Carmelo Anthony did not speak to the media after his Oklahoma City Thunder were beaten last night at the Peak by the Charlotte Hornets. The loss sends the Thunder two games under five hundred as Big Blue now stands 12-14 in this most disappointing season start.
The ownership in OKC must be wondering what the heck is going on as the payroll for this franchise is extraordinarily high with super stars Russell Westbrook and Paul George on the roster along with the $20 million dollar man Steven Adams to go with along with Carmelo Anthony and his $26 million dollar salary. Anthony is guaranteed another year in OKC which is not good either.
As the team finds ways to breakdown during games, finding ways to lose is becoming a habit. Yes, they have wins over Golden State and San Antonio, but the Thunder have been taken to the woodshed by such teams as Charlotte last night.
The shooting on the floor for this NBA team is most times awful. Russell Westbrook cannot, with consistency, make an eight foot elbow jumper nor can drive to the basket and get a bucket more times than not. Westbrook’s going 6 for a 100 from the floor has to stop.
Anthony and George also do not make the easiest of shots, and both seem to lose their attention during games with needless turnovers and less than inspired play. Fact of the matter, Carmelo looks old……and cannot out jump Kendrick as in Perkins.
With too many one way players, such as Alex Abrines (can not play defense) and Andre Roberson (can not shoot the ball) OKC is not a team constructed of good all-around ball players. That is a recipe for disaster.
With some dissention in the locker room, hopefully this team’s problems will come to a head and changes will take place. Will it be the changing of players? Will it mean a coaching change? Only General Manager Sam Presti can answer what will happen.
The arena in OKC was as empty as I have ever seen it for an announced sellout (18,203). There were at least five thousand no shows, with whole rows of seats with no butts in them, scattered throughout the Peak. That cannot be good.
It is one thing to lose games in the NBA. But to lose while breaking the bank is not in anyway good or acceptable. You can lose in this league and make money. That is something that has to be addresses. This team does not hunt sports fans.
The hatred of Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield and his winning of the Heisman Trophy is appalling. For all those anti-Mayfield detractors, what you are saying about him is more despicable than any of the things this man has done. They need to get a life.
Anyone that has been in a power position in their careers need to take a quick look back in their experiences in doing their jobs and think “have I always been the good and righteous person in dealing with my employees and co-workers” with regard to sexual harassment? If you have been on the up-and-up, good deal. If you have not, beware. The next one to feel the brunt of shame could be you. Ask the Fox NFL sports programing that have suspended Marshall Faulk and two others for less than stellar behavior.
My early predictions on the National Semi-finals are Oklahoma and Clemson. With that, if would not surprise me to see both Alabama and Georgia to move on with wins. Georgia can run the football and Sooner defensive coordinator Mike Stoops will sell out to stop the run. If Georgia does run the ball with consistency, the Bulldogs will be hard to beat. With the Tide and the Tigers, a close defensive slugfest is going to happen and in that setting, both are well equipped to beat the other like a dog. This is big boy ball sports fans.
The Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team that features freshman guard Trae Young has broken into the Top 25 in the Coaches Poll. OU has only one loss with seven wins and are off this week. Only improvement is front of this team even as some losses will happen. Young is the real deal, leading the country in scoring and second in assists. A first team All-America spot is looking good for Young.
The men’s basketball team at Oklahoma State is holding up well even after a 12 point loss at home to ninth ranked Wichita State. The Pokes are going to be a much better team than many expected. This is not a bottom feeder in the Big Twelve folks.
Feature photo: Russell Westbrook and the OKC Thunder against the Charolette Hornets last night in OKC. Sue Ogrocki, AP
