Tuesday Bolts – 10.22.13

Zach Lowe of Grantland with a prediction: “The Thunder’s window is open, but Sam Presti must be scanning the roster and worrying that it’s not open nearly as wide as it was a year ago. Opportunities to win the ring are rare, and I’d expect Presti to spend this season chasing an upgrade. Here’s the predicted procession of events: 1. The Thunder put out feelers on Kendrick Perkins, hoping to dump him for a slightly more useful player, using their first-round pick as bait. If the Thunder could dump Perkins to a team with lots of cap room — Phoenix or Philly, basically — that might unlock the midsize trade exception the Thunder received in the Kevin Martin sign-and-trade.4 2. Finding no takers, the Thunder add Jeremy Lamb or some other young asset to the Perk platter. 3. Finding no takers, the Thunder switch gears, come to grips with the fact that Perkins is theirs for the long haul, and try to cobble together enough salary to snag a midlevel wing type such as Lou Williams.”

Magic Johnson: “My top teams in the West are the Clippers, Spurs, Grizzlies, Warriors and Rockets. Look out for the Lakers, Nuggets, Blazers and Mavs.”

First podcast from The Starters.

Scott Brooks on The Sports Animal yesterday.

Sick burn from Zydrunas Ilgauskas on Scott Brooks in a 1998 SI story: “In Z, Cleveland has its first true center since 1994, when Brad Daugherty last saw action. His comfort with English is expanding almost as rapidly as his game. Cavaliers guard Scottie Brooks recently found himself bemoaning his homesickness to Ilgauskas. ‘My wife’s in California,’ said Brooks, ‘and I haven’t seen her for four weeks.’ ‘Don’t worry,’ said Ilgauskas. ‘I talked to her last night, and she’s fine.'”

GM survey is out. More to come on that.

Russell Westbrook in GQ France.

If any of you people feel so kind, an Oklahoma special education teacher that needs something for her classroom.