Monday Bolts – 9.14.15
Seth Partnow for the Washington Post: “Per possession Westbrook was slightly below average last season, in efficiency. According to Synergy Sports data, Westbrook scored 1.09 points per play used in transition. NBA average was 1.1 points per play. Still, on his way to one of the most stupendous usage seasons of recent memory, Westbrook was the league leader in transition opportunities by a wide margin, averaging more than 8.1 such plays per game. James Harden was second with just more than 5.6 plays per game. To put that gap in perspective, Trevor Ariza was 30th in the league in transition chances per game, and was closer to Harden in that regard than was Harden to Westbrook.”
Deantae Price of SI.com gives OKC’s offseason a D+: “In contrast to the Harden deal, Oklahoma City’s best move was the one it didn’t make, when the team decided to trade Reggie Jackson rather than pay him top dollar to occupy a sixth man role. That decision became even brighter once the Thunder drafted Cameron Payne in the 2015 NBA draft to take over the reigns. If his personality and work ethic serve as any indication, Payne should be much less of a distraction within the locker room as well. Remember, this year will feature questions about Donovan’s chops as an NBA coach and Durant’s impending free agency. The Thunder don’t need any extra distractions.”
KD on Dirk and Pau Gasol: “They’re two great players in our league who I think are going to be hall-of-famers. Dirk Nowitzki is a guy who I’ve always looked up to, as a tall shooter, making me believe that it could happen in the NBA. So I really appreciate him for just being who he is.”
J.R. Wilco of Pounding the Rock names the best defensive play in Spurs history: “It’s not just that it was a huge moment that saved the Thunder from going up with less than 45 seconds left. On the road. In overtime. It’s everything that Kawhi reacts to in a microscopically small snippet of time. Encounter Jackson. See him pass. Turn to follow the ball. See Westbrook. Jump without fouling. Calculate the trajectory of Russell’s leap. Anticipate where he will hold the ball. Reach just so in order to remove the ball without touching anything but the ball.”
Russell Westbrook cheated on his team once for fashion.
Mo Cheeks on Moses Malone: “He always joked anytime I called him. No matter what, if a month went by, two months, a week, whatever, if I called him and said ‘How much you weigh, Mo?’ He’d say ‘285.’ No matter what. He didn’t have any problems. People I talked to recently, like (Sunday), they saw him and he was fine. He was healthy.”
J.A. Adande of ESPN.com on Malone: “I’m not sure whether having SportsCenter or YouTube throughout Malone’s career would have helped. His game wasn’t tailored for Vine-able moments. He wore opponents down by rebounding again and again and again. He drew fouls (he was one of only four players to attempt more than 10,000 free throws in his career), and if there was a signature Malone image it was him at the free throw line, his goggles slid up his head, sweat dripping down his face.”
