Thursday Bolts – Sorry Edition
Note: So, Daily Thunder died, again, today. Yes, it’s frustrating and annoying. After working with my hosting folks most of the day, hopefully the issue is finally resolved. The DT piggy bank got opened a little more for a server upgrade (which is the reason for the extra long downtime ) which should hopefully be able to handle the rabid free agency traffic push that’s going on. Anyway, all the sorrys and fingers crossed, things are settled and back to normal.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com: “The Oklahoma City Thunder, with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook acting as lead recruiters, have unexpectedly emerged as a leading contender for the services of Los Angeles Lakers free-agent center Pau Gasol, according to sources close to the process. Sources told ESPN.com that Durant and Westbrook made a face-to-face pitch Wednesday to Gasol in Los Angeles to join them in Oklahoma City despite the financial limitations the Thunder would face in signing him.”
Jon Hamm for NewsOK.com: “The reaction to the idea that the Thunder made money should be one of admiration. At minimum, the front office deserves a slow golf clap for putting together a perennial Finals contender in the league’s 27th largest market without spending recklessly (friendly reminder: the NBA has teams in 28 markets). Somehow, the narrative shifts back to the James Harden trade of October 2012 and the mistaken premise that the Thunder were “too cheap” to sign him to an extension. That oft-repeated idea runs afoul of the facts.”
The video of the Kings’ draft room was really cool until their owner made everyone uncomfortably say “Nik rocks!” It’s like one of the most painful things I’ve ever seen, watching Chris Mullin pretend to be enthusiastic about it.
Interesting roster construction on how to fill out the Heat.
Rob Mahoney of SI.com bargain buys: “Henry has a tendency to drive into crowds, which results in many, many thwarted attempts at the rim and a startling number of free throws. Only 10 players in the league got to the line on a more consistent basis last season, almost all of which were superstars. Henry is a role player at best, though he was spectacular enough in that one individual attribute to draw some heady company. But it’s an empty grouping given that Henry doesn’t have the supporting game to back it up. Even on those consistent drives, Henry finished just 47.6 percent of his shot attempts around the rim. That’s Henry in a nutshell – useful only to a point, inefficient from the field, and still in the early stages of leveraging his athleticism as a basketball asset.”
