The NBA Offseason Thread

[Steviekick 0]

It took me years to get over being pissed at the Jazz' Mountain logo. Color me old school, I loved the Music Note J.

 

Technically they have purple as the shadow, sorta.

 

I was the same way. I did like the black with rust alternates they used during this time.

[Damaramu 0]

God they went with like the worst option.

 

OKC BARONS MOFOS BARONS!!!!

 

I wanted Barons.

 

As for the name, the worst possible option was Wind.

[Maztinho 0]

Yeah, Wind is shitty too, but Thunder is right up there. I mean, woooooo Thunder.

 

Concurrence with Stevie on the awesome Copper and Black Alt unis.

[Golgo 13 0]

Way to ensure no one outside of OKC wears that crap. Even then I'm not so sure. This is all such a bad, inauspicious start to the team, not that they didn't already have everything working against them, except now they're begging that no one except those who directly benefit from the Thunder buy them as a real team, much less a D-League or WNBA one. Nearly anything else on the list would've helped fans warm up to them and instead they choose one of the worst. How anyone could think Thunder is better than Barons, Marshalls or even the Bison I'll never know. Whoever thought of and approved this whole color and name scheme is a moron. Rage.

[MrRant 0]

The name is Clay Bennett.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Hooee, that's terrible. Dama's gonna buy three jerseys and that's all they'll sell.

[Guest דניא&#15]

Dama will remain a Celtics fan, so we can't even bank on that.

 

There are so many ways to break this down as an abject failure in design. First of all, the name was clearly tacked on as an afterthought, yet it appears above the city name, or abbreviation, more accurately, and completely dwarfs the rest of the logo. So, since unlike my current display name, we read top to bottom and left to right, what we have here is "Thunder OKC." That's not a professional sports team, that's a screen name.

 

You're already behind the 8-ball when designing a logo for "Thunder," since you've been charged with creating a visual representation of something that cannot be seen, only heard. You can't say lightning, because lightning isn't thunder any more than smoke is fire. Really, I'd contend that with constraints like these, you're doomed to fail. Even if you scrap connoting the name and just go for location by doing a Western theme, it still doesn't make any damn sense. The Jazz got away with that approach because keeping the New Orleans hand-me-downs for 15 years was getting damn silly. In today's design climate, you can't get away with just slapping letters on a basketball like the Pistons and Knicks. You have to say something.

 

The color palette is almost exactly identical to that of the Warriors, which is bad, because the Warriors have looked like phosphorescent dogshit for about the last ten years, and occupy the same abstract, geographically rootless, generic design hell as the Thunder do. (Or Thunder does.) Clay Bennett apparently said today that the yellow represents the sun, and the red-orange represents the sunset. Generally, a clear sky in which we can appreciate the sun is the exact opposite of a situation in which thunder will occur, and it's hardly as if Oklahoma City has cornered the market on sunsets, so I don't know what the fuck he was going for on that one. He must've been bullshitting as he went along.

 

What's most egregious about this is the undeniably slapdash feeling of it all. Look. We're two months away from the season, one month away from training camp and preseason, and it's only now, two days after Labor Day, that we're seeing the name and primary logo for this team, with uniforms and secondaries yet to come. Everyone knew the Supersonics were heading to Oklahoma City from the day Yeehaw McAsshat here bought the team. I knew it, you knew it, Bennett knew it, dogs knew it. They've had months, years even, to perfect the design for their big investment, so that as soon as they dotted the Is and crossed the Ts, they could say "HERE WE ARE!" and unleash this brand new team with a huge splash. Instead, they were just "the Oklahoma City NBA team" all summer, with no merchandise, no community presence, nothing. These shitty logos might not even make it into the video games. In the grand scheme of running a sports team, design and marketing ought to be some really piddling shit, nothing compared to actually coaching players and winning games. Marketing a team to a city that's been clamoring for pro basketball since hosting the Hornets should've been the easiest thing in the world, and they've dropped the ball completely. If they can't even do the easy stuff, how are they going to handle the difficult operations? I guess it's a small consolation for Supersonics fans that the Thunder are (or is) going to be bungled into oblivion. This is right up there with the Whalers pratfalling their way into Greensboro. You're in for a bumpy ride, Oklahoma.

[alfdogg 0]

The color palette is almost exactly identical to that of the Warriors, which is bad, because the Warriors have looked like phosphorescent dogshit for about the last ten years, and occupy the same abstract, geographically rootless, generic design hell as the Thunder do. (Or Thunder does.)

Ironically, the mascot for the Golden State Warriors is named Thunder, as well.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

What's most egregious about this is the undeniably slapdash feeling of it all. Look. We're two months away from the season, one month away from training camp and preseason, and it's only now, two days after Labor Day, that we're seeing the name and primary logo for this team, with uniforms and secondaries yet to come. Everyone knew the Supersonics were heading to Oklahoma City from the day Yeehaw McAsshat here bought the team. I knew it, you knew it, Bennett knew it, dogs knew it. They've had months, years even, to perfect the design for their big investment, so that as soon as they dotted the Is and crossed the Ts, they could say "HERE WE ARE!" and unleash this brand new team with a huge splash. Instead, they were just "the Oklahoma City NBA team" all summer, with no merchandise, no community presence, nothing. These shitty logos might not even make it into the video games. In the grand scheme of running a sports team, design and marketing ought to be some really piddling shit, nothing compared to actually coaching players and winning games. Marketing a team to a city that's been clamoring for pro basketball since hosting the Hornets should've been the easiest thing in the world, and they've dropped the ball completely. If they can't even do the easy stuff, how are they going to handle the difficult operations? I guess it's a small consolation for Supersonics fans that the Thunder are (or is) going to be bungled into oblivion. This is right up there with the Whalers pratfalling their way into Greensboro. You're in for a bumpy ride, Oklahoma.

 

While you made a million other great points that I agreed with, I kind of have an issue with this last (long) point. Wasn't it sort of dropped on them at the last minute that they wouldn't be taking the Sonics name and colors with them? Wasn't that a by-product of the suit to keep the team in Seattle? I just can't fathom that you'd spend a half-billion or whatever for a team and then come to the realization that you need a name and logo two months before the season starts.

[Guest דניא&#15]

I believe they had been saying for some time that they would leave the identity and lineage in Seattle and create a new team completely, the way the Ravens and Hurricanes did. Even if there was some disagreement as to whether or not they'd continue as the Supersonics, there's no excuse for not planning a new identity as a contingency during the last two years. With the right designers, and they're certainly out there, it really shouldn't take a great deal of time to draft a package. They really needed to have something better than this in the pipeline. The Sonics/notSonics point is moot. They needed to spring the name, logos, and uniforms, all designed and approved well ahead of time, the moment that Seattle litigation was settled in July. If you told me they did this over the three-day weekend, I'd believe you.

[Maztinho 0]

Yet with the sudden realization that you can't be the Sonics you'd think that they'd go with one of the infinitely better options with Barons, Bison, or Marshalls.

 

Marshalls, throw a six pronged badge out there in any color scheme and it's better than this. Maybe some bullet holes filled with basketballs.

 

Hell, even Bison with a Buffalo Head is a better choice than, OKC on a guitar pick with slashies coming off it. You spend millions getting a team, and then make them less marketable than the Bucks. Good job gang.

 

Even Wind is better because they could have had a cloud with puffy cheeks blowing the name out for a logo. Every other option was better than this.

 

A lot of your hopeful cash flow comes from merchandise, who even in OKC is going to wear that generic thing and think it's cool?

 

I forsee a major revamp in like three years. Only they still will have a shitty name.

[MFer 0]

Monta Ellis will be out at least three months after ankle surgery.

Funny story behind that ankle injury...

 

Link

[Guest]

After learning that recovery time was 12 weeks, Kobe decided not to have surgery on his pinkie. It affects his free throw shooting the most, otherwise, he should be good as gold to start the year against Portland. Bynum's at full health too. Going to be a good year.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Channing Frye's going to have ankle surgery, so this means Ike Diogu is going to get a bit more time at the beginning of the year. Not sure if this is a good thing or what, but Frye really seems to be developing his game a lot here.

[Brett Favre 0]

[Mr. S£im Citrus 0]

Well... he is Jamaican...

[Boxer 0]

Nice shorts. Is there a backstory to why he wore them instead of them white pants most of the rest are rocking?

[alfdogg 0]

Because we needed another reason to mock Josh Howard.

 

"The National Anthem's going on right now, and I don't celebrate that shit. I'm black."

[Guest]

Hey Europe, make your move.

[MFer 0]

Great Quotes by Sir Charles

[TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0]

Great Quotes by Sir Charles

Amazing find.

[naiwf 0]

Arenas had knee surgery and will miss at least the first month of the season. It's sad to see one of my favorite players slowly becoming Allan Houston.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Arenas had knee surgery and will miss at least the first month of the season. It's sad to see one of my favorite players slowly becoming Allan Houston.

I wonder if Washington is starting to regret that max deal they gave him in the offseason. I didn't really see him as that type of player even when he's at his best, and it now appears that injuries will sap him of his future potential.

[Steviekick 0]

If I was a Wizards fan, I would be most pissed that he didn't have the surgery until now.

[Guest Vitamin X]

So there are rumors abound that Andrei Kirilenko might be making a return to Russia pretty soon.

 

http://thehoop.blogspot.com/2008/09/rumors...-kirilenko.html

 

Man, this economy, I tells ya..

[Steviekick 0]

I'm not to worried about AK running off. NBA and FIBA honor each other's contacts, so if they were to get him CKSA would have to buy out his three year, $50 million contract.

 

Plus, a lot of his issues about his role on the team and playing time could be fixed in his favor if Boozer leaves during the offseason next summer.

[Maztinho 0]

So there are rumors abound that Andrei Kirilenko might be making a return to Russia pretty soon.

 

http://thehoop.blogspot.com/2008/09/rumors...-kirilenko.html

 

Man, this economy, I tells ya..

Kirilenko should go; his attitude stinks. He's the highest paid Jazz player, yet possible short delays in his off-season vacation are more important to him than Jazz playoff victories, as he's clearly demonstrated the past two seasons. The Jazz should ship him out and bring in a good team player to compliment D-Will and the others.

 

Sep 18, 2008 5:51:00 AM

 

 

Why are all Utah fans freakin' `tards? AK complains during the off season a bit, and everyone around here throws a fit about how he sucks now. During the season he goes out and works harder than anyone, so it's all okay, but the second he says, "Yeah, I'd like more offense run through me." and it's back to everyone shitting on him again.

 

Also, they booed Fisher.

 

Any act of not total devotion to the Jazz and the fans here turn on you like that. I hate my fellow fans for that. Hate.

 

Amirite Stevie?

[Boxer 0]

So...... is Josh Howard a dead man walking?

 

I am not American, so I can't say how American people feel, but I'm pretty sure Texas is a Red-White-Blue state.

 

I guess the next stop for Howard is Europe.

[Steviekick 0]

So there are rumors abound that Andrei Kirilenko might be making a return to Russia pretty soon.

 

http://thehoop.blogspot.com/2008/09/rumors...-kirilenko.html

 

Man, this economy, I tells ya..

Kirilenko should go; his attitude stinks. He's the highest paid Jazz player, yet possible short delays in his off-season vacation are more important to him than Jazz playoff victories, as he's clearly demonstrated the past two seasons. The Jazz should ship him out and bring in a good team player to compliment D-Will and the others.

 

Sep 18, 2008 5:51:00 AM

 

 

Why are all Utah fans freakin' `tards? AK complains during the off season a bit, and everyone around here throws a fit about how he sucks now. During the season he goes out and works harder than anyone, so it's all okay, but the second he says, "Yeah, I'd like more offense run through me." and it's back to everyone shitting on him again.

 

Also, they booed Fisher.

 

Any act of not total devotion to the Jazz and the fans here turn on you like that. I hate my fellow fans for that. Hate.

 

Amirite Stevie?

 

 

Your totally right on this one. He's one of the few (sometimes the only) guys on the team who is willing to attempt to help on defense. The team would be much worse off without him. I am a big fan of his, but I will admit at times I do think that he gets paid too much. Unfortunately, that's the result of Gasol and Randolph getting max deals, and at the time, AK looked like he had way much more upside.

 

Also, I don't think that they get him involved enough in the offense. They run cutting plays for freaking Harpring, but leave AK to try to be an outside shooter. What's up with that?

 

I think the booing of Fisher might have been one of the worst displays of fan behavior I've ever seen. There's no reason to be mad at him. He contributed and played well the year he was with the team. He wanted out of the team for a legitimate reason and left on good terms. He couldn't have done anything more professionally and he still wound up getting shit.

[Steviekick 0]

So...... is Josh Howard a dead man walking?

 

I am not American, so I can't say how American people feel, but I'm pretty sure Texas is a Red-White-Blue state.

 

I guess the next stop for Howard is Europe.

 

I think he'll be fine if he keeps quiet for a while. I haven't seen the story getting that much coverage offline, so he might have been able to get away with it.