Tuesday Bolts – 10.28.08
The NBA season tips off tonight! Hooray.
- One last season preview to toss up: “Let’s get the big one out of the way early: Kevin Durant is incredible. Absolutely incredible. And despite some criticism for supposedly underwhelming, the Durantula put up a LeBron-esque rookie campaign (sans assists, of course). The most exciting thing in OKC this season may be seeing what Durant does next. At the tail end of last season, Durant flipped the switch. He scored well all season long, but the last two months (err month and a half, really) he had pretty incredible efficiency for a rookie and his points per game skyrocketed despite taking fewer attempts. His defense…well, so he has some room or improvement.“
- An opposing team’s scouts sizes up the Thunder: “The move from Seattle will help them because they’re in a city where they’re wanted, and they’ll have a nice home-court situation that they didn’t have last year. The improved home court will help them, but I don’t see as much improvement in their roster as a lot of people think. They don’t shoot the ball well enough, especially from the three-point line. Jeff Green is a guy they’re trying to push, but I don’t think he’s as good as they seem to think he is. They’ll be fun to watch, but they’re still such a young team.”
- A nice treat for opening night tomorrow – free parking: “He’s still stunned, however, by where he will find that free parking space: Bricktown. “It’s really crazy to even believe they’re doing it,” Pauley said when told the district will provide more than 1,000 spaces. “I’ve always heard that’s the one place not to bother with.”
- A buzz in the air for opening night: “Former Oklahoma State star Desmond Mason said public appearances, season tickets selling out in five days and a packed house downtown for the nickname unveiling are signs Oklahoma City fans are stoked about the season opener Wednesday night at the Ford Center.”
- Tremendous upside potential for big guy Robert Swift: “Underneath the flop-top red hair and all those tattoos lies a talented basketball player within Robert Swift. This must be true, or why else would the Thunder be clinging to this great unknown? Swift is remarkably agile for someone who stands 7-foot-1 and weighs 270 pounds, which are the primary reasons he occupies an NBA roster.”
- Since we open the 2008-09 season today, why not look ahead to the 2009 NBA Draft? Currently, NBADraft.net has Blake Griffin going with the top pick and the Thunder taking seven-foot center B.J. Mullens at No. 2. We want Blake! We want Blake!
