Thursday Bolts – 10.21.10
Zach Lowe of The Point Forward on Jeff Green’s potential extension: “After all, some of the five-man units that included Green excelled defensively. And the team’s offense has consistently scored more efficiently with Green on the court, so the numbers are far from being all bad. Presti likely has his own secret adjusted plus/minus numbers that might show Green in a wholly different light. (For what it’s worth, the adjusted plus/minus numbers at Basketball Value also really hate Green. For the uninitiated, adjusted plus/minus systems use all sort of sophisticated math to adjust for the quality of a player’s teammates and opponents, the goal being to isolate a particular player’s contributions.) Is all of this enough to give Presti pause when thinking about re-signing Green? I don’t know, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Green were playing elsewhere next season.”
John Rohde writing on the standing ovation from Game 6: “It was a raw sports moment that couldn’t possibly be choreographed — disappointment, followed by emotion, followed by gratitude — a sequence rarely experienced by any team whose season ends with a loss at home. The 18,342 fans inside the Ford Center won’t forget that moment, nor will a national audience on ESPN, nor will the Lakers. Nor will the Thunder.”
More examples of how super nice KD is.
KD was in an ESPN Fantasy commercial with Jon Heder. Pretty good:
Thunder preview from Sporting News: “The Thunder were able to make the leap from a young, talented team loaded with potential to a bunch that knew how to win, posting 50 victories and earning a playoff berth. Kevin Durant is the star and will be an MVP candidate this season. But the Thunder have talent around Durant, starting with Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green. They have quality role players at every position and should be ready to not only make the playoffs, but advance.”
Last night on ESPN’s roundtable preview show, three of the four writers took KD to win the MVP.
Russell Westbrook as a prime fantasy point guard? Neil Tardy for ESPN looks: “Don’t get me wrong, I like Westbrook. Of course I do. Admittedly, his shooting struggles as a rookie made me skittish about his fantasy value, but that breakout performance in the NBA playoffs last spring spoke volumes — as did that breakout performance in the FIBA World Championship last month. (Seriously, that’s two breakout performances in six months. Unreal.)”
