Friday Bolts – 2.19.16
From Monty Williams’ eulogy: “Everybody is praying for me and my family, and that is right, but
let us not forget that there were two people in this situation, and that family needs prayer as well. And we have no ill will toward that family. In my house, we have a sign that says ‘As for me and my house, we will serve the lord.’ We cannot serve the lord if we don’t have a heart of forgiveness. That family didn’t wake up wanting to hurt my wife. Life is hard. Life is very hard. And that was tough. But we hold no ill will towards the Donaldson family. And we, as a group, brothers united in unity, should be praying for that family, because they grieve as well.”
J.A. Adande of ESPN.com: “When I first learned the awful news about Ingrid Williams all I could think about was the last time I’d seen Monty, standing at the top of the ramp into Staples Center after the Thunder played the Lakers a month earlier, telling Mark Jackson and me about what a great group of players the Thunder had and how well things had worked out when he joined them as an assistant coach after being fired by the New Orleans Pelicans last year. He looked happy and kept saying how blessed he was. He had no idea at the time that joining the Thunder would indirectly be the worst thing to ever happen to him.”
Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider gives OKC a B-: “Foye still doesn’t give the Thunder the two-way wing they covet. At a listed 6-foot-4, he’s too small to defend many opposing shooting guards and is a poor defensive rebounder. As a result, Foye has rated below replacement level in ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus the last couple of seasons. On the plus side, Foye can handle the ball well enough to play point guard in a pinch, and Oklahoma City needed a third point guard after trading Augustin. I’d probably rather have hung on to Augustin, dumped Novak’s salary and taken my chances on signing Joe Johnson as a wing reinforcement — which is certainly still a possibility.”
Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post: “On the other hand, there has never been a time when an expiring contract is less valuable in the NBA. But between the shortening of contracts in the last collective bargaining agreement back in 2011 and the exploding salary cap, it’s difficult to find teams looking to shed bad contracts these days. Even talented players like New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson – the kind of three-point shooting big man that so many teams are searching for these days – weren’t moved, as teams that were interested in acquiring him were concerned about how much money it could take to re-sign him this summer.”
Anthony Slater: “This season, the Nuggets gave up 7.5 points per 100 possessions fewer (101.1 to 108.6) when Foye was on the floor. That’s an encouraging defensive number. As is the 43.7 percent clip players shoot when guarded by Foye this season, slightly more stingy than league average, per NBA.com/stats. Then offensively, while past his prime, Foye still has the ability to get hot. Earlier this season, he scored 31 points in a Nuggets win over the Suns, nailing seven 3s. In his career, Foye has scored 30 or more points nine times. Twice in his career, Foye has hit eight 3s in a game. Since relocating to Oklahoma City, no Thunder player, not even Kevin Durant, has done that once.”
Novak will likely be bought out and sign with another playoff team.
Berry Tramel: “Close to it. That Villanova team finished 28-5 and made the regional final of the NCAA Tournament, a game in which Foye scored 25 points but lost to the eventual national champion. Florida. The team of Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer. Coached by, yep, Billy Donovan.”
Steve Novak’s kid has no idea who he plays for.
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com: “Denver gets a haul here, adding a backup point guard they badly needed with Jameer Nelson possibly facing wrist surgery, and no other point guard available. They also add a stretch shooter on the floor in Novak (if they choose to retain him) and two second-rounders. For OKC, they get a sub-30-percent 3-point shooter, but a veteran presence who can help defend in a pinch. It also helps OKC with luxury tax savings, which was likely the impetus behind the move, with Cameron Payne having taken Augustin’s place as full-time backup point guard. It’s a lot to give up for Randy Foye, but then, they’re assets that OKC could spare. It’s a great haul for Denver for very little cost.”
Manu Ginobili concedes the Warriors might be unbeatable: “I know everyone is talking about how great Golden State is and we found out about it the hard way. People wonder what it would take to stop them and it really doesn’t seem possible. Obviously Curry can’t have a good night. But the rest of the team can’t have a good night either, like they had against us and in so many other games. I don’t know if there’s a way to beat them, but for now I don’t care. I would in May or June. Beating them now only counts as one win, nothing more. They are going through a great stretch, playing truly extraordinary basketball and showing tremendous confidence and team spirit. But we’ll try to figure out how to beat them only when it’s do-or-die time.”
