Thursday Bolts – 8.2.12

Rob Mahoney for the NYT on Russell Westbrook: “The team may never create the idyllic balance that would truly elevate them beyond the sum of their parts, but there’s little excuse for shorting the sum total altogether. Westbrook’s Olympic potential may remain wholly untapped, yet it’s his diminished impact that’s all the more glaring. Westbrook has yet to have a chance to really exercise his own game, and as the team searches for subtle ways to improve its performance, they need look no further than their own lightning rod turned forgotten man, a bundle of complicated talent desperate to break free.”

Marc Stein of ESPN.com: “Krzyzewski has tried in vain to convince the media pack traveling abroad with the Americans that he wasn’t trying to send any messages to his starters when he subbed out all five en masse late in the first quarter — with Tunisia holding a shocking 13-12 lead at that point — or when the second five (Carmelo Anthony, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams) were granted the opportunity to start the second half. “We’ve done that before,” Coach K said. “It wasn’t like I was angry or anything like that.”

John Hollinger of ESPN.com: “So after all that funny business last summer, it turns out that there’s only so much you can do to make small markets competitive. I know, Oklahoma City reached the NBA Finals and, in terms of market size, Miami is in the middle of the pack. Nonetheless, this past offseason served to remind everyone how the game favors the glamour markets, and how good the flyover cities have to be to give themselves a legitimate chance at a championship.”

Serge Ibaka has on a hat here.

Matt Moore for PBT on Love and Westbrook: “And there are plenty of reasons to think that the smart, sensible option for both Love and Westbrook will be to stay put, and neither leave in free agency nor push for a trade. But we’ve seen logic lose too often in this league not to wonder. Westbrook is already part of a superstar trio that loves playing together, and they’re all in the Olympics together this year. The only way it happens is if things were to go seriously awry and Westbrook were to think about this experience and what it could mean for him elsewhere. Or if he were to bring Love to the Thunder which in no way seems possible with the CBA.”

Henry Abbott of TrueHoop: “Wherever the best players decide to play, in a newly strong World Cup or the Olympics, will be the preeminent international tournament. You know who’ll win this fight? Whoever wins the players’ affections. Bryant has made clear the history and reputation of the Olympics mean a lot to him. Others may prefer getting paid, or sticking it to the IOC, as would likely happen in a new World Cup. There are messy conversations to have — not just with the NBA, the IOC or FIBA, but with the best players from around the world, too. And that’s exactly how it should be, because David Stern doesn’t run the summer — and neither do the IOC or FIBA. The players do.”

Sekou Smith of NBA.com on KD: “Durant’s time came two years later in Istanbul, where he led the 2010 World Championship team to a gold medal and showed the world how quickly things can change when you’re arguably the best scorer on the planet, or at least on your way to that title, and you recognize that no one man can stop you. Fast forward to this summer and these Olympics and it’s clear that Durant won’t have to wait until 2016 to rise to the level of more seasoned teammates like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony, the senior members of the team competing here in the Olympics. Durant’s time is now and whether he realizes or not, Durant, all of 23 and already three-time NBA scoring champ, as ascended to a leadership position in this constellation of superstars.”