Monday Bolts – 10.27.14
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com previewing the season: “As NBA fans, you live for those moments where everyone takes a breath. It’s so fast, but you learn when you can see the path to the basket, the cut, the open man. You hold your breath when Westbrook crosses half court with a lane to the basket. You want to see if he’ll shoulder block someone and impale them on a camera guy. Or if he’ll slip past, using his off-hand to glide the ball in instead of ricocheting. Or if he’ll simply slice through, rise up, and kill the rim with one hand. Dogfights between fighter jets last only a matter of seconds. You don’t have these drawn out scenarios when you’re going that fast in a limited amount of airspace. That’s much like Westbrook. Everything seems like a dogfight, and with Kevin Durant injured, we’re going to find out if Maverick can succeed without Goose. (Never mind the amazing comparison of the Spurs to a squadron of MIGs.) Maybe with all eyes on him, this time Westbrook will hit the brakes and the critics will fly right by.”
Scott Brooks on his starting five: “I haven’t totally decided that just because everything is still fluid right now,” Brooks said. “But it has been discussed. It’s been explored. It’s been experimented with in practice more than it has in the games just because Reggie missed quite a bit of the preseason games. There’s ways to do it if you don’t start. You can always come in early. We’re not worried about who starts right now. We’re worried about how we’re playing and the best units that we can get with the combinations.”
Bill Haisten of the Tulsa World on Russ: “Combining the regular season and playoffs, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have formed a dynamic tandem in nearly 500 NBA games. However, during nearly half of the 2013-14 regular season, because of three right-knee surgeries, Westbrook was not in uniform for the Oklahoma City Thunder. While stuck on the bench, he was a witness to Kevin Durant’s statistically historic performance that led to NBA Most Valuable Player distinction for the Thunder forward. Even without Westbrook’s All-Star presence, the Thunder sustained itself at a high level and closed the regular season with 59 victories. Before the start of the playoffs, there was this question: With Westbrook having missed 36 games, would it be possible for him to be at his best during the postseason? As it turned out, Westbrook was better than he had ever been.”
ESPN Stats and Info: “Each season, without Durant, Westbrook has learned to take over even more. Westbrook’s usage percentage, points per minute and field goal attempts per minute with Durant off the court have increased in each of the past four seasons. Although Westbrook’s usage percentage with Durant off the court seems like an astronomical number over the past few seasons, Westbrook has actually become more and more efficient without Durant and the Thunder offense has been more and more efficient with Westbrook on the court without Durant over the past four seasons. Westbrook’s scored 1.31 points per field goal attempt with Durant off the court last season, his highest without Durant in any of the past five seasons.”
Russell Westbrook dressed up as Mendez for Halloween. Nick Collison was Egon and Steven Adams was Castaway.
Darnell Mayberry on starting center: “Perkins averaged 19.5 minutes last season, his fewest since 2004-05, his second NBA season. Barring injuries, a bench role could drop that average somewhere between 12 and 15 minutes. It would reduce a player who not long ago was regarded as the league’s best low post defender to pretty much a specialist who sees meager minutes — despite his $9 million salary. As Brooks prepares to announce his decision, the questions worth pondering are whether Perkins, after all these years as a focal point, can handle a demotion, and if starting Adams is undoubtedly what’s best for the Thunder?”
