Monday, July 15th, 2019

An NBA-obsessed newsletter for the info-craved basketball mind. Did a friend forward you this newsletter? Sign yourself up here.

Written while listening to Slum Village's Selfish

 Everything’s a draw when it’s new and shiny   

When the Thunder moved to Oklahoma City in 2008, they were a rare combination of new, exciting, and soon-to-be very good. Most new or relocated teams can’t say that.For the last 11 years, they’ve been fairly easy to root for; even after the title window closed, in 2016, the team did an admirable job of fighting off a rebuild over the last three years.Now, in 2019, the final piece of the dynasty that never happened is headed to Houston, and OKC will enter this season in tear down mode for the first time in its Midwestern history.And that’s ... kind of terrifying, because it’s easy to love a team when it’s good and young and new and fun. It’s much harder when Andre Roberson is your second best player in a region where college football was always No. 1, anyway.There is some hope, for sure. Just look at the asset list OKC has stockpiled since trading Paul George to the Clippers and Russell Westbrook to the Rockets: 

• 2020 first-rounders: OKC, Denver

• 2021: OKC, Miami, pick swap with Houston

• 2022: OKC, L.A.

• 2023: OKC, Miami, pick swap with L.A.

• 2024: OKC, L.A., Miami

• 2025: OKC, pick swap with Houston or L.A.

• 2026: OKC, L.A., Houston

But, as far as hope goes, it doesn’t get any better than in 2010, when the Thunder had Westbrook, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Serge Ibaka. After a loss in the NBA Finals in 2012, a really dumb trade to save a few bucks that same year, a few poorly-timed injuries in 2013 and 2015, and a blown 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals in 2016, there isn’t much to show for the greatest young core in NBA history.And now that all those players are gone, we’re going to learn more about OKC as a pro sports market than we ever could have in, say, 2014.Will the NBA still be there in 10 years? We have no idea, of course. But things can go south quickly in the NBA -- (sorry, Vancouver) -- especially when the league is getting pressure from ESPN to beef up its 30 for 30 narrative.Kidding. But, while we're at it, here are some predictions on what the OKC doc will be called:Bust townRolling ThunderStolen ThunderThunder strikesThe wild, wild MidwestOklahoma pityAnd, finally, a Grapes of Wrath pun that we can’t quiiiite put our fingers on.[READ: It’s no fun to get stuck between superstars]

The Kawhi effect

If, on July 9, Kawhi Leonard leaked to the NBA news breakers that he was actually going to be headed back to Toronto, a lot of NBA teams would look a whole lot different right now.Considering the butterfly effect with Kawhi’s power move is a thought-exercise in how much power the modern NBA superstar possesses.Here’s what his chess move to the Clippers meant for...The Clippers: Instant contention over the next two years and another home run for Jerry West, who can add Kawhi to a list of free agent signings that includes Shaq and Kevin Durant.The Raptors: A now-underwhelming and aging roster with no chance of defending its title.The Thunder: A complete and total tear down, and the sudden possession of Chris Paul, who played two seasons in OKC in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.To start the month, OKC had two maxed-out superstars early in their contracts. Then, Kawhi hit Paul George with a U up?The Rockets: A revived backcourt and the reunion of two friends who go wayyyyyy back. The trade of Chris Paul confirmed what Daryl Morey had spent the offseason denying: That James Harden and Paul were not on good terms. Now, can we blast those State Farm commercials into outer space?[READ: How James Harden and Russell Westbrook can make it work in Houston]The Heat (?): Paul is a 34-year-old deteriorating point guard with $124 million and three years left on his contract. Does Pat Riley care about that? Probably not. Miami is the rumored destination for CP3. 

File under: Weird rule changes

The NBA is going to allow challenge flags next season, it was announced last week, because constant last-minute time outs and five-minute reviews weren’t maddening enough. 

• Each coach will be able to challenge only one call per game, regardless of whether or not they win the challenge

• Plays eligible for challenge, per NBA.com: "A personal foul charged to their team, a called out-of-bounds violation, a goaltending violation or a basket-interference violation."

No word on whether or not the 'challenge flag' will be an actual challenge flag. 

 Quick Hits

• From Reddit, perhaps the weirdest stat in NBA history: LeBron is averaging 27-7-7 for his career, but has never put up 27 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists in an NBA game. 

• Steven Adams is likely the next to go in Oklahoma City. He’s soon-to-be 26 and is owed $52 million over the next two years. 

• Six of the 15 All-NBA players this season are now on different teams. 

• Dwyane Wade’s retirement tour now features a lot of outdated jerseys.

• New Laker DeMarcus Cousins thinks he’ll play all 82 games next year.  

• Take a tour of the Utah Jazz’s five-star practice facility with Mike Conley.

• Some reporter thought Stanley Johnson was Patrick McCaw during a press conference. Prepare to cringe. 

• Chauncey Billups had an interesting answer as to why Carmelo Anthony isn’t in the league.

 Concrete Reads 

• A roundup of the bizarre media circus that surrounded Kawhi Leonard’s free agency [The Ringer]

• The Brooklyn Nets have quite a history -- and a stupid nickname [The Boston Globe] 

• How Russell Westbrook and Oklahoma City grew side-by-side [The Oklahoman]

• Is Thunder fire sale a sign for Billy Donovan to go back to college? [Yahoo!]

• The Thunder are the new most hopeful team in the NBA [The Ringer]

 Podcast Pick

The silence around the Kawhi signing [The Press Box]