Tuesday Bolts – 10.8.13
Zach Lowe of Grantland says OKC’s a contender: “Go ahead and write them off. Westbrook’s hurt, and the James Harden trade has turned into exactly zero players with an NBA footprint. The Thunder run a stagnant offense, and even if Westbrook’s injury only costs them two or three wins, that may still knock them down to the no. 4 or no. 5 seed in the perilous Western Conference. (Seriously: Being in the Western Conference is like playing one of the final levels of the original Zelda for Nintendo. If you open a door with less than half your health remaining and see 10 of those blue sword-wielding dudes who dart around the room carrying giant shields, just run back through the door.) But they’re staying in the top tier as long as Kevin Durant and Westbrook are around, with a good chance to be healthy when it counts, each with upside still to realize. Same goes for Serge Ibaka, who just turned 24, and for several young guys with a chance to learn on the fly before the games really start to matter. Oklahoma City has completed its evolution into a long-armed, paint-clogging defensive menace, tying the Spurs for the no. 3 spot in points allowed per possession last season.”
KD feels your pain, Philly: “It was tough for me especially coming in as a young player,” Durant said of his rookie season. “I thought I was going to play with Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis when they were all-star every year. … Every game it was tough knowing that it was going to be hard for us to win,” Durant said. “But what we did was come in and work hard every day, and know that it was going to be a process and maybe a tough year.”
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com breaks down Vegas odds: “OKC coming in behind the Heat shouldn’t be a shock, though there will be some guffaws. The idea is that the Thunder have fallen, that trading James Harden have doomed them and that it’s all downhill from here. While the Russell Westbrook injury issues have created reason to loosen collars to relieve the pressure in your Sunday best, the fact remains this team, without Harden, secured the No.1 seed in last year’s playoffs and without Westbrook, there’s no way to evaluate what they would have been. If you’re putting money behind a “What if the Heat have a disaster?” possibility, OKC comes out pretty well.”
Dime says draft KD over LeBron in fantasy: “Then, there’s the Russell Westbrook factor. Over nine playoff games without his biggest helper last season, Durant averaged 31.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists, with 2.1 treys, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game. Sounds like LeBron numbers to me. Durant expanded his offensive game last season, putting up a career-high 4.6 assists per, and although it’s scary to think about, at age 24 there’s more room for improvement. Westbrook will miss the first 4-6 weeks of the season after undergoing another knee surgery, so the opportunity to produce even more ridiculous numbers than usual will be there to kick off the year, if nothing else. It wouldn’t be shocking if the Thunder brought Westbrook along slowly, or monitored his minutes in order to avoid too early of an exit from the postseason once again. If you’re lucky enough to advance to your league’s championship, you’re going to need your first-round pick to win it all. LeBron may be the better player, but there’s no excuse for his absence from your squad if you could see it coming from a mile away, which is why I’ll be taking Kevin Durant first overall come draft time.”
Dave Tuley of ESPN Insider says take the over on OKC’s win total: “As I mentioned earlier, this number has been lowered a little too much. After Westbrook’s injury in the first round of the 2013 playoffs, the Thunder were still good enough to get past the Houston Rockets before falling to the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round. They’ll still be favored in many of their early-season games, and even if Westbrook misses about 21 games, I think the Thunder can go 13-8 or 12-9 and still easily be on pace to finish with more than 50 wins.”
