Tuesday Bolts – 8.4.15
Tim Cato of SB Nation: “Ultimately, the Thunder have to hope this is their year. Assuming health, Oklahoma City should be a top four seed in the Western Conference once again, but all that really matters is what happens in May and June. They’ve had playoffs runs derailed by injuries when the path to the NBA Finals seemed more clear and it’s only getting tougher. Golden State and San Antonio may both end up being better than any team the Thunder have faced in the playoffs during this era. At the very least, the top six seeds in the West are as strong as they’ve ever been.”
An idea for a neutral site Finals: “The media would love the idea since they could set up their broadcast facilities well in advance of the contests, instead of finding out a few days ahead of time where to send all their equipment and lodge their personnel. That’s a logistical nightmare as events already booked need to be moved around by the host arenas. All but two contending teams would not have waste money on useless tickets, programs, personnel, etc. The dissenters would be the two cities that host the NBA Finals. In a democracy, they would be out-voted 28-2 by cities that have empty venues during the Finals. To make matters interesting, the conference champions could have drawings for lucky fans of the home teams to visit the host city, with all expenses paid by the NBA. It would heighten excitement and interest by fans nationwide to see who would be the lucky winners.”
Big huge news: It looks like Enes Kanter has changed his number to 11, and Josh Huestis is 34.
KD invested $2 million in reviving Tiger Beat Magazine.
Zach Lowe of Grantland: “One reminder: No player has ever had as much incentive as Durant to re-sign on a one-year deal with his incumbent team. But he could reap most of the same benefits by signing a two-year deal with a non-Thunder team, and he’s also coming off three foot surgeries. Dozens of competing variables are at play in the biggest free-agency case since LeBron in 2010. Buckle up.”
