Monday Bolts – 2.11.13

Joe Kaiser of ESPN Insider on young players that could be dealt: “Lamb has played only 64 minutes this season on a Thunder roster brimming with talent, and his chances for playing time have been very limited thanks to the presence of Kevin Martin and Thabo Sefolosha ahead of him on the depth chart. Still, there’s a reason Houston selected him No. 12 overall last summer before shipping him to OKC in the James Harden deal: Lamb is a versatile wing with a long wingspan who can shoot, defend and become a key piece to a winning team. The question is whether that will happen with the Thunder, which may be better off resigning the efficient Martin after the season and using Lamb in a deal for a center. Phoenix could be a good trade partner, since it has the prized big man to offer — Marcin Gortat — and a big need at the shooting guard position.”

KD: “It wasn’t long ago when we were worse than that,” he said. “We were three and 29, three and 30, just fighting to win 20 games. I know what it feels like. But the thing that you need to come in and do every single day that we did is come in and work. We worked like we wanted to win every game. We put in the preparation from the first to the last game … I’m never going to forget our last game of the season, one of our coaches — we were up 30 — it was the last game of the season, and we weren’t playing for nothing. But he was getting up in the huddles, coaching us up. Our coaches did a great job back then of preparing us for now. And I’m sure the Suns are doing the same.”

Dave Dulberg of Valley of the Suns: “While Phoenix narrowly avoided one franchise-low against Oklahoma City, they couldn’t avoid history entirely. The Thunder’s seven personal fouls were the fewest by a Suns opponent since the organization’s inception in 1968.”

A Q&A with Valley of the Suns.

Darnell Mayberry: “After watching the second unit without Martin tonight, the second time this season we got a glimpse of what it looks like, you can’t help but think there’s a trade that needs to be made to shore up the second team. It’s completely reliant on a two-man game with Martin and Collison. That or Durant being on the floor to bail it out. At some point throughout a postseason run, you’d figure one or both of those things won’t be there. Even though the second string is building a defensive identity, only so many scores are going to be produced from stops. What happens when K-Mart goes cold, or KD is in foul trouble? Who does the Thunder turn to for five, six or seven minutes? OKC has very real financial restraints that will make dealing extremely difficult. But deals are out there. The organization, however, seems comfortable with the status quo because rotations generally shrink in the playoffs and a nine or 10-man rotation becomes one that only goes seven or eight deep. There’s also a general feeling that there aren’t enough minutes for an additional player, and even if there was ample opportunity available at what cost would Player X come if he’s any good? You can’t question much about the way this franchise has built. But banking on this bench in the postseason seems like a risky proposition, possibly even one that could bite the Thunder in a big game or two down the line.”

Debunking a low-usage myth.

From Elias: “The Thunder continued not merely to pile up victories, but to dominate opponent after opponent, cruising to an easy victory at Phoenix. Over a span of seven days, Oklahoma City defeated Dallas by a score of 112-91; thumped Golden State, 119-98; and then downed Phoenix in both ends of a home-and-home, 127-96 and 97-69. That streak tied the franchise record for consecutive wins, each by 20-or-more points; the Seattle SuperSonics had four-game streaks in both 1994 and 1995.”

Tom Ziller of SB Nation: “Harden is smart and has good athleticism. He can eventually be a plus defender if he works at it. But at this point, adjusting to such a major offensive load has to be wearing him out. Until Harden gets fully comfortable working on both ends, Houston going to have to hide him a little bit.”

Marissa of The Lost Ogle with Thunder TV spinoffs: “Spectacle with Russell Westbrook: If you go to my parents’ house on a Sunday, you’ll for sure see my dad in his chair dozing off to one of those “you won’t believe that they made it out alive” shows that features footage of buildings collapsing, car chases, and people catching themselves on fire. Since Russell Westbrook wears spectacles, he could host a show featuring these various spectacles. The best part would be the faces he would make when he just can’t believe what happened. It would be a lot like the face he makes when he can’t believe the call an official just made.”