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Around SBN: Rob Ryan Talks About The Cowboys' Secondary

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Mr Pappagiorgio

Jan 21, 2009 Jun 01, 2012 378 2619

Site Founder: Welcome to Loud City
Current Project: Keeping my Wife Happy :p

You can pretty much thank me for the Thunder moving here, I mean seriously, how many people can be a fan of a team across the entire country and have that same team moved to your home state, a state that has previously never been home to a major sports team? I mean seriously, you can't make that stuff up!

...bottom line is you're welcome, my favorite team, the Seattle Supersonics, moved to my home state to become my new favorite team the Oklahoma City Thunder!

#ThunderUp!

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I'm diggin KD's new kicks. Think these are supposed to drop sometime this spring. Might have to pick myself up a pair.

over 2 years ago 0047_tiny Mr Pappagiorgio 3 comments

Welcome to Loud City Kevin Durant's a team player, Nick Collison concerned about ankle, Hope for Thunder Defense, More...

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So I haven't posted a Loud Links all week, and its about time I got around to it. I have to admit I'm still trying to make that adjustment back into basketball season, which can call for three or more posts per day on gamedays (Gameday, Open Thread, and Game Recap), and I haven't been able to get as much commentary and editorial type pieces up as I'd like to. I will say that there are a few ideas rattling around in my head, and although they will take some time to get up and running, I'm hoping to add another dimension to the blog as soon as the resources to do so become available. Until then, I'll do my best to try and get more original commentary up between games and on off days. But right now, lets get on with today's edition of Loud Links which features plenty of articles that might peak your interest and also a header that you might think is new, when in actuality it was rough first draft that got trimmed back down. Anyway, I felt like using it today, so there you go, not that it even matters.

First up in today's edition of Loud Links is Kevin Durant, and get used to it because a lot of today's links have to do with our boy KD, and why not? Dude is sick amazing right? Right. So anyway, Kevin wants everybody to know that he's a team player, and is also an example of an athlete using twitter in the proper way, according to the DailyCardinal.com. Hoopsworld contemplates the next step in Kevincredible's development, while Slam Online selects KD as #8 in their Top 50. Of course we have to throw the True Hoop article in which Henry Abbott basically said that the Thunder were a better team when Durant wasn't on the floor, even though I personally could really care less about what Henry Abbot thinks, or +/- stats for that matter. Nick Collison still having ankle problems and newsok also hits on Kevin Durant's foul trouble issues so far this pre-season. Remember Chris Wilcox? Sure you do, he was a member of the Thunder for a few months, and with the Sonics for a few years before that. Anyway he's excited about the change of atmosphere he is experiencing in Detroit. Finally, Oklahoma City is one of the best places to "Launch," Thunder Head Coach Scott Brooks hasn't settled on a starting lineup for opening day, and there is still a Glimmer of hope for the Thunder defense. So make the jump and check out all the links and don't forget to drop a comment or two.

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Welcome to Loud City Game Recap: Oklahoma City Thunder 96, Miami Heat 91

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So I know I'm a little late to the party with this game recap, so I'll try to keep it short and sweet. Last night the Thunder picked up win #2 of the preseason, and did it by overcoming a double digit deficit heading into the 4th quarter. Leading the way was Kevin Durant who dropped in 18 of his game high 30 points during that fourth quarter surge. He struggled to stay on the court much of the night, due to foul trouble, but still managed to put in 32 minutes of playing time. Jeff Green was the other guy getting the job done for the Thunder tonight, and for the first time this pre-season, really shot the ball well, knocking down 9-16 shots including 3-3 from behind the arc. Russell Westbrook continued to dish the ball well and finished with 7 assists tonight, but also turned the ball over 4 times. RW0's statline looks fairly similar tonight to what it did nearly every game a year ago, but hey, if this is his worst effort so far this pre-season, that definitely bodes well for sophomore season.

I wish I could give you some better details on the game, as well as thoughts and comments but unfortunately I didn't get to see much of the game. Hey, its pre-season though right? If I'm going to be missing games, I should probably do it now as opposed to when the actual regular season tips off right? On top of that the games so far have only been in standard def and you can't actually expect me to watch that can you? Seriously, it hurts my freakin' eyes, and half the time I don't even know what the score is because the picture is so junky. I'm kidding, but anyway, the Thunder did pick up their second win on the pre-season and evened up their record at 2-2 with 3 games left to play next week, only one of which (Tuesday) will be televised. Make the jump for the box.

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Welcome to Loud City Miami Heat at Oklahoma City Thunder OPEN THREAD

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TV: KSBI (Cox 15/715 OKC / Cox 3 Tulsa / DirecTV 52 / Dish Network 52)

Radio: WWLS (98.1 FM, 640am in OKC, 97.1 FM in Tulsa)

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Welcome to Loud City Thunder Gameday: Miami Heat at Oklahoma City Thunder (BOK Center)

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The Thunder got a big pre-season win on Monday night at the Ford Center, against the Phoenix Suns, via overtime. While it was nice to see the team get a notch in that "W" column, it wasn't all peaches and cream either, as the team blew a sizable fourth quarter lead before heading into overtime and taking care of business. That said, it honestly seemed like they were taking care of business against a Suns team that seemingly just wanted to get the hell out of there, and rightly so, its pre-season, nobody wants to see these guys play longer and risk injury. But enough about Monday nights game, seriously, if you want to read about it, we've put down plenty of thoughts on the game right here for you to check out.

Tonight's game will be the 2nd home game of the pre-season of the Thunder, but it won't exactly be a true home game since it won't be taking place in the Ford Center. Instead, it will be taking place up the Turnpike in Tulsa, where fans on the other side of the state will get a chance to see the team play in their own backyard instead of  having to make the drive to Oklahoma City. For any of you down in OKC planning on making the drive up, you won't be disappointed too much with the BOK Center. It's about a year old now and a damn fine facility on its own, in fact, at least before the renovations this season, I'd say it was superior to the Ford Center. But having not seen the improvements this season first hand, I can't say how the two compare now. Either way, sometimes its fun to see the team play in other arena's, and this will be your only chance to do that while still in the great state of Oklahoma. Oh, and if you were active in our Live Commenting thread during Mondays Suns game (or even if you just read through it later on), you might have noticed my bitching about the game not being broadcast in HD, well, after a looking poking around I noticed something, take the jump to find out what.

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Welcome to Loud City Game Recap: Oklahoma City Thunder 110, Phoenix Suns 105 (OT)

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This Thunder team came out of the locker room ready to play tonight. Perhaps energized by playing in front of their home fans for the first time, or maybe it was the two pre-season losses last week. Whatever the case, the Thunder came out extremely aggressive defensively and jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the very first minute of the game. Thabo Sefolosha, playing in his first pre-season game, lead the defensive charge early and was really the catalyst for the defensive effort tonight which was pretty much off the charts all night long. They weren't shy about crowding the passing lanes or playing pressure defense in one on one situations. It didn't really matter whether it was the starting rotation on the floor or guys fighting for roster spots, the intensity and defensive aggression was strong tonight, and if they take anything from tonight's win, its that defensive aggression leads to points, and eventually a win.

We saw Thabo make the difference defensively so many times last season after being acquired from the Chicago Bulls mid-season. Then with the drafting of James Harden, one would expect that his time as the starting shooting guard for this team became just a matter of how long it takes to develop Harden into a and everyday starting player. I think Thabo came out tonight and delivered a message to the Thunder coaching staff, James Harden, and the fans in the Ford Center. The message was, "My name is Thabo Sefolosha, and I'm the starting shooting guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder." He played 26 minutes tonight and scored 12 points on 5-6 shooting (including 2-2 from downtown), and had 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks to go along with that. Yeah, I don't really think James Hardens 9 points on 3-11 shooting (0-3 from downtown, 3-7 at the line) with 3 boards, 2 assists and 1 steal in more minutes than Thabo is going to get him into the starting lineup anytime soon, as long as Thabo stays healthy. Of course we aren't bagging on James Harden here, he is still just a rookie, but more of trying to convey how great of a game Thabo had tonight. We've got more thoughts on tonight's game inside, so make the Jump.

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Welcome to Loud City Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder OPEN THREAD

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TV: KSBI (Cox 15/715 OKC / Cox 3 Tulsa / DirecTV 52 / Dish Network 52)
Radio: WWLS (98.1 FM, 640am in OKC, 97.1 FM in Tulsa)

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Welcome to Loud City Thunder Gameday: Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder

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So the Oklahoma City Thunder will make their 2009-10 home debut tonight in the Ford Center as they take on the Phoenix Suns. Thus far the Thunder are 0-2, with both losses coming last week on the road. All in all the Thunder have been able to take a lot of positives and negatives from each of their first two games. In reality, The Thunder probably should have won both those games as they let 4th quarter leads slip away to big runs. Tonight will be another important step in getting this team ready for the regular season, and being as its the first home game, perhaps head coach Scott Brooks has a plan to get us a win.

The starters have yet to play much more than 25 minutes in either game last week, but perhaps being the first home game, guys like Durant, Green, and Westbrook can get into the 30's (minutes) for the first time this pre-season, in an effort to not only get them a little bit closer to regular season type minutes, but to also re-energize Thunder fans as they make their way back into the Ford Center for the first time since last spring. In the process it could very well give this team a much needed win and a boost as we head closer to the regular season opener. I also apologize for not getting this up sooner and being as late as it is, we'll skip the long winded game preview that usually gets posted, and instead let you take a quick look at the roster as you're probably already about to head down to Bricktown for a little wining and dining before trotting on over to the Ford Center for tonight's game. So make the jump and take a peak. Tipoff is 7pm, and we'll have an OPEN THREAD posting 30 minutes prior as we usually do for commenting and such.

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Welcome to Loud City Game Recap: New Orleans Hornets 88, Oklahoma City Thunder 79

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Game #2 of the pre-season came at a time when many of you probably didn't even know the Thunder were playing. Reason being was the early 1pm start time which happened to be going on at the same time as the Arkansas, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma football games. Now maybe you'd have paid more attention if this was a regular season game, but since it was pre-season, I'm willing to bet not many people listened to the game today, and sadly that includes me. I was only able to listen to parts of the first quarter before I had to head out. I am willing to admit and plead guilty to not finding out about todays early start time until this morning, and by then it was a little too late to change personal plans for the day. Anyway, enough of my weaksauce excuses for missing the game, and lets instead give you a little bit about what actually did happen today.

Russell Westbrook is the biggest story coming out of today's game, without question. He followed up Wednesdays 10 assist, 2 turnover game, with an 8 assist, 1 turnover game today. Its beginning to look like Russell Westbrook really does have the will and desire to be a true point guard in this league, and not only that, he's proving it with his play on the court. His 2-8 shooting night and only 7 points still leaves a lot to be desired in the contributing direct points category, but he still has plenty of time to get that ironed out. He also nabbed three steals to go with 2 rebounds. I really can't wait until Monday nights game against the Suns so we can all finally see (either at the Ford Center or on TV, KSBIHD) his progress for ourselves and see exactly what he's doing. We'll be able to see if his court vision has improved, and see just exactly what is making the difference in his point guard stats, as I like to call them (Assist/Turnover). We've got a few other things to discuss about todays game as well, such as how Serge Ibaka did in his first outing with a sizable amount of playing time, and how did Jeff Green respond after his poor performance on Wednesday. So go ahead and click that little "continue reading" link below and find out.

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Welcome to Loud City Oklahoma City Thunder at New Orleans Hornets OPEN THREAD

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TV: None | Radio: WWLS (98.1 FM, 640am in OKC, 97.1 FM in Tulsa)

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Welcome to Loud City Thunder Gameday: Oklahoma City Thunder at New Orleans Hornets

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The first thing you need to know about tonight's second pre-season game is that it isn't "tonight's" game at all, its actually an EARLY afternoon game, which tips off at 1pm Local time. Once again, the game won't be televised, and you're only chance to watch this one is going to be listening to WWLS, The Sports Animal, on FM 98.1 / AM 640 in the Oklahoma City area, or on 97.1 FM in the Tulsa Area. Again if there is anyone out there with a little bit of pull or power that wants to push for all the pre-season games to be televised next season, we'd certainly appreciate it, and I think just by me watching the game it'll have better ratings that "Matlock" and "In the Heat of the Night"  which apparently was more important for KSBI to broadcast than showing a Thunder pre-season game. So if you can get that taken care of for us, I'm sure all us die hard Thunder fans would appreciate it.

As the Oklahoman points out in this article, essentially four players are battling for one roster spot. Those guys are Ryan Bowen, Mike Harris, Tre Kelley, and local boy Michael Ruffin. In the Thunder's first pre-season game the other night against the Memphis Grizzlies, Ryan Bowen got a nice chunk of playing time to show what he could do, while the other 3 guys watched from the bench. Bowen got 21 minutes of playing time which he used to take just 2 shots, both of which he missed (1 of which was a 3 point attempt), grab 3 rebounds (1 offensive), block 1 shot, and turned the ball over just once. All in all, just looking at the stat-line its hard to judge his performance, especially when we didn't get to see the game since it wasn't televised, but he didn't have too bad of a game, considering he's making an attempt at being the last guy on the bench, so to speak. From the article linked above, it was his hustle that really stood out, and I think one thing all Thunder fans love, and me especially (which is why I love Nick Collison so much), is hustle. Today's game should give one of the other three an opportunity to prove what they can do. Click the jump link to hear some more about today's game and what we are hoping to see.

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Welcome to Loud City Grizzlies Beat Thunder 91-99, Kevin Durant Likes The Team's Work Ethic, and Kyle Weaver who?

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The Thunder saw their very first live game action of the 2009-10 (pre)season last night, and unfortunately ended up on the bottom side of the scoreboard. They were still able to take away some positives from last nights game as you probably read in our game recap last night, and if you didn't, well good, because we got you covered in todays edition of Loud Links which includes about five different game recaps plus our own. If you are just looking for the score, I'll even make it easy on you by telling you the Grizzlies won 117-89, but then you'd look stupid when talking to your friends about the game last night, so I suggest you read on, and make the jump so that you can actually know the real score of the game, as well as some details while at the same time helping our little blog out, ya dig? Thanks.

Outside of last nights game, todays edition of loud links hits on Kevin Durant (What's new?) and how he likes the work ethic of this Thunder team, and also Dime Mag lists Kevin Durant at #15 in their top 30 "Go to" players in the NBA. Darnell Mayberry (The most unenthusiastic journalist on television) thinks Kyle Weaver is the forgotten man, and he may be right. The NBA is going to televise the NBA D-League draft, so get ready to wait, and wait, and wait until picks #16 and #17 to see who joins the Tulsa 66ers for the 2009-10 season. The addition of the Thunder has helped push Oklahoma City to #37 on the list of best sports cities. Finally Lakers blog continues their "Know thy enemy" series with their Oklahoma City Thunder Preview. So take a flying leap and check out todays Loud Links.

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Welcome to Loud City Grizzlies Take Over in 4th, Thunder Play Well for 3 Quarters, Lose 91-99

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Well, I gotta be honest here, it wasn't a whole lot of fun listening to a basketball game on the radio, but what are you gonna do? This game was apparently not broadcast anywhere on TV, so the only option Thunder fans had to get  in on the action tonight was to listen to the game on the radio. As you might imagine, or as you might have experienced tonight, its not really a whole lot of fun, or easy to listen to a basketball game on the radio. Maybe its just me, but not being able to see the guys playing together for the first time was almost infuriating as I had to sit there and just listen. Anyway, enough complaining, the Thunder did actually play a game tonight, so lets get right to it.

First up a couple of notes on the game in case you missed our preview earlier today. Allen Iverson sat this one out for the Grizzlies after suffering an injury on Sunday, and also Thabo Sefolosha didn't play for the Thunder tonight, so James Harden got the start in his place. He didn't waste any time making his presence felt either, but not necessarily in a positive way by picking up 3 fouls in the first 6 minutes of the game, but had a nice 3 pointer to go with that. To his credit though, he made it into the fourth quarter before he picked up his 4th and 5th fouls. Nenad Krstic also got into a bit of foul trouble early by picking up 2 fouls in the first five minutes of the game, which pretty much set the pace for the Thunder all night long in terms of being in foul trouble. The Thunder racked up a whopping 36 fouls with every Thunder player who got in the action having at least 2 fouls. Make the jump for more thoughts on tonights game...

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Welcome to Loud City OKC Thunder @ Memphis Grizzlies OPEN THREAD

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TV: None | Radio: WWLS (98.1 FM, 640am in OKC, 97.1 FM in Tulsa)

Opponent Perspective: Straight Outta Vancouver

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Welcome to Loud City Thunder Gameday: Oklahoma City Thunder at Memphis Grizzlies

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Finally, finally, finally! The Oklahoma City Thunder get their 2009-10 season underway tonight, in Memphis, against the Grizzlies! Who cares if its only the pre-season? Thunder Basketball is back, so get ready to Thunder Up! Sadly enough, at the time of this writing (Last night), we don't have any update as to whether or not this game will be televised anywhere that Oklahomans will be able to see, but at the very least we should all be able to listen on the WWLS, The Sports Animal, which should be carrying the game (although I haven't confirmed that yet either). I'm sure you are quite tired of hearing me complain about the game not being televised, but let's face it, if you are reading this blog on a regular basis, chances are you are a pretty big Thunderhead yourself and just as pissed off. So hey, I'm being your voice, and you just never know who is reading. I griped and moaned all season about games that weren't broadcast in HD and a quick look at the TV schedule for the upcoming season will show that perhaps someone was listening as every single game is listed as being in HD this season.

It is still just a pre-season game, so why should you even care? Well, I'm gonna take a few minutes and hopefully give you enough reasons to be interested. First and foremost is your Thunder Roster is very different than it was just a few short months ago as the team closed out its inaugural season. When you make the jump, you'll see the entire pre-season roster which will be cut down substantially before the season begins. Gone are the likes of Robert Swift, Malik Rose, and Earl Watson, and inserted in their place are a host of new players that you should be just as anxious to see such as Etan Thomas and Kevin Ollie. As young as this team was last season, it may have gotten even younger this year as James Harden joins the mix along with some other terrific young players including Serge Ibaka, and Byron Mullens, amongst others. So go ahead and make the jump to see the full roster, along with our continued preview which will have a few more reasons to be interested in tonight's game, because there are a few more, I assure you.

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Welcome to Loud City Gred Oden Sick of Kevin Durant Talk, 2000 Fans Attend Thunder Practice, and Your Chance To Be A Tulsa 66er

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Today's edition of Loud Links is a special one because it comes as the Thunder prepare for their first game of the 2009-10 season later on tonight . They will be making their pre-season debut against the Memphis Grizzlies (Check back for preview at 9am CST), who lost last night to the Washington Wizards. So although we've included a link to cover that, that's not the point of this post, so lets move onward to today's Edition of Loud Links.

In today's edition of Loud Links Greg Oden is becoming sick of "Durant Talk" and why shouldn't he be? Its not easy to be the guy picked before Michael Jordan now is it? Did I just compare Durant to Michael Jordan? Nah, but Durant is clearly going to be one of this leagues best players for many years to come. Speaking of Durant, he posted a link to an article on his facebook page earlier which featured himself along with Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green regarding their return to college this summer. Oh, and speaking of Kevin Durant again, he's also saying and doing all the right things according to Darnell Mayberry, and pretty much everyone else on the planet. 2000 fans attended the Thunder practice at Mid-West City last night, not too shabby at all, I mean how many more people could have crammed in there really? Head Coach Scott Brooks heaps some praise on raw but talented Serge Ibaka and says he's improving every day, which is actually a pretty scary thought. Oh and if all that's not enough and you think you've got what it takes, you can attend an open tryout to be a member of the Tulsa 66ers this coming Saturday. Make the jump, check out the links, and we'll see you in a few hours for a Gameday Preview and later tonight for a Live Commenting OPEN THREAD.

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Welcome to Loud City Loud Links: Oklahoma City Thunder News for October 6, 2009

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I still maintain that I suck at gathering articles for Loud Links, but its Tuesday, and I've found another group of articles that might peak your interest. Some of them are old, some of them are new, but either way, we're just two days away from seeing this team in live game action, well, we won't be seeing it so much as hearing it on the Radio since it won't be broadcast on TV for reasons unbeknown to me. Well, anyway, on with the links.

Head Coach Scott Brooks is preparing for the first Thunder pre-season game by putting the team through game-like scrimmages. Kevin Durant and Jeff Green are apparently "Ol' Guys" now despite Durant just recently being of age to legally buy beer. Hoopsworld picks James Harden amongst its contenders for Rookie of the year, as if it wasn't already obvious enough. Our Good Friends over at Golden State of Mind have labeled this Thunder teams as "The X Factors." The NBA is expanding the use of Instant Replay, just another headache to deal with should we get stuck with replacement referees all season long. With the Thunder tipping off on Wednesday against the Grizzlies, what better time than now to contemplate which team will be better this season than now? Dimemag Discusses. Sactown Royalty takes a look at the defensive prowess of former Thunder player Desmond Mason, I think we all know what he brought to this team. Kyle Weaver gives NewsOk a quick little Q&A, and the Thunder's D-League Affiliate Tulsa 66ers wind up with the 16th and 17th draft picks in the upcoming draft as well as give their fans a sneak peak at the renovated convention center downtown where they will be playing this coming season, much to this bloggers dismay.

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Welcome to Loud City 2009-10 Oklahoma City Thunder TV Schedule

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With pre-season action set to get underway in just a couple of days here, that got me wondering about the television schedule and whether or not they would be showing each and every game as they did last season. I'm sorry to say I was a little bit disappointed to find out that it just isn't the case. Hold on now, before you go jumping off of a building, all of the regular season games will be televised, its just the pre-season that will be lacking in coverage for several games, most notably the very first game, which will be taking place on Wednesday evening in Memphis. With fans itching for their first taste of Thunder basketball, and being extremely eager to see the new additions in action for the first time with the likes of Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Russell Westbrook, you'd think that someone, either in the Thunder front office, or in the halls of either KSBI or Fox Sports, would realize this and make sure, at the very least, to get the first pre-season game televised.

In any case, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make just as long as all the regular season games get broadcast in High-Definition, something that wasn't the case last season, and guess what? Oh Hell Yeah! I don't know whether it had to do with the teams abrupt move last season or if someone was paying attention to all the whining and crying I was doing last season, but whatever the case, at least according to this list (Make the Jump), every single Thunder game, be it broadcast on KSBI or Fox Sports Oklahoma, will be televised in glorious High Definition! Thank God for that too because it was almost sickening having to watch standard def games last season, so much so that I almost didn't even want to watch the games. Anyway, enough blabbering, and just go ahead and make the jump to see the full tevelision schedule. I've gone ahead and added where you can find the games as well depending on your provider, so you might want to bookmark this page so it'll be handy anytime you aren't making the trip to the Ford Center for a game.

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Welcome to Loud City Loud Links: Oklahoma City Thunder News for October 5, 2009

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The Monday edition of Loud Links during the offseason is generally speaking the most difficult day to compile links for because of the limited amount of stories being written over the weekend. Never the less we've put together a few articles of interest for Thunder fans this morning as you begin your work week. It's been a very long offseason, but as you read this, we're only 2 days away from the Thunder tipping off for their first pre-season game of the 2009-10 season. So while today's edition may be lacking just a little, hey I really don't have the knack for scouring the net and finding obscure articles about the Thunder and their players like daddydai did, but I assure you, you'll be able to look forward to plenty of info coming all week long in Loud Links in addition to our own content which should be showing up in a few hours as well.

In today's edition of Loud Links you can read about just how social networking sites like Twitter can not only be a positive force in professional sports, but can actually bring a young team closer together. Thunder guard Shaun Livingston is putting his knee injury behind him and is also raving about Thunder Rookie James Harden along with some of his other teammates. National writers and broadcasters believe the Thunder will be on the rise this coming season, well most of them do anyway, while others think the Thunder will finish with no better than 26 wins this season. Slam online takes a look at the Thunder and give you a full preview. And finally Kevin Durant is set to grace the cover of Dime Magazine and hoopsworld takes a focused look at his fantasy prospects for the upcoming season.

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Welcome to Loud City Oklahoma Sooners Lose To Miami, Thunder Should Reap The Benefits

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It's really no secret that Thunderland is really Sooner Nation during football season, so we might as well just face it. The Oklahoma Sooners loss last night to the Miami Hurricanes was actually a good thing for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now don't get me wrong, I'm as big a Sooner fan as anyone, well okay, maybe not as big as anyone, but I have been a fan since I was very young and rarely ever miss a game. That being said, as an avid Oklahoma City Thunder fan, I couldn't help but think, as a I tossed and turned in my drunken stooper at about 2am, about how this loss can positively affect the Thunder.

How so you ask? Well before we jump right into the benefits, lets get some of the obvious stuff out of the way. Since Bob Stoops took over the program, its been a pretty rare occurrence to have a 2nd loss this early into the season. We all know what 2 losses in College football means right? Right, absolutely no shot at playing for an NCAA Championship. While that may be true most of the time, that doesn't mean that the Sooners can't still rebound, win the Big 12, and go on to a BCS Bowl game. However, even that will be in jeopardy two weeks from yesterday when the Sooners take on Texas in the annual Red River Shootout. Should the Sooners lose that game, that 3rd loss would more than likely end any chance of Oklahoma playing in a major Bowl this season. So how does all this affect the Thunder? Make the leap and find out.

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Welcome to Loud City Loud Links: Oklahoma City Thunder News for October 4, 2009

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Loud Links returns for the first time since our hiatus, and this time we're going to do things a little bit differently. Instead of it being your evening news source (Which let's face it, by the time we posted ours, you more than likely had already found a link dump somewhere else), we're going to make Loud Links the 4am post so you can get up to speed quickly on all the most recent Thunder news and events from the previous day, before you start out on your own day. During the season this will include links to game recaps, feedback, and any other post game team or player news that you are going to want to read. More than likely this post will be followed up by original content of our own later in the morning. I believe this new format will allow Thunder fans to catch up any news, scores, and events they might have missed so that when they read our new post later that morning, they won't be lost or wondering what we are talking about, not to mention they won't have to listen to the office know-it-all blathering endlessly about how much more knowledge he has on the Thunder than you do. But enough about how the format has changed, lets get on with the return of Loud Links!

In Today's edition of Loud Links Kevin Durant is, strangely enough, achieving celebrity status while at the same time managing to hide in plain site, even going to the movies without being recognized. Beloved and former Thunder player Desmond Mason gets a 1 year deal with the Sacramento Kings. Hoopsworld made a stop in Edmond to take a peek at Thunder Training camp and gives some impressions along with another article about head Coach Scott Brooks, who believes in his players. You can get a sneak peek of your own on Monday evening if you head down to Midwest City High School for an open to the public practice. Nenad Krstic puts in his two cents about the Marcin Gortat to Oklahoma City Rumors. USA Today thinks the Thunder have found some solid ground for their second season in Oklahoma City while the Oklahoman hits on a number of topics from Training Camp. And Finally, if you are curious as to how Thunder players spent their summers, we've got you covered as well. So click the mouse and make the jump to find out more on all of these topics, and let the discussion ensue.

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Welcome to Loud City Get Ready to Chant: Thunder Up!

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Well, I haven't had as much time as I would have liked to dive into all the off-season stuff, and I'm finding that I may just have to forget whatever happened while I was gone and focus on the here and now since training camp is already underway (Which is being covered like mad over at the Official OKC Thunder Website, look for the popup) and the pre-season is just a few short weeks away. So in the coming weeks we'll probably be focusing on some of the usual pre-season speculation type stuff that always brings with it some very heated debate. Also, we'll take a quick look at some of the new additions to the team, and what that might mean for the upcoming season, and down the road.

I'm also going to try and hook up with the guys that were brought on to the staff shortly after last season (dishingoutdimes, daddydai, ElectricPencils, and mleetch32) to see if we can figure out a way to get everyone worked into the site in a way that remains cohesive with my content as well as workable into their own real-world lives, provided of course they have interest in remaining part of the team (Be on the lookout for an email sometime this weekend fellas). I realize I rubbed some people the wrong way, and probably none more than these guys, so no hard feelings if they choose not to contribute, so stay tuned on that. Aside from some of the site mumbo jumbo above, one thing became very apparent to me when I started re-scoping out the Thunder Fan Scene, so take the jump to find out what that was.

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Welcome to Loud City Mr Pappagiorgio Returns to WTLC

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There has quite possibly never been a more "non-triumphant" return to a blog than the one I am making here. The reason I'm saying that is because I did what any blogger will tell you is nothing short of blogging suicide, which for those of you not paying attention was simply disappearing from the blog for a couple of months. One thing every blogger on the planet learns very quickly is that content is king, and new quality content on a consistent regular basis is the cornerstone of any successful blog on the net. Needless to say, vanishing from the site for a few months was hardly keeping within those guidelines and the site has suffered the consequences, so much so that you might be the only one reading this.

Since this blog was created (Originally at thunderinokc.com before making the jump to SBNation and renaming it WTLC), I was able to watch it grow from just a few readers a day to nearly 28,000 visits and nearly 60,000 page views my last active month on the site. Since then, those numbers have plummeted, and that is nobody's fault but my own. I owe a number of people an apology, which I will get to later in this post. But for now, make the jump and perhaps I can take just a minute to help explain the reason why I was gone, and how I was able to benefit and grow as a person because of it.

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Welcome to Loud City Thunder Unveil Pre-Season Schedule, Durant Gets Comfortable at Team USA Camp, and Michael Jackson May Have a Love Child

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Well, well, well, look who showed back up to do today's edition of Loud Links! Who? Oh yes, it's me, Mr Pappagiorgio, back and ready for action. In todays edition of Loud Links the Oklahoma City Thunder unveil their 2009 pre-season schedule which includes a stop in Tulsa's BOK Center excatly 1 year and 1 day after the Thunder made their Oklahoma debut there against the Rockets. Also, Kevin Durant seems at ease in Team USA's camp, Hoopsworld grades Byron Mullens #24 selection, a former 66ers gets an NBA deal, and an investment group is making an attempt at bringing another professional sports franchise to Oklahoma, this time to Tulsa with a WNBA team.

I'm also going to stray from the format a bit and give you a few other links from around the net which seem to be burning up the charts. Those include Michael Jackson's 25 year old love child, info on how to get some cash for that clunker you've been driving around, and also a pretty funny wedding video in which Jill Peterson and Kevin Heinze dance down the aisle. Good times, and if that's not enough, its National Tequila day, and Cabo Wabo wants you to enjoy some of their goodness at happy hour tonight. That should keep you busy until I actually get a new post up sometime tomorrow. Yes, you read that right, Mister P will have something new to read tomorrow for the first time in way too long of a time. But for now, make the jump and clicky clicky all the purty links.

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Welcome to Loud City 2009 NBA Summer League: OKC Thunder vs Chicago Bulls

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2009 Oklahoma City Thunder Summer League Roster
Num Player Position Height Weight From
 34  Tony Durant  F  6-7  245  Towson University
 11  Richard Roby  G  6-6  205  Colorado
 15  Marcus Dove  F  6-9  212  Unknown
 17  Moses Ehambe  F  6-6  200  Oral Roberts
 13  James Harden  G  6-5  220  Arizona State
 50  DeVon Hardin  C  6-11  235  California
 9  Serge Ibaka  F  6-10  220  Congo (Zaire)
 14  Shaun Livingston  G  6-7  185  No College
 2  Keith McLeod  G  6-2  190  Bowling Green
 23  Byron Mullens  C  7-0  275  Ohio State
 45  Doug Thomas  F  6-8  245  Iowa
 30  Robert Vaden  G  6-5  205  Alabama-Birmingham
 5  Kyle Weaver  G  6-6  201  Washington State
 3  D.J. White  F  6-9  251  Indiana

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Welcome to Loud City 2009 NBA Summer League: OKC Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs

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2009 Oklahoma City Thunder Summer League Roster
Num Player Position Height Weight From
 34  Tony Durant  F  6-7  245  Towson University
 11  Richard Roby  G  6-6  205  Colorado
 15  Marcus Dove  F  6-9  212  Unknown
 17  Moses Ehambe  F  6-6  200  Oral Roberts
 13  James Harden  G  6-5  220  Arizona State
 50  DeVon Hardin  C  6-11  235  California
 9  Serge Ibaka  F  6-10  220  Congo (Zaire)
 14  Shaun Livingston  G  6-7  185  No College
 2  Keith McLeod  G  6-2  190  Bowling Green
 23  Byron Mullens  C  7-0  275  Ohio State
 45  Doug Thomas  F  6-8  245  Iowa
 30  Robert Vaden  G  6-5  205  Alabama-Birmingham
 5  Kyle Weaver  G  6-6  201  Washington State
 3  D.J. White  F  6-9  251  Indiana

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Welcome to Loud City 2009 Vegas NBA Summer League: OKC Thunder vs. Memphis Grizzlies

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2009 Oklahoma City Thunder Summer League Roster
Num Player Position Height Weight From
 34  Tony Durant  F  6-7  245  Towson University
 11  Richard Roby  G  6-6  205  Colorado
 15  Marcus Dove  F  6-9  212  Unknown
 17  Moses Ehambe  F  6-6  200  Oral Roberts
 13  James Harden  G  6-5  220  Arizona State
 50  DeVon Hardin  C  6-11  235  California
 9  Serge Ibaka  F  6-10  220  Congo (Zaire)
 14  Shaun Livingston  G  6-7  185  No College
 2  Keith McLeod  G  6-2  190  Bowling Green
 23  Byron Mullens  C  7-0  275  Ohio State
 45  Doug Thomas  F  6-8  245  Iowa
 30  Robert Vaden  G  6-5  205  Alabama-Birmingham
 5  Kyle Weaver  G  6-6  201  Washington State
 3  D.J. White  F  6-9  251  Indiana

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Guess we weren't too far off in what we were thinking about Ibaka this morning huh? Sam Presti and the Thunder made it official earlier today. Check out the link for the official press release.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed guard James Harden, center Byron Mullens and forward Serge Ibaka to contracts, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

almost 3 years ago 0047_tiny Mr Pappagiorgio 0 comments

Welcome to Loud City Pleading His Case: Serge Ibaka

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The Oklahoma City Thunder finished out play for the Orlando Pro Summer league on Friday, and I came away with several thoughts. The three biggest things I walked away from the OPSL thinking were Russell Westbrook is already too good for Summer League, James Harden was a phenomenal choice that improved this team the instant his name was announced, and Serge Ibaka is pleading his case to cross the pond this year. The biggest surprise of those three to me is the last, so for that reason, he's going to be the focus of this post. If you watched the summer league games from Orlando, you probably already know about this kid, but if not, take a minute and read the paragraph below for a little background on the kid from the Congo before making the jump and see why he is pleading his case to join the Thunder for the 2009 Season.

Serge Ibaka is a 19 year old (will turn 20 before the 2009 season) power forward from the Congo. He was drafted by the Seattle Sonics with the #24 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. He spent last season playing overseas for Ricoh Manresa of the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), which is the premier basketball league of Spain. In 31 games last season for Ricoh Manresa, Ibaka averaged 7.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1 block during his 15 minutes of playing time per game. Although they don't look it, those are pretty impressive stats, especially when you consider he was so productive in just 15 minutes per game. So lets say he were to have played 30 minutes per game, it would probably be a good bet that he would have finished with something like 10-15 ppg, 8-10 rpg, and with a couple blocks, not bad production at all. But how did he do in this weeks summer league? Were his numbers better than those from overseas? Did he put himself in position to become part of the Thunder this season? Make the jump to find out...

Poll
Should Serge Ibaka join the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 2009 Season?
Yes
145 votes
No
12 votes

157 votes | Poll has closed

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Welcome to Loud City 2009 Orlando Pro Summer League: Thunder vs Jazz OPEN THREAD

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Watch the Game Live at 10am Central Time (Click This Link)

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Birthdate College
15 DeAngelo Alexander G 6'5 215 1/21/84 Charlotte
17 Moses Ehambe F 6'6 200 05/22/86 Oral Roberts
13 James Harden G 6'5 220 8/26/89 Arizona State
50 Devon Hardin C 6'11 220 6/03/86 California
42 Kyle Hines F/C 6'6 230 9/02/86 UNC Greensboro
9 Serge Ibaka F 6'10 220 9/18/89 Congo
14 Shaun Livingston G 6'7 185 9/11/85 Peoria Central HS (IL)
23 B.J. Mullens C 7'0 275 2/14/89 Ohio State
5 Kyle Weaver G 6'6 201 2/18/86 Washington State
0 Russell Westbrook G 6'3 187 11/12/88 UCLA
3 D.J. White F 6'9 251 8/31/86 Indiana
30 Robert Vaden G 6'5 205 3/03/85 Alabama-Birmingham

Head Coach: Scott Brooks
Assistant Coaches: Brian Keefe, Ron Adams, Mark Bryant, Nate Tibbetts and Vin Bhavnani
Head Athletic Trainer: Joe Sharpe

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