Wednesday Bolts – 8.27.14
Sam Amick of USA Today on KD’s shoe deal: “Profitable Under Armour might be less interested in making money on Durant deal than it is increasing its exposure in the basketball shoe and apparel market. Temporary financial losses might be worth it for Under Armour if it is ultimately able to gain a bigger percentage of that market. Landing an NBA MVP possibly can help Under Armour achieve that. The fact that Under Armour is based in Durant’s backyard has led to inevitable speculation that the Seat Pleasant, Md. native may be looking to head home when he becomes a free agent in the summer of 2016, as the Washington Wizards’ hopes of landing him are widely known around the league.”
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com on yesterday’s blockbuster: “Oklahoma City had kept Thabeet as an emergency center, but with Steven Adams’ emergence and the drafting of Mitch McGary, OKC just didn’t need him around anymore. Thabeet goes down as a testament to two factors: One, you can’t teach size but you also need to be able to teach some skill. And two, there are some players who really need two legit years in the D-League just to be serviceable. Who knows what would have happened if the Grizzlies had sent Thabeet down and stuck with a plan to develop him, but that’s where the league needs to get to.”
This about Kobe is something else: “Gotham Chopra, the director of ‘Kobe Bryant’s Muse’, an upcoming documentary on Bryant, told a story about being with Kobe and watching the Nets and the Heat play. Recounts Chopra, ‘Deron Williams went like 0-for-9. I was like, ‘Can you believe Deron Williams went 0-9?’ Kobe was like, ‘I would go 0-for-30 before I would go 0-for-9. 0-for-9 means you beat yourself, you psyched yourself out of the game, because Deron Williams can get more shots in the game. The only reason is because you’ve just now lost confidence in yourself.'”
Dan Feldman of PBT: “Because Thabeet’s contract is unguaranteed, the 76ers don’t have to pay him. Any money they got from Oklahoma City is profit. Essentially, Philadelphia rented its cap space in exchange for a little revenue – and had to rent it only temporarily. Once Thabeet is waived, the 76ers will have just as much cap space as they began the day with, which is to say more than they know what to do with. The Thunder, in addition to getting a $1.25 million trade exception, trim their roster to 14 players. Perhaps, that final vacant spot could go to Josh Huestis, but why mess up your advantage? Sitting $2,806,033 below the luxury-tax line, Oklahoma City has time – and a trade exception – to tinker with its roster between now and the trade deadline.”
Anthony Slater: “So it was a numbers game for Thabeet, with his departure opening up a roster spot and a bit more financial flexibility heading into the season. Thabeet was due $1.25 million next season, a contract that would have been guaranteed on Sept. 1. OKC is now around $2.9 million under the luxury tax, with its roster at 14. In his two seasons in OKC, Thabeet became a fan favorite. The tallest player in the NBA always had a smile on his face, joking with the crowd and leading celebratory dances on the bench. But the problem was, he had a tough time getting off the bench.”
