Friday Bolts – 2.27.15
Anthony Slater: “Kanter is a below-average defender. It’s what he was criticized for most during his rocky tenure in Utah. Part of that is his inability to protect the rim. In 1,445 minutes this season, Kanter only has 17 blocks. That’s 56th among NBA centers and tied for 117th among all players. Patrick Beverley has one more. Jeremy Lin has four more. Kemba Walker has seven more. In 460 fewer minutes, Kendrick Perkins has 21 more. But, truthfully, that’s not too big a deal on this Thunder team. Serge Ibaka is one of the league’s premiere shot-blockers and Steven Adams is growing in that area. Where Kanter’s defensive deficiencies look like they’ll hurt the Thunder more is in the pick-and-roll. Thursday night was a prime example. Eric Bledsoe (who had an incredible game) abused Kanter all night.”
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com with a thoughtful response to Michelle Roberts: “Like owners and salary caps, sports journalists are easy targets. There’s a perception among prominent players — like, for instance, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook — that we serve no purpose other than to get in their way. Such a lack of understanding about the role of sports media is nothing new. In my days as an NFL writer, I approached Laveranues Coles of the Jets one day after practice, upon which he instructed me to “go get a job.” “This is my job,” I said. “That ain’t no job, writin’ paragraphs,” he replied. That perception has now been validated, right at the top of the NBA players’ leadership structure. If it becomes ingrained in the NBPA membership, it will mean less information for you — the people who pay the bills.”
Berry Tramel: “Jackson’s time in Oklahoma City ended on a sour note, and both sides no doubt could have handled things better — Scotty Brooks, who is tough on virtually no player, was tough on Jackson; Jackson didn’t harness his desire to run his own team — but don’t let the finish wipe out the Jackson story. Jackson was a good player for the Thunder. At times great. Jackson’s 32-point game at Memphis last spring will be long remembered in Oklahoma City lore. He’s a good player. Got a chance to be a great player. No reason to begrudge Jackson.”
Previewing tonight’s game with Blazers Edge.
The Thunder were rated fairly well in ESPN.com’s Analytics Rankings: “The tight-lipped Thunder say little publicly about analytics, but their track record demonstrates they are, on the whole, believers. GM Sam Presti, a panelist at the inaugural MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in 2007 while working in the San Antonio Spurs’ front office, established an analytics department when he joined the then-Seattle SuperSonics later that year. Presti’s first analytics hire was Ben Alamar, who later worked for the Cleveland Cavaliers and is now director of production analytics at ESPN and the author of “Sports Analytics.” These days, Oklahoma City employs Jesse Gould as director of basketball research and analysis with another analyst below him. Financial resources have been a limitation for the Thunder’s analytics efforts, though they were one of the original four subscribers to SportVU camera tracking. As well-versed as Presti is in analytics concepts, his draft picks have run the gamut statistically. Andre Roberson, a surprising first-round pick in 2013, was a statistical darling. But Presti has also been willing to draft players with limited statistical profiles, such as 2010 second-round pick Ryan Reid and 2014 first-rounder Josh Huestis.”
Talking Thunder on NBA After Dark.
Darnell Mayberry: “He’s flat out carrying this short-handed crew as sidekick Kevin Durant recovers from a second surgery on his right foot and starting center Steven Adams heals from a fractured bone in his right hand. The Thunder is 9-2 in the last 11 games, and Durant appeared in only four of those victories. And that’s why it’s hard to blame Westbrook for the Thunder’s seven-game winning streak coming to an end here in Phoenix, even after his insane number of shots, or his game-clinching missed reverse layup, or his shaky defense. Westbrook played his heart out Thursday, much like he’s done this whole month.”
