Thursday Bolts – 9.26.13

Dan Devine of BDL: “The simulated feud offers one potential explanation, but Occam’s razor offers another: Maybe Durant really thinks that his longtime friend, a 24-year-old monster on the rise, is just a better basketball player right now than Wade, who’ll turn 32 in January and has struggled mightily with injuries over the past two seasons. Surely Durant’s not the only person who feels this way; maybe he’s just the only one who got asked about it in an interview yesterday, and he decided to let his opinion fly freely like a quick-release 3-pointer or the matter-of-fact statement that he’s “tired of being second” in NBA life. (I’m surprised he didn’t take issue with his own positioning, come to think of it.)”

Sam Presti on Westbrook’s timeline: “He’s on pace, to this point, in the recovery process, but we’re not going to put a specific timetable on his return, simply because it’s just too big of a decision,” Presti said. “His health is most important, not just for this season, but for many years to come. He’s done an excellent job in showing unbelievable discipline and rigor through the process. We expect him to come back at full strength, but he’s got to finish the rest of the benchmarks.”

KD says Derrick Rose has been looking good: “He’s been looking great. It was really good for him to take the whole year off,” Durant said. “A lot of people criticized him for it and were really upset about him not playing, but it was the best thing for him. I can tell, because he looks better.”

Oh good: You-Know-Who and Stephen A. Smith debate Durant vs. Wade.

Udonis Haslem chimes in with his own Instagram.

Larry Coon of ESPN.com: “So how do teams gain an advantage under the new agreement? For one, those outlier teams — the few that can continue to spend money despite the much higher costs — will continue to do so. This carries an added advantage because the shift in the league’s economy has turned the league into a buyers’ market, and these teams will be able to snatch up productive players whose current teams can no longer afford them. But more than anything, the new agreement rewards the better front offices and the smarter GMs. These teams are able to stockpile assets, avoid expensive, long-term obligations and retain maximum flexibility. They are also able to use the new rules to their advantage, including those related to international players and D-League assignments.”