Friday Bolts – 12.27.13

Andrew Gilman of Fox Southwest: “Westbrook playing at a high level makes the Thunder great on face value, but his ability to dominate in numerous phases makes players like Ibaka and Reggie Jackson legit scorers. Westbrook makes Jeremy Lamb a weapon and makes Derek Fisher’s knees feel better. More minutes for Westbrook = less pressure on a creaky veteran. And one more thing – Westbrook makes Durant better. The burden of carrying a team on a nightly basis is thankless. If Durant struggles, folks wonder what’s wrong. But if Durant struggles and Westbrook’s there, suddenly the burden is lighter. And the conversation ends. There are no more Westbrook haters.”

Anthony Slater on Westbrook: “According to the NBA’s innovative SportVu database, Westbrook grabs 70.3 percent of rebounds he has a chance of capturing. That’s sixth highest in the league among players with at least six per game. Those ahead of him include: Durant, LeBron James, Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan. All are 6-foot-8 or taller. Pretty good company for a point guard.”

Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider with a look at OKC’s pick via Dallas: “Because this pick is top-20 protected, for it to convey the Mavericks must make the playoffs and finish either higher than eighth or ahead of every East team save Indiana and Miami. That happens in about 40 percent of simulations, but the heavy protection ensures the pick won’t be especially valuable even if it does change hands.”

A new draft lottery idea called the “Cones of Silvershere.”

5-on-5 talking Western MVP, where all five writers went with KD, including Ethan Sherwood Strauss: “What does Kevin Durant have to do to get some credit? He’s such a reliably dominant offensive force that we tend to take his game for granted. In any event, he’s submitting yet another superb season. Yet again, he’d be the clear MVP if LeBron James decided to leave the league and play football. Durant also has an outside shot of winning MVP outright this year. In my opinion, the Thunder have been the NBA’s best team so far this season.”

Mike Wallace of ESPN.com has Reggie Jackson as his Sixth Man of the Year: “This award typically is settled by scoring numbers, so there’s always a chance someone like Jamal Crawford or Louis Williams will be a factor. But a strong case can be made that there isn’t much of a drop-off at all when Jackson enters the OKC lineup for Russell Westbrook. That speaks volumes.”