Oklahoma City, In the Press

[OKCisOK4me]

I provided a www.lmgtfy.com link ;-)

[mugofbeer]

I just sent a njcely worded email to CNBC too, asking them to change the photo and sent one more representative of the city. Perhaps if everyone reading does the same, they might oblige. Just be nice and respectful.

[ABCOKC]

418 SE 44th

Dang dude, impressive.

[Laramie]

418 SE 44th

Impressive recall.

Thought to myself that I've seen this area before when the old Onion Barrell Restaurant (CF steaks, burgers & onion rings) was open off 44th & South High:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/41...027099!6m1!1e1

[OKC Talker]

http://www.wnyc.org/story/oklahomas-...mp-presidency/

A good national radio segment with a Oklahoma City resident.

It looks like part of a series on local issues in Oklahoma.

http://www.wnyc.org/story/executive-...oklahoma-city/

[Laramie]

.
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City, their incredible history together and a departure that will forever sting. --Anthony Slater, San Jose Mercury News.

Then the rest of the country rightly wonders: How can a fan-base be so venomous toward a man making a personal employment choice after delivering so much, so gracefully to a region for eight years?

The viciousness was silly. But the heartbreak was real and the sting will never leave. To so many in the state, Kevin Durant wasn’t just an athlete. He was a symbol. This wasn’t Shaq bolting from Orlando. This was the Liberty Bell leaving Philadelphia.

http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/02/0...forever-sting/

[Plutonic Panda]

Yeah I don't blame KD one bit for leaving and it's hilarious how mad people got.

[catch22]

Yeah I don't blame KD one bit for leaving and it's hilarious how mad people got.

Sports are emotional for the players and fan. Once emotions are involved, feelings will be hurt when the bond is broken ubruptly.

[Bellaboo]

Yeah I don't blame KD one bit for leaving and it's hilarious how mad people got.

Quit trolling

[Plutonic Panda]

Quit trolling

seriously? I'm not trolling. I guess I'm not a huge sports fan as catch said so I don't quite understand the emotion. I understand why it'd be saddening but I also understand why he did it. What I don't understand is furious outrage.

[Laramie]

He didn't have the backbone to tell his basketball brother (Russell Westbrook) about his decision. You basically told OKC; IT WAS FUN, BUT I MUST RUN...

More disheartening, he joined Golden State, the team we had down 3 - 1 in the series. Durant played like crap in those final 3 losses. K. D. wanted a championship ring. That ring won't mean a thing because he joined a ready-made NBA championship team instead of following through like a true leader to fulfill his dream.

No Kevin, I'm not going to boo you, because you're braced for that, that would be to good for you; but don't be surprised if I'm not happy to see you in a Warriors' uniform, SO GOODBYE & HAPPY LIFE; however I can't speak for the group of fans who just might want to tar-and-feather you.

Dream on K. D., it's just like Westbrook said, "We only allow men in our locker room." As a true Thunder fan who admired your ambition; you can live your dream for an NBA ring, OUR team & our dream will move on without you.

[traxx]

He didn't have the backbone to tell his basketball brother (Russell Westbrook) about his decision. You basically told OKC; IT WAS FUN, BUT I MUST RUN...

More disheartening, he joined Golden State, the team we had down 3 - 1 in the series. Durant played like crap in those final 3 losses. K. D. wanted a championship ring. That ring won't mean a thing because he joined a ready-made NBA championship team instead of following through like a true leader to fulfill his dream.

No Kevin, I'm not going to boo you, because you're braced for that, that would be to good for you; but don't be surprised if I'm not happy to see you in a Warriors' uniform, SO GOODBYE & HAPPY LIFE; however I can't speak for the group of fans who just might want to tar-and-feather you.

Dream on K. D., it's just like Westbrook said, "We only allow men in our locker room." As a true Thunder fan who admired your ambition; you can live your dream for an NBA ring, OUR team & our dream will move on without you.

Totally agree.

The dude who wrote the article either doesn't understand sports or is ignoring the obvious to try to make a case for Kevin.

You've got a team down 3-1 and end up losing and you're a large part of the reason for the losses but then you go join that team. It doesn't look good. Add to that, that he was hanging out with Dramond and others after the games and being all friendly with them and it doesn't look good. I'm not saying Kevin can't be friends with someone from another team, but when you're trying to put a team away for a trip to the finals, you don't need to be getting all cozy with them.

Add to that how Kevin handled the leaving situation and that makes it worse. He chose to do it over 4th of July in hopes that he could fly under the radar and avoid what he knew was coming; questions about going to a team that just ended your season because you played bad. Then Kevin tried to say he chose the more difficult road to a championship by going to GSW and that's just ludicrous. Then he and his new team try to play him as the victim in the whole thing like Russ and the guys had wronged Kevin. In what world does that make sense?

I guarantee you, had Kevin gone someplace like the Knicks, you wouldn't see anywhere near the level of anger that you did when he went to GSW. Sure, people would've been sad and upset but it would've been a lot easier to stomach. I can't believe the dude that wrote that article doesn't see that nor understand that.

[dankrutka]

The other thread on this has some posts with interesting points about what's excluded from the article, but suggesting that Anthony Slater "doesn't understand sports or is ignoring the obvious to try to make a case for Kevin" is kind of unfair. First, Slater is a tremendous writer and he was a real loss for the Oklahoman. Fortunately, I think Erik Horne has really done a nice job in taking over for Slater. Second, I think there is always an argument about selection and emphasis, and I think Slater probably made choices for his readers. I think it was a well-written article even if it wasn't complete.

[Mike_M]

I think even with KD going to the Warriors, people could have probably gotten over it if he had done it the right way. His blog post on the Players Tribune was just so generic and heartless. Then he allowed his camp to leak out all the Westbrook stuff and got baited into giving some pretty dramatic quotes. If he had just given OKC love on his way out and then shutup till the beginning of the season, most of the drama would have subsided by now.

You would've thought that watching the Lebron->Miami drama unfold would've taught us how NOT to leave a franchise, but KD blazed his own terrible trail on this road.

[mugofbeer]

Its just sad that NBA ring won't carry quite the meaning it could have had when he realizes he took the easy way to get it. He was beloved in OKC but is just another entertainer in Golden State.

[Laramie]

Its just sad that NBA ring won't carry quite the meaning it could have had when he realizes he took the easy way to get it. He was beloved in OKC but is just another entertainer in Golden State.

Durant lacked leadership. He feared RW because he was a true threat to take over the player leadership role in OKC. Westbrook is now married; this probably didn't set well with Durant. Westbrook is strong; speaks his mind--tells it like it is. Westbrook has clearly shown how a franchise player should lead.

K.D. hasn't earned that ring yet; San Antonio, Houston, Utah, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis, Oklahoma City & some others in the West may make it difficult for the Warriors.

[_Kyle]

A little of topic but still cant believe we made this list http://www.nationalgeographic.com/tr...st-trips-2015/

[chuck5815]

A little of topic but still cant believe we made this list http://www.nationalgeographic.com/tr...st-trips-2015/

that's a slightly better picture than the one used by CNBC

[gman11695]

OpenTable ranked OKC the most romantic city in the US this year
https://blog.opentable.com/2017/love...-america-2017/

[traxx]

The other thread on this has some posts with interesting points about what's excluded from the article, but suggesting that Anthony Slater "doesn't understand sports or is ignoring the obvious to try to make a case for Kevin" is kind of unfair. First, Slater is a tremendous writer and he was a real loss for the Oklahoman. Fortunately, I think Erik Horne has really done a nice job in taking over for Slater. Second, I think there is always an argument about selection and emphasis, and I think Slater probably made choices for his readers. I think it was a well-written article even if it wasn't complete.

He says:

the country rightly wonders: How can a fan-base be so venomous toward a man making a personal employment choice after delivering so much, so gracefully to a region for eight years?

Which means he wonders; no the country. OKC doesn't have a corner on the market of fan bases being venomous. It's sports. That happens a lot. And again, it wasn't anger over an employment decision. The anger was over him playing terrible and blowing a 3-1 lead and then going to that very team that he played terrible against. Kevin is pretty much just trying to buy a ring at this point. Like I said, if Kevin had gone to a place like the Knicks, you wouldn't see this kind of anger. But the guy writing the article wouldn't know that.

He calls the viciousness silly. Again, he doesn't seem to understand sports. Show me in this article where he gets and/or understands sports.

[dankrutka]

Again, he doesn't seem to understand sports. Show me in this article where he gets and/or understands sports.

Throughout the article and throughout his writing career where he was, in my opinion, the best Thunder beat writer the Oklahoman has had. Just because you disagree with someone doesn't mean they're incompetent or lack knowledge.

[AP]

Throughout the article and throughout his writing career where he was, in my opinion, the best Thunder beat writer the Oklahoman has had. Just because you disagree with someone doesn't mean they're incompetent or lack knowledge.

+1

[AP]

It's quite silly if you've followed any bit of Anthony's writing career at all, to suggest he doesn't understand sports.

[traxx]

Throughout the article and throughout his writing career where he was, in my opinion, the best Thunder beat writer the Oklahoman has had. Just because you disagree with someone doesn't mean they're incompetent or lack knowledge.

It's not about not agreeing with him. If he really does understand and get sports as you say, then he's being purposefully obtuse in order to cultivate his storyline. It's not about Kevin changing jobs. It never was. It was about playing a team for a spot in the finals but hanging out with that team during the series more than his own team. It was about Kevin being a big reason we blew the 3-1 lead. It's about in retrospect it appears Kevin had mentally already gone to the GSW during that series. But it gets played off like the stupid Okies don't understand how pro sports work because this is their first pro team. Most Oklahoman have had favorite pro teams before the Thunder ever arrived. We understand players leave, get traded etc. But he's going to ignore all of that so he can write his story of how OKC is being unfair to Kevin or how OKC is full of noobs or whatever narrative he wants to write. Ignore reality to write your own narrative.

Like I said, had he gone to some other team like the Pacers, there wouldn't have been this kind of uproar. And I don't see anyone being able to dispute that.

[OKC Talker]

OpenTable ranked OKC the most romantic city in the US this year
https://blog.opentable.com/2017/love...-america-2017/

It's hilarious that their "trackback" quotes TLO saying "Oklahoma City is the most romantic place in the country. Or, at least according to one of those meaningless clickbait lists."