Monday Bolts – 1.12.14

Nick Gallo of Thunder.NBA.com on Dion Waiters’ background: “His obsession with Iverson and his game took many forms. He attended 76ers games when possible, was a part of community outreach events that the 76ers hosted in South Philadelphia and wore all of the same in-game accessories that Iverson used to wear. Ultimately, however, the harsh realities of his South Philadelphia neighborhood set in. His early years at Bartram High School and South Philadelphia High School didn’t go as well as he had hoped. Waiters grew up quickly. There was “nothing I didn’t see,” according to Waiters. Very early in high school, he strayed from responsibilities as a student and basketball player. It was time for a change, so he and his mother decided to send him to South Kent School in Connecticut. Waiters had spent his entire life with his family, so being dropped off in a different state for the first time was frightening.”

Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider on the Jeff Green deal: “My quibble remains whether it’s the best deal Memphis could have gotten. Luol Deng has the superior track record at both ends of the floor (his 2014-15 RPM: +1.7). Based on Marc Stein’s reporting, the Grizzlies decided on Green after the Miami Heat proved unwilling to move Deng. But if the Heat fall out of the playoff picture, as their point differential suggests, that might have changed between now and the trade deadline. I would have waited.”

Serge Ibaka is starting a program to help chronically ill teens.

Tom Haberstroh of ESPN Insider on fatigue: “And that’s before we consider the year-round AAU circuit that teenagers endure these days. Tournaments sometimes require teenagers to play three times a day, or 50 to 60 games a summer, on top of their regular-season work. This simply wasn’t the case in the ’70s and ’80s. Keeping players healthy on the floor will always be a battle for the NBA. It’s a problem that may never be solved. But it’s hard to imagine that the solution involves continuing to roll with an 82-game schedule stuffed into 170 days when the evidence is everywhere that today’s bodies can’t hold up.”

Kevin Durant is third in jersey sales, behind Stephen Curry and LeBron James.

Darnell Mayberry on Reggie Jackson: “Suddenly a situation that had the potential to be untenable from the moment the deadline for rookie extensions passed without the Thunder agreeing to a deal with Jackson looks worse than any of us envisioned. Now we’re all left to wonder how long the two sides can keep this up. Publicly, team officials are downplaying the awkwardness of the Waiters trade and what the move might mean for Jackson’s future in OKC. They tout Waiters’ addition as added flexibility and firepower, a fourth offensive force that can create with the ball in his hands. But why pay Jackson, a restricted free agent this summer, upwards of $12 million annually to do something three others on this team can do? It would be illogical, and it’s the leading reason why few think Jackson is long for Oklahoma City.”