November 2, 2019

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June 30, 2012

Andy Katz cuts in to explain Perry Jones's plummet down the draft board as being due to possible health issues with his knee. He definitely said "knee." Not "dick."

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Pick 28: Fittingly, but awkwardly, Oklahoma City picks next. Jeff Van Gundy points out how the Thunder built what they currently have; by landing Kevin Durant and continuing to suck for two more years in order to get Russell Westbrook and James Harden. This, then creates a juxtaposition. If we hate the Miami Heat for the way they built their team - the suspected collusion and definite buddying-up - why do we not harbour similar resentment for teams who make themselves deliberately terrible in order to land top talent? What makes one more noble than the other? Both teams did what they could, and while a good guys/bad guys storyline is inevitable and not unwelcome, the Thunder deliberately took many steps backward in order to take a giant leap forward. It's no more honourable than the other.

That said, OKC have long had a simple way of doing things that largely involves choosing the best players available. They do again by salvaging Perry Jones's night. As the last man in the black plaza, Jones is still here, and he takes to the stage with a facial expression drizzled in apathy and resentment, with a creamy topping of relief. He seems similarly antagonised in his interview with Mark Jones, who is also still here, not quite able to knock off for the night.

Fran Fraschilla is called in to analyse this Big 12 player, and calls a Jones a possible Serge Ibaka replacement. This is true if you discount Ibaka's shotblocking, which is to say, it isn't true. Broussard goes Barry on us and says the Thunder need a backup point guard because Eric Maynor was injured last year, overlooking the importance there of the word "was." And Jay Bilas provides another refreshing take - while many fault Jones for his supposed passivity, Bilas says that it's fine. In a way, it is. Jones's main crime is not being as good as everyone else says he should be, yet in over-emphasising that, we can readily overlook quite what he does do. For some people, we instinctively look for the positives, and some the negatives. That's just how it is.

Here's Perry Jones, again, deficient in the eyebrow department to the tune of one:

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