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Friday Bolts – 1.16.15

Friday Bolts – 1.16.15
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Jon Hamm for NewsOK.com on Brook Lopez: “Lopez is a fit because his contract doesn’t extend beyond 2016. The Thunder may be willing to dip into luxury tax territory this season and next, but they are cautious about adding significant salary beyond that. They have a desire to remain flexible when Durant’s contract expires in 2016 and also want to stave off the repeater tax penalty, an increased tax rate assessed to teams if they were taxpayers in at least three of the previous four seasons. It’s a penalty that very few, if any, teams are expected to pay.”

Darnell Mayberry: “Who are these guys? Really? Contenders or pretenders? It’s become increasingly difficult to tell each time the Oklahoma City Thunder takes the floor.
Thursday night’s nationally televised 112-101 whopping at Houston, a game in which OKC yielded 40 first-quarter points, trailed by as many as 26 early in the second quarter and stared at a double-digit deficit for the final 44 minutes, was the latest shred of evidence piling up on the Thunder and revealing the cold hard truth about this year’s bunch. They look like nothing more than glorified imposters, a group of guys living on reputation and past achievements. That’s now seven of 13 the Thunder has dropped, sliding it further down the Western Conference standings as the midway point of the season nears.”

The Thunder are running out of time to fix their problems.

Anthony Slater: “But this is no longer a marathon for OKC. It’s becoming a sprint to the finish, not to boost playoff positioning but to ensure postseason life. These are essentially becoming playoff games. And Brooks should probably start treating them like it. There’s really no reason for both superstars to be on the bench during any non mop-up part of games. But that’s especially true with 10 minutes to go when you’re making a run.”

J.A. Adande of ESPN.com: “The thing to remember about the Oklahoma City Thunder trading James Harden is that the Thunder didn’t trade this James Harden. They didn’t have such a prolific scorer, they didn’t enjoy such an effective passer. They had a player who would be a perennial Sixth Man of the Year candidate, not a guy drawing truly legit “M-V-P” chants during his numerous trips to the free throw line. They had a cult hero, not a star.”

In case you missed it, the Thunder are closing in on Brook Lopez.

James Herbert of CBSSports.com on the potential deal: “It’s worth noting that the 26-year-old is still an effective scorer on the block. He’s averaging 14.6 points and 6.3 rebounds in 26.3 minutes this season, shooting 50.4 percent from the field, and he has recorded seven 20-plus-point games. He can obviously play; the question is whether the team that acquires him will have the proper personnel to take advantage of his skill set. In today’s NBA, the back-to-the-basket big man isn’t as valuable as he used to be, especially if he’s not great at pick-and-roll defense. Here’s hoping this one winds up in the right spot.”

Brett Pollakoff of Pro Basketball Talk: “After a slow start to the season thanks to injuries to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, OKC is currently on the outside looking in as far as the playoffs are concerned. While the injuries are more than a legitimate reason for that, the team hasn’t yet begun to come together now that its two stars are back, and has already made one risky deal by taking a chance on the much-maligned Dion Waiters, acquiring him from Cleveland in a three-team deal that also involved the New York Knicks.”