Live From Vegas: Thunder All Business
Aug 20 2009 3:52PM
LAS VEGAS -- A little more than 12 hours after the Thunder’s worst performance in two Summer Leagues, the team went through an intense and rigorous practice at a high school gym just outside of Las Vegas.
The Thunder had lost, 86-57, to the Memphis Grizzlies in its Las Vegas Summer League opener on Sunday. No one was happy about that one, regardless of the fact that this was the team’s sixth game in eight days, or that no trophies are handed out at week’s end.
So come Monday, it wasn’t a surprise that no excuses were made. It simply wasn’t a viable performance for the Thunder.
''That’s not us," swingman Kyle Weaver said.
And from the looks of Monday's practice, the Thunder seems intent on avoiding a similar showing. For the Thunder, Summer League is more than just a handful of scrimmages and practices.
It's an opportunity to hone skills, develop and maintain chemistry and build for the future. It's non-stop competition, from games to practice drills.
''It's a business approach and I think that, especially with this situation, you feel that seriousness in everything that we do,” Weaver said.
The Thunder arrived here on Friday with a plan already in place.
The team brought a traveling party of about 35, including players, coaching staff and basketball operations personnel. It’s been a top to bottom operation with no separation. Nate Tibbetts, the head coach of the Tulsa 66ers, is here, as is trainer Anthony Aldridge. Assistant coach Brian Keefe has headed both Summer League teams but head coach Scott Brooks has been here every day overseeing the process.
The team is staying off the Las Vegas Strip at a hotel without a casino in the lobby. Game days include a morning shoot-around that’s more like a practice. And if there’s no games, there’s a guaranteed practice.
"It's definitely demanding,” guard Shaun Livingston said. “There’s no B.S. here with the coaching staff and what the organization expects out of us, so I think they’re getting their point across.”
Like Weaver, who played for Charlotte last summer before he was acquired by the Thunder, Livingston has also played in another organization’s Summer League. He said there’s subtle differences to how an organization runs its off-season programs, which is due to circumstances. So he had an idea of what to expect with the Thunder.
"The expectations are high but it’s for a reason,” Livingston said. “Our circumstances are different than a lot of teams. It’s a new beginning in Oklahoma, there’s a rebuilding process and it’s really about developing. It’s going to be important to catch these guys up with where our other guys are.”
Livingston later said, “I think it’s all planning and it’s all the focus of building a winning organization. It’s got to start from everyday habits. I think that’s really the main focus and the reason and logic behind a lot of the decisions.”
It’s part of the reason why guard Russell Westbrook, one of the league’s top rookies last season, played in both Orlando and Las Vegas. And when in Orlando, Westbrook treated the entire team to dinner one night, which spoke to his desire to help develop chemistry not only on but off the court.
“I think we, the Thunder, approach (Summer League) different than other teams,” Westbrook said.
If anyone on the Las Vegas roster would know that, it would be guard Keith McLeod, a four-year journeyman who is trying to make a training camp roster. McLeod has played for four different NBA teams before joining the Thunder in Vegas, and he was able to catch on to what the Thunder is trying to do in just his third day with the team.
“The approach is a little more demanding, a little more serious than some teams I’ve played for before,” McLeod said. “But that’s how it is getting ready for the regular season. They’ve got a lot of young guys and they’re trying to get them acclimated to what it’s going to be when the season starts. I think it’s the perfect way to go about it.”
Contact Chris Silva
The Thunder had lost, 86-57, to the Memphis Grizzlies in its Las Vegas Summer League opener on Sunday. No one was happy about that one, regardless of the fact that this was the team’s sixth game in eight days, or that no trophies are handed out at week’s end.
So come Monday, it wasn’t a surprise that no excuses were made. It simply wasn’t a viable performance for the Thunder.
''That’s not us," swingman Kyle Weaver said.
And from the looks of Monday's practice, the Thunder seems intent on avoiding a similar showing. For the Thunder, Summer League is more than just a handful of scrimmages and practices.
It's an opportunity to hone skills, develop and maintain chemistry and build for the future. It's non-stop competition, from games to practice drills.
''It's a business approach and I think that, especially with this situation, you feel that seriousness in everything that we do,” Weaver said.
The Thunder arrived here on Friday with a plan already in place.
The team brought a traveling party of about 35, including players, coaching staff and basketball operations personnel. It’s been a top to bottom operation with no separation. Nate Tibbetts, the head coach of the Tulsa 66ers, is here, as is trainer Anthony Aldridge. Assistant coach Brian Keefe has headed both Summer League teams but head coach Scott Brooks has been here every day overseeing the process.
The team is staying off the Las Vegas Strip at a hotel without a casino in the lobby. Game days include a morning shoot-around that’s more like a practice. And if there’s no games, there’s a guaranteed practice.
"It's definitely demanding,” guard Shaun Livingston said. “There’s no B.S. here with the coaching staff and what the organization expects out of us, so I think they’re getting their point across.”
Like Weaver, who played for Charlotte last summer before he was acquired by the Thunder, Livingston has also played in another organization’s Summer League. He said there’s subtle differences to how an organization runs its off-season programs, which is due to circumstances. So he had an idea of what to expect with the Thunder.
"The expectations are high but it’s for a reason,” Livingston said. “Our circumstances are different than a lot of teams. It’s a new beginning in Oklahoma, there’s a rebuilding process and it’s really about developing. It’s going to be important to catch these guys up with where our other guys are.”
Livingston later said, “I think it’s all planning and it’s all the focus of building a winning organization. It’s got to start from everyday habits. I think that’s really the main focus and the reason and logic behind a lot of the decisions.”
It’s part of the reason why guard Russell Westbrook, one of the league’s top rookies last season, played in both Orlando and Las Vegas. And when in Orlando, Westbrook treated the entire team to dinner one night, which spoke to his desire to help develop chemistry not only on but off the court.
“I think we, the Thunder, approach (Summer League) different than other teams,” Westbrook said.
If anyone on the Las Vegas roster would know that, it would be guard Keith McLeod, a four-year journeyman who is trying to make a training camp roster. McLeod has played for four different NBA teams before joining the Thunder in Vegas, and he was able to catch on to what the Thunder is trying to do in just his third day with the team.
“The approach is a little more demanding, a little more serious than some teams I’ve played for before,” McLeod said. “But that’s how it is getting ready for the regular season. They’ve got a lot of young guys and they’re trying to get them acclimated to what it’s going to be when the season starts. I think it’s the perfect way to go about it.”
Contact Chris Silva
