Wednesday Bolts – 10.24.12

Darius Soriano of PBT on role players for contenders: “Maynor also offers them lineup flexibility, giving them a key contributor to any small-ball lineup Brooks wants to deploy. For example, a grouping of Maynor, Westbrook, Harden, Durant, and Ibaka gives the Thunder a unit that can match up with the position-less Heat lineup that gave them so many issues in the Finals. There’s no hiding defenders against a lineup like that. Word is that Maynor is fully recovered from his knee injury and should be ready to return to the form he showed before he got hurt. If that’s the case, one of the best teams in the league just added another fantastic young talent to flank their already stacked core. If he’s not, the Thunder will once again be stuck playing below replacement level players behind Westbrook.”

Zach Lowe of Grantland says OKC will re-sign Harden before the deadline: “With the amnesty option in the bag, and no tax money due this season, re-signing Harden now makes the most sense — and doesn’t prevent Oklahoma City from exploring future trades. Dealing Harden for a wing shooter who can play defense and handle a bit, plus draft picks, makes some sense in theory; Harden’s best skill is his ballhandling and pick-and-roll creativity, and he doesn’t get to use it to the optimal degree playing alongside two ball dominators. There’s a reason Harden comes off the bench despite quite obviously being one of his team’s three best players. Making that kind of deal while on the precipice of a title would be almost unprecedented, but the “Thunder model” itself is basically unprecedented. The odds are always against a trade like this, especially during the season, but you can bet the Thunder will kick it around.”

Cool new NBA art thing.

Larry Coon of ESPN.com has OKC has his most underpaid team: “Just four teams were underpaid in 2011-12, according to the #NBArank scores of the top 12 players on each team. Leading the way was Oklahoma City — the Thunder won 47 games for a reasonable $62.2 million. But remember, Russell Westbrook was playing in the last year of his rookie contract in 2011-12, Serge Ibaka’s extension takes effect in 2013-14 and a decision is due on James Harden’s extension by Oct. 31. The Thunder’s payroll won’t be a bargain much longer. Regardless of the calculations, Oklahoma City tops our “best” lists. It’s clear that the Thunder are getting the most bang for their buck.”

Comparing #NBARank to NBA 2K13 ratings.

Gothic Ginobili profiles James Harden: “Is it an indictment on the NBA commentariat that Harden isn’t ‘more’ noticed? Not really, and I’d argue it’s because of the exact contrapositive to the things that make him excellent. There are flaws to Harden’s game, and many lie in the exact things that make his game whole. While he’s excellent at getting himself open, he’s also not phenomenal at shooting even lightly contested shots — in last year’s NBA Finals, this problem came to full display. When faced with constant pressure from Wade and a smothering defense, Harden found himself unable to enact his skillset and unable to take the open shots he so feasted upon in the regular season. Even against the relatively permissive Spurs defense, Harden had trouble getting wide open shots, and it bothered him enough in that series to force Durant to step to another level.”

Check out Hardwood Paroxysm’s season preview.

J.A. Adande of ESPN.com: “More of the same from the Oklahoma City Thunder. I like how they’re young, yet the roster feels so familiar, the way college basketball teams were in the ’70s and ’80s.”

Darnell Mayberry: “What impressed me the most Ibaka’s offensive game was his patience in the post and confidence from 15 feet and out. He attacked with a plan and rarely, if ever, forced anything that wasn’t there. When he received a kick-out, he didn’t hesitate to take the shot. This was the most comfortable I’ve ever seen him on the offensive end, largely because he was creating things as well as finishing what others created for him.”

Interesting quote from James Harden last night: “Usually you’ve got somebody to score the ball. It felt weird not to have Kevin and Russell on the court.”

Rob Mahoney of SI.com thinks James Harden will be an All-Star: “In the West, I’ll tab James Harden. He may be coming off an absolutely brutal performance in the NBA Finals, but Harden is likely to play more and take on an even greater role in the Thunder offense this season. Given that kind of opportunity, there should be little doubt that Harden — who was already one of the top offensive players in the game, and still evolving — can make a run at a reserve selection. It’ll be a tough sell with Paul, Westbrook, Nash and Bryant all in the mix (not to mention Parker, Ginobili, Ty Lawson, etc.) at guard, but a wild-card spot is well within Harden’s grasp.”

SLAM has Russell Westbrook No. 9 in their top 50 list: “See, I used to think that folks didn’t appreciate No. 0. I thought that everyone was blinded to what I ultimately saw. A player so athletically gifted, with a determination to be great at his craft, was only scratching the surface of reaching such lofty goals. We’ve seen phenomenal athletes come and go in the Association, but there are two things you’d never question about Westbrook. His work ethic and that his intentions aren’t ultimately in the right place for his team. He wants to be elite. He wants to win Championships. It’s all he’s ever spoke about while being in Oklahoma City, and he’s still got a long way to go to reaching his prime … but maybe folks would never appreciate him.”

Dime ranks Harden the third best shooting guard: “Harden is a modern day combo guard in the best sense of the word. When he runs the point in Russell Westbrook’s absence, Harden is a pick-and-roll force (mySynergySports.com ranked him 9th overall as a pick-and-roll ballhandler last year, as he scored nearly a point per possession on the play). Playing off the ball as a shooting guard, he’s just as effective; Harden shot 39 percent from deep in 2011-12, and mySynergySports.com had him tabbed as the league’s best scorer off of screens and hand-offs. He was also lethal on cuts, shooting 71 percent on those plays. No matter how you slice it, Harden is an incredible talent nearing his apex. He’ll be worth every penny he makes as a free agent, be it with the Thunder or another hungry squad. Like with Ginobili, if you don’t enjoy watching Harden, you’re not a true basketball fan. By this time next year, it’s not inconceivable that he’ll be at the top of this list.”

Paul Coro of the Arizona Star Republic: “When the Suns faced Oklahoma City on Friday night in Tulsa, Okla., and Thunder guard James Harden was sitting out the game because of a groin strain, the BOK Center’s largest crowd ever (beating George Strait’s record) broke out a “We want James!” chant. There is no truth that Suns executives in attendance — Lon Babby, Lance Blanks and John Treloar — started the chant. But there is no question the Suns want Harden, a former Arizona State star who will be on a track to become a restricted free agent in July if he does not agree to a contract extension by Oct. 31.”