Friday Bolts – 4.29.16

Ben Cohen of the Wall Street Journal: “Thunder executives took measures to accommodate

Kanter’s religion when they traded for the Turkish-born big man last year and signed him to a long-term extension in the off-season. He has access to his own prayer room in the team’s arena, for example, and uses owner Clay Bennett’s office in the team’s practice center, where he uses towels as prayer rugs. The team also made sure that Kanter’s very first meal in Oklahoma City was cooked under halal standards, which means the meat was raised and slaughtered properly, and Thunder chefs started cooking for him with separate kitchenware.”

Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com on the Celtics: “Boston has to be wise with how they move forward. An aggressive pitch for Kevin Durant should definitely be in play, but I’d love to see the Celtics pursue players like Al Horford and Nicolas Batum, building upon their selfless style of play while simultaneously weakening potential Eastern rivals.”

Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post on Scott Brooks: “Still, it’s not often that a team pays a coach the money the Wizards gave Brooks – a total of $35 million over the next five years – without being able to project a clear vision for what his team will look like on the floor. It’s part of what makes the hire so intriguing – including to Brooks himself, who sounded excited about the possibilities for this group. He may not have Durant and Westbrook any more, but he inherited another all-star point guard in John Wall, and the Wizards will have other offensive weapons in Bradley Beal, Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat.”

Erik Horne: “Durant and Westbrook aren’t unaware of the offense’s stagnation in late-game situations. That’s what Donovan wants more recognition from his stars. It’s something he says without question will be paramount against a Spurs team that rates among the best defensive units in NBA history. Durant and Westbrook are still going to be taking the bulk of the shots late. With the ball in their hands, it’ll also fall on them to make the game 5-on-5.”

Jenni Carlson: “Turns out, Donovan ranks just outside the top 10 in terms of winning percentage, but remember, this list includes all coaches in their rookie seasons, so the bar is pretty high. But here’s a fun stat: Donovan’s regular-season winning percentage of .671 is tied with Rudy Tomjanovich, Phil Jackson and Jack Ramsey.”

Berry Tramel: “Brooks co-existed with Westbrook in a winning environment for six seasons. Brooks believed in Westbrook, nurtured Westbrook, gave Westbrook plenty of limb to climb out on, and watched Westbrook become one of the world’s best players. All along the way, people doubted Westbrook. Brooks stood firm. I think he’ll be fine with John Wall.”

Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle: “Superman was supposed to share the weight. Now he’s about to fly away for good. Durant? I wouldn’t waste my time, KD, unless I knew for certain that Harden can change. The Rockets are. And that’s the most disappointing part of this all, if you think back to when Morey united Howard and Harden in the same overjoyed city. This was supposed to be about championships – multiple, plural. Until the new names arrive, it’s about to be The Beard and some dudes. That has 41-41 written all over it. And Durant doesn’t do average.”