Tuesday Bolts – 12.16.08
Robert Kleeman on Bleacher Report about OKC’s Texas two-step: “The undisputed worst team in the NBA keeps piling on its already ugly loss total. But two courageous, gritty, and competitive showings this weekend in Texas should give already aching fans a reason to cheer. The Oklahoma City Thunder headed to Texas for games against the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs with a gruesome 2-20 record. The league’s newest franchise, uprooted from its former home of 41 years in Seattle, arrived in the Lone Star State with a chance to compile the worst record in NBA history, and that’s how the Spurs and Mavericks played them.”
- OKC is leading something so far, and that’s the Ping-Pong Derby: “Each ping pong ball represents a 1% chance of the team winning the top overall pick in the June draft as of today. Oklahoma City — challenging for the worst record in NBA history — has a clear advantage in the Derby after 26 games. But Washington and Minnesota have been just awful enough to remain within spitting distance of the true bottom.”
- Joe from Thunderguru sees some irony in the switch from P.J.’s “defense” to Scotty’s offense: “When the Thunder opened the season with the same lineup as we currently have now, then coach P.J.’s chosen style of play was an up tempo pace, with a constant barrage of jump shots. There was little movement in the offense, usually just an attempt to get off a shot before the opponent defense was set. If the defense got set, another Thunder player would usually come over and set a pick, giving the ball handler a bit more room to launch a jumper. That was about it. P.J. meshed this offense (or lack thereof) with a fairly decent gimmicky defense that used a lot of zone in different incarnations.”
- While the Thunder may have fallen out of relevancy as a team, a few players are becoming very relevant to fantasy owners: “The big two on the team are obviously Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. They are somewhat similar players — long, athletic and dripping with talent. Right now, Durant is the better fantasy player but Green isn’t too far behind. Durant is the better scorer and has better percentage but Green gets more rebounds, assists and steals.”
- Joe Smith has been everywhere man: “Joe Smith has traveled so many places he could give Johnny Cash a run for his money. If only Smith could remember his NBA stops as clearly as the late great country music star could rattle off everywhere he’s been.”
- Chris Wilcox is a game-time decision tonight: Forward Chris Wilcox said he is ready to play tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers, five days before the earliest possible return date the team gave in its initial 10-14 day recovery timetable from a dislocated left ring finger.
