Notebook: OKC waiting on team name before introducing new players

By Darnell Mayberry

Published: August 18, 2008

Oklahoma City's long-awaited announcement of its team nickname is not expected to come this week. The official unveiling of the name, colors and logos is, however, expected before the end of the month.

•Press conferences: The delay in the announcement of the team name, colors and logos has prevented OKC from introducing recent acquisitions Desmond Mason, Joe Smith and Kyle Weaver. The team doesn't want to officially introduce the players at a press conference until it has jerseys for each player to hold up.

•What up, Doc? Among the many items still on the checklist of things to do for Oklahoma City's NBA franchise, one pressing matter is selecting a local doctor to serve as the team's doctor. The franchise formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics used Richard Zorn, a Seattle-based doctor. Without an Oklahoma-based team doctor, recently acquired forwards Mason and Smith had to fly to Seattle instead of Oklahoma City last week for their NBA-mandated physicals.

•Where in the world? Oklahoma City's preseason opener against Minnesota on Oct. 8 will be played in Billings, Mont., the Timberwolves announced last week. The Wolves played host to the Indiana Pacers in Billings, Mont., in a preseason game before the start of the 2005-06 season.

•Ready for his close-up: New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul is set to make his acting debut in the upcoming film "Hurricane Season,” a story about a Louisiana high school basketball team's inspirational post-Katrina state championship season. Paul has a small cameo in the film as an audience member during a game. The film is scheduled for a Christmas Day release.

•Collison to Africa: Oklahoma City forward Nick Collison and the team's Director of East Coast Scouting, Frank Ross, will visit Johannesburg, South Africa, from Sept. 3-7 as part of the NBA's Basketball without Borders initiative.

•Pargo to Russia: Former Hornets guard Jannero Pargo last week became the third American-born NBA player to sign a contract with an overseas basketball team this summer. Pargo signed a one-year contract with a Russian club reportedly worth $3.8 million.

Comments