Monday Bolts – 2.23.09
Garnett and a first-round pick for him?: “Smith’s defense isn’t spectacular, but he’s been steadily holding power forwards to league average stats for the last few seasons. And that’s what I want from a potential C’s back-up big man: steadiness. Glen Davis doesn’t have it in any phase of the game (he still can’t shoot, no matter what your eyes seem to be telling you), Leon Powe doesn’t have it as a shooter and Mikki Moore definitely doesn’t have it. Joe Smith has it. If I’m Danny Ainge, I’m throwing whatever I can at Smith, even it means having no shot at Marbury.”
But Joe Smith says he doesn’t want to go anywhere: “Contrary to several media reports, Smith said he wouldn’t seek a buyout of his contract with the Thunder, The Oklahoman reported. “What for?” Smith asked. “I’ve been here all year. Why would I want to do that now? I’m (not) seeking it.” Smith said he has not talked to his agent about a buyout. It had been reported that Smith, 33, would ask for one so he could join a title contender. “A lot of people assume that when you reach a certain amount of years in the league that you always want to seek a title,” Smith told The Oklahoman. “It’s (not) just me. … Like I’ve said all year long, I like these young guys around here. We’ve developed some type of chemistry now where I got faith in them and they got faith in me.”
You thought Shaq’s JabbaWockeez was good? Check out Kid Delicious getting down.
Midseason rookie grades handed out by some guy. Russell gets a “B” and you have to read this part: “Truth be told, Thunder rookie Kyle Weaver is a better playmaker than Westbrook, which doesn’t bode well for Westbrook’s status as the franchise’s point guard of the future. So if Westbrook isn’t a natural point guard, he must be a shooting guard, right? Wrong. Though he excels around the basket, Westbrook leaves much to be desired when it comes to outside shooting. His release is flawed and inconsistent – a far cry from the wonder-stroke of Eric Gordon – and opposing guards generally let him take open threes. Through 53 games Westbrook is shooting just 40.8% from the field and 29.6% from downtown.”
The FreeDarko guys chatted about the Thunder/Warriors game. Here are the fantastic results: “BS: What if the Thunder don’t really play in Oklahoma City? Like they’re on a soundstage in Hollywood that Bennett owns, and the players are all cool staying with the team beacuse it’s really Los Angeles life? TK: I’ve been exchanging emails with the guy at
Run of Play. And he said his dad works next to the practice facility. Mentioned that he gets updates on the cars in the parking lot, but nothing on the players. So it’s possible that they stage practices. BS: So anyway, the NBA is going to promote the fuck out of the Thunder starting next year because this team has such star power and is so fun. And none of them leave because it’s really LA. Plus all the “fans” are extras, professional ones, waiting in line to audition for Eastbound and Down.”
Dime says Jeff Green is the reigning “getting my [butt] busted every other night” rookie of the year: “As soon as the NBA does the right thing and starts its Rookie Confidence Intervention program, we need to get Jeff Green on the phone with Courtney Lee. As the reigning “Getting my [tookus] busted every other night” R.O.Y. – thanks to the Sonics/Thunder grooming him to be Pippen to Kevin Durant’s Jordan while ex-coach P.J. Carlesimo was apparently unaware of the concept of help D and double-teams – Green perfected his 1,000-yard stare after some nightmare-ish nights left on an island with the likes of Kobe and Caron.”
Hardwood P grades the deadline deals: “Prof. Kerby – Love this trade for both teams. For realsies. Prof. Mahoney – How many chances do we give Thabo before we settle on the fact that he’s just not that good?”
I’m nodding my head: “The two-on-one fastbreak with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook that ended in a botched alley-oop dunk is not only an example of what’s wrong with this team, it’s the epitome of all that has plagued the Thunder. With a chance to cut the lead to six with 1:16 remaining, two 20-year-olds went for the highlight play instead of the heady one. A few Golden State writers were going nuts at the botched breakaway. I could only shake my head after seeing simple mistakes like that burn this team for 56 games now. One of the Warriors writers put it best when he said of the play, ”Man, that was stupid. But they’re young and they’re fun to watch.”
Tyson Chandler… duhn, duhn, duhnnnnn: “Supposedly it was because of his toe, which he needed surgery on two years ago when the Hornets were in Oklahoma City. In fact, the same doctor who did that procedure for the Hornets when they were in Oklahoma raised the red flag for the current hometown Thunder. But there are some that think it is something deeper that the Thunder aren’t talking about as a courtesy to the Hornets and Chandler. One league insider said the word going throughout the league is that Chandler hasn’t been able to truly practice in a year due to various foot and ankle issues. There is also some belief that his success offensively is largely tied to Chris Paul and his ability to run a devastating pick-and-roll when both are healthy. No matter what, this is probably a drama that will have some more chapters.”
It’s looking more and more like Clay Bennett will get to keep his $30 million: “Hope appears to be fading that Seattle will collect a $30 million bonus from the Oklahoma group that bought the Sonics. Seattle officials have rejected a proposal for meeting the terms of a lease-breaking deal between the city and Clay Bennett’s firm, said Medina Democrat Rep. Ross Hunter, chairman of the House Finance Committee.”
Chad Ford grades the deadline deals: “Positive spin: The team has needed some help at 2-guard, and Sefolosha, at the very least, is a capable defender. Given his youth and upside, this deal could pay off in a pretty big way. If Tyson Chandler does have a chronic health issue, at least OKC didn’t get stuck with it for the next two years.”
Mike Baldwin thinks the *awesome* economy could help OKC land David Lee: “But Lee is a prime example how the shaky economy could work in Oklahoma City’s favor. Lee probably will seek a $10 million-a-year deal which isn’t a bad price for someone averaging 16.4 points and 11.8 rebounds. New York would love to keep its double-double machine – Lee has 42 double-doubles this season, tied with Dwight Howard for most in the league – but the Knicks probably won’t have cap room to re-sign the 6-9 power forward.”
Doesn’t quite roll off the tongue like Uncle Jeff: “Mr. Consistency,” Brooks labeled his second-year forward. “He’s very efficient with his game. He’s meticulous in his work, and I love the way he approaches the game. For a young player, he has a very veteran’s approach to the game. I think that’s helped. It’s paying off.”
Kevin Durant is a Jedi Starfighter. You’ll just have to click to find out.
Josh Q. Public says what sophomore slump?: “Bill Simmons got this one right. Kevin Durant is a scoring machine. Last night, Kevin Durant scored thirty-two points in Oklahoma City’s loss to Golden State. The kid has scored 619 points over his last twenty games. Get out your calculators. That makes an average of slightly under thirty-one points per game. That makes this kid the second most proficient scorer in the league over that time. Only one NBA player has a higher scoring average than Durant since that date. Only King James. That tells you something right there. That tells you a lot.”
And be sure to watch Russell and Earl’s oop-off-the-backboard a couple of times today. Sweet play.
