Monday Bolts – 11.15.10
Former Thunder player Kevin Ollie nearly had a tragic accident: “Recently retired 13-year NBA veteran Kevin Ollie’s debut as a Connecticut Huskies assistant coach is on hold after a freak accident nearly cost him his vision in his right eye. Ollie was stretching with the team before Wednesday’s practice when a band snapped back and struck him in his eye. Ollie said he walked off the court, went into a locker room and saw that his eye was filling up with blood. He said he couldn’t see initially out of the eye. He then went to see his doctor off campus.”
Darnell Mayberry: “What killed me about this one is the Thunder almost refused to run. On several occasions there were opportunities to race up the court and get some easy transition points. But after grabbing defensive rebounds, the Thunder pulled up, looked toward the bench for a play or just walked the ball up the court. The possession that sticks out came on a Durant rebound in the second half when Westbrook, Eric Maynor, James Harden and Serge Ibaka were on the floor Why on earth didn’t they try to run the Spurs out of the gym? A top five defensive team comes to town and the Thunder took their chances scoring on them in the halfcourt. That will get you 38 second-half points.”
KD explains some of his on-court gestures.
NBA.com’s power rankings: “The Thunder offense has been inconsistent, but they are starting to move the ball a little better. At this point, their defense — which ranked eighth last season — is clearly the bigger concern. The good news is that Nick Collison, who statistically was their best defender last season, played his first game on Sunday. The bad news? They still lost to the Spurs.”
Matt Moore for PBT on Westbrook: “There may be no more fearless point guard than Westbrook, who always seems to be a step faster than his opponents, even when they’re ready to clobber him. Westbrook explodes like nearly no other point guard and has established himself as Alpha 1B to Durant’s 1A. And when the opponent doubles Durant, as the Blazers chose to last night on a key possession, Westbrook takes advantage, getting to the rim with ease and drawing fouls.”
Susan Bible of HoopsWorld on Westbrook: “In the first eight games of the 2010-11 season, Westbrook has solidified the fact that his name belongs in top-tier discussions of point guards in the league. He has increased his averages thus far to 24.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 7.8 apg, 2.3 steals, .907 in free throw shooting, with a mind-blowing 27.0 Player Efficiency Rating (PER), good for a second ranking in the league. Currently, he’s league-ranked second in free-throws, seventh in steals, sixth in Offensive Win Shares and sixth in points per game. He’s learning how to direct his dynamic power and speed so that he has better control of his game. He’s reading the floor better and doesn’t hesitate to take the ball to the hole. In addition to his increased numbers, Westbrook has begun his third year a more mature player. He’s vocal on the floor and earning his team’s respect as a leader.”
48 Minutes of Hell: “The Spurs’ offense began the season in high gear, and it continues to motor along. Their team defense, on the other hand, started slowly but is noticeably on the rise. Whatever Gregg Popovich is saying at halftime is working. San Antonio has outscored their previous two opponents by 30 points in the third quarter. The Spurs threw a blanket over their opponents in those games.”
Kelly Dwyer with a big look at the Thunder: “The Oklahoma City Thunder, though? The backlash is coming. It might hit this afternoon, or if the team falls terribly short (and who wouldn’t?) on national TV this Friday in Boston. The team is 5-4 as it heads into a week that finishes in Milwaukee, hits Boston as mentioned, takes on the potentially-potent Houston Rockets in Texas, and starts tonight in Utah against a team that may be coming off the most impressive week of play (and this is no bluster) in NBA history. 5-4. Winning over 55 percent of its games so far. On pace for 46 wins, a year after winning 50 and making no major upgrade. Or minor one, if Cold Aldrich’s influence can be described this early, and Morris Peterson’s 93-second turn (failing to contribute in a single statistical area, even fouls) is allowed to be telling.”
Zach Lowe: “Even scarier: The Thunder’s offense does not look good enough to carry the team in the long run. The Thunder have been an inefficient team surviving only because they are getting to the foul line at a rate that would be among the highest in modern league history. That rate will creep a bit toward the mean, and when it does, the Thunder’s offense will fall apart unless it improves elsewhere. The Thunder rank 26th in field-goal percentage and dead last in both three-point shooting and the percentage of baskets that come after assists. If you watch their games, you see it: This is a team that depends on isolations and contested jump shots, and when those tactics don’t work, the Thunder can’t score. Let’s be clear: There is a load of talent here, and some of those negative numbers will turn themselves around. The Thunder won’t shoot 24 percent from three all season, and Kevin Durant figures to start improving on that 42 percent shooting mark pretty soon. But after nine games, this team has been bad on both sides of the ball. That’s worth worrying about.”
