OKC Thunder In the news – Anthony, George giddy over Big 3 potential following debut

Welcome to OKC Thunder in the news featuring topical news on your favorite squad with today’s column focused on the debut of the Big 3.

OKC Thunder in the news October 8, concentrates on what turned out to be an exciting day particularly for the OK3. Yeah, the trio of Carmelo Anthony, Paul George and Russell Westbrook already had a nickname. I guess it was inevitable.

With the triad finally playing in a game it brought up a few thoughts which you’ll be able to read about later today. Suffice to say I can’t get past a couple facts:

Not having Westbrook, Patrick Patterson or Alex Abrines available for the Houston game is equivalent to the Rockets not playing James Harden, Eric Gordon and PJ Tucker.
Russell Westbrook did not in fact miss significant time — he missed ONE preseason game and a scrimmage.
In the few minutes the trio shared the court, despite some rough patches there are obvious signs of what’s to come and it offers reason to be excited.
And while I’m not trying to start a war with Rockets fans the OK3 play three different positions. Granted, the OK3 will need to build chemistry and develop timing, but it’s conceivable their journey will be organic. I’m not saying Harden and CP3 won’t mesh. Rather, I’m simply pointing out the Rockets pair will also have to address challenges. Something this scribe is specifically interested in witnessing is who handles the ball in clutch time. Hey, I’m just pointing out the obvious.

So, back to the OK3, it wasn’t just Thunder Nation who got excited by their debut. The two newer members of the OKC Thunder were equally giddy.

Melo and PG13 excitement playing with Russ is palpable:

Royce Young of ESPN provided the quotes from the Brodie’s new teammates. It’s impossible to read without sensing their excitement. Considering the limited time the triad spent on the floor together their thoughts speak volumes. Review of George and Anthony’s comments one gets a sense of giddiness. Like when George (a speedster himself) speaks of how difficult it is to keep pace with Russ, let alone not trip over his own two feet.

"“We joke about it, how to run a fast break with him because he’s so fast,” George said of Westbrook. “By the time you catch it your feet are all messed up trying to catch up to him. So it’s going to be an adjustment, but again, you’ve got a guy that puts that much pressure on a defense, it’s going to make the game so much easier for me. My job is the easy part, just to finish those plays for him.”"

Or Anthony who opines teaming with someone of Westbrook’s ilk means there is not choice, but to play fast.

"“We don’t know, we’re just playing ball right now,” Anthony said of building an identity. “We’re just trying to figure it out. We want to play fast, we want to play quick, but I think with Russ you almost have to play quick. If he passes it to you and you’re open and you don’t shoot it, he’ll get mad at you. That’s something since he’s been in practice we’ve been working on."

Clearly the duo are excited to be partnered with Westbrook. Although they’ve had precious little time to gel and develop chemistry their joy is obvious.

Melo appreciates removal of burden:

Furthermore, Carmelo who loved playing in his home town none-the-less turned to hoodie Melo to avoid the constant barrage of media. Anthony understood as the franchise star it was his responsibility to bear the brunt of the criticism for the team’s failure. But, how fair was it to place all the blame at Anthony’s feet?

Then President of Basketball Operations, Phil Jackson was consistently signing players past their primes to outrageously over paid contracts. Furthermore the Zen Master waged a war of cat and mouse through his media friends. The result was Anthony who desperately wanted to bring a title to New York finally succumbed to the realization he would have to leave if he wanted to win.

Everyone assumed Anthony would hate returning to a small market. So, when Anthony added OKC (the third smallest NBA market) to his short list the only assumption was it had to do with the talent level in Oklahoma. Melo clearly was open to working with other stars, but his comments also point to his satisfaction of not having to carry the burden of a franchise on his shoulders any longer. Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports writes about Anthony’s obvious satisfaction of playing with two like minded talents.

“It will all come together. We see it in practice when Russ is with us. We see what the potential of what this team can be,” Anthony told The Vertical. “It’s lifted a burden off of me. And I’m pretty sure it’s the same off of Paul and Russ. We talk about those things. We don’t want to have to do it every single night, every single play, but we know we’re going to have to bring our games every single night in order for us to be successful.”

Must Read: How 6:41 changed the narrative of OK3

Trio get back at it today:

More from Thunderous Intentions

In what could end up driving the positives even further the OKC Thunder face the Australian Melbourne United squad today. With all due respect to this professional team they don’t have super stars on their squad and will probably have just 10 players dressed.

The timing of the OKC Thunder meeting them couldn’t be better. Capitalizing on this opportunity to build chemistry and get the offense flowing would be ideal. TI’s New Zealand native Lawrence George serves up some compelling insight on the Melbourne United squad and preps you for the matinee match today.

"Melbourne United’s starting point guard Casper Ware is no stranger to the NBA. He played a 9-game stint with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2013-14 season which included a highlight play on Houston Rockets superstar James Harden.He was also invited to play in preseason with the Washington Wizards last year but was unsuccessful in making the squad.To be fair, this isn’t much of a match up since Russ virtually has his way with any opposing guard. However, for Melbourne United, the team will go as Ware goes. The diminutive guard essentially serves as the team’s motor and his scoring prowess from the perimeter sets the tone for easy looks on the inside."

And, In case you missed the New Orleans game catch the post game grades and 5 takeaways on Thunderous Intentions.

That wraps up OKC Thunder in the news for October 8. Hope you enjoyed the featured articles today. Be sure to visit the site for compelling articles and interact with us on Twitter. Check back post game today for our player grades and tomorrow morning for Tony Heim’s 5 takeaways.