Monday Bolts – 7.27.15
Kurt Helin of PBT on the LA workout: “NBA players, sometimes teammates, getting together in a small group (maybe three) is not uncommon. Especially at UCLA, which has one of the best off-season runs going. However getting 10 teammates together, working out and bonding in July, is very rare. It’s a good sign in you’re a Thunder fan. The Thunder need to stay healthy after a season where they got more than their fair share of injuries. They need Donovan to bring a modern offense to the table. They need their defense to be elite. They need the Enes Kanter/Steven Adams center rotation to work. They need some breaks to go their way in a West stacked with contenders (the Warriors, Spurs, Clippers, and Rockets are in the mix, too). But 10 guys getting together in July? That’s a very good place to start.”
Anath Panadian of CBSSports.com: “The relationship he has developed with his teammates could be the deciding factor in Durant’s free agency decision, and it looks like that bond has grown even stronger with the Thunder’s voluntary Los Angeles minicamp. If the Thunder win the championship next season or even make it to the Finals, it is hard to see Durant leaving OKC.”
SLAM talked to the guy doing the impression videos: “Yeah. I’m guessing his mentions were going crazy, but I’m also really good friends with Ant Morrow, that’s one of my boys, and I knew he was gonna find a way for Westbrook to see it. He was like, “Durant really likes the video.” Him and Westbrook, they’re always on their phones.”
Darnell Mayberry on camp storylines: “Who will be the starting shooting guard and center. We grew accustomed to Scott Brooks’ way of doing things after seven seasons. His starting lineup was incredibly consistent and as a result became unbelievably predictable. But with first-year coach Billy Donovan we have no idea which direction the Thunder will go at shooting guard and center. Most assume Steven Adams will start. But who knows? And there’s not even educated guesses at this point about the starting shooting guard. With the Thunder set to return with the deepest team it’s ever had, the decisions Donovan makes regarding his first five will be what intrigues me most.”
Steven Adams won’t play for New Zealand this summer.
Anthony Slater on Mike Miller: “Plus OKC likely doesn’t have a spot for him. After the recent trades of Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones, the roster currently sits at 14 players. But former first-rounder Josh Huestis is likely to sign a contract soon, taking up the last available slot. A trade of Steve Novak — basically a Mike Miller lite — could free up a place and would even save money (Novak is making $3.75 million next season and Miller will presumably get the veteran’s minimum on his next deal). But that would require the Thunder to add an incentive (likely a draft pick) to Novak’s contract to even find a trade suitor. Is that worth it for a 13th or 14th man? Not likely.”
