OKC Thunder In the news: Westbrook signs on KD’s birthday, best reactions on twitter

Welcome to OKC Thunder in the news for Saturday September 30, which today is dedicated entirely to Russell Westbrook.

OKC Thunder in the news September 30 could easily be called ‘Russell Westbrook Day’. Or maybe it should be Russell Westbrook times the next five years. Suffice to say Thunder Nation is rejoicing and for good reason. Though some OKC Thunder fans were anxious after last summer, this scribe was on record as saying the Brodie would re-sign and do so in his own inimitable way.  Having said that, I probably should have looked up Durant’s birthday since in retrospect it sure made a ton of sense Friday September 29th was in fact the logical day for Westbrook to ink his extension.

Moving forward. now that Sam Presti has established idol status in OKC, the team is now set to be one of the West’s best.  Beyond this season, Presti and Westbrook have delivered a resounding message to Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, the entire roster and all NBA players the OKC Thunder are in it to win it, and will be for the foreseeable future.

Now it’s up to this iteration of the OKC Thunder to make it work. But, for today let’s take a moment to savor the news from Friday and celebrate the MVP re-signing with the OKC Thunder. He’s put in the work, earned our admiration and respect and now it’s time to shower him with some well deserved love.

Russell Westbrook signs extension with OKC Thunder:

Friday, September 29th will likely go down in Thunder lore as the day which defined an era of the franchise.  My cohort Tony Heim served up the initial news with some compelling insights on what the deal means moving forward.

"The move is also a signal to Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. Oklahoma City is where Westbrook wants to play professional basketball, not Los Angeles. By taking this step it shows George that Russ has faith in the organization whether or not PG stays. And it almost guarantees Carmelo picks up his player option for next season. Unless George has a promise from another superstar to join him in LA, Oklahoma City may be the most appealing situation for him now."

Birthday Shade:

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

Reiterating my previous stance, I was one of the few who never wavered in the belief Westbrook would put pen to paper prior to the deadline.  As noted in previous articles it was more of a gut instinct, similar to the feeling I had about DeMar DeRozan when scribes loudly predicted his pending defection to his home town Lakers. Hey, maybe there is something to this loyalty thing and ties to LA. Both DeRozan and Westbrook hail from LA, and both attended college there (DeRozan USC while Westbrook attend UCLA). Perhaps there is something to this common thread.

Could Paul George demonstrate a similar loyalty trend? One could argue he already hasn’t. But George has explained how the Pacers franchise disenchanted him with how they conducted business and their lack of adding talent to surround him. Already, George has been suitably impressed (and vocal) by Presti and the OKC Thunder franchise. Therefore, it would be unwise to  rule out George could follow suit. If he is like DeRozan and Westbrook he’ll look  to return his loyalty for seeing positive moves and solid upper management.

As per Westbrook’s deal happening on the 29th, I elaborated on how this date only serves to punctuate the fact the cold war between Russ and KD is far from over.

"But, the message to Kevin Durant today, was simple.I’m sticking with the team you abandoned .This year I’ll be coming at you with Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Patrick Patterson and all my other Thunder teammates. So Kevin, make it a good wish when you blow out those candles buddy. Because OKC and Russell Westbrook aren’t going to simply roll over and play dead. Nor is Russell Westbrook going to stop sending you subtle messages until he achieves his ultimate goal – wining a title with the OKC Thunder."

Social media reacts to Westbrook news:

With Russell Westbrook inking his extension understandably  social media reaction was lit. Here’s a sampling of the best reactions, shade, salt and congratulations that followed the news.

The Brodie delivers a birthday gift to Durant:

Also not surprising was the response to the fact Westbrook signed the deal on Kevin Durant’s 29th birthday.

Congratulatory messages:

Mayoral recognition:

Humorous messages:

Adding salt to the wound messages:

The fake account tweets:

In honor of the Kevin Durant fake Twitter accounts this next tweet deserves to be shared. Warning: there is some language in it, that some may find offensive.

The King chimes in:

The GOAT MJ joins in:

https://twitter.com/AdamJosephSport/status/913925011139735552

Teammates respond:

https://twitter.com/FlyDre21/status/913850568778674176

Writing on the wall:

TI’s scribes responds:

TI’s own Jeremy Lambert may have delivered the tweet which resonated the most.

Ownership love and respect:

Sam Presti celebratory tweets:

And some well earned Lakers shade (sorry Magic):

That wraps up OKC Thunder in the news for September 30. As training camps wind down NBA teams preseason action begins today. The  OKC Thunder won’t take to the court until Tuesday when they’ll face the retooled Rockets. Until then expect Thunder Nation to be in celebratory mode. Check back with Thunderous Intentions frequently for all things OKC Thunder.