Monday Bolts – 5.27.13
Bill Simmons on Dwight Howard: “Jumping to Houston makes sense for Howard on just about every level … well, except for one. His critics would eviscerate him for running from Orlando and Los Angeles. And they wouldn’t necessarily be wrong. We already know that Dwight is oversensitive. Some believe Dwight reversed course and agreed to that one-year Orlando extension because he couldn’t stop reading his Twitter replies right before the 2012 trade deadline; as the theory goes, he kept reading fans calling him a quitter and a loser, then melted down. So even if he believed Houston (or Dallas, or Atlanta, or wherever) was a better situation and wanted to play there, could he handle the inevitable “YOU QUIT ON THE LAKERS!” critics? Could he summon the intestinal fortitude to leave?”
Darnell Mayberry on “picking” Ibaka over Harden: “In the short term, yes. In the long run, no. Harden is a much more polished player than Ibaka and could have given the Thunder a couple of years of the best trio in basketball. It would have been a three-headed monster most teams would not have been able to defend. But three max contracts on the same team has quickly become a fading format thanks to the league’s more punitive rules. So the window would have been open for roughly two years and then the Thunder, in all likelihood, would have lost both Harden and Ibaka — possibly for nothing in return.”
John Rohde on Thabo: “This upcoming season will be the final year of Sefolosha’s contract and will pay him $3.9 million. Starting July 1, the Thunder has until the end of the contract (June 30, 2014) to re-sign Sefolosha, or he will become an unrestricted free agent. Sefolosha came off the bench in his first appearance with OKC in 2009, but he has started every game since (other than the 32 games he has missed due to injuries). Last season qualified as a career year for the 29-year-old Switzerland native, who set career highs in field-goal percentage, points, steals and 3-pointers made. While remaining one of the league’s premier perimeter defenders, Sefolosha has gradually transformed himself into a shooting guard who can actually shoot. He has become an effective spot-up 3-point shooter (.419), particularly from the corners (.463).”
Ar you following KD on Vine? Because you really should be.
Berry Tramel: “Four days later, Jeff Wilhelm again approached SW 149 from Vicki Drive, but this time at a much more leisurely pace. He and his family walked the six blocks from their house, which was not terribly damaged in the tornado. Wilhelm strolled slowly, one arm in a compression sleeve, the other in a sling. Radial fractures in both elbows. Wilhelm doesn’t know how the arms were broken. He just knows when the adrenaline stopped, when the last Briarwood kid crawled out safely, divinely and miraculously, Wilhelm couldn’t move his arms. But a few days of his wife having to feed him and brush his teeth were a worthy trade-off.”
The Cavs could be targeting Otto Porter with the No. 1 pick, meaning that Nerlens Noel could go second, and open the door for OKC to move up for Ben McLemore, because the Wizards pick third and they don’t need him.
I’m covering the Eastern Finals in Indianapolis right now and just wanted to share the experience of a Pacers playoff game real quick: First, the Fieldhouse is outstanding. Best arena I’ve been to. Awesome design, tons of charm, great feel. Pacer fans are good and active, but there does seem to be missing a live-and-die attitude with them. Maybe that’s because Game 3 didn’t go all that well. But even early when things were close, there was a buzz lacking. One more thing: Frank Vogel is a treasure. Candid, smart and interesting. Quickly becoming one of my favorite coaches in the league.
