Patrick Patterson and Raymond Felton formally introduced to Thunder

The OKC Thunder officially welcomed Patrick Patterson and Raymond Felton to the organization, holding a press conference for the pair Tuesday afternoon.

Raymond Felton and Patrick Patterson, welcome to Oklahoma City.

Patterson and Felton were introduced to Thunder nation at approximately 11:05 central time. There were a few interesting questions thrown at the duo, but the conversation was dominated by typical inquiries from reporters. That didn’t stop the newest residents of OKC from giving noteworthy answers though.

Felton made his intentions known from the opening question: he’s hear to win a championship. The veteran point guard talked about how he sees how hungry the entire organization is to win a title. Felton discussed how he believes the moves Presti made this offseason gives this team an opportunity to do something “special.” 12-year veterans don’t go around saying that about every team.

It was Patrick Patterson who made the best impression to Thunder fans, specifically residents of Oklahoma.

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Patterson mentioned how he didn’t mind taking a pay cut to come to Oklahoma City because the area feels like “home.” His priorities lie in finding an organization where he can compete for championships, have a family dynamic with the community and simply have fun. The Thunder was that team for him, so he took significantly less money to be a part of our clique.

You can tell both guys are extremely excited to play with this team in front of our fans. They genuinely think they can compete for a championship this season, and we know they will put every ounce of their soul into making that goal a reality. Here’s a few more highlights from the opening press conference.

Felton mentioned how he thinks Alex Abrines has the most upside of any young Thunder prospect. As Abrines’ biggest stan that’s obviously exciting for me. But it’s evident of the homework Felton put into making his decision – as soon as he was asked about Abrines, Enes Kanter and Doug McDermott he had a thoughtful critique for each player. He’s a true pro and the perfect backup point guard for this team.

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Billy Donovan talked about his admiration for both players dating back to college and even Patterson’s high school days. He knows a ton about both players, and his excitement about both players as veterans tells me their going to be more important off-the-floor than we can imagine.

Both players were asked about Paul George and both mentioned his strong work ethic. Having guys like PG, Russ, Felton and Patterson around the young stunnas will be huge for their development; they will see first-hand every day what it takes to be a successful professional in the NBA.

In the funniest moment of the afternoon, Felton passed off on a question about the pros and cons of a small market like OKC. Ray’s here to win – he didn’t come to Oklahoma for the night life.

Nothing from today will affect the season. But somehow it got me even more amped for the season to start. This team is going to be good folks. The players know it, the coaches know it, the front office knows it. Basketball can’t come soon enough.