Friday Bolts – 7.24.15
Berry Tramel on the LA workouts: “The guys have been meeting at 8 a.m., which is early for Los Angeles and dang early for basketball players accustomed to a night-owl clock. Thursday, the guys slept in. Didn’t meet until 10 a.m. They assembled on the beach at Santa Monica, played a little football in the sand, then went to breakfast together. Hoop drills came later in the day. The Thunder’s self-styled mini-camp is as much about bonding as it is basketball. And somewhere, Sam Presti has to be smiling. The Thunder culture, good ol’ Thunder University, hasn’t been crippled by the passage of time or the anguish of a season from hell.”
Amin Elhassan of ESPN Insider on the 2016 free agent class: “Durant’s eligible for five years, $146 million from Oklahoma City. If that number sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same deal Anthony Davis signed under the Rose Rule provision. Durant will be one year shy of hitting the 10-year experience mark that bumps him up to the highest max contract bracket (35 percent of the cap), so signing a long-term deal wouldn’t be in his best interest. A three-year deal with a player option after the second gives him some security (should injury woes continue to bedevil him), while staying flexible enough to re-enter the market under the 35 percent bracket (or if max contracts get eliminated in the next CBA).”
One thing that really stands out from Amin’s piece: After the first few players, the 2016 free agent class stinks.
Tramel on divisions: “But the truth is, Silver’s plan is good for the Thunder. Keeping divisions helps the Thunder in the near future. A guaranteed four games a year against the Timberwolves, the Nuggets, the TrailBlazers and the Jazz. Minnesota might get competitive soon but hasn’t been for a decade. Denver has fallen off the edge of relevancy. Portland has gone into total rebuild mode. Utah is getting better and might contend for a playoff spot this season.”
Shouts to Mrs. Hammer, my favorite teacher ever and the one that encouraged me to be a writer.
Zach Harper of CBSSports.com says don’t forget the Thunder: “Durant’s return puts everything back in place. Assuming he’s able to be healthy after a successful bone graft surgery to repair his foot, the return of the MVP and the second-best player in the world changes the landscape of the Western Conference back into something much more dangerous than even previously imagined. You still have the Warriors. You still have the Spurs. The Rockets, Clippers and Grizzlies are all right there. But you have to include the Thunder at the top of the list.”
Kevin Durant’s camp is coming up. Remember: Use promo code “DAILYTHUNDER” and you get 10 percent off.