Monday Bolts – Gold Edition
FanHouse talked with Scott Brooks yesterday: “Q: Did you have any hesitation at all as far as allowing these guys to participate? Any worry about the grind or injury risks? A: No reservations at all. I love the fact that these guys wanted to do it, and they wanted to do it with all their hearts. It’s a great honor to represent your country, and I never worry about players getting hurt. If they want to become great players, they’ve got to put in a lot of time on the court. And if you don’t, you don’t get better. They’re either going to play a lot of basketball in Turkey or they’re going to play a lot of basketball in Oklahoma City or wherever they’re playing in the states. These guys are gym rats. They play twice a day, and they’re not going to change their ways. And I don’t want them to. That’s how we’ve improved as a team is these guys coming back better players every year.”
Jack McCallum of SI: “Besides Durant, the other U.S. player to make a quantum leap in this tournament was Westbrook. I wrote previously that Krzyzewski called him “one of the elite athletes in the world,” which can sometimes be a veiled criticism, i.e., that he’s all talent, no fundamentals. Not the case with Westbrook, who, besides Durant, was the only one who looked comfortable attacking zones throughout the tournament. The possibility exists that, as time goes on, he and Rose will have a Chris Paul-Deron Williams kind of rivalry going on. But right now? I’d have to pick Westbrook … and I love Rose’s game, his uncertain outside touch notwithstanding. Pencil Westbrook in for the 2012 Olympic team, by the way, since Colangelo, who never sits back on personnel selection, singled the Oklahoma City Thunder guard out for praise after the game. “For a young player with his skill level, what he’s going to be in the future is unbelievable,” said Colangelo.”
Chris Tomasson’s report from Turkey: “[Durant’s] only 21 years old, and he’s got the whole package,” USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said of Durant, an easy choice for Worlds Most Valuable Player. “Just think what lies ahead for Kevin Durant. He’s got this (Colangelo points to his head) and this (points to his heart). He’s got great talent. He’s just an amazing guy. I love him.”
Adrian Wojnarowski: “Whatever. Durant should be wiser, understand the self-promoting agenda of a college coach and leave this sophomoric motivation at Turkish customs. This won’t work for Durant now. He was expected to win this gold medal, and he did. That’s the burden of greatness, and he rose to it. He’s no underdog anymore. He’s an Alpha Dog. He’s such a nice kid, and everyone wants a part of him. They crushed close, hung on his arms and convinced him to lean into them for photos. At the end, this was some scene. FIBA couldn’t control its credentialed people from mauling its MVP, and Krzyzewski couldn’t simply say that he had Kevin Durant while most of the world’s best players stayed home and that, together, they completed the responsibilities expected of them. Kevin Durant needed to get on the plane, get out of here, and remember come playoff time that he’s now armed with a championship that belongs to him. His genius, his work. No underdog anymore. He’s Alpha, all the way.”
If you missed Thunderground Radio’s live show from yesterday, here’s the replay: “We talked with Royce about Durant, Nick of SLAM Online about the FIBA Championship, and YOU about all things NBA and international basketball related. We also took time to talk about the “all tournament” team as well as our expectations for the Thunder this next season. Take a listen if you didn’t catch it LIVE, subscribe, and check back next Sunday when we start our Division Rival breakdown.”
Berry Tramel: “Durant’s game can get even better. It did, right before our eyes, in the worlds. Maybe in a few years, when Durant and his sidekick, Russell Westbrook, have 600, 700 NBA games on their legs, we won’t get so fired up about their adventures in international basketball. Maybe we’ll want them to spend the summers with their feet up. But now, both awaiting their 22nd birthdays, this kind of performance on this kind of stage can only be good for the Thunder.”
Rob Mahoney on KD: “Even if KD’s game is only getting better and better, it’s possible that this is the best it gets for Durant’s image. He’ll win some, he’ll lose some. He’ll fall short of some expectations and shatter others. Yet the longer Durant stays in the NBA, the more time the now-adoring public will have to pick him apart. Even the great ones have their flaws, and in case those flaws aren’t flammable enough on their own, the sports sphere is never short on gasoline.”