Tuesday Bolts: 02.11.20

Props to the Thunder subreddit, who graced our most recent podcast with questions and a guest appearance.

r/Thunder also fuels the online Thunder world of jokes, and helps me stay on top of our bolts. Exhibit A: What say you: does Shai Gilgeous-Alexander look enough like Lil Nas X to fire up the meme engine?

Michael Scotto (Bleacher Report) says the the Danilo Gallinari trade talks between the Heat and Thunder did involve Miami players, but it’s still unclear if the negotiations landed on filler like Kelly Olynyk or value like Kendrick Nunn. There’s also this: “Despite failing to acquire Gallinari at the deadline, Miami remains a potential destination for the Italian sharpshooter in free agency because the Heat created additional cap space by moving Johnson, Justise Winslow and Dion Waiters… Another team that could be a potential suitor for Gallinari is the New York Knicks with CAA’s Leon Rose expected to take over as team president. After trading Marcus Morris Sr. for Maurice Harkless and draft pick compensation, the Knicks have plenty of cap space to use this summer. Rose and Gallinari’s agent, Michael Tellem of CAA Sports, have worked closely together during their time at the agency.”

Isaiah Roby was sent back to the G League, where he’s been shooting a comical 53%/75%/25% slash line in his brief time as a member of the Blue.

Chris Paul is one of the 44 finalists to be on the next iteration of Team USA.

Paul has been recognizing HCBUs with his fits for Black History Month:

Erik Horne (The Athletic) is looking for playoff implications from the Thunder’s loss to the Celtics on Sunday: “The Thunder didn’t want to switch defenders in the final three minutes against the Celtics. But in a four-point game and the Thunder trailing 103-99, Boston was able to get All-Star Kemba Walker matched up against Gallinari on consecutive possessions. Walker hit back-to-back 3-pointers. Gallinari took the blame after the game, saying he needed to do a better job in one-on-one defense, but the Thunder have been successful despite his defensive deficiencies all season because of the work rate of the guys in front of him. Sometimes as hard as a guard works to get over a screen, get back in front of the ball and protect his big man, other teams are going to get the matchup they want. But on Walker’s first 3-pointer of the closing stretch, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lets himself get completely wiped out by a Jayson Tatum screen.”

Royce Young (ESPN) reports that Darius Bazley will miss 4-6 weeks with a bone bruise, and our injury expert Olivia Panchal says that’s a typical but conservative timeline for the ailment:

Young also pens the Thunder’s power ranking spot for ESPN, who finally moved them up (now at 10): “OKC’s roster survived the trade deadline intact, and the Thunder are ready to make a second-half run and see how good they really are. Sunday’s one-point loss to the Celtics was a high-level, intense test, with two intelligent teams trying to out-execute each other down the stretch. The Thunder have made a habit out of winning those, but they missed some chip shots and ran into the clutch-time stylings of Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart. Oklahoma City has spent the season surpassing expectations but also has gone just 8-17 versus teams .500 or better.”

On the latest episode of The O’Colly, Bazley’s pro mentor (Mike Miller) and high school coach (Steve Wright) talk about the rookie’s come-up:

In the latest power rankings at theScore, the Thunder move up to 10 despite some gripes with Steven Adams: “Steven Adams has eclipsed nine points in just one of his last 10 games, and that performance came against the post-deadline Pistons. Though the Thunder score most of their points from the perimeter, they still need more from their starting center.”

When coming through as a visiting Celtic, Enes Kanter was asked about the school he’s opening in OKC (H/T r/Thunder):

Don’t miss this week’s Daily Thunder weather report for all of your OKC betting needs this week. Give Gabriel Allen a follow on Twitter while you’re at it.

Aidan Elrod looked to the underwhelming buyout market to see if there are any matches for the Thunder’s underwhelming wing rotation: “Do the Thunder value building experience for younger players like Darius Bazley and Lu Dort over giving playing time to more seasoned veterans like a Dion Waiters or Kent Bazemore? Will the Thunder even attract buyout players without a real “star” player in their prime?”

Nolan Jensen (Hoops Habit) says no one should want to draw the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.

his own embarassment failing to keep everyone safe: “The couple are suing not only Ujiri but also the Raptors, MLSE and the NBA itself on six separate counts: assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence (twice) and loss of consortium. The suit alleges that the Raptors, MLSE and the NBA, among other things ‘failed to provide adequate safety and security measures to protect members of the public.’ The suit went on to list several things that could have been done, including, ‘post signs warning of danger, including the danger of Masai Ujiri.'”