OKC Thunder In the news: Warriors enter camp under fire while Melo arrival has OKC lit

Welcome to OKC Thunder in the news for Monday September 25, featuring some heady response by the reigning champs to Carmelo Anthony signing whereas the home town team enters camp on a massive high.

OKC Thunder in the news features topical news on your favorite team and players and for Monday September 25 it also means Media Day is here.

Although the players aren’t on the court Media Day signals the arrival of the season. During today’s festivities we’ll get sound bites from the OKC Thunder players, head coach Billy Donovan and specifically hear from new recruits. Thunderous Intentions will have complete coverage of Media Day, so make sure to check back with us frequently to catch all the wonderful interview notes.

Media Day is here:

Most of the NBA will be gathered today for Media Day, all with hopes of producing a winning season. But for the OKC Thunder those odds have dramatically increased. That’s because of the arrival of not one, but two All-Star players to join Russell Westbrook this season.

About the only thing which could trump this active offseason for the OKC Thunder would be a certain MVP signing his extension. Westbrook has until October 16th to put pen to paper to make it official. Many pundits seem to be of the belief the Brodie isn’t going to sign this season in order to keep his options open. This scribe isn’t among the majority in that belief.

Hey, since when does Russell Westbrook do what “everyone” thinks he will?  Gut instinct says Westbrook will put pen to paper just prior to the cut-off to add even more momentum to the squad as they begin their 2017-18 season. Sure, I could be wrong – – but, doesn’t surprising the masses by signing last minute feel like a very Westbrook action?

Melo arrives to heroes welcome:

Paul George experienced it earlier this summer, but until you walk on that tarmac and experience it personally it’s hard to understand. Like George, Carmelo Anthony arrived in Oklahoma City to a throng of Thunder Nation fans lining the caged fences. Chants of Melo rang out through the air as he approached the fence. It might not be the Mecca, but it sure is a friendly environment.

In fact, after years of carrying the weight of a beleaguered Knicks franchise on his shoulders this might be exactly the situation the doctor ordered for Anthony.  Having played alongside George on the gold medal winning team in Rio and with Westbrook in London (also a Gold medal effort) the transition may not take as long as some seem to think it will.

For now, it’s time for Melo to ease into the friendly confines of Oklahoma City, get acquainted with his new team and plot the demise of the NBA with his super star cohorts. (If I had icons I’d insert an evil grin here.)

Meanwhile, if you want to base how quickly a certain someone responds “I’m only focused on the Warrirors” when asked about the trade, it could be rationalized this move has teams sitting up and taking notice…

Steph Curry and Draymond Green respond to Anthony trade:

Of course the team perched at the top and considered the prohibitive favorites got asked about the Melo trade and while KD didn’t have a meaty sound bite to offer Steph and Draymond did have their opinions (although certainly watered down) for the media.

Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated captured the two All-Stars initial reaction to the trade.

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

Steph’s response:

"“I don’t even know about this trade,” Curry said. “I just heard about this trade 10 seconds ago. So, they got Kanter and … I guess I am happy [for Anthony] because I know he wanted to get out and be in a situation where he felt like what he was doing on the court was actually productive.“It’s going to be wild to see that trio of guys together. It’s just crazy how the West is getting stronger and stronger. It should be another tough matchup when we play them.”"

Draymond’s response:

Green’s response was a little less guarded as he cites the OKC Thunder “hate” for him. Kicking a guy in the kiwi’s (without punishment) will do that Draymond.

"“I’m happy for him. It doesn’t change my views to who we are as a team,” Green told The Undefeated. “But I’m happy for him, definitely. I don’t hate OKC. They hate me. I don’t hate them. I don’t care. You’re adding a guy who can give you 20 [points] a night. It is definitely going to make you better. I think it definitely helps them.”"

Let’s put into perspective what these recent events mean for potentially the two teams vying for supremacy at seasons end in the West.  The Warriors enter training camp in a bit of a maelstrom of public relations hell.

First of all, Kevin Durant threw shade at his own teammate (Curry) in terms of his shoe brand. Then he followed that up with throwing out shade at Billy Donovan and every OKC Thunder “cat” except Westbrook via his fake account.

Now there is the big presidential debate occurring between Curry, the team and President Donald Trump. I won’t comment on this other than to state, sometimes living in Canada has it’s perks.

Do I possess a crystal ball?

Two weeks ago, this scribe posted why Dwyane Wade would be the perfect pick up for the OKC Thunder.  The thinking was based on him assuming a role as the Iggy or Manu sixth man. Over the weekend DWade sent out some tweets which might add some fuel to the fire.

It’s funny when you see others chime in on a similar tangent (just weeks later… hmm). Still, it appears my initial thoughts do merit further consideration. Imagine having a rested Dwyane Wade available in the playoffs to offset Iguodala (hmmm – just saying).

For those curious on why Wade would be the perfect fit (even more so after Melo signing) check out the entire article here.

"Bringing Wade off the bench in a role similar to how the Spurs utilize Manu Ginobili would be ideal. Coach Billy Donovan could keep his minutes down to preserve his health and Roberson would have the top defensive assignment and start. But, Wade would offer another ball handler to pair with Raymond Felton and a proven scoring option."

Wade giving my argument some fuel:

As I stated in the article re-joining Dragic and Whiteside isn’t going to shift the needle. Rekindling the flame with banana boat buddy LeBron won’t necessarily be an automatic choice, especially since Wade would have to make up for the sieve that is Isaiah Thomas on defense.

The one team I see giving OKC a run for their money to land Wade is the Spurs. But, we’ll see. There could be a dark horse who prevails like the Bucks or Wolves.

Kanter Tribute:

In case you missed this, Heather Koontz delivered a fitting tribute to Enes Kanter as he departs OKC. This is the hard part of doing business in the NBA. With all due respect to Doug McDermott he wasn’t with the OKC Thunder long, nor did he find a perfect role on the squad. Whereas Kanter became one of the most beloved players of the decade long franchise. His loyalty to the team and city are without compare. He’ll be sorely missed, especially when a voice is needed to call out shady former players or make us laugh beside the resident big Kiwi.

"Thank you for talking back.You know as well as anyone how much it stung when Kevin Durant left. But while we fans couldn’t be vocal on a nationwide platform, you could. And, you did. You were never afraid to say what needed to be said, and we’re going to miss that. You were, in many ways, our voice. And trust us, a victory against the Golden State Warriors sure would be the icing on the cupcake:"

Check in throughout day for Media Day highlights:

That wraps up OKC Thunder in the news for September 25. Media Day is today so make sure to check in with Thunderous Intentions frequently as we serve up sound bites and tidbits from the event. Also with training camp starting tomorrow make sure to add TI’s cell phone app, so you don’t miss any news.