Friday Bolts – 7.17.15
Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com: “Know who’s really freaking out in Vegas? First, the folks on the business side of NBA franchises, who have to find enough revenue streams to pay for all those new salaries. The national TV money will help, but there’s a sense that they’ll need to keep turning over cushions to get to $108 million. Second, franchises that count on revenue sharing that’s generated from luxury-tax payments, which are almost certain to fall for a couple of years while the tax line rises.”
Jenni Carlson: “But in Oklahoma City, Kanter has found a place he wants to be. You have to think he wants to make the most of this opportunity. Or at least, he doesn’t want to be the guy with the max contract stuck on the end of the bench. He has to know that better defense is the key to that. His offensive skills are already known and beloved, but the reason he isn’t even assured a spot in the starting lineup is because his defense has been so bad. He’s always had the quickness to be a good defender. The footwork and the wingspan, too. Now, he has the motivation.”
Berry Tramel answering emails: “The Thunder certainly is harder to guard with Kanter, no doubt. But I don’t think he’ll start. I think Steven Adams will start. Kanter’s defensive deficiencies can be masked much better coming off the bench, and Adams is a decent-enough pick-and-roller that teams must guard him, too. I think Presti signed Kanter for one reason — it was otherwise empty money. If you don’t sign Kanter, you can’t turn around and use that $17.5 million (average) elsewhere. Everybody else on the roster is signed. The Thunder is over the cap, so it can’t go get other free agents. The Thunder gave Kanter $17.5 million for the same reason Portland offered Kanter $17.5 million. There was nothing else on the market. If you’ve got one pizza place in town, that’s where you eat pizza.”
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is mimicking KD.
Ian Levy of Hardwood Paroxysm: “The thought that Lamb’s failures, in particular, may have led to the Dion Waiters experiment just makes me feel even worse about this. The thing is, Presti has won more often than he’s lost on these kinds of picks. Steven Adams is going to be terrific. Mitch McGary looks like an absolute beast. Andre Roberson’s wing defense makes him a steal for where he was drafted. Reggie Jackson, although it ended badly, fits in this category too. Even Serge Ibaka, Durant and Westbrook are examples of this. It seems like the Thunder get talented young players to reach their potential. But they failed enormously with Jones and Lamb.”
