Thursday Bolts – 7.23.15
Dan Devine of BDL on the new alt unis: “I’m not entirely sure about what appears to be an all-orange Oklahoma City Thunder alternate, but given the relatively uninspiring nature of both their standard strips and their existing blue-note alternates, a brighter, bolder shake-up could be worth a shot. Thunder fans will have to hope that their favorite squad finds a bit more luck in orange than the New York Knicks did two seasons ago.”
Chris Mannix of SI: “Next summer isn’t the Summer of Durant. It’s the summer of the guys Durant is going to be partially responsible for helping get rich. What would a smart team do? Ignore it. Don’t splurge on Deron Williams because you need a point guard and have the money to (over)spend on one. Or, spend the money, but insist on short term deals. Because the summer of 2017 is when the real fun could begin (sound familiar?). That’s the summer of Stephen Curry. Of Chris Paul. Of Blake Griffin. Of Russell Westbrook. Of Derrick Rose. Better to be equipped with cap space then, when far more true franchise-altering players are on the market, instead of pinning your hopes on Oklahoma City failing miserably and pushing Durant out of town.”
Interesting graphic on the impact of an interior player on 3-point shots.
Interesting story from Jason Concepcion of Grantland: “Fast-forward six months and Orton is on the summer league roster for the Portland Trail Blazers. Also in Las Vegas: Orton’s PBA coach, Tim Cone, the winningest coach in PBA history, with 18 league titles in 30 finals appearances. In 2013-14, his San Mig Super Coffee Mixers pulled off the fifth grand slam — winning all three conferences in a single season — in PBA history. The situation with Orton was more complicated, of course. He was also not playing particularly well in a cutthroat league that expects its imports to produce immediately. But still …”
Thunder interested in Chris Copeland?
Anthony Slater on the jerseys: “In theory, the jersey would make sense. Orange is already one of the Thunder’s secondary colors and, for years, some fans have clamored for an orange alternate. But the state’s split collegiate allegiance would seem to complicate matters. How will Sooners fans feel about the Thunder rocking orange? Who knows? But it’s a good bet Oklahoma State fans won’t mind.”
There is some reason for skepticism: One fan came up with almost this exact same design a few months ago.
