Thunder vs. Thunder

We here at the Oklahoma City NBA Sports Blog....to the Max!!!! have always been against Oklahoma City being named the Thunder. Why? Well, there's many reasons, but one is because we'd be stealing the name of the Warriors mascot, Thunder.

Well, reader Sue submitted a link saying that the Warriors really don't care at all about their mascot. Matt Steinmetz said that the Warriors have been trying to change their logo for years, but they didn't because it would cost them $500,000. Well, I guess why we knew why the Warriors had a 13 year playoff draught (*cough*cheapskates*cough*). But seriously, does anyone remember the last time you saw the Warriors use their full logo?


Well, for fans of NBA logos, this is terrible news. The flying W is a pretty good alternative logo, but as a main logo, it sucks.


But what's more is that Matt wrote an article today saying that Thunder is going away. For good. Thunder is in the Warriors "official" logo, but they never use that logo and, while I love it, from a neutral stand point it looks very late 1990s.

I guess Thunder had it coming, but it's always sad to lose a mascot in the NBA family. Thunder was one of the more unique ones, as he wasn't an animal per se, but he was a blue X-man with slammin' shades. If you are truly going away, as a long time Warriors fan, I'd like to say: I'll miss you, Thunder. You were a great....mascot. Man, I'm gonna miss that guy.

Zorgon on KFOR!

Slammin'!!!! I'm the guy in the Sonics Jersey, "Zebulun Benbrook". Starts at about 2:20. You might have to refresh the page....several times....to see it.

An Encounter with P.J. Carlesimo, BBJ, and more

As you all know, Zorgon was on the field reporting for us at Leadership Square. As you also know, he attended the press conference wearing an old Seattle Supersonics jersey. After the epic and now infamous unveiling of the logo, Zorgon bumped into the Thunder's head coach, P.J. Carlesimo...

Here is how it went down (paraphraded, again):
P.J.: (Pat on back) We need to get you a number 35 jersey
Zorgon: (not knowing who it was) Oh, yeah.
P.J.: (Walking away)
Zorgon: (now realizing who it was) Oh, hey, I loved you when you coached for the Warriors!
P.J.: Thanks.

Also, Zorgon had the priviledge of speaking briefly with Channel 4's Bob Barry Jr...
BBJ: I'm lovin the jersey, I'm tellin' you.
Zorgon: Yeah, thanks.

Zorgon was also interviewd briefly by the Oklahoman, "a guy with a moustache" according for Zorgon, so be on the look-out for that.

Apparently a lot of people are walking around with OKC logo shirts now, kind of like those "Oklahoma City" shirts people were wearing per-logo, or so I hear.

Lego My Logo 2

This is terrible. This logo has nothing to do with Thunder. Quite frankly, I'm Thunder-shocked. The blue is the same color as the state flag. Like I was telling Zorgon earlier, its not bad for a uncreative, unoriginal, generic, unNba logo. Oh well, it isn't the logo that makes the team, its what happens on the court that matters. Who am I kidding, this is the worst thing thats happened in Oklahoma since Dairy Queen pulled out of the state. As Zorgon said, (paraphrasing) "they could spent years at their desks reviewing all the sports logos in history and they couldn't find anything as good as that" (sarcasm). I mean really, we waited months and months...for OKC and a basketball?!?!?!

Worst case scenario.

Apparently, one of the reasons it took so long was because every team had to approve the color scheme. God, I'm glad Bud Selig is ok with Oklahoma flag blue and Oklahoma dirt orange-red.

The Logo Leak Was True, NOOOO!!!!

Unless it's part of some huge hoax that Clay Bennett is planning or we're in the twilight zone, the Oklahoma City Thunder Logo Leak WAS true. Anyone else throwing up or crying yet?

If this is an elaborate hoax, it would be awesome. But if not, the Thunder have done a notoriously horrible job in keeping the logo secret.

Reguardless, I'm about to jet to the ceremony, and OKLuschen will update you with any further developments.

Top Hat Tip to Joe over at the newly revived Oklahoma City BBall.

Judgement Day is Upon Us!

Today at 5 PM, the NBA OKC name will be announced!

Just wanted to give everyone a run down of the places to check:

1. The actual unveiling will be at Leadership Square (211 N.Robinson) in Oklahoma City. It says that the unveiling will be at 5PM, but it doesn't say when you really should be there. It's also your first opportunity to purchase team gear. I'll be there, and I should (hopefully) be holding up a "SIGN ADONAL FOYLE" sign, and a Sonics jersey (not in protest). Why? Because Adonal Foyle is the greatest player of all time, why else? Stop by and say hi if you want.

I'll be on the phone with Okluschen during the unveiling (which will probably be the first place that will show the logo), and he'll put it up on the blog ASAP.

2. The Team's Official Website should have the logo up at 5PM, but the site will most likely be highly trafficed by not only OKC fans, but interested fans nationwide. Also, the team might be slow to update the site, since they want the "official" unveiling to be first. If you're still thinking of checking it, the site is fully Flash oriented (not HTML), so it takes longer to load. Still, it would be one of the places to check.

3. Your Local News. 4,5, and 9 all have newscasts at 5, and will most likely have reporters on the scene. Hurricane Gustav is gone now, but KOCO still might have a whole lot of reporters in New Orleans, along with their news chopper. So I'd probably recommend going with 4 or 9. 4 might be a better choice because they went with 2 sports stories over Hurricane Gustav on Saturday. Not nessessarily a good thing, but it does mean you might get the logo information faster.


4. WWLS the Sports Animal will probably have the info, but it will really only be useful for the name, and not the logo. You can't really see anything on the radio.

5. The Oklahoma City NBA Sports Blog....to the Max!!!! It's a great place, and we'll have all info up as soon as possible. Semi-live blog coverage.

Lastly, we will have our new blog name announced tomorrow (Thursday), and a new design hopefully in place by Friday or so. Stay tuned for more developments, and lets hope that they don't copy off of the Golden State Warriors' Mascot!

Our Inside Scoop: Aftermath

Our link to the Thunder forums really put our blog on the map. The story was linked to 6 times, hyped up 26 times (and down once :-(), and commented on once (on Blogger, 3 times). We even go linked by places like the Fanhouse and SLAM Magazine! (Thanks, Tom Ziller!) As a result of this, the story has launched our blog (at least temporarily) into the Top 50 NBA blogs on the internet! That's right, top 50! 8 away from Golden State of Mind!

Well, just wanted to give a big Thank You to everyone who hyped us up, and, rest assured, we have much, much more to come. We're all looking forward to Wednesday!

And, before you ask, we DID call the local news stations. I called 4 and 5, Okluschen called 9 and 25. 4 asked for my name and forwarded it. On the newscast they said "all signs are indicating that it will be Thunder" but there was no mention of our story. 5 actually looked at it, was impressed, took down my name and number, and never called me back. It was never on a newscast, but Mark Rodgers got on the Radio and said that he had seen the logo on the internet (without acknowledging us, lol). 9 didn't even take a name. 25 had a phone tree, and the sports guy looked at it, but according to Okluschen he "didn't seem impressed". And, just for kicks, I emailed KSBI 52, but they haven't emailed me back yet. We checked the newscasts, but none showed our story. Go figure.

UPDATE:
Wow, I thought that the story was dead, but apparently it's heart is still beating!
We got linked on Deadspin, AND SI.coms Extra Mustard! It's got 37 hypes! Due to the freshness of hypage, the story has leapfrogged Sarah Palin! I'm still in shock.

On a side note, my Top NBA Players 35 and Older article has 9 hypes and rising, putting it right behind the logo leak! Again, thanks to everybody for all of the support. I can't wait until the real logo comes out, and I also cant wait until the new Ballhype Blog rankings are generated!


Update 2: We got mentioned on the NewsOK NBA in OKC Blog Sponsored by John Holt Chevrolet!!!!

News 9 showed the logo, but we got no mention :-(.

Ball Don't Lie listed us as a 6th man. Not bad, I guess.

HUGE Logo Leak!!!!

Via the OKCNBAfans.com forums:

Apparently some worker snuck his tiny digital camera into the unpacking facility for "Thunder" gear, and it confirms our fears.

The name is Thunder, and the logo is butt-ugly. It looks incredibly generic. I mean, some might say photoshop, but it'd be impossible to photoshop through plastic. Some might say "unofficial" but the NBA logo is also on the basketball.

So, there's only two explanations from here on out:

1. The logo is legit.

2. The logo was made illegally by a local entreapaneur who is trying to cash in on the new team phenomenon.

1 looks very likely, but I'm hoping for 2. And if not that, PLEASE let this be a secondary logo.

A tip of the hat to The Lost Ogle.

If the Ford Center Was Destroyed in a Tornado

This is a completely ridiculous post and by bringing up the point I'm sure I'm jinxing the city and now it's probably bound to happen. Still though, it was on my mind, so I'm going to give you what I think the top 10 potential new sites would be, ordered from least to most likely, if this were to happen:

10) New Orleans, LA (New Orleans Arena)
Why this would happen: It's an NBA caliber arena already and is relatively close in proximity to OKC. And hey, we borrowed their team for awhile, so why not return the favor?
Why this wouldn't happen: New Orleans barely supports their own team, which happens to be one of the elite members of the Western Conference. How can they support a new start-up team, who by the way, is terrible.
The Verdict: Would never happen, but thought I'd give a shoutout to the guys that gave OKC its start.

9) Albuquerque, NM (The Pit)
Why this would happen: Again, relatively close to OKC. Somewhat of an aura surrounds The Pit and I think Albuquerque would be supportive.
Why this wouldn't happen: OK, its a college arena, nobody cares how prestigious it is or how loud it gets when the Lobos play there.
The Verdict: Albuquerque has no real chance. Clay Bennett would aim much higher than this, I'm sure.


8) Little Rock, AR (Alltel Arena)
Why this would happen: Yeah, close to OKC. Fans probably starved for major league action, could see a lot of sellouts
Why this wouldn't happen: Alltel Arena sucks. Neither the city nor the arena is close to NBA-size.
The Verdict: Little Rock, like the cities before it, has no realistic shot.

7) Stillwater, OK (Gallagher-Iba Arena)
Why this would happen: It's in the state, fans would definitely support it. Gallagher-Iba is one of the more storied arenas in college basketball.
Why this wouldn't happen: Stillwater isn't, wasn't, and never will be an NBA city. It's a college arena and town.
The Verdict: Still unlikely, but this is the first city that at least has a chance.

6) Norman, OK (Lloyd Noble Center)
Why this would happen: Norman is a lot more closely related to OKC than Stillwater is, like a long-distance Edmond or something. The LNC has hosted a few NBA games before, so apparently it has something to offer.
Why this wouldn't happen: Come'on, its the LNC! That place is notorious for not being able to fill up. It's nowhere close to NBA ready and the concessions really suck. They've got a freaking Starbucks!
The Verdict: Norman gets in over Stillwater only because of their "extensive" NBA experience.

5) Seattle, WA (Key Arena)
Why this would happen: They've got a freaking Starbucks! OK, seriously though, I have no doubt that they would make a real strong push for the team, claiming that its only right that they keep the team while we rebuild. Big city, NBA proven.
Why this wouldn't happen: Ultimately, Bennett has the final say, and despite the heavy pressure he'd get from the city and the national media, I doubt he'd ever want to step foot in Seattle again. Plus, for all we know, Seattle fans could hold a grudge and not even show up (not that they did that great of a job of showing up back when they had a team anyway)
The Verdict: They'd definitely fight hard for it, and it would be a fierce battle, but I think Clay looks elsewhere. Small chance this ever would happen.


4) Birmingham, AL (Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex)
Why this would happen: They made a strong push for the Hornets when they were displaced by Katrina, so theres good reason to believe they'd do the same when an F-9000 twister hits Bricktown.
Why this wouldn't happen: The facilities are very mediocre and the city, from what I heard from local media personalities covering OU's NCAA tourney trip this year, is sub-par.
The Verdict: They're the first legitimate players for our team in this list. Still, they'd definitely be the underdog among cities with a legitimate shot.

3) St. Louis, MO (Scottrade Center)
Why this would happen: St. Louis has been in the NBA team market for a long while now, so they could see this as their shot to get back in The League. St. Louis is one of the greatest sports cities in the US and the arena is NBA caliber.
Why this wouldn't happen: It's not so much what St. Louis is themselves, but OKC could definitely do better than St. Louis, no offense to the arches. There are just better options out there, two of them, as a matter of fact.
The Verdict: A lot better chances than Birmingham, but I just don't think that St. Louis would really want them that bad. I'm not sure just how NBA-hungry they are, unlike my next city...

2) Kansas City, MO (Sprint Center)
Why this would happen: Brand new arena, and the people of Kansas City are starved to fill it with something other than the AFL or Big XII Tournament games. Good city, fans definitely would support the team.
Why this wouldn't happen: It's hard to find reasons against it, except there happens to be a city that would be really hard for Clay to pass on.
The Verdict: Honestly, if OKC moved here because of some tornado, I think they'd have a hard time coming back. The arena is fantastic and the city would show up in herds (thundering herds, perhaps?)


1) Tulsa, OK (BOK Center)
Why this would happen: One of the reasons Clay was able to sell David Stern on OKC was because it was a dual-market. It would be very tempting for OKC to move over to Tulsa. The fans would show up, it's close to home, and right now, their arena is better than the Ford Center.
Why this wouldn't happen: Tulsa is pretty small-ish for an NBA town and I'm not 100%sure about this but they may become the smallest NBA city. And, like I said before, Tulsa people, in general, hate OKC.
The Verdict: Though I secretly hate to see anything good happen to the city of Tulsa, I have to say that this is the most likely destination for OKC to be displaced for a season or two. Really, it's kind of a two-city race between Tulsa and KC with St. Louis and Birmingham in the mix.


Also, OKC logoed gear was moved by the crate-full into OKC and the Ford Center today. A reminder, we are days away from the logo being revealed (Sep. 3) and we will let you know ASAP what the team name, color scheme, and logo is, so stay tuned.

It's Looking Increasingly Like Thunder Around Here....

Via the Lost Ogle:

The Magic have released some of their ticket plans for the season, and, apparently, the "Half Howard Plan" lists our team as the Thunder.

Now, this indicates one of two possibilities:


1. The "Thunder" have made their name known to other teams, and the Magic really don't care about confidentiality. Or they may have accidentally released them too early.

2. The other teams really don't want to call us "the city" and are using the Thunder as a standby.

I'd think that judging from the Hornets refusal to give the "City" their ticket information, #2 is the more likely option. Also, judging from how other teams sites are still calling them the SuperSonics, #2 seems almost like a foregone conclusion.

Nonetheless, I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be Thunder, either.

It's fun to hear inconclusive information, isn't it?

EDIT: The Magic have changed it from Thunder to Oklahoma City....it's looking incredibly suspicious at this point. Either they didn't want to arouse suspicion or they actually made a mistake....still very hard to know at this point, but some people are already declaring it Thunder.

The Name of the Oklahoma City Team....

will be revealed next Wednesday! That's right, on September 3rd, we drop the Name Bomb. If you check www.nba.com/oklahomacity at 5PM on that date, they say you'll find out the name and colours. More likely, you'll get a blank screen because the place will be very overtrafficed.

Darnell Mayberrys take on the NewsOK NBA in OKC Blog sponsored by John Holt Chevrolet

Anyway, you can rest assured that The Oklahoma City NBA Sportsblog....To the Max!!!! will have full ocverage of this event. For those of you who don't want to struggle with the other highly trafficed site or especially its annoying flash based menus in the few moments after 5 PM, we will have the name and logo up on this site as fast as possible. Shortly thereafter, we will give a full breakdown using all of the information that we can find, plus the valuable opinions of these bloggers.

Better yet, we will be announcing our new Blog name in the days thereafter, followed by a snazzy new site design and possibly a new domain. So remember to stay tuned for that....

(Please be Rough Riders!!!!)

The Top 10 Oklahoma City Sports Franchise Logos/Team Names

With the unveiling of our new logo less than two weeks away, I figured it would be a good time to take a look back on the logos and team names that Professional and Semi-Professional teams have had in the past.

The Criteria for selection is quite simple.
A. The team must have played at least one game in the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. (This eliminates teams such as the Lawton-Ft.Sill Calvalry (ABA) and the Oklahoma Outlaws (USFL).)
B. The team must have paid its players legally. (This eliminates university teams.)
C. If a team has changed it's league, it is considered a separate team. (This separates the 89ers/Redhawks and the Wranglers/Yard Dawgz.)
D. The Team must have not shared its name with another city. (This eliminates the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets.)
E. If a team has two logos (past and current) each will be graded 0-5. (Think Old and New Blazer Logos.)

So, this leaves the following teams:
Oklahoma City 89ers
Oklahoma City Ballhawgs
Oklahoma City Blazers
Oklahoma City Cavalry
Oklahoma City Coyotes
Oklahoma City Dolls
Oklahoma City Lightning
Oklahoma Redhawks
Oklahoma City Stars
Oklahoma Wranglers
Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz

Both the name of the team and its logo will be graded on a scale of 0-10. The combined score will result in their rank. Without Further Ado, here are the rankings!

T10.Oklahoma City Dolls
All-Woman American Football League
Name: 0
Logo: 3
Overall: 3

For a team trying to overcome feminine stereotypes in an incredibly conservative state in the late 70s, could you have a more insulting name? The Logo wasn't much to look at, either. It was just a picture of a woman in a football uniform. Could you get any more unoriginal? Still, for such a low-budget team back in the 70s, the drawing is pretty good, which salvages the only points that this team gets. Still, congrats to them on getting Oklahoma City its first ever Semi-Pro title in 1976 (well, a tie for a title) and real titles in 1978 and 1979.

T10.Oklahoma City Ballhawgs
ABA (Post 2000 version)
Name: 0
Logo: 3
Overall: 3

This team played one game before folding, not much unlike other ABA teams. Their logo and name were also ABA quality. The name actually opposes teamwork, and compares the players to one of the sloppiest members of the animal kingdom. The logo is also bad, depicting a hog grabbing a ball....about to hog it. Still, its decent artwork gets it a 3. Just....bad.

T8. Oklahoma City Coyotes
RHI Roller Hockey
Name: 4
Logo: 4
Overall: 8

This team failed miserably, and so did its respective roller hockey league. Reguardless, it did play some games, so here goes. The name is pretty good, but it's also used heavily. Still, it's arguably one of the better heavily-trafficked names. The logo largely follows the "cartoon" trend of 90s logos, and it's far removed from those Dallas Cowboys Tazmanian Devil shirts that I used to see as a kid. It looks good, but the style just looks ripoffy. Overall, a 4 seems appropriate.

T8.Oklahoma City Stars
Central Hockey League Team
Name: 5
Logo: 3
Overall: 8

The precursor to the Blazers didn't do well in the logo or name department. Stars is often used for bad universities and kids soccer teams, but not for professional teams. It's a pretty bad name, anyway. Whats a star going to do? Sit there? Provide warmth? The logo doesn't get much better. The text, while cool at first sight, is a complete ripoff of Star Wars text. Don't tell me that it was before Star Wars was made, because I won't listen! The Star is almost an afterthought, and could have been drawn by a shaky-handed math loving Russian. Still considering the time period (late 60-mid 70s) it does alright.

7.Oklahoma City Lightning
National Womens Football Association
Name: 2.5
Logo: 7
Overall: 9.5

Certainly better than the Dolls, but nothing is particularly impressive here. The Lightning is about as unoriginal as Wildcats. Boring. But the colour scheme and drawing of the logo are professional grade, especially if you consider how low on the chain womens football is.

6.Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz
Arena Football League 2
Name: 5
Logo: 5
Overall: 10

Our AFL2 team is kind of a dissapointment after losing the Wranglers, but Oklahoma City fans can cope. The name is completely ridiculous. So ridiculous that in fact, it has a certain charm. It's better than calling it "Bulldogs" or "Dogs", that's for sure. The logo tries to be gangsta or something, but it looks better than most generic "Bulldog" logos. Overall....I miss the Wranglers logo.

T4.Oklahoma City Cavalry
Continental Basketball Association
Name: 7
Logo: 4
Overall: 11

A team that existed for some time throughout the early to mid 90s, they finally won a league championship in 1997....and then disbanded. The new incarnation continued the winning tradition by winning the CBA championship, but they play in Lawton, so they don't count towards our list. The name is pretty good and has multiple meanings. "Bring in the cavalry!" comes to mind. But, it has a fatal flaw in that it is shortened to Cavs, which coincidentally was also the name of the Cleveland Cavaliers of that era. The logos were also very similar. The flame of the Cavalry logo kind of separates it, but it doesn't get away from the fact that this team had an identity crisis.

T4.Oklahoma City 89ers
American Association Minor League Baseball
Name: 10
Logo: 1
Overall: 11

This was our main baseball attaraction throughout the 60s-90s, before becoming the Redhawks after moving to the Pacific Coast League. Still, never have I seen such a discrepency between the name and the logo. The name is excellent, exemplifying Oklahoma history and taking off of the 49ers schtick. But the logo is bad. I mean, the text is okay, but where's the mascot? A baseball diamond? Just yuck all around.

3. Oklahoma Redhawks
Pacific Coast League
Name: 6
Logo: 7.5
Overall: 13.5

The Redhawks were the "continuation" of the 89ers, and they got a new logo and name to go with their shiny new ballpark and new league. Their new name is okay, but arguably a de-provement over 89ers. It's really just a variation of "Cardinals" or "Redbirds". The Logo is pretty clever, incorporating an O, an R, and a redhawk logo. It loses points for putting a uge hole inside of the bird. They're getting a new logo soon along with adding "City" to their title, but they weren't fast enough to make this list.

2. Oklahoma City Blazers
Central Hockey League
Name: 8
Old Logo: 5
New Logo: 1
Overall: 14

The Blazers were arguably the main attraction of Oklahoma City sportsfans throughout the 90s, and early 00s, but once they got a taste of the NBA, the Blazer attendance was never the same. Still, they did have a great name. Blazing isn't exactly original, but it's a good name overall, and I suppose it meant blazing as in fire rather than blazing as in trail blazing. The original logo was really awesome, and exemplified the best of 90s logos. The new logo was just an overreaction of our state capitol becoming the 49th state capitol to get a dome. Today, it looks extremely dated.

1. Oklahoma Wranglers
Arena Football League
Name: 8
Logo: 10
Overall: 18

Our Arena Football team for the two seasons before Arena Football actually became popular. Reguardless, we all have fond memories of the Wranglers, and their name and logo were extremely great. The name is original and relates somewhat to Oklahomas cowboy culture, without being absolutely rediculous. It loses points for encouraging sterotpyes of Oklahoma, though. Also, what is so great about Wranglers themselves? It also clashes with the brand of jeans. The logo is equally excellent. It shows a stylish detective type guy on a horse wrangling the W in our sleek maroon text. Pro-League caliber, right there.

Okluschen has his own take on these rankings, and his on brand of witty comments below:

T-1. 89ers- very nostalgic to long-time OKC natives. Classy,
basebally. 9/10
T-1. Yard Dawgz- I like it. It's original, intimidating
(for lack of a better word), and fun all at the same
time. 9/10
3. Redhawks- Redhawks replaced the classic 89ers well.
Theres not much like it out there, and its cryptic. 8.5/10
T-4. Ballhawgs- kinda humerous to look at. I like seeing that
they're not taking their team too seriously. Still, I think they
could have done more. 8/10
T-4. Coyotes- I love the coyotes logo, and the idea of a
rollerhockey team even more. 8/10
6. Lightning- Not bad at all. Doesn't spark (pun not intended)
with originality, but neither does the nickname. 7/10
7. Blazers Puck- Grew up with this one, and love it; classic. 5/5
Blazers Dome- What do domes and blazers have in common?
1.5/5
8. Wranglers- Not too bad in my opinion. A tad collegeish. 6/10
T-9. Stars- What is there to say? Did a proffesional do this
one? 3/10
T-9. Calvary- Uh, not that original really 3/10
11. Dolls- Doesn't even look like a logo, more like a saturday
evening post cover. A girl running? Maybe if she was hot. 2/10

What are your rankings? What do you think is the best logo?
Vote in the Poll, or post a comment below if you'd like.

The Name has Been Decided!

And it is....scheduled to be released within the next two weeks. Got you there, didn't I? Anyway, Brian Brinkley of Oklahomas NewsChannel 4 reports that the name has already been chosen, and that they're getting the gear ready.

I'm really hoping that it will come across soon....we at the blog also have revealing to do of our own. Although nothing major, we need to come up with some sort of creative nickname. What? You didn't think that "The Oklahoma City NBA Sports Blog....To The Max!!!!" was permanent, did you? The name and logo for our blog will be so amazing and fantabulous that SB Nation will HAVE to pick us up. I'd like to have our own webpage, but the combined HTML skills of OKLuschen and I amount to nothing. And it's the writing that makes the blog, isn't it?

Anyway, I'm Bart Conner, and I hope you're enjoying the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, right here on Oklahomas NewsChannel 4!

WWLS, Flagship Station of the City

At 5PM today, Clay Bennett announced on the Total Dominance Hour that WWLS the Sports Animal would be the new flagship station of the Oklahoma City. This is good news, seeing as how WWLS is the primary sports station in the area. Previously, the Hornets used NewsRadio 1000 KTOK in 2005-2006, and they used 94.7 THE BUZZ in 2006-2007. It's nice to see it on a station that's actually relevant to what it's presenting. I mean, I bet a bunch of people were angry when after a Green Day song finished, a Hornets games came on. Or, heck, even talk show radio fans.

I was psyched because I figured it would be word on the team's name, but I suppose this is important information as well. No word on who will be the radio or TV announcers, though. (Bob Barry Sr., please?)

UPDATE:
Darnell Mayberry of the NewsOK NBA in OKC Blog sponsored by John Holt Chevrolet has some more in depth details about the merger, as well as the announcement that Matt Pinto will probably continue to his 2nd year of play by playing with the team. This, however, still leaves the question of the TV Announcer....

Rookie Photo Shoot, Adonal Foyle News

First of all, the rookies had their photo shoot this weekend.

Here's The Gallery (if you're into that sort of thing.)

And, seeing as how we don't have any real jerseys yet, the NBA decided to photograph our rookies in their old ghetto Summer League jerseys. The logo isn't that bad, but the jerseys are mesh. No worries though, these photos are usually one and done, and no one sees them again.

Word is, the Sacramento Kings, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Orlando Magic have new uniforms, and were photographed at the shoot. They are kept under tight wraps until the official unveilings closer to the season. The Kings and Magic are slight surprises, but the Timberwolves are long overdue, having the same uniforms since 1996 (which is cool though).

Also, in more important news, Adonal Foyle is probably going to get signed by the Orlando Magic. This news is probably the most Earth-Shattering news this offseason, as Adonal Foyles veteran experience will clearly outshine Dwight Howard and land him the starting job. Championship in Orlando, anyone?

Oh, and Ron Artest got traded to the Rockets. Now that's scary.

From Yahoo! Sports:
"Houston Chronicle reports Kings will send Ron Artest to Rockets for Bobby Jackson and No. 1 pick."

Pretty cheap....man, if we make the the playoffs, it'll be a miracle.

The final article in the Player Rankings Saga should come later tonight/tomorrowish.

Player Rankings Volume III

Hey Again Guys, and Apologies if I missed your comment earlier. I thought it would automatically forward comments to my email, so I never checked. But, reguardless, your feedback is much appreciated, and much thanks to SoonerAlum for making me aware of the fact that Thunder means Thundering Herd, and could have a buffalo as the mascot. If this is true, I'm all for the nickname, and it probably takes fourth place in my rankings, behind Rough Riders, Marshals, and Bison. Still, that's kind of also ripping off of the Marshall University Thundering Herd.

Reguardless, on to the rankings!

#9. C.J. Miles, 4th Year Shooting Guard

(He got a big check from Utah recently, so I thought it was fitting....)

Best Season: 07-08 with the Jazz, 12 Minutes, 5 Points, 1 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 steal, 48% FG%, 39% 3PT%, 79% FT%.

Okay okay, he' not on the roster anymore, but these rankings are old, and I figured you guys would at least like to see where he stood. I like to think of C.J. as all of Adrian Griffins skill with some of Russell Westbrooks potential. I mean, he'll never be an All-Star, but optomistically he could be a solid starter, or a good backup. Still, the issue is moot now, so my analysis is short.

NBA Comparison: Martell Webster

#8. Donyell Marshall, 15th Year Small/Power Forward

(No, that's not Ben Wallace.)

Best Season: 03-04 with the Raptors, 39 Minutes, 16 Points, 11 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Steal, 2 Blocks, 47% FG%, 40% 3PT%, 74% FT%.

By far the oldest grizzled veteran on our team, and my personal favourite player. (He played on my favourite team of all time, the 1998-1999 Golden State Warriors.) He's played on many different teams, with his longest run from 1995-2000 with the Warriors. Some would say he's past his prime, but his game was never all that athletic anyway. He can still hit the 3 and the jumpshot, which is most of what he did back in the day. If you do know him, you probably know him from his days in Cleveland. Most of the time he shot corner 3s, and was an integral part of the NBA Finals team that beat the Pistons in the Conference Finals and lost to the Spurs in the Finals. Otherwise, he started on a bad Toronto team for a couple of years, and did likewise with a bad Bulls team in the mid-00s. In the early 00s he played with Utah, and was called "the future of the team" by Karl Malone. And for most of the 90s he played for a bad Warriors team, and before that he was a rookie on the Timberwolves. And there you go, the saga of Donyell Marshall. Last season he hardly played for the SuperSonics at all, and I don't expect it to improve much this year. In GM Kevin Pritchards eyes, he's a 5 Million Dollar expiring contract, which is valuable as trade bait. But, if he does stay, he'll be a valuable backup, and could help Kevin Durant learn a thing or to about his 3 Point percentage. (Surprising Stat: He had a 92% FreeThrow percentage last year with the SuperSonics.)

NBA Comparison: He's a wierd player....it's hard to find a comparison for a 3 Point Shooting Power Forward....Dirk Nowitski?

#7. Luke Ridnour, 6th Year Point Guard

(He's a NBA basketball player and his wife is taller than him....not just taller, but noticably taller. Creepy. (I have nothing against tall women, just a funny fact.))

(Had to include this pic, too. It shows him in his playing digs!)

Best Season: 05-06 with the SuperSonics, 33 Minutes, 12 Points, 3 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 2 Steals, 42% FG%, 29% 3PT%, 88% FT%.

Luke Ridnour is about as average and Pure of a Point Guard that you'll get. However, on defense, a lot of people accuse him of being a Bruce Bowen. If you're unfamiliar with the NBA, that basically means he's a really dirty, floppish defender, which can't be too good for his pocketbook going into this season. He's the longest consecutively tenured SuperSonic. The stats shown above are about his apex, as he should be fully developed at 27. But last year he lost his job to Earl Watson, who is a better marksman, but slightly worse in defending. Still, the Oklahoma City have a very good situation with their Point Guards, as interchangability and competition is never a bad thing.

NBA Comparison: Jamal Tinsley

#6. Damien Wilkins, 5th Year Small Forward/Shooting Guard

(That's what his hair should look like. No flat top is blasphemy in the Wilkins family!)

Best Season: 06-07 with the SuperSonics (07-08 looked very similar), 25 Minutes, 9 Points, 3 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal, 44% FG%, 41% 3PT%, 88% FT%.

Damien Wilkins is NBA Royalty (according to Wikipedia). He is the son of Gerald Wilkins, a long-time NBA starter, and the nephew of Dominique Wilkins, who we all know as the human highlight flim. But, this is no Chris Simms (OU fan plug!). Yet, he's no Peyton Manning, either. Nonetheless, he can certainly hold his own in the NBA, and is a solid Dunker and 3 point shooter. He certainly has a great future with the SuperSonics, and will be a crucial backup to future stars Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Russell Westbrook. You know, someone who can bring energy off of the bench and shoot 3s. If you remember Rasual Butler from a couple years back on the Hornets, then there you go.

NBA Comparison: Rasual Butler

#5. Earl Watson, 8th Year Point Guard
Best Season: 07-08 with Seattle, 29 Minutes, 11 Points, 3 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 1 Steal, 45% FG%, 37% 3PT%, 77% FT%.

Earl Watson is kind of a more ideal Luke Ridnour. None of the bad defensive reputation, and a better shooter. Indeed, he did take the starting job from Luke Ridnour last year, and has been highly coveted by other teams (evidenced by frequent trade talks). Earl Watson was drafted by the SuperSonics in 2001, before going to Memphis and Denver and then coming back to Seattle. Thus, he is the oldest SuperSonic, but not longest consecutively tenured. Anyway, the Seattle Point Guard situation is good. Not great, but good. Two unselfish guys who will distribute the ball.

NBA Comparison: A better passing Derek Fisher

Stay tuned for the relatively unsurprising Top 4, and Strategies for P.J. Carlesimo and Sam Presti to consider!

From One....To Six....

Well, it looks like KOCO was wrong. What a surprise. Who called it? Me. And it looks like NewsOK is doing some investigating of their own, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if they were also wrong. But, since the NBA filed for trademark rights to six names....this one seems pretty serious.

The Six Names Are:
Barons
Bison
Energy
Marshals
Thunder
Wind

Well, you've already heard my spiel about the Thunder, but I'll let my opinion be known about all 6 of these names anyway.

#1. Barons- Okay, I know this is a temporary issue, but what will we do when Baron Davis comes to town? He'll be so pumped up that he'll go for 50 points every time! Might as well be the Oklahoma City Baron Davises.

Secondly, according to Dictionary.com, a Baron is "an English Nobleman of the lowest rank". That doesn't seem like it would work out very well when the Sacramento Kings come to town, or whenever Prince Fielder decides to watch the Barons and also decides to root for the other team. I mean, we might as well call ourselves the Oklahoma City Ensigns or the Oklahoma City Interns. It just doesn't make sense! At least we're noble.

#2. Bison- Well, I really can't find too much wrong with this name. Of course, there's a few colleges with the nickname, but you can't be completely original or you'll end up like a Triple-A baseball team and call yourself the biscuits (seriously, it's a name). The Bison is a noble name I suppose, but are Bison really ferocious? I mean, they're really just beasts of burden like a yak or an ox. OR, to a lesser extent, maybe even a cow. I mean, could you imagine us being the Oklahoma City cow? I know the bison are native to Oklahoma, and they are a generally respectable animal, but I just don't think the name is all that ferocious.

#3. Energy- Okay. I'll be brutally honest here. This, to me, sounds like a Womens Soccer team. Maybe a Womens Lacrosse team. Maybe even a Womens basketball team. Now, I have nothing against women, or Womens sports. I respect Womens sports and think they should have a bigger place at the table, but Energy will get us laughed out of the NBA. What will our logo be? An oil rig? Or, even worse, ethanol? I mean, it could be a symbol of Oklahomas willingness to move beyond our oil companies and make Chesapeake Energy our main partner, but our name shouldn't have political implications. This is probably the worst name here. We're not the Chicago Sky, or the Atlanta Dream.

#4. Marshalls- This is a name from the Old West. The US Marshalls were basically....police officers in dangerous territory. A bad job, with the only thing keeping you going being a sense of Justice. I thought we wanted to move away from our "Old West" image, but, oh well. I think it's a nice name, but is this really Oklahoma-specific? It seems pretty general to me. If we wanted to go general, since Chuck Norris is an Oklahoma native, we should go with the Oklahoma City Walker, Texas Rangers. But I am only joking. Anyway, solid name here.

#5. Thunder- Again, the name of the Warriors mascot. I know it wasn't their idea first, but honestly, we shouldn't steal from the same league that we're already in. Knowing the evil money grubbing Chris Cohan (Warriors Owner), I see a lawsuit coming.

#6. Wind- Same issue as Energy. This is a soccer name, or the name of a womens team. And what would our logo be, three lines? Honestly, I know that Oklahoma has unpredictable weather, but it's not the first place you think of when you think, "Wind". I'd think Nebraska, Kansas, or even North Carolina. Bad, bad name.

So, out of the six, the best name is clearly the Marshalls, somewhat closely followed by the Bison.

Still though, I'd much rather have the name "Rough Riders". Even though that name seems impossible now, It's my odds-on favourite. But, if I had to settle for Marshals or Bison, I wouldn't mind. Any of the other 4 names? I'll be pretty dissapointed.

Oklahoma City BBall Poll: Go Vote!

Breaking Name News!

OK, now that I have your attention I can let you in on a major let-down. According to local sports media Personality Mark Rodgers the Oklahoma City team name will be...ending in the letter 'S'! That's right ladies and gentlemen, Mark Rodgers' "reliable source" has informed him that the team name will be in plural form. This rules out faorites like the Energy, Herd, Land Run, Thunder, Storm, and this blog's favorite City.

Also, according to Mark Rodgers' source, Barons is the front-runner right now in the OKC name game. However, Rodgers is also quick to mention that another source he has says that it isn't going to be Barons.

What does all of this mean? Well, first of all, most of the time when people have "reliable sources" they actually don't have anything at all. Not that I'm saying that Mark Rodgers would claim that Pork from the Morning Animal was a reliable source...OK, so thats exactly what I'm saying. Though I'm willing to bet that the name indeed will not end with 'S', I doubt that anyone who would be willing to let Mark Rodgers in on this confidential stuff would actually know crap about anything themselves.