Thursday Bolts – 2.18.16
Mike Prada of SB Nation on Serge Ibaka: “That’s why it’s odd that Ibaka still gets a reputation for
chasing blocks at the expense of good positional defense. Players only hit 42.4 percent of their shots when Ibaka is contesting at the rim. Only Rudy Gobert and Andrew Bogut hold players to a lower percentage among big men that play more than 18 minutes a game. If Ibaka merely altered the shots he actually blocks, that number would be significantly higher. DeAndre Jordan, for example, holds opponents to 46.6 percent shooting at the rim, which is excellent, but not on Ibaka’s level. Hassan Whiteside, who somewhat more deservingly is criticized for chasing actual swats over shots alters, allows opponents to shoot just under 48 percent at the rim. Those are fine marks, but Ibaka is on a completely different level. He single-handedly turns what should be an easy shot into the equivalent of a semi-open 17-footer.”
Berry Tramel with an interesting email from a reader: “Follow me. I have weighted all the metrics. So far this season, the Thunder has gone 25-5 at home. The opponents’ combined records are 719-888 for a .447 winning percentage. The Thunder away record is 15-9. The opponents’ combined weighted record is 607-675 for a .473 winning percentage. Going forward, the 11-game home weighting win percentage of the opponents is.575. Also going forward, the 17-game away weighted opponent win percentage is .543. What does this mean? Seventeen of the final 28 games are on the road. Our historical win average on the road was .625 versus .473 win teams. In these final 17 away games, the opponent has a weighted win percentage of .543. Eleven of the final 28 games are at home. Our historical win average at home is .833 versus opponents whose win average is .447. In these final 11 home games, our opponent have a weighted win average of .575.”
Wrote a little deadline primer-y thing.
One added thought on it: The Thunder are certainly shopping today, with the focus being wing help. But they aren’t committed to the idea that there’s an available upgrade. Because while having a two-way player is indeed ideal, if that player isn’t readily available — without giving up Steven Adams, Cameron Payne, etc — what the Thunder have in place is sort of a combination of said two-way player. They have Anthony Morrow, who can shoot. They have Dion Waiters, who can penetrate, guard and shoot a little. They have Andre Roberson who can guard. They have Kyle Singler who can drop down and defend bigger 2s while being able to shoot. So while they don’t have THE player, they do have options to sort of piece that player together.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com says OKC needs to make a move: “Without some sort of move, the Warriors and Spurs will meet in the Western Conference finals and the motivation for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to bolt for greener pastures (over the next two summers) will grow. The Thunder’s window is now and GM Sam Presti is not shy about making deadline deals.”
David Thorpe of ESPN.com: “I continue to see OKC as the top dark horse to win the West (since my Houston call this past October proved to be a mistake). Anything the Thunder can do to add depth, in the form of shooting, athleticism or just savvy playmaking could end up being the difference between winning it all (and keeping the core intact) and losing everything.”
Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com’s favorite shock deal idea: “OKC trades for Al Horford. I’m not sure if a similar deal for Pau Gasol would qualify, but either way I’m keeping an eye on Thunder GM Sam Presti at the deadline to make a big splash. With the urgency surrounding KD’s first summer of free agency, the Thunder are ripe to swing a deal that definitively vaults them into the Warriors and Spurs stratosphere.”
Jenni Carlson on Mitch McGary: “On a handful of teams, McGary would probably even be a starter. And on a bunch of others teams, he would be able to step on the floor and contribute right away. What’s more, he’s cheap labor right now. He’s on the second year of a four-year rookie deal. Put all of that together, and you’ve got an attractive option for teams looking to add a former first-round draft pick without spending a bunch of money or sending out any major assets. The whole situation is weird to McGary, who’s a trade-deadline commodity for the first time.”
