Thunder in the news: Bill Simmons, Zach Lowe are NBA Media G.O.A.T.s

OKC Thunder in the news May 23 pays homage to the the undeniably best media duo in the business.

It’s 6:06 a.m.Wednesday and I’ve been up since 4:15 a.m. Tuesday, and know it’s well past time for sleep. The OKC Thunder haven’t been in the playoffs for weeks. Harden’s Rockets inexplicably beat Durant’s Warriors at Oracle. And, the 2018 NBA draft is over a month away.

So, why am I still up? First of all, I spent a good portion of the evening chatting with Thunderous Intentions team writers. Discussions vacillate between OKC’s  current state, how complex and frustrating the salary cap is, the playoffs, the impending draft etcetera.

For those who haven’t experienced the inner workings of a blog, this is one of the greatest joys and benefits of what we do. Getting to talk to like minded, passionate individuals who unlike your friends won’t shoot you “that’s enough” glares 25 minutes into your current NBA rant is exhilarating. Each of the TI writing team could spend every waking moments (sans time with loved ones) talking about the  OKC Thunder and NBA. And, still have more to say when the conversation inevitably draws to a close.

As the last exchanges ends at close to 4:30 a.m, the move is made to ascertain the topic for ‘In the news’, May 23rd. Scanning National and social media recent NBA offerings I land on the open tab of Bill Simmons Podcast with guest Zach Lowe. It was left open with the thought to add to an ever shuffling “to do list”.  The decision is made to  listen for 15 minutes and catch the rest later. Right- good luck with that. It’s the sports equivalent of Pringles – you can’t listen to a portion – rather, once play is pushed your invested for the duration.

Simmons and Lowe – Media G.O.A.T.s

Those who follow my column know Zach Lowe is my favorite NBA writer. I’m convinced there is communal DNA given our mutually shared opinions. The B-Boyz demand he’s secretly a friend since our hot takes or ‘way out there theories’ so frequently align. To wit, the infamous Lowe preseason wild predictions article invariably contains at least 50 percent common Tambz prophecies from a previous column or podcast. Seriously, where do they sell those Ancestry.com packages?

As for Bill Simmons, the end of Grantland felt more like a death in the family than it rightfully should have. His departure from ESPN gutted me. But, as the best are wont to do Simmons jettisoned to HBO, pioneered The Ringer and reestablished the best podcast in the business. Since I’m equally married to Lowe’s prowse as I am Simmons narrative and delicious sense of humor I can’t separate the two from G.O.A.T. status in the NBA Media realm.

Trust me, and check out the recent B.S. Podcast . The podcast acronym is a nod to Simmon’s cleverness and insight he doesn’t take himself as seriously as some presume.

Lowe and Simmons discuss the current status of the playoffs (recorded prior to either coast’s Game 4’s occurring). Without giving away too much, here’s the broad strokes. The pair touch on the potential for an outrageous offseason fueled by the King’s Decision 3.0. For OKC Thunder fans they are frequent seques with each of the OK3 taking up a segment of the podcast.

Need to complete an Ancestry.com profile:

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

Dialing back to my certainty Lowe and I must share DNA the duo discuss the ridiculous 2016 free agency signings and the NBA salary cap disaster (see my recent article on the same subject). Incredibly Simmons (who while I’m at it may also need to send in the Ancestry.com profile) throws out my oft recited belief the Carmelo Anthony to Houston Rockets unturned stone is not only valid, but has legs.

Bill Simmons is equally in concert with my LeBron James theory. This being Philly simply doesn’t work from a logistical style standpoint or from the perspective of the egos involved. That said, one overriding fact remains true (which again, we agree on). Every single franchise in the Association would move heaven and earth to add LeBron James.

Again, I won’t spoil the G.O.A.T’s take on whether Paul George stays or the options Sam Presti has. Instead do yourself a solid, and check out the media equivalent of Jordan and Pippen, LeBron and DWade or the Curry and Thompson of this generation.

Even if your opinion lands on the opposite side of the spectrum you’ll nod along at least a couple of times and laugh (quite literally out loud) on more than one occasion. As for this scribe, I can’t even be annoyed at procrastinating on the column, choosing alternatively to give the podcast my undivided attention. But, I’m definitely going to look up those Ancestry.com packages when I wake up.

Have a great day.