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Wednesday Bolts – 6.27.12

Wednesday Bolts – 6.27.12

David Thorpe of ESPN.com on OKC’s pick: “Miller is an intriguing choice, as the Thunder do not have a legitimate small forward behind Kevin Durant. What I like about Miller is, if he ends up being the player his upside foreshadows, then the Thunder will have a lottery talent at that spot behind Durant, giving them the option of slowly working Durant more as a power forward in spots. That’s exactly what Miami did, to great success, with LeBron in the postseason. As Durant continues to strengthen, as he has each year, he’ll be even more effective as a big forward and give his team a lot more variability as to how they can play.”

Jonathan Abrams of Grantland with a great Royce White profile: “White traces his first encounter with anxiety to long before his diagnosis. At the age of 10, his best friend, LaDream Yarbrough, collapsed after wind sprints during basketball practice. Drool trickled down his face as White looked on. Yarbrough, who was suffering from a previously undetected heart abnormality, was rushed to the hospital and survived. But White was never the same. After that moment, he lived in constant fear, a fear that he, too, would one day collapse on the court. His anxiety was constantly creeping.”

Mike Prada of SB Nation on 2013: “We’ve gotten this far without talking about the Thunder, who already owe nearly $48 million to five players in 2013-14 before keeping James Harden and Serge Ibaka. As Steve Perrin wrote earlier in the playoffs, they may not be able to afford both players without incurring major luxury-tax penalties. Nevertheless, considering they were so close to winning a title, I don’t see the Thunder giving away a core piece for future considerations this summer.”

Nick Collison selects Tomas Santoransky: “I like his length, and he has tremendous upside,” says Thunder forward Collison about the 6-foot-7 Satoransky. “It will also give us the ability to keep him overseas.”

What the Thunder need is an OU booster.

Jonathan Givony of Draft Express has OKC taking Jeff Taylor: “The Thunder could trade out of this slot, as it will be difficult to find a player who can crack their deep rotation at this late stage. If not, Taylor is a player that could suit their style of play and culture off the court. He’s big enough to guard multiple positions, can space the floor as a 40-plus percent outside shooter and he has the athleticism to make plays and get out in the open floor.”

KD is on the cover of NBA 2K13.

Sam Presti is the best drafting GM in the league.

From the Washington Post, KD was spotted in DC: “Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant (polo shirt, glasses) at Eden Lounge early Tuesday morning. Fresh off the NBA finals loss, the D.C. native and his entourage of six kept it low-key — Durant asked his waitress to serve bottles of champagne and cognac without the standard sparklers. A few hours later, he was spotted with a female friend having lunch (crabcakes and fried fish) at Legal Sea Foods in Chinatown.”

David Thorpe picks Evan Fournier for OKC in this mock: “The Thunder don’t need a wing player next year, unless they move James Harden for contract reasons. Fournier is good insurance either way. They can leave him in Europe for another year while they figure things out, if necessary.”

David Aldridge of NBA.com has OKC taking Andrew Nicholson: “Nicholson is a very talented power forward with stretch four abilities. He also rebounds better than advertised. The Thunder could use another body who can put the ball in the basket, and Nicholson would be a good complement off the bench with Nick Collison.”