Monday Bolts – 3.28.16
Dion Waiters for the Players Tribune: “The truth is, you shouldn’t even know my name
right now. When I was eight years old, I was walking across the park with my mom in South Philly when I heard, Pop-pop-pop-pop! There was a shootout between some kids and we got caught in the middle of the playground. Bullets were flying by my head. I’m talking literally right by my head. The shooter was running right at us. We hit the ground until it stopped. If I was a few inches taller, I could’ve lost my life right there. You wouldn’t know the name Dion Waiters.”
Pounding the Rock: “Serge Ibaka used to be the Thunder’s third best player. Enes Kanter, who seemed to be a bad signing for the Thunder when they got him, has superseded Ibaka as their third leading scorer, and isn’t quite the human turnstile on defense that he was when he entered the league. I think that Billy Donovan must be really pleased with what he’s getting from the big Turk.”
Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com on LeBron: “Also useful for the handbook would be how much James likes attention. So much of it comes his way naturally, but there are times when even that’s not enough: when he will walk up on teammates being interviewed so he can edge into the picture; when he will loudly sing bars of rap songs in otherwise quiet rooms just to let everyone know he’s there; when he will pop up in front of tens of millions on social media with a message that will create an instant and wide-ranging buzz. It’s all part of the James package.”
Blake Griffin is back and now serving his suspension. Last game of it? At the Thunder on Thursday.
Chad Ford of ESPN Inside on Buddy: “I said last week I don’t think he slips past the Pelicans or Kings (currently slotted to draft No. 6 and No. 7). However, I’m not sure he will get by the Celtics or Wolves at No. 4 or No. 5 now. If that holds, it will be a nice jump of at least four spots in the lottery. A great Final Four could cement that status for him.”
Erik Horne: “Even with San Antonio having an older team, a 20-to-1 Spurs-Thunder rest ratio seems vast. The ratio should grow as the Spurs are guaranteed no worse than the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. San Antonio has a 10-game lead on the Thunder with nine games left. It appears the Thunder will get the No. 3 seed, as Clippers have fallen to 51/2 games behind OKC, but Donovan has largely ignored the standings to determine rest. Level of play, health, and rhythm is what Donovan said he’s looking at, not playoff seeding. One of the three factors is Priority No. 1.”
