Wednesday Bolts – 11.18.15
Anthony Slater on the Perk legacy: “During an in-game timeout, Perkins will be shown on the
jumbotron. The crowd — filled with many who called for his departure via trade or amnesty — will rise in appreciation. His diminished skills frustrated them. His stumbling style of play often made them groan. But his positive long-term impact on a growing franchise and its impressionable superstars is unquestioned. He left behind a legacy of wise lessons and memorable tales.”
Zach Lowe of ESPN.com: “I’m torn. Home teams should not wear dark jerseys, and away teams should not wear white jerseys. I’m a purist about these things. But I enjoy the visual experience of two teams in non-white jerseys playing against each other — the clash of blue and red, yellow and blue or even uglier combinations involving that gross Thunder orange jersey.”
Wrote about Russell Westbrook, the evolving playmaker who leads the league in assists.
Also did some video talking on it.
Erik Horne: “The Grizzlies entered the game against the Thunder with five performances of shooting 20 percent or worse from the 3-point line, but posted their best mark of the season Monday, hitting 70.6 percent from 3 (12-of-17). That included a scorching performance from Mike Conley and the recently-acquired Mario Chalmers, who combined to make 8-of-12 3-pointers. While the Thunder was playing without Andre Roberson (flu) in Memphis, the team has still seen an uptick in opponent 3-point shooting since the start of the season. The Thunder is currently allowing opponents to shoot 36.6 percent from 3 – the sixth-highest mark in the league. It gets worse in the fourth quarter, as the Thunder has allowed a combined 48.2 percent from 3 (14-of-29) in the final period of its five losses.”
The Rockets have fired Kevin McHale. Wow.
Russell Westbrook held his annual Thanksgiving dinner last night.
Angel Diaz of Complex: “However, the West is stacked and all of those positives may not be enough to survive. With KD’s free agency looming, trading Westbrook in order to keep Durant should be a real option. I would rather build around Durant than Westbrook. Russ is a one-man wrecking crew in the vein of Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury. That’s not necessarily a good thing. His shot selection and inability to defer to Durant during key situations is beyond frustrating. If it doesn’t work, chalk it up to karma for leaving Seattle and blow the whole thing up.”
Jeezy’s songs for 14 NBA players.
New MPN podcast, with super guest Ben Golliver of SI.com.
Danny Leroux for Sporting News: “What makes the Warriors’ potential Durant chase different from almost every other star pursuit in recent years is that they do not need to do or sacrifice anything to facilitate it unless and until he commits to join the team. Their other salaries are movable, and a long July Moratorium combined with the restricted free agency process buys the Warriors almost two weeks of time to get it all done.”
There have been some questions about what Fan Essentials is and how it works. They sent me a box last week, so here’s a look at what that looks like.
