Monday Bolts – 6.10.13
So Serge Ibaka told a foreign media outlet that Kevin Martin wasn’t re-signing. “There will be changes, like the departure of Kevin Martin,” he said. But Ibaka backtracked off that hard on Sunday. “I definitely don’t know nothing about it,” he said. “I’m a player like him, so we just go play. That’s the kind of question you need to ask the (general) manager.” Ibaka also followed it up with a tweet too: “Just to clarify what I didn’t say: I’m a player not an executive so don’t know what 2will happen with K-Mar He’s a great teammate”
Patrick Rishe of Forbes: “With Kevin Durant joining Roc Nation, do not be surprised to see a Domino Effect ensue in the coming months…especially among football and basketball players who are currently in the midst of their off-season. If Jay-Z wanted to rock the sports agency establishment, the signing of Kevin Durant accomplishes this task more than any other moves made to this point. That said, the smartest thing Jay-Z did was partner with a brand like CAA. Without their contractual and sports law expertise, Jay-Z’s venture into athlete representation would have been far less attractive.”
Darren Heitner of Forbes: “Kevin Durant is currently in the middle of a 5-year, $89 million maximum rookie scale extension that he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder on July 7, 2010. Thus, he is in no immediate need of an NBPA certified player agent to negotiate his next deal. If Durant signs with Roc Nation Sports, it will simply be for off-the-court endeavors for the foreseeable future. The eventual signing of Kevin Durant will be another gigantic win for Jay-Z and Roc Nation Sports. It is a public service announcement that this two month window of success for Roc Nation Sports is no fad. Jay-Z is now a real player in the game and his competition needs to keep their eyes on the throne.”
Sham Sports with a breakdown of every team’s cap room. Projected Thunder cap space: none.
Bradford Dootlitte of ESPN Insider on the influence of the Spurs: “It’s not just the coaching ranks that have been populated with Popovich protégés. Former Spurs executives who learned under Pop and Buford are in high demand. Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti is the most accomplished of that group, while Ferry, New Orleans Pelicans GM Dell Demps and Indiana Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard all have had their moments of success. The jury is still out on promising Orlando Magic GM Rob Hennigan and Utah Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey. Things didn’t work out too well for Lance Blanks in Phoenix, but Spurs execs will continue to be in demand, not only because of San Antonio’s on-court success, but because the Spurs have sustained it while only occasionally dipping into the luxury tax. According to Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com, San Antonio has paid just $12.6 million in luxury tax over the past decade, and won’t be a taxpayer this year at all. So while it’s understandable why owners around the league, especially those in small markets, are eager to import the San Antonio operation, the fact of the matter is that just because you know the precepts of a system doesn’t mean you can replicate it. There is only one Popovich, one Buford, one Holt and one Duncan.”
LeBron’s block last night really was pretty sick.
SLAM’s mock has OKC taking Cody Zeller: “I went back and forth on “Zeller or Len” about 2,000 times before I decided to give OKC the star sophomore from Indiana. If you want to make the argument that Len is a better prospect with a higher ceiling and Oklahoma City should draft him because they’re so good with player development, feel free. It’s a perfectly reasonable argument with logical reasoning. With that in mind, I think we can all agree that Len is more of a risk than Zeller. Zeller is a much more polished prospect. If Oklahoma City was a rebuilding team that didn’t have “title or bust” expectations every season, I’d pick Len. But Oklahoma City is built to win right now. They need a guy who can step in from day one and, if not start, come off the bench and provide the low post scoring that they haven’t had in…well, ever (in the time since they moved from Seattle). Seriously. The big man with the most refined low-post game in the team’s history is Nenad Kristic, and he never averaged double-digit scoring for the Thunder.”
Serge Ibaka says he’s not watching the playoffs.
Darnell Mayberry: “He’s 7-feet tall … and he can score. We know what you’re thinking. Say no more. Sign him up. These days, it doesn’t seem to matter who it is. Those two attributes — size and scoring — have become so desperately desired by Thunder fans that most will give almost anything to see them come to Oklahoma City. And that’s why so many have their eyes set on Kelly Olynyk, a projected lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft from Gonzaga.”
From Adrian Wojnarowski’s story on KD changing
agents: “League executives and agents wonder whether the move to Jay-Z and Roc Nation could eventually lead to the agency pushing for Durant to depart small-market Oklahoma City for the opportunities of New York or Los Angeles.”
Some people are reading into this and worrying. First, Durant’s signed for three more years. Worry about it in June of 2016. Second, just because opposing league executives and agents “wonder” if it means Durant is positioning to move doesn’t mean jack. Chill, people.
