OKC Thunder in the news: More accolades for Westbrook and turmoil in the East

Welcome to OKC Thunder – In the news for Saturday August 19, featuring topical daily news on your favorite team.

As the summer weekends draw to a close and fall approaches OKC Thunder In the News will soon feature training camp, preseason news. For now offseason topics dominate social and national media with more accolades for Westbrook and turmoil in the East occupying most sites.

NBAPA Awards honor Westbrook and Collison:

Short of winning a title this past season couldn’t have gone much better for Russell Westbrook. Despite losing his long time partner the Brodie accepted the unfathomable challenge to make OKC relevant with virtually a completely new team. Though the Thunder were devoid of a super team roster Westbrook seized the reigns, delivering as close to a perfect season as we may ever see by a single individual in our lifetime.

Accolades continue to pour in with yet another MVP award this time from perhaps the most important group – Westbrook’s peers. While the MVP and fashion award isn’t particularly a surprising  decision, the third honor may well be the truest compliment to the one-man wrecking crew named Westbrook.

Westbrook Hardest Cover:

I recall earlier this season a coach was asked who the most difficult player to game plan for was in the Association.  Westbrook’s name rolled off his tongue as he remarked about asking your player to stay in front of Westbrook was akin to sending kamikaze pilots on their missions. Okay, okay, I drew a little poetic license in the precise comments used, but the essence of the coaches comments weren’t dissimilar.

"Russ isn’t exemplary in the most important facet of today’s NBA: shooting. He shot below average from both the field and from deep, yet the players understood the difficulty of the shots he was taking. Westbrook’s explosiveness with the ball is that powerful."

TI site expert Tony Heim provides the details on the honor and two others Westbrook received. Heim also delivers news which was sure to tickle veteran Nick Collison who was named Teammate of the Year via his own roster players.

OKC Thunder Players honor Collison:

"As the title of the awards state, they were voted on by the players. That’s why it doesn’t come as a surprise that Collison won this award for Oklahoma City. At any given moment the 36-year old can be seen coaching up a young player on the bench or dapping up teammates during timeouts. Simply put, he’s everything you want from a non-rotational player."

KD speaks out on LeBron situation from a position of knowledge:

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

The irony of Kevin Durant citing the current LeBron — Irving — Cavaliers debacle as typical for the business. Perhaps KD’s statements speaks to  his mindset last summer. Although the wound is still open the pain is slowly dissipating. And now, with the debacle in Cleveland it seems certain they’ll be a new narrative for the foreseeable future to focus on.

At the center of this maelstrom is LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. The latter doesn’t want to play with the former any longer. For his part Durant chimed in saying these types of arguments are normal. KD further states if it wasn’t leaked to the public no one would ever know anything is wrong. Odd KD feels this is just all in a day’s work. Makes you wonder precisely how broken Russ and KD’s relationship was. Conversely, it brings up the point of perhaps KD leaving had nothing to do with Westbrook at all. In Berry Tramel’s News OK article he

"“It’s not the end of the world,” Durant said. “Both of those guys won a championship together. They love each other. If Kyrie wants to do something else, that’s on him. I’m sure whatever happens, it’ll work out for the best for both of them. But it’s just a normal NBA problem. It’s just two big stars that it’s happening to.”"

For the immediate future this story and it’s corresponding pieces is likely to take center stage until either the Irving situation is resolved or James makes his intentions clear for next summer. Thankfully, the OKC Thunder can simply focus on winning for a change.

That wraps up OKC Thunder In the News for August 19. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and be sure to make OKC Thunder, In the News is part of your daily fix.