Wednesday Bolts – 6.17.15
Congrats to the Warriors. Here’s Ethan Strauss of ESPN.com: “That’s the key, indeed. Golden State married the game-changing offense of the recent past with a defense that feels futuristic. They did it with a skinny point guard who thrills national audiences lofting 30-footers over 7-footers. They did the unexpected with an unconventional approach. Now the league takes their lead, chasing after their spot. What have the Warriors started? What have they continued? Maybe Golden State won’t be as “special” next season, but they’ve got talent and they’ve got time. They just might keep showing us the way.”
Zach Lowe of Grantland: “The Warriors, on balance, were luckier than most championship teams. They stood almost intact, while stars and crucial role players — from Love to Patrick Beverley — fell into the wreckage below them. That doesn’t take away from their accomplishment, and if you think it does, you’re willfully ignoring all of NBA history. No one ever needs to apologize for their road to a championship. You can only play the schedule, and gutting out 16 playoff wins is difficult, regardless of the precise path.”
Perk on LeBron: “Nobody can say that he didn’t give it his all, and the numbers back it up. He came out and gave everything he had. He came up short, we came up short, but he proved to the world that he is the best player on this planet.”
Michael McNamara of Bourbon Street Shots: “So, here it is; The Pitch Dell Demps makes to Kevin Durant next summer. First, he sells them on the core of the current team, which would include Jrue Holiday, Anthony Davis, Omer Asik, Quincy Pondexter, and himself. With Davis and Durant both getting max contracts, that would put the Pelicans at about $75 million, with the cap projected to be at $88 million next season. Eric Gordon would look nice as a three-point threat in that starting lineup, and a small ball lineup of Holiday-Gordon-Qpon-KD-AD would put 5 guys on the floor who can all handle the ball and shoot. It would be the current Golden State small lineup on steroids.”
Anthony Morrow in a Q&A: “Those guys are always the first guys in the gym every morning. They try to beat each other. I got the point where I was trying to compete to get there before them. Russell is probably the most prompt player I’ve ever played with. He’s always early and never late to anything. He’s the best professional I’ve played with. Kev is the same way. Competitive. They’re both good family guys. They work and they work and they work. When you see the two best players and probably two top five guys in the NBA working hard, getting treatment, eating right, everyone else falls in line. Me coming in as a vet, I can appreciate that.”
Darnell Mayberry on Tyus Jones: “As the draft approaches, many have questioned Jones’ tangibles: his 6-foot height without shoes, his relatively-light 185-pound frame, his average athleticism, his spotty on-ball defense. But it’s Jones’ intangibles — his feel for the game and his knack for taking one over at just the right moment — that make him special. And those things, of course, can’t be measured. You just know them when you see them. Then you’re glad he has them. But for as much as Jones took over games last season, he considers his best skill to be his playmaking. Not scoring but making his teammates better.”
