J.A. Adande of ESPN.com on KD as Captain America of Team USA: “Even though Durant played as much basketball as anyone this year, participating in all 66 games of the lockout-shortened regular season and lasting until the end of the NBA Finals, there’s no talk of Durant skipping the Olympics to recuperate. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard and Rose are among those who won’t be there because of injuries. There could have been even more work for USA Basketball last summer if it had to qualify for the Olympics, but winning the FIBA World Championships in 2010 earned the team an automatic Olympic berth and spared the Americans that extra step. Durant’s breakout performance keeps paying dividends.”
Berry Tramel on NBA spending: “Look no further than Kendrick Perkins, the Thunder’s enforcer of a center. Perk will make $7.8 million next season, 8.5 million in 2013-14 and $9.1 million in 2014-15. Gran Torino isn’t much of an offensive threat, but he rebounds and plays defense and keeps the likes of Tim Duncan and Andrew Bynum at bay. Some think the Thunder will have to cut Perkins under the NBA’s new one-time only amnesty rule, which allows a franchise to clear a contract from its books. But Perk’s contract is value-loaded. With the most recent rash of contract offers, Perkins’ salary figures to rank in the bottom third of NBA center contracts. Looks to me like he’ll rank 21st among the league’s 30 starting centers.”
Kurt Helin of PBT on Thabeet: “But if he does — if he can be a good defensive stopper in the paint and grab some boards, if he can score just a little — than the Thunder have a steal. This guy has potential, he didn’t go No. 2 overall because the Grizzlies ate the special brownies in the draft green room, there were a lot of teams interested in him because of what he could develop into. Some guys develop late. That is what the Thunder are hoping for.”
Dustbury on Thabeet: “My own thinking runs like this: Brooks just signed his new deal, which gets him a major raise, a long-term gig, and a whole lot more pressure. At some point during the negotiation, Brooks, while cracking a smile, may have pointed out that he is, after all, a man of infinite patience. Hasheem Thabeet may be Sam Presti’s way of testing that patience.”
Chris Paul tweet: “So I was with @JHarden13 earlier and lil chris was acting shy…now we’re at lunch and he’s telling everybody “I SAW JAMES HARDEN!!!” lol”
The Nets have emerged as a frontrunner to land Derek Fisher.
Tom Ziller of SB Nation on big contracts and the lockout: “And watch the salary cap climb slowly in 2013 and beyond despite sure-to-be insane upticks in league revenue, all thanks to the players’ acceptance of a lower share of revenue. But all the stunted salary cap growth figures to affect is max contracts, which are based on a percentage of the cap. That won’t tamp down salaries for mid-rung players (as the league argued it would) — it will leave open gaping holes in teams’ salary structures for players like Asik, Batum and Hill to slide in and soak up, ensuring we will have contracts to complain about for years to come. And in those years to come, when the L-word strikes again, owners will use those contracts like cudgels to argue that player salaries are still too high. Owners are saving huge pots of money under this lockout deal, but player salaries still look insane to the common fan. That’s pretty much a best-case scenario for the owners, and it makes you wonder if that was the plan all along.”
You think the Thunder have cap issues in their future? If the Nets land Dwight Howard, they’ll have a $107 million tax bill in 2015.
Dime Mag doesn’t have Harden making Team USA: “Same deal as Gordon, except Harden is slightly more intriguing with his penchant for passing. It might be beneficial for Harden to gain some Team USA experience, if only for future Olympics. But if we’re just talking about 2012, he’s out.”‘
Sekou Smith of NBA.com on Team USA: “That’s not to say the final group won’t be loaded. Kobe Bryant is rested and might be playing in his last Olympics. All-Star point guards Chris Paul and Deron Williams are ready to go. Carmelo Anthony, like James, is gearing up for his third straight Olympics. And like Durant, you know Thunder stars Russell Westbrook and James Harden will want to do everything they can to wash away the bitter taste of losing in The Finals to James and the Heat. Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Andre Iguodala, Hornets shooting guard Eric Gordon and Memphis Grizzlies swingman Rudy Gay round out the finalists vying for one of those spots on the 12-man roster.”
Michael Kimball of NewsOK on the Finals impact on OKC: “The arena’s concession stands raked in $1,000 per minute during the two finals games in Oklahoma City, Desjardins said. Sixty percent of that is kept by SMG and the city, with the Thunder getting the rest. Fans normally spend an average of $10.62 apiece on concessions during a regular season game, Desjardins said. That rose as the Thunder moved through each round of the playoffs, topping out at $13.81 apiece during the finals games. Based on the combined official attendance figures for both games of 36,406, that means fans spent more than $500,000 on concessions, of which about $300,000 went to SMG and the city. Sales numbers for team apparel and souvenirs presumably enjoyed a similar jump, but proceeds from those sales are exclusively the team’s and were not disclosed in the presentation.”
http://www.dailythunder.com/2012/07/oklahoma-citys-summer-league-schedule/#more-21114
So how likely do you guys think Dwight comes to LA?
@supreme35 I don't think it'll actually happen, we'll just hear about it for 3 months
@FREE_COLE IMO if the Lakers want to win now.. they get Dwight. But for the long run.. keep Bynum.
@supreme35 He won't stay. That's the point. You sign him just as long as Nash is on contract. Nash, Kobe, Dwight is a champ contender likely the whole time unless nash really really sucks, which I doubt. Bynum won't surpass dwight because he doesn't try as hard
@FREE_COLE But how certain can you be that Dwight will want to stay in LA once Nash is gone? Nash is really the only reason Dwight would be okay with being a Laker. He has said for awhile now he doesn't want to go there specifically because of Kobe and Kobe will be playing longer than Nash. That will leave more uncertainty. Bynum is just starting to hit his strive and could surpass Dwight overtime. That's an if but still.
@supreme35 Even long run, they should trade Bynum. With Nash, they have defined championship window of 3 years, at which point we'll probably see kobe + nash retire. Dwight gives them the best chance in that time. With Bynum gone, they don't waffle around a 5th seed and get draft picks fast, which they will trade for stars and jump back to top
@supreme35 More then likely. If they do. We need Perk. UGH
@OkcBaby We kind of need Perk for Bynum too. I'm worried about the Lakers getting better defensively. As of right now OKC can still score at will on them. If games against them get more bogged down like it did in Miami... no bueno.
@supreme35 @OkcBaby The Nets don't have an attractive package (even for a rental) and have no chance of signing Dwight in the offseason next year. He can't want to go there all he wants, but there's no way it happens.
@supreme35 50-50 chance think its between the nets and Lakers
@OkcBaby @supreme35 he say right now that he wants the Nets to be his next team
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@SergeIblocka We are having problems keeping the guys we have under the cap. We cant even look at guys like that. Unless we get rid of Perk
@SergeIblocka Can't. We're over the cap, can't bid on him.
idk about you guys but i'm gonna keep my mouth shut about Perk until i know Dwight isn't getting traded to LA
@Daniel OBoymuzik Can we say he sucks outside Dwight and Bynum?
@FREE_COLE Thast the song Ive been singing
@FREE_COLE @Daniel OBoymuzik pretty much he should be on the bench every game besides against them teams.
@Daniel OBoymuzik He troubles The two best bigs but Jefferson eats him up
@K-Dagger Daniel Plainview Even with Perkins on the floor against LA their bigs worked us over pretty good. I'm sure it would have been a lot worse without him but Bynum and Gasol had a fairly decent series. It's not like eh shut either of them down
@MisterJohnsonOKC Exactly Collison should have been on the floor against the heat. Brooks fault and Perks fault for not taking himself out.
@MisterJohnsonOKC @Thunderbuzzy @K-Dagger Daniel Plainview and the trainers, they could have not cleared him to play
@Thunderbuzzy @K-Dagger Daniel Plainview Yep, that was our idiot coach's decision.
@MisterJohnsonOKC @K-Dagger Daniel Plainview Ya I respect Perk too. I'm not saying he is a terrible player or anything. I just question how much having him wounded out there really hurt us. Collison was eating the Heat up at times. Yet seen no floor time because Perk was out there so much
@Thunderbuzzy @K-Dagger Daniel Plainview And unlike most players, he didn't complain about his injures, he just played. I don't like Perk's game but I have to respect him for that, lol.
@MisterJohnsonOKC @K-Dagger Daniel Plainview No doubt. Which to me screams why was he even out there against the Spurs and the Heat. Lakers I can see using him in dire situations.
@Thunderbuzzy @K-Dagger Daniel Plainview To be fair, he played the entire Lakers, Spurs and Heat series with a torn groin.
Bruce Arthur: Note: the last time a British man made the Wimbledon final, there was a World War the next year. So thanks a lot, Andy Murray. about 20 minutes ago Read more: http://hoopshype.com/twitter/media.html#ixzz1zrrK35FC
@K-Dagger Daniel Plainview Can it be US and china vs the world?
haha
Dan Woike: Sad to see @Nick Young leaving LA to go to Philly. It's like he's the Fresh Prince, in reverse. about 31 minutes ago
Read more: http://hoopshype.com/twitter/media.html#ixzz1zrn94cef
@K-Dagger Daniel Plainview @Nick Great, now he can get his Thunder Killer ass out of the West.
Captain America KD shirts would be awesome
@DustinMcWilliams I'd love to see a whole Avengers series of Thunder tees.
Perkins value goes down every time he air balls an open layup.
@MisterJohnsonOKC
Perkins value goes down every time he steps on the court. *fixed*
:
@Lost Ones Or every time he has a wide open dunk and decides to do his "power-up" just to get stripped.
@Lost Ones And I'll be like this http://assets0.ordienetworks.com/images/GifGuide/dancing/smith1.gif
@MisterJohnsonOKC i swear the day i read he has been cut imma be like this http://gifsoup.com/webroot/animatedgifs/932145_o.gif
Rockets sign their 2011 first round pick Donatas Motiejunas. He's - of course - a power forward
@diddoff they need to hand one of there pfs over.
@Lost Ones @diddoff rockets look like a disaster right now but it is a long way to november... 2012, 2013, etc.
virtually no way they get to or out of the first round in the next 3 years, maybe 5.
@f5alcon @Lost Ones @diddoff Morey finally has turned a large share of Rockets fans against him, for apparently tanking after refusing to tank for years and says he could fix the team without it.
@Crow @Lost Ones @diddoff They probably think this is fantasy basketball
@Lost Ones @diddoff Rockets could play 5 forwards at once. Wonder if they might or at least 4.
@diddoff #dead
"Perkins’ salary figures to rank in the bottom third of NBA center contracts. Looks to me like he’ll rank 21st among the league’s 30 starting centers.”
but among big men playing 18+ minutes per game he ranks 32nd of 37 on winshares per 48 minutes
http://bkref.com/tiny/YOYsj
and he is almost -2 on RAPM (adjusted plus-minus)
so he is a lousy value, by the stats.
@Crow crow with the depressing stats as usual.
@Lost Ones they exist, they probably deserve mention, imo.
@Crow @thunder_mike @ou_sas @justin_mia @Lost Ones We have 3 defensively minded players and we still are bad on defense, that is coaching
@thunder_mike @ou_sas @justin_mia @Lost Ones If they offered the best defensive asst coach in the league to come to OKC with a title of associate head coach and a salary north of $2 million, they might get that guy. but they probably won't try.
@thunder_mike @ou_sas @justin_mia @Lost Ones No way they get to 3rd or 4th best defense in the playoffs without importing a defensive superstar or getting a new coach, head or empowered defensive coordinator.
@thunder_mike @Lost Ones @justin_mia harden's disappearance was probably the other, on the thunder side of things. james playing near his best and the 3s failing were also on the other side.
@thunder_mike @ou_sas @justin_mia @Lost Ones Worst playoffs defensive efficiency rank in the last 10 years by titlewinners was 8th (2011 red-hot and clutch shooting Mavs). The average is about 3rd or 4th.
@thunder_mike @Lost Ones @justin_mia it might still prove worthwhile. miami series was lost for several reasons. perkins usage was just one reason. but perhaps one of the 2 biggest.
@Crow @Lost Ones @justin_mia Ya honestly I kinda feel like the extension was probably a brain fart on Presti's part. Maybe Perk's agent pressed the right buttons at the right time. We were figuring that the Lakers would stay big for a long time and there aren't that many defensive centers in the league that we could lure/afford. At the time it seemed pretty smart long term. Now that Perk is becoming so injury prone, our only option is to roll the dice on his health or amnesty.
@thunder_mike @Lost Ones @justin_mia wonder what the highest bid from another team would have been if Presti had taken Perkins to free agency? I doubt it was $8 mil and rising. But we will never know.
@thunder_mike @Lost Ones @justin_mia
would some team big $4 mil per yr for Perk on waiver auction? probably. $6 mil, I dunno, maybe.
@Crow @Lost Ones @justin_mia I agree with you. With our new draft pick and Cole (with hope that Thabeet is at least slightly better than Mullens), I'm okay with amnestying Perk now. I'm just arguing that we shouldn't minimize Perk's contributions to this squad. I think we lose to the Grizz last year and the Lakers this year without him.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct Yeah normal league behavior is often worse. But still... worth knowing where the least productive spending is...
@thunder_mike @ou_sas @justin_mia @Lost Ones Main defensive problems are defensive rebounding and overfouling.
@Crow Unfortunately paying for production isn't the only factor in a contract. There will always be a couple of teams willing to overpay for whatever reason for any player worth having. Every Free Agent period there are a handful of guys who get crazy contracts, and this year is no exception.
And if some teams still employ scouts and front offices with belief systems like Berry Tramel (see: Dark Ages, The) guys like Perkins will get more than he's worth just because he looks tough. It flabbergasts me every time someone mentions rebounding in the list of things that Perk does well. Yeah he's brutish looking, and somehow that means every rebound he grabs counts for two in people's minds.
But whatever. Perk's contract isn't that bad. Perk and Thabo have reasonable contracts for their value, compared to the 'normal' league behavior.
@thunder_mike @ou_sas @justin_mia @Lost Ones Perk, Thabo, Ibaka, Collison did not solve it enough. Something is wrong, very wrong with the scheme, coaching and other players.
@thunder_mike @ou_sas @justin_mia @Lost Ones Defense with Perkins on the court vs off is 1 pt better.
Overall team defense this regular season was 10th best. But only 12th of 16th in the playoffs. Can't win the finals with defense at that level. Perkins did not solve that problem enough.
@thunder_mike Jeff Green sucks
@Lost Ones @justin_mia But beating 29 teams demands minimizing errors.
@ou_sas @justin_mia @Crow @Lost Ones Sometimes I feel like I woke up in an alternate dimension when I read DT posts. Jeff Green was criticized on here more than all of the Russ West talk across the nation. Now all of a sudden we want Jeff Green back? Getting Perk was a bad move?I dunno about you guys, but our defense before Perk was horrible. Constantly double team the post from the weak side because Kristic was out muscled and JG was outsized. Any decent center just passes to the open man and wide open shots everywhere.
Perk has more than earned the trade. But I agree with Justin, the extension was probably dumb. But that was done before the new CBA and Perk's new injury. If he was still healthy and at least had a decent Finals, he'd be perfectly good trade bate.
@Lost Ones @justin_mia GMs can spend too much here or there and still do fine. Overpaying 1-2 guys is not that bad.
@K-Dagger Daniel Plainview @Lost Ones thanks. i can get snotty sometimes. potential for it comes and goes.
@SoonerSpens @Lost Ones yeah but where there other deals for green, krstic and a 1st pick better than what they got? i'd say yes but it is a guess.
@justin_mia @Crow yea that extension was dumb
@ou_sas For 5-6 million, the Celtics would have gladly kept Perk.
@justin_mia @Crow @Lost Ones Perkins has value as long as the Lakers have quality big men. Maybe not the amount he's getting paid, but maybe 5-6 mil?
@Crow @Lost Ones Perkins wasn't a bad trade, but the early extension was questionable.
@Crow @Lost Ones Ive always apprecitated Crows acumen. Hes not a prick, he bring sstats to teh table. Stats can humble some of our more beloved speculations
@Crow @Lost Ones I don't want to get bashed here for taking a shot at JG, but that trade had a lot of "addition by subtraction" value. By ditching JG, really forced Harden to step up to be the efficiency beast he is now. I don't think the trade was bad, but there are certainly better centers out there than Perk.
@Crow im close to wanting him amnestied now is that bad?
@Lost Ones Presti may eventually figure it out
@Lost Ones but i probably will try to avoid mentioning that perkins was a bad trade / bad value much more