Media Day 2014: Excitement Is In The Air In Oklahoma City
Tomorrow the Thunder will kick off their 2014-2015 campaign with training camp. Today, you could feel the energy and the excitement heading into a brand new season. With new looks(!!) and new additions, the Thunder look ready to finally get over the hump and win a championship.
Here are some meaningful quotes on Media Day:
Russell Westbrook
On what he needs to get better at: “I think it’s important for me to come back a better leader. I think at my position it’s important.”
On how he’s feeling: “I’ve been feeling great all summer. I’m excited to get the season under wraps and be able to practice during training camp instead of watching. I’m just blessed to be in this position.”
On coming back smarter: “I’ve watched every game throughout the summer. Every shot, every turnover, every assist, every rebound, I’ve watched it all. There is definitely a lot of things that I’ve learned and a lot things I’m going to come back this year better.”
On what the young guys bring: “Toughness. Steven is one of the toughest guys I’ve seen. I’m just excited for him and the position he’s in.”
Reggie Jackson
On what he needs to do this year: “Just continue to be aggressive. The paint is where I make my money.”
About his summer: “The past week I just got off my feet. Got our work done that we did as a team in and try to gear down and get ready for these two-a-days starting training camp. Hopefully I feel pretty healthy. I feel good about the work I put in this summer.”
On why he wants to be the starter: “Because I want to be great. I can’t remember anyone great that wasn’t a starter.”
Scott Brooks
His mindset on this year: I want to continue to build on what we’ve done the past few years. I think the best teams in this league are two-way teams. We have a team full of committed defenders, and our offense has improved. We want to take another step in that direction.
On what Anthony Morrow brings to the team: “Three-point shooting is such an important part of the game. Anthony Morrow has been one of the premier shooters in basketball. Last season he shot 45 percent. Kevin is no longer the best shooter on this team.”
On Mitch McGary: “The thing I love about Mitch is that he is always ready to work. His motor is always running.”
On the addition of Sebastain Telfair: Quality pick-up. A guy who really knows how to play and I love having him around.”
Brooks added that he thinks Russell Westbrook is “the best point-guard in basketball.”
Steven Adams
On his development: “I still have a tons to learn. I’m just going to work hard and listen to what the coaches have to say.”
On Perk: “He’s so much better at defense. He really is, it’s ridiculous. I still have a long way to go. He just knows the whole game and I’m still trying to learn. I’m trying to pick it up from him.”
On what he brings: “I always talk to Coach Mark Bryant. He always tells me three things: Rebounding, running the floor, and either block shots or set screens. It varies between every team.”
On the mustache: “I actually don’t know. I thought I just needed a tougher look.”
Adams mentioned that he took Sam Presti and Coach Mark Bryant to his camp in New Zealand for three days. He brought them to the cafe on the beach and everything went well. Adams hopes they come back next year, and he wants more Thunder people down there.
Serge Ibaka
On how his health and how he feels: “I feel better. This summer I’ve been working hard like always. I feel good and I’m ready to go.”
Kevin Durant
On the rest he got this offseason: “I feel great. Taking some time to rest your body and your mind does wonders for you. I’m excited I got the chance to do that this summer and I’m looking forward to the season. It’s gonna be a fun one starting from day one. You can see it with Russ that you can use that rest to get better and I did the same this summer so I’m looking forward to it.”
On the difference between this year and last year: “I’m more confident than I was. I think that’s from me just growing older, MVP or not, I think my confidence would of grew. I think that helped a little bit. At the same time, I know that that season is over with and I gotta focus on the new one. I got new goals so I gotta accomplish them.”