"Durant: Oklahoma A 'Great Place' For Basketball"

[BenjaminH]

March 14, 2008 - 1:35 pm

Oklahoman -

Kevin Durant may one day play his home games in Oklahoma and he feels it would be a 'great place' for NBA basketball.

"I was fortunate enough to play there for the Big 12 Tournament,

[CatchNShoot]

He should run for office. That was a diplomatic response without committing either way.

[BenjaminH]

Yeah, the headline makes it sound like he prefers Oklahoma. But, you're right, his response is very diplomatic.

[CatchNShoot]

The headline could have had the subtitle, "Seattle...not a great deal"

[Sweezo]

Or "Durant: Oklahoma a place 'where a lot of people came out.'" The five seconds I spent reading that Oklahoman blurb could've been better used staring at the tiles on my office ceiling.

[yearsago]

Misleading title, plain and simple.

[Det the Threat]

Just a crappy title by a crappy newspaper....

[Ex-hippie]

Pleh, what's Durant supposed to say? He will still be under contract, and I don't think he wants to alienate the fan base. That is, until he inevitably bolts when he is eligible for free agency.

Not that anyone cares about the WNBA, but I liked Lauren Jackson's take better (namely, that she'll never move to Oklahoma under any circumstances).

[Dick Tate]

Lauren Jackson could either retire or go play down under. What's Durant going to do? His marketing machine is just getting underway.

[grantpb]

Why do you feel that Durant will inevitably bolt when he becomes a free agent? Sure, this year is rough but the team is rebuilding and Presti will be doing some good things the next couple of years through free agency and through their many draft picks.

Durant was brought in to take over the franchise. Once they get some more good players around him, he will have no reason to "inevitably leave"

[Goon_Slapper]

Let me think...living in OKC, or another city? I'd choose to live in just about every other city that has an NBA than have to live in OKC.

[grantpb]

I have a feeling that this will be the last post I will be able to make on this board without people flaming me to high heaven, but have you ever been to OKC? It's not THAT bad.

The property value (and other values) is so ridiculous for the money. You get so much house/car/whatever for what you pay for.

The N.O. Hornets went 18-64 the year before moving to OKC, and OKC had the 8th best attendance in the league, for the team coming off of the worst record in the league.

The year after that, when it was already announced that the Hornets were moving back to New Orleans, attendance was still top ten, even though OKC fans knew the team was leaving to go back to N.O.

Many of the Hornets players loved OKC and didn't want to leave, although they were politically correct when talking to the media about it.

The atmosphere is closer to that of a college game, as basketball fans in Oklahoma do not realize that at an NBA game you are supposed to sit around quietly. The home court advantage at the Ford Center was undeniable.

It's a city that is excited beyond belief at the prospect of acquiring an NBA team, and that excitement is evident in the overwhelming vote to fund the Ford Center improvements.

I guarantee you that players would rather play for a smaller, less "flashy" city with an excited, packed house on gamenight than a more populated, more city-like city with worse attendance.

If anything, I would think playing in OKC is more of an incentive than it is a deterrent.

*puts on body armor and waits for onslaught of angry fans thrashing Oklahoma City and my views on it*

This could be ugly.

[OzSonic]

Pleh, what's Durant supposed to say? He will still be under contract, and I don't think he wants to alienate the fan base. That is, until he inevitably bolts when he is eligible for free agency.

Not that anyone cares about the WNBA, but I liked Lauren Jackson's take better (namely, that she'll never move to Oklahoma under any circumstances).

I wish one of the Sonics players would do what Lauren Jackson did but the sad thing is if it is not Durant I don't think they would care.

If they move I hope all the rookies bolt and leave their team a shell like we have had to put up with this season. It's all they deserve!

Presti will be doing some good things the next couple of years through free agency

Don't get your hopes up, who would want to sign with this team? I don't see any big FA's signing here until the teams future is finalised, that may not be for a while so don't expect FA's to come until then.

[wiff]

-= original quote snipped =-

Don't get your hopes up, who would want to sign with this team? I don't see any big FA's signing here until the teams future is finalised, that may not be for a while so don't expect FA's to come until then.

I agree with that 100%. Seattle has a hard enough time as it is to land free agents. Seattle/OKC depending on which way the wind blows is less attractive.

-= original quote snipped =-

The property value (and other values) is so ridiculous for the money. You get so much house/car/whatever for what you pay for.

That's great for the average Joe, but Durant is in a much higher tax bracket. He can afford any house in any market.

You think a guy like Donald Trump would move to OKC because he can buy a bigger house for less money?

Durant is going to be one of the brightest stars in the league no way he stays in OKC. Someone will target him and try to swoon him away from OKC(if they land there).

New York Knicks conversation with Durant. New York says "More chicks less Cows". Durant says "Where do I sign"?

Miami conversation with Durant. Miami says "Hurricanes are on the beach twisters are in the dust bowls". Durants responds "where do I sign"?

Every other NBA city (with the exception of Milwaukee) conversation with Durant, "Hey at least were not OKC". "Where do I sign"? as Durant clamours for a pen.

Seriously if you are a person with self respect how could any of these guys want to play for an owner like Clay Bennett? Every owner has deep pockets it's not like he has the market cornered will dollar signs.

[Ex-hippie]

Why do you feel that Durant will inevitably bolt when he becomes a free agent?

Option A: Oklahoma City
Option B: any other NBA city
Not even a close call

[Ex-hippie]

I have a feeling that this will be the last post I will be able to make on this board without people flaming me to high heaven, but have you ever been to OKC? It's not THAT bad.

Yes. Yes it is. The history of Oklahoma starts with the "Trail of Tears," in which Native Americans were forcibly removed from their land in Florida. People thought: "what's the biggest sh*t hole we can find for them?" After briefly considering Arkansas, they settled on Oklahoma. Since then, the history of Oklahoma consists of stories of people trying to get out. (And its current population consists of people who didn't do well enough in high school to live that dream.)

The property value (and other values) is so ridiculous for the money. You get so much house/car/whatever for what you pay for.

Thus proving my point. Supply and demand, my friend. In this case, "demand" = "you couldn't pay me enough to live there."

The N.O. Hornets went 18-64 the year before moving to OKC, and OKC had the 8th best attendance in the league, for the team coming off of the worst record in the league.

The year after that, when it was already announced that the Hornets were moving back to New Orleans, attendance was still top ten, even though OKC fans knew the team was leaving to go back to N.O.

Yes, they turn out when they know it's a one-shot deal. Now or never. Let's see what happens when the team has been there for five years, isn't novel anymore, and is still 18-64. (Because, once again, zero free agents will want to live in Oklahoma.)

The atmosphere is closer to that of a college game, as basketball fans in Oklahoma do not realize that at an NBA game you are supposed to sit around quietly. The home court advantage at the Ford Center was undeniable.

There are a lot of things people in Oklahoma don't realize. For example, there's a whole world out there, dinosaurs existed once, you're not supposed to screw your cousin, mullets aren't cool, and it's hypocritical to fund the Swift Boat Veterans (supposedly conservative) while calling for hundreds of millions of dollars in state aid.

[grantpb]

OK, I am not on these boards all the time, but I am going to go ahead and assume that the majority of posts you make are more of "joke posts" rather than legitimately trying to argue anything.

I asked if you had ever been to Oklahoma City, but it is fairly obvious you have not been, based on your perception of it. Anyone who describes Oklahoma as cows, dust bowls, mullets, and incest has absolutely no business discussing which regions of the country are more favorable than others.

If I was an ignorant, stereotyping person I would say, "Who would EVER want to live in Seattle? Where a 3-bedroom home costs $500,000 and EVERY DAY it is 60 degrees and rainy? No wonder so many people commit suicide there, the weather alone makes it the most depressing place in the country. Not to mention the tree-hugging hippie liberals buying their $5 coffees in the suberbs while the pollution and homelessness and industrialization takes over on the streets"

But I know that would be a stereotype, as in reality Seattle is 100x better than any negative perceptions it might have. I would suggest you open your mind up a little bit about Oklahoma City. It's one of the cleanest, friendliest, upcoming cities in the U.S. And property value might not be a huge factor for Kevin Durant, but it could be for other players, coaches, staff, etc. Plus it could just be in principle. A one-million dollar house in Seattle would cost 400k in OKC. Players and coaches can obviously afford any house they want to, but given the choice I think they would still choose to pay less than 1/2 the price for everything they purchase.

I am not trying to defend Clay Bennett, as I think it's one of the cheapest, sleaziest ways to go about getting an NBA team, swiping them from another city. But don't take your aggression on the issue out on Oklahoma City and its fans by making yourself look ignorant.

[grantpb]

Also, I know Peja and Tyson Chandler were not free agents, but they had no objections coming to the "hellhole" of a city as you view it.

After two seasons in Oklahoma City, the Hornets went from the worst team in the league, to leading the Western Conference at several points during the season this year.

If you think a bad team cannot turn it around and prosper in Oklahoma City, you must not pay any attention to NBA basketball.

[Ex-hippie]

I asked if you had ever been to Oklahoma City, but it is fairly obvious you have not been, based on your perception of it.

Oklahoma is the ultimate "flyover state," and I fly over it all the time. That's as close as I ever hope to get.

I've actually set foot in 43 of the 50 states. I hope to make it to 49 before I die, with Oklahoma being the other one. I need to get to North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Alaska, New Hampshire and Maine, all of which I'd like to visit someday.

I would suggest you open your mind up a little bit about Oklahoma City. It's one of the cleanest, friendliest, upcoming cities in the U.S.

And it ranks #1 in per-capita UFO sightings! Just sayin'.

[Sweezo]

I'm grateful for the Flaming Lips, but other than that...