Monday Bolts – 6.30.14
Amin Elhassan of ESPN Insider didn’t like the Huestis pick: “The Thunder underwhelmed somewhat by taking Huestis. On one hand, it is the second-to-last first-round pick, so you can’t get too critical about what happens this low in the round. Huestis is an athletic defender and a high-character individual (something the Thunder place a premium on) with the potential to be Thabo Sefolosha’s successor. But Oklahoma City drafted Andre Roberson last year to be the same sort of thing, and invested a year’s worth of development (of which he showed definite signs), so it seems a bit premature to move on from him. Further, there were other talents still on the board who perhaps fit bigger needs for the Thunder, like Kyle Anderson and Cleanthony Early.”
Serge Ibaka in a Q&A: “Winning Defensive Player of the Year. That’s it, that’s all I think about in my mind. Every time I’m about to give up, I think to myself, “You lost three years in a row Defensive Player of the Year.” That’s what I am going for. I feel like I have that gift and that talent, I feel like if I keep working and doing what I have been doing, then one day it will happen. I believe it, I really believe it.”
Markel Brown sees himself as a “Westbrook-type player.”
Jeff Caplan of NBA.com: “Now Lamb, 22, has the opportunity to be a significant, if not transformational, player for a Thunder team that desperately needs a strong perimeter shooter. On a team-friendly deal for the next three seasons, Lamb has the size, speed and length to be a nuisance defensively, although last season he was largely a liability on that end. He got off to a solid start offensively (he shot 35.6 percent from beyond the arc), but his production started to tail off in the second half of the season and once the Thunder acquired veteran small forward Caron Butler off waivers in early March, Lamb lost his spot in the rotation.”
Tibor Pleiss isn’t coming to OKC.
Darnell Mayberry: “The Thunder doesn’t have much money to spend or room on its roster for major additions. But OKC does need a starting shooting guard and a third point guard. When the team passed on both of those needs with its two first-round selections in last Thursday’s draft, it became clear that the plan was to target them in free agency. Everyone has a favorite name, be it a realistic option or a fantasy. The reality, however, is the Thunder has never been a big player in free agency and isn’t likely to start this year, regardless of how close it might be to a championship. The major pieces already are in place. The biggest improvements will be made through in-house development.”
