Monday Bolts – 7.9.12

Darnell Mayberry on Harden making Team USA: “As an aside, some already are claiming that Harden’s selection drives up the price in his upcoming contract negotiations. I don’t buy that. Harden already was a near max, if not max, player. Not much was going to change that. Much like when Harden averaged 12.4 points on 37.5 percent shooting in the Finals, people wanted to claim that his performance was bringing down the amount of dollars he could command. Neither, really, figures to have much of an effect on negotiations. Sam Presti isn’t a fickle GM. He has a plan and he’s going to stick to it, not allow five games or a Team USA selection to alter his course. Furthermore, had Harden not made this Olympic team, there still would have been some franchise out there (we’re looking at you, Phoenix) that stood ready, willing and able to throw max or near-max money at Harden. So let’s take it easy on reading too much into every development.”

Sean Deveny of Sporting News on Team USA’s threats: “Spain: There was only one team to give Team USA a real scare in ’08, and it was Spain in the gold-medal game. The Spanish roster is loaded with NBA-level talent. Their best scorer is guard Juan Carlos Navarro, who played one season with the Grizzlies before returning to Europe, and averaged 18.7 points in leading the Spanish to last year’s Eurobasket championship.”

Hakeem Olajuwon said he wants to work with Serge Ibaka this summer.

Nick Friedell of ESPN.com on Team USA: “It will be interesting to see how much Krzyzewski uses the young Oklahoma City point guard given that Paul and Williams are already in the fold. Obviously, he can score and he may be quicker to the rim than anyone else in the tournament. He could be an X factor for Team USA.”

Jeff Green got himself a nice big extension with the Celtics.

Ian Thompson of SI.com: “The same kind of flexibility now defines the 2012 U.S. Olympic team three weeks before its opening game in London on July 29 against France. Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Andrew Bynum, LaMarcus Aldridge and Lamar Odom are all missing, and yet this team isn’t defined by that weakness. The fact that Tyson Chandler is the only true center on the roster instead creates opportunities for James, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant to play big-man roles and create problems for the traditional big men trying to stop them.”

Fran Blinebury of NBA.com previewing summer league: “The Thunder will definitely have the most scrutinized player in the summer in Jones, the big man with lottery level talent who tumbled down the board on draft night as teams became wary of a possible bad knee and questionable attitude. If Jones can live up to his potential, there could be 27 teams that passed on him regretting it.”

Nick Gallo of the team’s official site on OKC having three players on Team USA: “Durant and Westbrook have found the fruits of their Team USA labor, but for Harden, this is his first trial run in international basketball, and thus the beginning stages of what his two Thunder teammates experienced in 2010. Going from the third overall draft pick in 2009 to the Sixth Man of the Year in 2012 to a late addition to Team USA, Harden has witnessed dramatic developments in his own basketball life, and is loving every minute of it, just as the Thunder has experienced a massive change in its own standing in the NBA from 2008 until today.”

Sekou Smith of NBA.com on if the 2012 team is better than 2008: “The trade offs between 2008 and 2012 are as close to equal as you can get, the most dominant big man in basketball in Howard for the most dominant scorer in the game (Durant). The man known formerly known as “Flash” in Wade for the player who embodies the moniker more than anyone these days in Westbrook.”