Thursday Bolts – 12.23.10
Cole Aldrich’s latest blog for Dime: “I got a lot out of my D-League experience. I think not only from getting the minutes on the court, but learning different things from the coaches and continuing to work hard. Wherever you’re playing, whatever city you’re in, if you’re on the road or at home, you have to work hard. Take every day as an opportunity to get better.”
Chris Sheridan of ESPN on last night’s game: “While the Thunder were basically a two-man show with either Kevin Durant (26 points) or Russell Westbrook (23 points) dominating the ball, the Knicks got contributions from all over. Chandler was 3-for-4 on 3-pointers and 9-of-15 overall in accumulating 21 points; Raymond Felton became the first Knick since Stephon Marbury in 2004 to have 10 assists in five straight games, posting totals of 12 points and 10 dimes; Turiaf spearheaded a 29-point contribution from the bench; and Landry Fields did a little of everything with 14 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.”
Aldrich is ranked 38th on David Thorpe’s rookie rankings.
Seth from Posting and Toasting: “Back home and well-rested after an ugly third-straight loss in Cleveland, the Knicks earned their first bonafide blowout of the year. They outran and out-shot the Oklahoma City Thunder, dominating Scott Brooks’s young but edgeless squad with fresh legs and a rediscovered commitment to defense. Turns out a running team is more apt to run after some time to recuperate. Like flossy commented in the game thread, it’d be nice to capture that vigor and sprinkle it over every game from here on out.”
KD is one of SI’s 10 most memorable athletes of the year.
David Aldridge answering some mail about his Seattle piece from last week: “But the Seattle guys’ point on attendance was this: the team wasn’t supported in the final couple of seasons not because of fan apathy, but because, in their view, Clay Bennett systematically destroyed the team to cut payroll and to make it easier to move, and fans knew it. (What really sticks in their craw was that he didn’t re-sign Rashard Lewis and traded Ray Allen instead of letting them play with Kevin Durant. It worked out, of course, but it worked out in OKC, not Seattle.) Not a single person I spoke with in Seattle had anything bad to say about the fans in OKC or the people who support the Thunder from elsewhere, by the way.”
Fanhouse power rankings: “If the Thunder are going to go deeper into the playoffs than they did a season ago, it won’t happen on the strength of their 3-point shooting. As Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman pointed out after the team lost to the shorthanded Suns on Sunday, OKC is shooting just 32.2 percent from downtown on the season — good for worst in the league, just behind the dreadful Sacramento Kings who are at 32.4.”
Charley Rosen looks at if Russell Westbrook is a Most Improved candidate: “In sum, Westbrook is still learning how to run a team, still has an afflicted jumper, has no range and is scoring more only because he is shooting more. Compare his 14.6 shots per game in his first two seasons with 17.2 this season. Yes, his shooting percentage is up — 44.4 percent from 40.8 percent — but most of his buckets come on fast-breaking or early offense situations. There’s no way that Westbrook deserves MIP honors.” I continue to think Charley Rosen is a moron.
Cool note from Mayberry: “Durant wore Jeff Green‘s No. 22 warm-up pull-over two hours before tip. The reason? Durant gave his warm-up to a kid in Charlotte at the request of Bobcats point guard and former Texas teammate D.J. Augustin.”