Thunder Rumblings

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Four burning questions - Was the season a failure?

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This time next year, Kevin Durant will be eligible to re-sign with the Thunder for up to five more seasons beyond the 2010-11 season. In Monday’s paper I wrote about Durant’s contract situation and how he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, in large part because, no matter how hard it might be for some to... Read More

Durant As Good Or Better Than LeBron?

July 28, 2009 I asked Thunder general manager Sam Presti just a few days ago what the USA Basketball mini-camp did for Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook. Presti, always modest, surprisingly gushed about how he thought the few days his players spent in Las Vegas really went a long way to build their reputations in... Read More

Breaking Down The Etan Thomas Trade

July 27, 2009 It’s official. The Thunder has acquired Etan Thomas and two 2010 second-round picks from Minnesota in exchange for Damien Wilkins and Chucky Atkins. On one hand, the deal could be viewed simply as three aging reserves and two second-round picks swapping places. But this trade holds much more significance for... Read More

Thunder Getting Center Etan Thomas July 27, 2009 The Thunder is on the verge of beefing up its frontcourt. Oklahoma City is close to acquiring reserve center Etan Thomas from Minnesota, The Oklahoman has learned. In exchange for the 6-foot-10 Tulsa native, the Thunder has agreed to send the Timberwolves reserve guards Damien Wilkins and Chucky Atkins. Under... Read More

Pick Your Favorite Thunder Girl July 21, 2009 I’ve got to admit. I’ve campaigned with certain Thunder officials who shall remain nameless for quite some time to be the judge of which Thunder Girls hopefuls make the final cut. Things didn’t quite work out for me for various reasons. But you, yes you, can help decide which girl will become an actual... Read More

Brooks Breaks Down Summer League July 19, 2009 -DM- 2 Show / Hide Archive Comments The following comments are archived from the original publication of this post Geebanga718 on Jul 25, 2009 @ 8:32 am Read More

Watson Released, Thunder Falls To 0-4 July 18, 2009 LAS VEGAS — Sort of a crazy day out here. The Thunder made its first transaction of the off-season, and it’s one fans have long craved, seemingly by any means necessary. Oklahoma City released veteran point guard Earl Watson, making the man a free agent and finally ending his unhappy stay in Oklahoma City.... Read More

Thunder Close To Parting With Earl Watson July 17, 2009 LAS VEGAS – The Thunder could be close to waiving point guard Earl Watson. An agreement could be reached as early as today. Watson, the 30-year-old backup to Russell Westbrook, averaged 6.6 points and 5.8 assists in 68 games last season. The eight-year veteran grew frustrated his role last season as a member of... Read More

Update: Watson A Done Deal July 17, 2009 The Thunder has finalized its move to waive Earl Watson today. I’ll have more details on NewsOK.com throughout the day and more in tomorrow’s editions of The Oklahoman. Read More

Thunder Enjoys Off Day, Griffin Enjoys Dazzling Debut July 14, 2009 LAS VEGAS — The Thunder was not one of the 12 teams in action Monday in the NBA Summer League. Oklahoma City got a much needed day off after playing five games in seven days dating back to last Monday’s opening day of the Orlando Pro Summer league. The Thunder did go through a practice at a local high school... Read More

Orlando Observations: Day 5 July 10, 2009 For the first time all week, the Thunder was out-hustled and outplayed by another team. The Jazz beat OKC to loose balls, took advantage of numerous defensive lapses by the Thunder to run their offense effectively throughout the game and turned the contest into a layup drill in the second half. Add to that, the... Read More

An Apology To Russell Westbrook July 09, 2009 Just talked to someone from down in Orlando who had a close-up seat to the Thunder’s game against Indiana on Tuesday and a particularly good look at what was believed to be a discourteous act by Russell Westbrook following a hustle play. In recapping Tuesday’s action, I wrote the following: “Westbrook... Read More

Orlando Observations: Day 4 July 09, 2009 And down the stretch they come. Game four of the Thunder’s schedule at the Orlando Pro Summer League is in the book. Thunder 83, New Jersey/Philadelphia 62. In today’s edition, Russell Westbrook proved once and for all he doesn’t need to be in Orlando. James Harden showed once again that he’s as... Read More

Clarifying An Earlier Post July 08, 2009 Wanted to make sure that a paragraph in my last post about the new salary cap doesn’t give off the wrong impression. “For Oklahoma City it means that teams might not unload high-dollar contracts as quickly as many once thought they would with a lower tax line. The tax dropped only $1.23 million and might not... Read More

Orlando Observations: Day 3 July 08, 2009 So the Thunder beat Boston, 94-82, on Wednesday in what had to be one of the most boring summer league games of all time. Russell Westbrook did his best to turn up the entertainment value with a few nice dunks en route to his third straight 20-plus-point game. Aside from that, Shaun Livingston is the only other... Read More

Orlando Observations: Day 2 July 07, 2009 The Thunder played its second game of the Orlando Pro Summer League on Tuesday and fell to the Indiana Pacers, 91-88, after beating Orlando on Monday’s opening day. OKC lost behind some obscure summer league rule that allows a team two foul shots for each foul an opposing player commits after his sixth foul. D.J.... Read More

Salary Cap Set For 2009-10 Season July 07, 2009 The NBA has announced its salary cap for the 2009-10 season, setting the figure at $57.7 million, or just less than $1 million of last season’s $58.68 million figure. The luxury tax level also took a slight dip to $69.92 million. Last season’s tax threshold was $71.15 million. The mid-level exception has... Read More

Durant Bowling For Charity July 03, 2009 Kevin Durant will be a part of T.J. Ford’s charity bowling event in Houston on July 11 (via the Houston Chronicle). Not sure how bowling has taken off in NBA circles, but it definitely has as a means for fund raising and a fun free-time activity. Durant will be joined in Ford’s “Celebrity-Bowl-A-Thon” by... Read More

Thunder Rumblings Bloggers

Darnell Mayberry

OKC Thunder Senior Reporter

Darnell Mayberry grew up in Langston, Okla. and is now in his third stint in the Sooner state. After a year and a half at Bishop McGuinness High, he finished his prep years in Falls Church, Va., before graduating from Norfolk State University in 2004.

Mayberry joined The Oklahoman’s sports staff in 2005 after a year at the Akron Beacon Journal, where he covered the University of Akron men’s basketball team, high schools and recruiting. Since arriving at The Oklahoman, Mayberry has become the leading authority on the NBA as the only traveling media member and the only reporter to cover every NBA game ever played in Oklahoma City.

He served as the paper’s beat writer on the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets from 2005-07, broke the news of the Seattle SuperSonics’ settlement negotiations with the City of Seattle in the summer of 2008, a development that allowed the team to relocate to Oklahoma, and has covered the Thunder since the franchise’s inception.

Mayberry and his wife, Courtney, were married in 2010 and live in Oklahoma City.

John Rohde

Sports Senior Reporter

John Rohde joined The Oklahoman staff in January of 1987 as a sports columnist. He has covered all college sports, plus the Texas Rangers, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans/OKC Hornets and professional golf. Rohde also has served as a beat writer for OU football and basketball and currently is covering the NBA and the OKC Thunder. Rohde is married, has a son, was raised in Boulder, Colo., and was a 1982 graduate from the University of Arizona.

Anthony Slater

Reporter

Anthony Slater has been NewsOK.com's lead sports blogger since the summer of 2012, covering Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Before that, he covered OSU athletics for The Daily O'Collegian, working as the sports editor and beat writer for football and men's basketball. Originally from Northern California, he has lived in Oklahoma the past three years.