Tuesday Bolts – 8.14.12

Eric Freeman of BDL on what a gold does for KD: “When a player leads the NBA in scoring for three consecutive seasons, it’s difficult to imagine that his reputation as a producer of points could actually improve. However, Durant was so fantastic in his eight games — breaking the U.S. record for points in an Olympics and winning the tournament scoring title — that it’s only going to become easier to mention him as one of the best scorers in history, not just in this era. We didn’t really learn anything new about Kevin Durant in this tournament; he just continued to establish that he’s a historically great player worthy of all the praise he receives.”

James Harden on winning gold: “It’s hard to explain,” said Harden. “Just being on this team with this great group of guys, competing for a gold medal and reaching our goal is overwhelming … Every single day it was something different. Especially, like I said, being with these guys. You get to watch them play basketball, you play basketball against them, but once you are the same team you get a feeling for who they are as a person. Every single day was something different and I am just happy to be a part of this team.”

Bill Simmons in a mailbag on LeBron and KD’s chemistry: “Totally agree — maybe Bird and Magic in their primes would have blended together for more artistic reasons, and maybe Pippen and Jordan are the best example of two teammates completing each other, but what made the LeBron-Durant pairing so much fun was the way they blended idealistically. It just worked. They seemed to be genuinely invested in the other’s success. That’s another advantage 2012 has over 1996 — name me two people on the 1996 team who would have been genuinely invested in the other’s success.”

Henry Abbott of TrueHoop on the idea the “system” favored the Lakers in the Howard deal: “The Magic took a bad deal because that’s what they were looking for. That’s something the NBA should change. The best players in the world almost all go high in the lottery, to a collection of the teams that lose the most. If the best players found employment almost any other way, there’d be no reason for the Magic to have made the crucial decision to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. But for the lure of high picks born of terrible play, the Magic would have demanded great heaps of talented players for Howard, and the league wouldn’t feel so lopsided.”

Who are the next stars likely to hold their team hostage?

Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas ranks OKC second in the West: “Hey, we still love these guys. Kevin Durant might win 10 more scoring titles in a row, Russell Westbrook will continue to mature and James Harden and Serge Ibaka only seem to be scratching their potential. So why is it seemingly so easy to rank the West champs behind the Lakers? Because L.A. has double the number of scoring threats and that new defensive stopper in the middle.”

David Aldridge of NBA.com: “Now, the Thunder have to reassess. Now, the Clippers have to regroup. Now, the Spurs have to rethink. There have been rumbles that Oklahoma City was going to use its amnesty provision on Kendrick Perkins in the near future. That’s over now. Perkins and his limited offense — but great post defense over the years against Howard — are back in the mix. The Clippers suddenly look a body short. And Big Boy Basketball, banished to the corner while the Heat and Thunder went small in the playoffs and won, may be back on center stage.”