OKC Thunder in the news has us engaging with the Jimmy Butler situation, looking to the end of the season, and seeing Steven Adams do what he does best.
Good morning, OKC Thunder nation. The preseason is all wrapped up, and the regular season is not but 2 short days away. The drought is almost over. The Thunder opens their season on Tuesday versus Golden State, and I’m sure we’re all just giddy.
To start your day, take note of these headlines from the Thunder news world.
George Comments on Butler
The Jimmy Butler situation in Minnesota has been the story of the offseason. Not in recent memory have we seen a player assert himself so forcefully. For those who are unaware, a quick summary:
Jimmy Butler asked for a trade and it was not granted. Butler showed up to practice last Monday, shouted at players and front office personnel, grabbed the third string players and beat the starters, then left practice.
Butler is a true, domineering alpha, and doesn’t get along with Minnesota youngsters Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.
Views on the issue vary across the league, and Thunder forward Paul George made his known.
Paul George says he’s talked to Jimmy Butler about what’s going on in Minnesota: “Jimmy has a very valid point. I’m on Jimmy’s side.” pic.twitter.com/TJGWBepXcQ
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) October 12, 2018
In the video above, George says:
"“Jimmy’s a guy, his whole career, has made it to the league off work. Off him having to grind, scratch and claw to get where he’s at. And then he sees the potential he has around him and he just wants guys to match that because if guys are skilled and have that ‘it’ that [Karl-Anthony Towns] has or [Andrew] Wiggins has; they have that ‘it’ that a lot of guys don’t have. Now, they just have to match it with what Jimmy is bringing to the table.“I’m all for what Jimmy is trying to do over there. I talked to Jimmy a little bit on that and it’s not coming from a bad place. Jimmy is not going against an organization. He wants the best for that organization and he’s trying to bring out everything for that organization to get to where they want to get to.”"
This take is a bit surprising from George, who doesn’t profile as a dominating personality. George has been proactive about being a more vocal leader this season, but he doesn’t seem the type to relate to Butler’s leadership style, which comes across more detrimental to his teammates than helpful.
ESPN’s Lowe Predicts Thunder Season
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Zach Lowe, to NBA fans, is a lock for the NBA writing Mount Rushmore, and his predictions are noteworthy.
Lowe looked ahead to this season and placed all NBA teams into a tier system, to organize who are the best and worst teams of the upcoming year.
The Thunder were labeled “rock solid playoff team” in a tier behind Golden State, Houston, Toronto, and Boston. In the same tier as the Thunder are the Jazz, the Bucks, the Nuggets, the Timberwolves, and the 76ers. On the Thunder, Lowe said:
"“Keep an eye on Oklahoma City early. The Thunder remain light on outside shooting. Without Andre Roberson, they are thin on reliable rotation players. Without Roberson, they can’t snap into screaming spasms of defensive frenzy that change games in a blur. But as long as Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Steven Adams are healthy, the apex Thunder will be a pain. This season should be smoother than last season’s bizarre up-and-down campaign.”"
Lowe is one of the few national NBA voices who isn’t consistently carping of the Thunder. His takes are always fair and reasonable, which is always welcome when your team has a player as polarizing as Russell Westbrook.
Adams Leads Preseason
A surprise to almost no one, Steven Adams finished his four preseason games as second in the league in offensive rebounding. It seems as though Adams picked up right where he left off last season and will continue to be the strongest offensive rebounder in the league.