Welcome to Thunder in the news, your daily stop for the best OKC Thunder content across the web. Today’s edition looks at an update on both Enes Kanter’s father and Alex Abrines’ offseason.
Game Three of the NBA Finals brought Thunder fans nothing but sadness – watching Kevin Durant nail a pull-up three with under a minute to go was torture. And that’s exactly why today’s version of Thunder in the news is a happy one.
Enes Kanter’s father released from jail
After being in custody for five days, Mehmet Kanter has finally been released by the Turkish government. The CBS report also shines light on an interesting development regarding the relationship between Kanter and his father.
"Turkish authorities arrested Mehmet Kanter in his home Friday, Enes Kanter announced on Twitter and later told reporters. He has been released under “judicial control,” according to AFP. That means he does not have to remain in prison, but will still be under supervision. Mehmet Kanter publicly disowned his son last summer because of his political views, though Enes Kanter admitted Friday that was a ploy to stay safe in Turkey, where both of Kanter’s parents still live."
Alex Abrines Q & A
The only downside to going to school in Ohio is the inability to get real access to the players and coaches. That’s where writers like Erik Horne of The Oklahoman step in. He sat down with the Spaniard Sniper for a discussion on Abrines’ offseason plans, getting an American driver’s license and much more.
"What’s your schedule been like since the season ended?“I went to Spain for two weeks, then I came back and we’ve been taking care of my (right) knee because I got PRP (platelet rich plasma injections) right after the season. The first week-and-a-half was more treatment, lifting everyday, not a lot of things on the court. After about 10 days, we started actual workouts. Lifting an hour-and-a-half, little bit of movement, then on the court for 45 minutes every day Monday through Thursday.”"
Adding to the Billy Donovan coaching rumors
Leave it to Thunderous Intentions’ own Jeremy Lambert for making up his own Billy Donovan coaching rumors. Billy D isn’t leaving anytime soon, and Jeremy’s piece reminds us of that in a hilarious manner.
"His name is also out there because they think he’s failed as an NBA head coach despite evidence to the contrary. Donovan was one game and one good performance by his superstar away from going to the NBA Finals in his first year on the job. He designed a system that unleashed Westbrook, coaching OKC to a sixth seed despite an extremely flawed roster. He out-coached Gregg Popovich in the NBA playoffs. He’s made mistakes, but no NBA coach is perfect. Believing Donovan has failed as a NBA coach feeds into the “Rings Culture” that says, “you’re worthless unless you’ve won it all.”With all that said, and with there being a 99 percent chance that Donovan remains in Oklahoma City for the foreseeable future, let’s start a bunch of rumors that will have Donovan coaching a college team near you."
As always, thanks for reading! We’ll see you tomorrow with another update about your favorite team!