More on new Thunder acquisition Randy Foye and the rest of Thursday’s trades.
THUNDER JOURNAL
Newest Thunder is an NBA veteran. Ten years in the league; 656 games; 392 starts. Stints with the Timberwolves, Wizards, Clippers, Jazz and Nuggets. Two playoff series, both with the Clippers in 2012.
Foye has played 28 games against the Thunder. He also played four games against the Hornets in 2006-07, their last season in Oklahoma City. So that’s 32 games against OKC in a decade. For the record, Foye against OKC teams has averaged 7.9 points and shot 39.6 percent from the field.
But before Foye ever played against an NBA Oklahoma team, he played a marquee game against the Oklahoma Sooners. On Dec. 3, 2005, Foye’s Villanova Wildcats beat OU 85-74 in Philadelphia, a rousing matchup of teams ranked fourth (‘Nova) and fifth (Sooners) in the nation.
And Foye scored a career-high 32 points. Foye scored 16 points in each half. He missed just two shots in the second half. “All while throwing in jumpers from all over and continually blowing by OU defenders to get to the goal,” wrote then-Oklahoman writer
Then-OU coach duly impressed.
“When you can shoot threes and finish at the rim, it’s hard to guard you,” Sampson said. “Foye is outstanding.”
Villanova that season used a four-guard lineup, including of Toronto Raptors fame. Those four guards combined
was for 70 points against the Sooners.
That Villanova team finished 28-5 and made the regional final of the NCAA Tournament, a game in which Foye scored 25 points but lost to the eventual national champion Florida. The team of
and
Coached by, yep,
NOMAD NOVAK TWEETS Steve Novak
D.J.
The Thunder traded to Denver on Thursday, along with Augustin. It’s Novak’s ninth team in 10 NBA seasons. He’s been traded five times. Novak’s teams, in order, are the Rockets, Clippers, Mavericks, Spurs, Knicks, Raptors, Jazz, Thunder and now Nuggets.
After the trade Thursday, Novak tweeted a photo of his young son, Mack Novak, playing basketball in the backyard on a backboard with the Knick logo while wearing a Thunder jersey and Jazz shorts.
“And you wonder why the lil homie is confused!” Novak wrote.
ESPN.com’s “Foye still doesn’t give the Thunder the two-way wing they covet. On the plus side, Foye can handle the ball well enough to play point guard in a pinch, and Oklahoma City needed a third point guard after trading Augustin.”