Monday Bolts – 11.18.13
Andrew Gilman of Fox Sports Southwest: “Team temperature: Luke-warm, at best. Would have been hotter for sure if OKC had figured out how to close out Golden State, but after a pair of losses on the road, it’s hard to get too high on em. The two games against the Clippers and the Warriors were the first ones this season against playoff teams last year and the Thunder went 0-2 against them. Both were on the road, but both were losses. That says something, right?”
Eddie Maisonet of SB Nation: “There’s only one person on that OKC team who’s earned the right to look off Kevin Durant. That’s Westbrook, and even he had to go through hell and high water to do so. Reggie Jackson? Nope. Why did Serge Ibaka have more shot attempts than Durant? After starting the game by hitting his first four shots, Durant finished 5-of-13. Most of those shots were either forced, early in the shot clock or attempts in transition. I can’t believe I’m typing this, but this is why Derek Fisher needs more playing time, just so the pecking order can be clear. It feels like everyone’s out to get theirs on OKC, and the best player has that Eeyore-like look on his face. KD just wants to play with the rest of the guys.”
KD on Andrew Wiggins: “He’s raw, but his ceiling is high. He can be like a Hall of Famer, All-Star, for sure. He’s good.”
Darnell Mayberry on Serge Ibaka: “Last summer, Ibaka was rewarded with a four-year, $49 million contract extension that kicked in this season. The deal was criticized by some from the start, and the skeptics multiplied when James Harden was traded. Many assumed that by signing Ibaka first, the Thunder threw away a chance at retaining Harden. That never was the case, as the team tried to sign both players. But through his recent play, Ibaka is proving why he was deemed such a pivotal piece. Much of Ibaka’s effectiveness in this recent stretch has come without him being the focal point. He’s simply hitting open shots when the ball is swung to him, catching drop-off passes and finishing with layups or dunks, running the floor for transition points and gobbling up offensive rebounds and getting putbacks. Harden, on the other hand, would have needed the ball to be most effective, which meant Durant or Russell Westbrook would have had it in their hands less in order for Harden excel.”
Eddie Vedder tried to make peace with OKC: “We’ve gone to some therapy, we’ve dealt with our anger issues … See, here’s the deal, it’s nothing to do with Oklahoma or Oklahoma City or Tulsa or this state or the people or the locals or people in this building. It’s simply what it’d be like if your girlfriend, who you were with in a long-time relationship … well, you wouldn’t like her new husband. If it was Fresno, I’d be pissw=ed off at Fresno.”
Josh Cohen of NBA.com reviewing big trades: “Fortunately for OKC, the existence of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook has shielded the criticism. We know financial implications were behind the decision to trade Harden. They felt that preserving Serge Ibaka, who was awarded a four-year $48 million extension two months prior to the Harden deal, was more critical to their success than shelling out the cash to another wing player. Even so, the Thunder should have clearly received more for the MVP candidate in the making. Martin darted off to Minnesota this past summer, Lamb is still adjusting to his new substantial role and Steven Adams, who OKC selected with the draft pick it received from Houston, is a prodigy.”
