George will help provide the Thunder a base to build around rather than a forced scramble for stabilityNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
The Thunder provided F Paul George "continuity and certainty," two key reasons George agreed to re-sign with the team for four years and $137M, according to a front-page piece by Erik Horne of the OKLAHOMAN. George and Thunder G Russell Westbrook "forged a strong friendship in the past year," and both are "now entrenched in Oklahoma City." The "commitment of George and Westbrook provides the Thunder a base to build around rather than a forced scramble for stability year-to-year in the post-Kevin Durant era" (OKLAHOMAN, 7/2). ESPN.com's Royce Young wrote under the header, "How OKC's Wild Gamble For Paul George Paid Off." Yesterday was a "landmark day for the franchise, only two summers after nearly watching everything they'd built crumble to pieces." Durant "had left, and Westbrook's future was suddenly murky." The Thunder's trade for George last summer "was a bet on themselves," but with a "star player such as Westbrook, a committed ownership group and a front office willing to take risks, George basically spent the season being impressed" (ESPN.com, 7/1). The deal "ensured the Thunder will remain relevant for the foreseeable future" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 7/1).
SEALING THE DEAL: The OKLAHOMAN's Horne noted Thunder front-office members, George's agent Aaron Mintz, and George were "reportedly meeting" Saturday night. George "arrived in Oklahoma City in the evening to "begin free agency with the end of speculation surrounding his future." That George "essentially wrapped up his free agency before it started is the most shocking part of the process" (OKLAHOMAN, 7/1). ESPN's Young said, "This is a landmark victory for the Oklahoma City Thunder. ... It is a massive achievement and it really speaks to the culture and the fabric of the Thunder organization to be able to build an organization on two players in their prime, both grew up in Southern California, both grew up Laker fans, and here they are planting their flag in the middle of America" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 6/30). In Oklahoma City, Berry Tramel writes the Thunder's "culture stood as tall as the redwoods in Sequoia National Park." It was the Thunder culture's "finest hour" (OKLAHOMAN, 7/2).
MARKET DOESN'T MATTER: ESPN's Jalen Rose noted fans and the media "get so blinded thinking everybody wants to play in a large market." Rose: "It's not about the market. It's about the personalities of the people that play in those markets. ... Just because you go to New York or go to L.A., that doesn't now unlock your superstardom" ("Get Up!," ESPN2, 7/2).
