Monday Bolts – 9.9.13
Kurt Helin of PBT’s take on Durant’s recent comments: “The reality here is pretty simple — Durant wants to win. Multiple titles. When he can be a free agent in 2016 he is going to make a decision about OKC based on how the team has done and how it is poised for the future. It will be about how much he trusts the front office of the organization. It’s the same calculation every star player has to make: Kobe Bryant in 2004, LeBron James with the Cavaliers, even Dwight Howard with the Lakers this summer. Right now, with the team they have in OKC and the opportunities in front of him, it’s hard to picture Durant leaving. But in three seasons things could feel radically different. Three years is an NBA eternity. I’m sure between now and then Durant will get asked variations of this same question 453,971 times, so we can discuss plenty more over the next few years.”
Thought-provoking piece from Amin Elhassan of ESPN Insider on eliminating max deals: “Closely related to the previous point, the current CBA dictates that a max salary is either the leaguewide max (based loosely on 25/30/35 percent of the cap), or 105 percent of the player’s previous salary – the aforementioned grandfather clause — whichever is greater. But this is only an upper limit. The problem with testing the upper limit of those max salaries is that it can skew average annual values, so that in 2014, when LeBron James is a potential free agent, it’s very possible his max salary will somehow not be the highest in the league. Why? Because of the discount he took with Miami. This system also hamstrings teams in the case of older max players whose production no longer matches or justifies their max salaries. It has become standard practice to continue to pay older max players based primarily on past production, but this off-kilter valuation often makes it difficult to field a competitive lineup.”
Really good interview with Nick Collison from a few weeks ago.
Via @MarinRibec: “Tibor Pleiss in Game 4 loss vs. GB: 30min, 20p (8-11), 14r, 3a, 2b. Has 11p+10r per game. Is 2nd in rpg for tournament”
Jeff Caplan of NBA.com on darkhorse scoring title contenders: “Yeah, yeah, maybe he shoots too much considering he plays alongside that Durant guy. But Westbrook’s a stone-cold scorer and Thunder coach Scott Brooks knows it. After his knee injury in the first round, Westbrook (he finished sixth in scoring last season at 23.2 ppg) declared that he will return a smarter player. Maybe it means he’ll take fewer bad shots, but don’t expect him to necessarily take fewer shots since the Thunder lost 3-point ace Martin to the Wolves in free agency.”
Russell Westbrook is at fashion week.
Ray. A Smith of the Wall Street Journal on Westbrook: “Mr. Westbrook is one of a small group of NBA players that includes LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Tyson Chandler, Amar’e Stoudemire, who have sat front row at fashion shows, usually next to an editor at GQ, which, by the way, has featured them in glamorous photo shoots often. He gladly took credit for helping up the style quotient of other NBA players. “Yes I think so,” he said when asked if he played a role in influencing other NBA players to dress more stylishly. “A lot of guys now pay attention to how they dress, which is good.” Indeed, NBA players were often the butt of jokes for their oversized zoot-suit style suits sometimes with four buttons and in colors like plum or apricot.”
Darnell Mayberry: “But the departure of Liggins, waived Friday after being charged with domestic violence and kidnapping, now puts the Thunder’s 2013-14 roster into better focus. With 15 players left standing, the Thunder’s roster could be set. Training camp begins in three weeks, but barring an unexpected roster move, what you see is what you’ll get. Competition for the team’s 15th and final spot just became much less complex with Liggins gone. With his dismissal, Ryan Gomes, a journeyman who was not in the league last year, stands the most to gain.”
