The Oklahoma City Thunder fired P.J. Carlesimo this morning after Friday night’s extremely disappointing loss to the New Orleans Hornets at the Ford Center.
Sitting in on his final press conference after last night’s 105-80 loss, I could see that the end was near. P.J. had lost this team at some point in the last couple of weeks, and Wednesday’s poor exhibition in the home loss to the Clippers (15 points up in the second quarter….25 down in the second half) and last night’s pathetic effort against a team that OKC fans fell in love with BECAUSE they hustled and played the game the right way, were the final two nails in the coffin.
I felt that some of the younger players had quit playing for P.J. and that some of the veterans were frusterated because they couldn’t do anything about it. I might be wrong, but I know this team needs a change.
Scott Brooks has been named the interim coach and hopefully he will bring some attitude to the sidelines. As I was watching last night’s game, I couldn’t help but wonder how ugly tonight’s rematch in New Orleans could possibly be. Now, it will be interesting to see if the change will light a fire under someone’s behind.
There is still time to turn this thing around and work their way back to respectability. After last night’s nationally televised debacle, it won’t happen overnight.
Let’s get it out there… I’m a huge pro basketball fan and can’t wait until our new NBA team the Oklahoma City Thunder tip off the season in a couple of weeks.
When the Hornets were here, I bought in completely. I’ve still got some teal in the closet and followed the Buzz from afar last season. But now, we’ve got the Thunder and the season officially got underway at Thunder Media Day on Monday at the Skirvin Hotel in downtown OKC.
The event started with a grand unveiling of the new uniforms. Pretty snazzy….understated….a classic look….and I love the team colors. So much so that I have already picked up a hat and a Kevin Durant t-shirt to wear around the house!
The rest of media day was pretty routine….the food (bowtie pasta with chicken, a nice selection of meats and cheeses, and some great chocolate chip cookies) was solid, the coach and player interviews were a variation of “how do you like Oklahoma City?” “How do you like the uniforms?” and “Are you ready for training camp?”
My initial impressions….Coach P.J. Carlesimo would be a great guy to get a beer with. He has some great stories and is the kind of coach this very young team needs. Kevin Durant seems pretty laid back, but looks forward to being back in Big 12 country. Nick Collison, after having some pretty pointed comments about leaving Seattle earlier this summer, seems to like the Oklahoma vibe…The Iowa native got a laugh when I compared this experience to dropping an NBA team in DesMoines. Russell Westbrook has a pretty sunny disposition and I could see him being OKC’s next Chris Paul. He heard that question plenty this afternoon. Desmond Mason is the classy vet that this team needs. A defensive stopper who has been down this road before (not only Oklahoma State, but also the Hornets) and can lead the way for this young team.
Another thing that excites me is the announcement that Fox Sports Southwest will become Fox Sports Oklahoma and that they will be the home of Thunder basketball on television. They will have a lot of Thunder programming and will broadcast 65 of 82 home games. There was also an announcement that the other 17 games will be televised as well on an “over-the-air” station to be named later.
Had a chance to meet many of the media people who work for the team and look forward to working with them in the future. I’m looking forward to the Thunder because, as a transplanted Kansan, I’m not a OSU or OU fan. Now, I’ve got an Oklahoma team that I can hang my hat on. Opening Night and the Milwaukee Bucks is less than a month away. Bring on the Thunder!
