Thursday Bolts – 8.9.12
NYFWC.com listed it’s most loveable players in the league and guess who was No. 1: “We call Gordon Hayward the Babyface Killer, but let’s get real. Kevin Durant’s boyish grin is easily the most appealing face in the NBA. Even if he used it roughly 308 times in his stupidly-overplayed sprint commercial, it still doesn’t bother us. He can score at will, but he’s still a willing (if not able) distributor (even when he’s passing to guys like Russell “I’ll take any absurdly contested shot I want” Westbrook). Oh, and he LIT IT UP during the Olympics for the USA. Kevin Durant = Straight up Lovable.”
Bill Simmons: “We should have a basketball World Cup. Why waste something as splendid as that quadrupleheader on something as stuffed with events as the Olympics? Why get buried within all the other sports and stories going on? Why not own a two-week stretch in the summer yourself instead of sharing it with so many other things? What’s the downside? The World Cup works so well for soccer — why wouldn’t it work just as well for basketball? What am I missing?”
Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops on OKC’s offseason: “With this core, the Thunder were one foul call away from holding a 2-0 lead in the Finals. They have a “Big Three,” the NBA’s winning formula du jour. Nick Collison is their only player older than 28. No matter what they do this offseason, they are going to be contending for championships for some time.”
KD did not pack light for London.
Tom Withers of the AP: “The skinny kid needed a talking to, not a lecture. It was time for a chat to remind him why the U.S. team needed him to be more selfish. Kevin Durant wasn’t listening. So Kobe Bryant spoke to him first. LeBron James followed. “I told him, ‘If we don’t have the K.D. from Oklahoma City on this team then it makes no sense for you to be here,’ ” James said Tuesday while getting ready for practice. “We need that guy. We need the scoring champ on this team. We got guys who can do everything else, but we need that from him.” James stopped and smiled. “I’m happy,” he said, with a laugh. “He’s doing that.” Doing. Shooting. Scoring.”
KD’s movie will premiere in OKC Aug. 19.
Greg Bishop of the New York Times: “Throughout the Olympics, as the United States crushed opponents, Durant embodied the team’s strength. What the Americans lack in bulk, they make up for with quickness and athleticism, with so many scorers on the floor at once. Boeheim pointed to perimeter play as the place USA Basketball most improved since the gold medal in 2008. Krzyzewski can force opponents to defend the 6-foot-9 Durant with power forwards who struggle to chase him around the perimeter. Guards can run with him, but they cannot match his height.”
