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Thunder Say What? The Oklahoma City Thunder at Media Day

September 27th was Thunder Media Day, and our intrepid reporters were there. Here is a collection of the best quotes, quips, and questions that surfaced.

By J.A. Sherman
/ new
Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The NBA pre-season is upon us, as a host of teams, including the OKlahoma City Thunder, held their annual Media Day. It is the first glimpse of the team in its present composition, and a number of coaches and players take the opportunity to talk much while say little. It can be a cliche-fest to be sure, but that doesn't mean we can't glean some interesting ideas from their comments.

For the first time in WTLC's history (as far as I know), we were able to send not one but two of our writers to Media Day to take in the sights and sounds. Sarah (Rogers) Dewberry  and Trey Hunter  attended the event, tweeted the heck out of it, and give us plenty of soundbites to think about as we look forward to the upcoming season.

Here are some of the best, with special guest appearances from some of the other writers present:

***

WTLC is getting ready. Where is that man's head?

First up was Thabo Sefolosha, who spent some time away, and came back and decided to change his jersey number from #2 to #25.

Scott Brooks stepped up to the podium, and of course the first issue he needed to address was the health of Russell Westbrook.

And then we go right into Brooks-speak:

Hasheem Thabeet stepped up to the podium, and remarked that he's been focusing on the critical skill of running. That's honesty a good thing.

Nick Collison continues to be the savvy veteran who has been around since the inception, and he knew that Kevin Durant was the real deal from the beginning.

But seriously, Durant and Westbrook are loose canons.

Daniel Orton, a backup center who may be playing his way into the rotation, apparently looks like a giant DJ.

He's nothing if not thorough though.

And Orton gets points for the most honest answer of the day:

Of course, Kevin Durant had to address the ridiculous social media beef with Dwyane Wade.

Quite unexpectedly, Durant said he's already looking forward to the NBA Finals.

No, just kidding.

We do know that Durant is ready to cook. Or something.

Kendrick Perkins knows the truth though about his all-star teammate:

Of course for KD, it's always about KD:

Perk does like the new rookie though:

Which leads me to wonder:

Serge can't wait either. I can only imagine what those two guys will talk about. Maybe the music of "Dead or Alive."

Perk knows that the pressure is on him to step up his game.

And then smash that mirror with a jump-hook.

From Steven Adams himself, he's ready to get going.

At least Perk still has his game face ready.

And Russ has him swagging it up.

Ryan Gomes, a surprise signing this summer, believes that he has something to offer the squad.

Derek Fisher took the podium and confirmed his veteran's role and talked about the preseason.

That's actually a very good thing for youngsters like Lamb.

Russell Westbrook looked notably buff today and is eager to get back on the floor:

But...

But can Russ still run, shoot, and dribble? YES.

For his nickname, hey, why not?

Russ is also thankful that he's been marked for greatness by...oh boy...

Serge Ibaka is excited to showcase the hard work he put into the offseason and gave some great responses.

Serge wants to get his blocks total up again this year:

He'll still be a part of the Thunder's 3-point attack, but in the same limited capacity.

Lastly, what would nickname would he put on the back of his jersey?

Clark Matthews has an idea.

Jeremy Lamb is the team's big question mark, but Durant thinks he's ready:

Lamb knows what is expected of him, but he's got to be his own kind of player.

Last up, rookie Andre Roberson has a good role model.

Make no mistake though, if Roberson can add a jump shot to his repertoire of defense and rebounding at the 2-guard position, this can absolutely happen:

***

Great job to everyone involved. Let's get this season going!

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