Thursday Bolts – 5.21.15
Zach Lowe of Grantland on the lottery: “Ruiter hadn’t planned to bring a good-luck charm, he told me afterward, as we were all sequestered together without any form of outside communication until the end of the television broadcast. He’s not even sure how the Wolves picked him to be in the drawing room alongside heavy hitters like Sam Presti and Rich Cho, the GMs of the Thunder and Hornets, respectively. As he was rushing to pack, though, Ruiter decided he needed to bring some token. He glanced at a safe in his office, opened it up, and yanked out the birth certificates of his two children — Griffin, 11, and Meredith, 9. He folded them up and had them in his suit pocket for the lottery.”
Royce Webb of ESPN.com: “One reason tanking isn’t synonymous with game-fixing or match-fixing (which is illegal in sports across the globe) appears to be that it’s so ingrained in NBA culture that we expect teams to try to lose to improve their draft position – to win by losing. Indeed, the anger in New York among Knicks fans on Tuesday night appeared to be directed at Jackson, coach Derek Fisher and the Knicks for winning a pair of games at the end of the season that hurt their lottery odds — rage that had flared up even as the games were happening, to the point where Fisher had to make a statement defending himself and his team for winning.”
Just a good piece on the draft lottery.
Anthony Slater on Perry Jones: “Three years in, his career has stalled. Despite having what many considered lottery type talent, Jones fell to the Thunder at 28th overall in the 2012 Draft. It was labeled a steal. Playing behind Kevin Durant, Jones barely saw the court his rookie season. His second year, he earned a longer look and flashed some improving skills. That season, he shot a solid 36 percent from three and showed some promise on defense, even playing LeBron James well in a surprising win over the Heat in Miami.”
Scott Brooks might not be coaching next season.
Steve Kerr called Westbrook out for flopping: “These plays happen every day,” he added. “I don’t think a game goes by where (Clippers guard) Jamal Crawford doesn’t flop six times on his 3-point shots. It’s part of the game. And I don’t blame him for doing it because a lot of times the refs call it. (Thunder guard) Russell Westbrook does it. Everybody does it. So all of a sudden just randomly to fine Steph just seems kind of strange.”
