Thursday Bolts: 12.05.19
Brandon also has your recap from last night’s close loss by the Thunder to the Pacers.
Chris Paul tells Marc Spears (The Undefeated) consciously put Daryl Morey on blast regarding the summer blockbuster that he says shocked him: “I just talked to Daryl a couple days before the trade and he said he wasn’t going to trade me [to Oklahoma City]. That’s funny because that is going to be the alert that pops up on everybody’s phone because nobody knows that. But what the hell, I just said it.” Morey declined comment on Paul, saying he was told he wouldn’t be traded to the Thunder, but sources close to the Rockets say Morey told Paul days before the trade there was a “slim chance” he could be dealt to the Thunder and that message may have been misinterpreted. Morey had hoped the Thunder would add a third team, preferably the Miami Heat, where Paul could land on a playoff contender. But no other team joined the Paul-Westbrook deal.”
Justin Patton was recalled by the Thunder from the Blue, per a team release.
Joe Mussatto (The Oklahoman) got some mixed messaging on Steven Adams’ struggles and knee injury from Billy Donovan and the big man himself: “When asked if he feels past his injury, Adams nodded his head three times before saying: “Making it work. As much as I can tell you.” Thunder coach Billy Donovan previously said that he was monitoring Adams’ minutes, but that there wasn’t a hard minutes restriction. Donovan was asked why the Thunder didn’t sit Adams out longer as he dealt with the knee contusion. “He’s going to make those decisions, and we did for a couple games,” Donovan said. “And I think he felt like playing through some of that, and getting his rhythm back and being out there was important.”
Nick Crain (Forbes) on the Thunder’s strong midrange shooting this season: “Oklahoma City has three of the top 20 mid-range shooters in the NBA on their roster this season. Among players who shoot at least 2 mid-range shots per game, Chris Paul is eighth in the NBA in mid-range shooting at 52.1 percent on 2.5 attempts per contest. Dennis Schroder is ninth in the league at 51.9 percent on 2.8 attempts. Finally, Danilo Gallinari is 19th, shooting 48.2 percent on 2.9 attempts per game.”
LaMelo Ball tells Chris Bumbaca (USA Today) that he should be the #1 overall pick. Duh.