loss to the Hornets or something. Crazy.
Then again, he might just be pushing him into the arms of Kobe to form a bond like Mike and Pip… Naw, couldn’t be.
LL
October 9th, 2008 at 8:10 am
smity far away says:
@ M and loganlight
yo, phil probably has everybody else real shook but also focused (especially the younger players who are more likely to be affected by the fear of their coach dissin them in public) right now by talking about odom the way he has been.
October 9th, 2008 at 8:23 am
the_don_mega says:
most def… that track is the ish FED!!! ei Dime, ya’ll know FED would needs his daily dose of the Pistons news… cats should’ve known better… LOL
October 9th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Kobeef says:
Four observations
1. Whoever said Javale McGee is not ready for the NBA is an idiot
2. Whoever said Patric O’Bryant is not an NBA player is an idiot.
3. Whoever said Russel Westbrook is not ready to start in the NBA and was not worth the pick is an idiot.
4. Whoever said Jerryd Bayless can play point in the NBA is an idiot.
October 9th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Phileus says:
Phil Jackson reminds me of Jack Nicholson in “The Departed” now.
October 9th, 2008 at 8:37 am
YOUNGFED says:
lol mega I thought the track was fire didn’t know the west coast had real hiphop other than crook I and blu & exile
October 9th, 2008 at 8:38 am
smity far away says:
@ Kobeef
I think don nelson was trippin but having a big body in o”bryant on the bench and not using him. the preseason is the preseason but still i think dude could be productive, especially if he’s seeing time next to kg, pierce, ray and rondo. kg was the one that made gary trent look decent. how can he not have the same effect on a patrick o’bryant or perkins or even a scalabrine (but act of having a positive effect on the last one may be more difficult than any ever…) but yeah, o’bryant is able to get the job done (i think)
October 9th, 2008 at 9:08 am
G says:
@ Fed
Id throw Amare on that list right after KG
October 9th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Dagomar says:
Man the Raps are looking really, really strong for this year. O’Neal is looking fierce; there’s times when his moves are vintage and I have a feeling that if he stays healthy he can carry us past the first and maybe even second rounds. Meanwhile this Soloman guy is looking like he can really play, and I have a feeling (hope/prayer) that when Bargnani moves back his natural position he’ll rediscover his game. And Ukic (SP?) has some seriously nice size for a PG. Can’t shoot worth shit, but the size and creativity are there.
Lee looks nice by the way, you guys still going to be bashing him all year? He may not be the BEST Knick but he’s the guy I would want on my team . . . they can keep Randolph or Marbury . . . .
October 9th, 2008 at 9:22 am
YOUNGFED says:
Good Call but G I can’t put Amare ahead of the others because he didn’t return to the original Stat until he got Shaq. All the other guys are beast W/O a supporting big man.
October 9th, 2008 at 9:59 am
barons beard says:
@ FED - STAT was playing in an un-natural position before Shaq came to the desert. When he returned to the 4 spot, he was facing the basket more and beasting cats. No-one can hang with him
October 9th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Brown says:
@Fed
You must have heard of Bishop Lamont. He did a street album with Black Milk (who you should know is from the D and arguably the best producer in hip hop right now) last year called Caltroit. All Bishop’s mixtapes are dope (Ni**er Noize, Pope Mobile, The Confessional).
Check out Glasses Malone. His joint “Malone” is crazy.
Also check out Focus - Dedicated, and Fokis & Focus - The 20/20 EP.
The West has all kinds of great hip hop, you just have to know where to find it. A good place to look is 2dopeboyz.com.
If you like Blu, check out the two groups he’s in - C.R.A.C. Knuckles and Johnson & Jonson.
October 9th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Big Sia says:
Crooked I >>>>>>
You guys forgot about Wilson Chandler on Jermaine. Filthy.
October 9th, 2008 at 10:46 am
YOUNGFED says:
@Brown
Thats whats up. I heard ofBishop Lamont and Black milk (definetly fire). Bishop Lamont is alright though nothing special. Glasses Malone is cool. Never heard of Focus.
@Baron
“No-one can hang with him” Damn thats a bit much bruh. Stat might be over Al Jeff but not those other guys. Lets see if he continues to ball like that this year.
October 9th, 2008 at 10:53 am
chrisGO says:
Fed- no love for Murs and Dilated ?
October 9th, 2008 at 10:57 am
YOUNGFED says:
Never heard of murs and Dialated Peoples ain’t really hot.
October 9th, 2008 at 11:03 am
BxBaller says:
Damn Big Sla you beat me to it. That dunk was nasty. All & all, I think the Knicks played pretty well last night, too many 3’s & turnovers but we’ll be alright.
October 9th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
rodnets says:
OKC Thundersonics is going to be the the worst team no doubt about it. Clay Bennet should pay for his thievery.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Amar says:
P-Jax is the greatest coach ever who had jordan, pippen, rodman, shaq, kobe in their primes and a slew of veterans to fill in the gaps!
he earned the right to be so smug by the virture of reading a poem or a passage from a book to his players on the team plane before games and watching his GM do all the heavy lifting in his career.
a well medicated monkey in a suit and tie could do ‘probably’ just as well. i say probably because over the last 8 years we’ve had one as the president, but it hasn’t gone exactly to plan.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Drink the Haterade (KB24 Chip 09) says:
@ Amar “P-Jax is the greatest coach ever who had jordan, pippen, rodman, shaq, kobe in their primes and a slew of veterans to fill in the gaps!”
They had other coaches before P_Jax and they didn’t win. Until P-Jax came around with the his Posse those 5 didn’t win Jack. They needed Phil to manage their ego’s so it could work.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
control says:
OKC even has a D-League NAME. “Thunder” wtf is that shit?
October 9th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
control says:
“Oh no, we are a loud sound!!!”
(comp submitted early)
The only team name that is worse right now is “Mavericks” and that is only worse because of the over use of that word by idiots unrelated to the team.
October 9th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Big Sneezy says:
Maybe Odom is depressed.
October 9th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
that's whats up says:
that jeff green picture is kinda sweet - please remove
October 9th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Brown says:
@FED
Focus a producer/MC. He’s signed to Aftermath and is one of the producers, along with Denaun Porter and Hi-Tek who are producing songs for Detox.
Murs has done three albums with 9th Wonder (Murs 3:16, Murray’s Revenge, Sweet Lord). He just put out an album called Murs For President, but I haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet. I think you’d like him.
You might not be a fan of Dilated, but one of their members, Evidence, has an album coming out Nov. 25th called The Layover. I seen a clip of him and Blu in the studio writing to a sick beat, which hopefully is on that album. His last album The Weatherman was pretty good.
October 9th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Skeez says:
MURS FOR PRESIDENT….Go cop the album RIGHT NOW. And if your new to Murs you might want to peep one of the albums w 9th. Preferably Murs 3:16. You guys on this posts seem to know your hip hop so do yourselves a favor and check Murs out
October 9th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Tim says:
what nothing about the Pistons? Its gonna be fun watching Amir and Tayshaun running people down and stuffing their shots…Amir had an Amare on Duncan block last night that they called a foul on…it was pretty sick….
Must be fun having to go against Sheed, then if you get by him you have Amir putting it back in your face…
October 10th, 2008 at 2:19 am
dagwaller says:
@ anyone that hates on Phil Jackson’s credentials.
MJ never won a title without Phil. Kobe never one won without him.
Furthermore, there are other guys that had the stars that he had and didn’t win the whole thing. Did Doug Collins win a title with Jordan? No. Did Brian Hill win with Shaq? No. On a related note, there have been plenty of star studded lineups that never won the whole thing. Jerry Sloan, anyone?
Finally, every title-winning coach has great players. Does anyone hate on Red Auerbach’s credentials because he had Bill Russell etc? Does anyone hate on Pat Riley for having the Showtime Lakers? No.
Love or hate him, he has more rings than just about any other coach in just about any other major team sport. And no, it wasn’t luck.