Monday Bolts – 9.26.11
KD to SI.com on hesitating to make a movie: “Yeah I did, because I always told myself that this is not the type of stuff I really do. But after I thought about it, it just told me to step outside the box and see where it takes me, and I’m really enjoying it. The weeks leading up to it, I was like, ‘Man, this is going to be one of the worst weeks of my summer,’ but I’m having one of the funnest times of my whole summer doing it too. I’m glad I decided to do it.”
Nick Collison on the current labor talks: “I can kind of see the writing on the wall. These guys (owners) are going to try to make us bleed a little to try and get what they want. That’s their game plan, because clearly they haven’t tried to negotiate. That’s kind of our stand. We try to meet in the middle somewhere, but I think they’re a little more interested in trying to break us and force a deal down our throat.”
Darnell Mayberry: “Here’s something I know every NBA fan in Oklahoma wants to hear. Durant wants to organize a pickup game in Oklahoma City. He plans on bringing in other NBA stars as well as his Thunder teammates. The hold up at this point is finding a venue. But Durant adamantly wants to see it happen. “I want to do it just for the fans of Oklahoma City who haven’t seen us play,” Durant said. He added that if the lockout stretches into late October, he’ll become more aggressive in trying to get it done.”
Mayberry was also on set with KD: “Alas, we see the Durantula in action. The mics are on. The cameras are rolling. In this scene, Durant’s agent, played by Brandon T. Jackson, is trying to break the news of “the switch.” It’s the crux of the movie. In his role, Durant is skeptical. And his acting skills are put to the test because he has to conjure up real emotions of anger and frustration. And he has to deliver it repeatedly. I’m told footage from this scene will be used in every trailer, commercial and promotional spot. It’s that significant to the storyline. And because of that, it has to be perfect.”
J.A. Adande on KD: “He needs to be playing in the NBA. That’s something that isn’t lost in the middle of a phone call from a movie set. He lets out a heavy sigh while talking about the financial issues at stake in the lockout. He sounds frustrated that his old school, Texas, keeps popping up in the middle of all of this college conference realignment talk.”
Root beer floats evidently have something important to do with KD’s movie.
James Herbert of HP on the thought of James Harden playing beardless: “Personally, I have serious questions about how much of Harden’s on-court production is beard-dependent. If Harden was to shave the beard, I’d be hesitant to move him into the starting lineup next season. Let’s allow Scott Brooks to worry about his team’s late-game offense rather than his wing beard depth. The mere thought of a beardless Harden in the pros actually makes me extremely nervous. Let’s pretend this never happened.”
Sebastian Pruiti for Basketball Prospectus on Russell Westbrook taking the next step: “Where Westbrook really showed his improvement this past season was with the basketball in his hands. Westbrook improved his scoring both in isolation situations and when coming off of ball screens last year. Two years ago, Westbrook was an OK but not great scorer in both situations, posting 0.767 points per possession when coming off of ball screens and 0.784 PPP in isolation situations and shooting 38.8 percent and 38.2 percent, respectfully. Last season, Westbrook bumped up his rates to 0.830 and 0.867 PPP and his shooting percentages to 41.1 percent and 39 percent, healthy increases in both situations.”
Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com on KD backing Russell Westbrook: “A public relations professional couldn’t have scripted a better statement from Durant. Importantly, he begins by acknowledging the negative perception and admits that things aren’t totally hunky-dory. That’s big because it establishes credibility and implies a level of honesty in his later comments. He goes on to back Westbrook with more than the usual lip service, heaping praise, pointing to specific strengths and crediting his teammate for his own development. In doing so, he flips the line of criticism that Westbrook is standing in Durant’s path to greatness on its head. When it comes to teammate conflicts, both minor and major, actions always speak much louder than words. But, here, Durant spoke in perfect pitch.”
Desperate Housewives references the Oklahoma Redhawks last night. I know this because yes, I was watching it. But how random is that?
