Ken Berger of CBS Sports has a great column on KD: “He’s our best player,” Krzyzewski said. “As a result of that, we’re going to use him as a coach should try to use a guy of his talents. I’m just going to try to keep learning about him and keep putting him in situations where I don’t inhibit him and he’s able to instinctively react to the game.” Durant’s instincts have always taken him away from the spotlight, in the opposite direction of the marketing dollars and glitzy promos. As the Summer of LeBron gives way to the Summer of Durant, there will be nowhere on the world stage for him to hide. “Durant’s one of a kind,” Krzyzewski said. “You can’t say this guy’s like him or he’s like someone else. It doesn’t fit. He’s creating his own mold.” And if Durant can bring his talents home from Istanbul with a gold medal, he’ll be expanding that mold beyond anything he ever wanted or imagined.”
This is kind of hilarious. Some writer from The Atlantic criticizes KD for being irked about the White House snub: “It’s clear Durant feels he was entitled to play in the game over the weekend, but is this really a snub? The list of talented superstars who also weren’t there is long—Steve Nash, Dwight Howard, Shaq, Tim Duncan, Amare Stoudemire, to name a few—but you don’t hear them complaining.”
Russell Westbrook is likely battling Eric Gordon for one of the last roster spots on the US team and yesterday, Gordon didn’t have a good day, Chris Sheridan says: “Reporters were allowed to watch the final 20 minutes of practice, and we can tell you from that small sampling that Stephen Curry looked a whole lot better than Eric Gordon, who he is presumed to be battling with for a spot on the final 12-man roster. Gordon briefly ran the point and had his pocket picked by UConn point guard Kemba Walker, leading to a breakaway, and he nearly botched a simple pick-and-pop pass to Kevin Durant on the following possession.”
Part one in a webisode series about Team USA:
A nice look at former Thunderer Shaun Livingston: “Throughout every setback he has encountered in his short career, Livingston has taken it with stride, handled it with grace and dealt with it rationally by saying, “Everything happens for a reason.” After signing a two-year, $7 million contract with the ‘Cats, perhaps, indeed it does. Livingston’s dream has been revived and here he is, still an underdog, but one who definitely knows how to fight.”
A big, fun post at TrueHoop making the case for and against teams to be No. 2 behind LA. The case against OKC: “Kevin Durant: 88 games played in 09-10 (counting playoffs), at 40 minutes per. Russell Westbrook: 88 games. Jeff Green: 88 games. Of the Thunder personnel who played at least 20 minutes a night, the fewest games seen was 81 for Nick Collison. With Oklahoma City’s Big 3 fulfilling their patriotic duty this summer on the national team, it’s difficult to envision their maintaining both their level of play and their health for 82 more games next season. Pick one and they may take a step back. And in the crowded West, a game or two may be the difference between home-court and home for the summer.”
Dime with a top 10 games list: “January 17th: Oklahoma City at L.A. Lakers – After surprising many and pushing the Lakers to six games in the first round of the playoffs last year, the Thunder are out to prove it was no fluke. With KD solidifying himself as one of the game’s elite, he has a chance to measure himself (and his team) against Kobe and the defending champs.”
