Monday Bolts – 10.22.12
Marc Stein of ESPN.com: “The closest thing to a prediction here, if you’re looking for that, is that Harden will go the Ginobili route and ultimately agree to an extension by Halloween for something less than the max. Knowing how close he is to Durant and Westbrook, how badly Harden wants to stay, and how much they all want to hold off the Spurs and star-studded Lakers just to get another title shot against the Heat, gets me leaning that way.”
John Klein of the Tulsa World: “The Thunder has plenty of work to do to make that final jump to a championship. Durant needs to continue to score but his evolution as the team’s leader is critical, too. Westbrook, who at times is a dominating point guard, needs to be more consistent. Harden can contribute more, especially to help ease the scoring load on Durant. Kendrick Perkins needs to give the Thunder some punch on the inside.”
Darnell Mayberry: “The thing that impressed me most tonight was Kevin Durant’s passing. His improvement as a playmaker was evident last year, but he looks even more comfortable creating this year. He had five assists and would have had more if a few of his passes weren’t fumbled. Then there was this. Zero turnovers. Durant has had more turnovers than assists in every year he’s been in the league. But he has a certain bounce about him now that says “I got this.” Against the Nuggets, it didn’t matter who was on him or how many visiting players were blocking his path. Durant got to his spot and made the best decision once there, be it pulling up or dump-off passes to big men. This could be a big year from KD as a playmaker.”
Scott Brooks was a terrible rebounder (via persiansooner13).
Charley Rosen of HoopsHype ranking NBA coaches: “17. Scott Brooks (Oklahoma City): Has great talent at his disposal, but his X’s and O’s acumen remains unproven.”
Steve McPherson of HP on fandom: “I, for instance, hate frontrunners and bandwagoners. I value sacrifice and toil, am suspicious of anything that comes too easily. I’m a faith and good works guy—I don’t think you get to the promised land just by deciding you’re a Heat fan. But you might reasonably ask why: Why bring an element of suffering into something that’s supposed to make you happy? And I guess I don’t know. I only know I’m not a Baptist when it comes to teams—I just can’t go for a deathbed conversion to the Lakers.”
