Monday Bolts – 10.1.12

George Karl on the Thunder and Lakers being the favorites: “What I basically say is — that’s summer talk. You have two teams that probably have the most talented players, especially in their top seven, but it’s summer talk. … I have a lot of respect for both of those teams. … But that doesn’t mean we never thought we could overtake them. Our goal this summer was: How do we get better? And how do we move closer to the top-echelon teams?”

Marc Stein of ESPN.com has OKC third in his preseason power rankings: “Am I, like so many out there, overlooking the fact that the Lakers still have lots of chemistry wrinkles to work out and health questions to answer? Guilty. Thing is, OKC convenes for camp amid plenty of its own uncertainty thanks to Harden’s contract situation, Perk’s health and that Finals flameout.”

Tom Ziller of SB Nation on media day lies: “‘I let my agent deal with [looming contract situation]. I don’t even worry about that.’ The player means to say that it’s all that he can think about, and that it will be a major distraction throughout the season.”

Episode two of #inCongo.

Darnell Mayberry: “Harden is believed to be seeking a max contract, and it’s common knowledge that he would be all but guaranteed to receive one from another team next summer. But it’s also been well-documented how the Thunder can’t venture into that territory, which means if this deadline comes and goes, Harden will soon be headed elsewhere unless he has a massive change of heart. A lot can happen in 30 days. Will Harden take less money? Sounds simple, right? But when you look at the Thunder’s track record, you’ll find that it’s not just talk. Oklahoma City has an almost unique history of re-signing its players. The Thunder thus far has kept its core intact by committing to paying its players at market value, or somewhere close to it. But many of the players have helped the franchise as well with their own level of commitment.”

Could these shorts be a sneak peak of OKC’s new alternate unis?

Nick Collison tweet: “Mo Cheeks just told me he’ll pay 2 get in the movie theatre just for the popcorn &will leave w/out seeing a movie cause its the best popcorn.”

TrueHoop TV on flopping.

LeBron: “We have the potential to be better,” said James. “We have the potential to be a lot better. And that’s scary.”

David Aldridge of NBA.com: ‘By the end of these nine months, we’ll know if the Heat are a true dynasty or a one-off, an historical quirk. We’ll know if Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant can meld their skills and personalities into something dynamic and dominant, or if they’ll combust. We’ll know if the Thunder are poised to break through like the Bulls did in ’91, or if they’re heading toward the same kind of limbo that the Buffalo Bills and Phoenix Suns found themselves in — great teams that couldn’t ever break through.”