Thursday Bolts – 8.8.13
Darnell Mayberry on back-to-backs: “The remaining six should be, should be, open and shut. That’s not to say the Thunder should go 12-0 in those games. There are some solid tests, like Dec. 21 at San Antonio before hosting Toronto the next night, or a home game against Denver on March 24 before playing at Dallas just 24 hours later. But by and large, the Thunder shouldn’t find too much trouble with back-to-backs like Sacramento and Portland, or Minnesota and Boston, or Boston and Philadelphia. So out of 15 back-to-backs, four are borderline brutal, three are taxing only on the second night and two are toss-ups. That means six of the 15 are more than manageable. That’s not a bad break.”
J.A. Adande of ESPN.com on the schedule: “It starts with opening night, when the main story will be Derrick Rose’s return. That’s just one of the ongoing threads that will be more intriguing than Miami’s campaign. So will the southern migration of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, the Bostonians-turned-Brooklynites who get their first crack at the Heat on Nov. 1. How will their former coach, Doc Rivers, do with the Clippers? What about Howard and James Harden in Houston? Can Russell Westbrook bounce back from injury, and can he and Kevin Durant overcome the roster erosion from the past two years? Will the Golden State Warriors make good on the promise they showed last season? Those are all bigger stories than the Heat until the playoffs start and Miami begins its true championship defense. Until then, the Heat are a curiosity, not a major concern. When will they lose back-to-back games, something that hasn’t happened since Jan. 8 and Jan. 10? How will Greg Oden fare? Neither of these rises to the level of “pressing issue.” The Heat will be visible. They’ll be entertaining. They’re definitely relevant. But after three years of monopolizing our attention, it’s time for a new role: secondary.”
KD and Austin Daye went head to head at The Drew.
Bradford Doolittle projects Serge Ibaka as the ninth best power forward: “Ibaka’s game evolved as he spent more time on the perimeter on offense, using possessions 2.5 percent more often with a career-best true shooting percentage of .611. He knocked down an unreal 59 percent of his 2-point shots, a rate that isn’t likely to be repeated. Also, Ibaka’s overall rebound rate has declined in every season of his career. Nevertheless, he’s a fine player with an established WARP level of around 10 per season and a perfect complement to the star duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.”
Benjamin Polk of A Wolf Among Wolves in a 5-on-5 on most overrated power forward: “Yes, Ibaka is a menacing shot blocker, and yes, he has nice touch from 15 feet. But his shot-blocking has always distracted fans from his team defensive shortcomings. And last year’s playoffs revealed just how limited his offensive game still is.”
Sekou Smith of NBA.com on the Heat’s biggest threats: “No offense to the Spurs, who were fantastic in their playoff run last season and 30 seconds away from snatching the Heat’s crown during Game 6 of The Finals, but the Thunder remain the cream of the Western Conference crop. Russell Westbrook‘s knee injury devastated this team and opened the door for the Memphis Grizzlies and Spurs to battle it out for the Western Conference crown. Don’t bet on the Thunder falling down like that again. Kevin Durant won’t allow it. And Westbrook will certainly return with a vengeance. The Thunder know now just how fragile elite status can be. The wrong injury at the wrong time can spell disaster. Westbrook’s injury did have one silver lining for the Thunder, it allowed a youngster like Reggie Jackson to test himself in the spotlight. It also allowed Durant and Thunder coach Scott Brooks to take stock of exactly who would be ready to go when adversity hit. Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins have to know that redeeming themselves for their postseason failure is a must.”
