Tuesday Bolts – 12.20.11

Chad Ford of ESPN.com gave OKC a B- for the offseason: “The Thunder tend to be overly conservative during the offseason. In their case, it’s a virtue. Too many teams panic and believe they have to spend all of their money or the offseason is a failure. GM Sam Presti waits and waits and waits for the right deal to come to him. When it does (like the Celtics offering him Kendrick Perkins for Jeff Green at the trade deadline) he pounces. The truth is that there wasn’t a lot for Presti to do this summer. He has a team that is my pick to be the best team in the West this season and possibly for the next five years. Kevin Durant is locked up. Russell Westbrook will be shortly. Their supporting group of James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison and Eric Maynor is strong. Their only major addition is rookie Reggie Jackson, who has enormous talent and slipped in the draft because of injury issues. If he blossoms the way some NBA scouts think he could, he could be one of the steals of the draft.”

New DT-shirt: This one is for those who love watching Daequan Cook rain from deep all day.

Kevin Durant on ripping off Dirk’s one-legged fadeaway: “Yeah, he’s the originator,” Durant said laughing. “I stole that from him a little bit. I’m not as good as he is at it. But I’ve been working on it, and it was the perfect time for me to do that with the defender playing the way he was playing. I’m glad I made it. I thought it was going to be an air-ball … I’m not afraid to use it. People might think that’s an easy shot to make but it’s tough. You got to get the right arch on the ball and you got to make a strong shot. I’ve been working on it all summer. Hopefully I make more than I miss.”

KD’s doing a Twitter giveaway involving his famous backpack.

KD on the rip move: “I guess you guys (reporters) think I do the rip move every play to get to the free-throw line, which is false,” Durant said. “I was just trying to be aggressive to the rim (against Dallas). Coach (Scott Brooks) drew up some good plays for me to get into good positions to be aggressive. I got the whistle a little bit (Sunday) night. I’ve got to continue to put that pressure on the defense and try to get to the line and also try to find my teammates as well.”

Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com previews the Northwest: “The biggest question for Oklahoma City is how they respond to being a target rather than a team on the rise. Having won two playoff series last year and entering this season with expectations of being a top-3 team in the West, their task becomes fighting off all the teams gunning for them rather than sneaking up on veteran teams or overwhelming average teams with their talent. Durant is as laser-like as superstars get so you can assume the Thunder will adjust smoothly, but that process is often easier said than done.”

Everyone wants to be the Thunder.

David Thorpe has James Harden as a breakout player: “Harden was on the floor for 55 percent of the total minutes Oklahoma City played last season, as Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook both logged more than 70 percent. As the Thunder’s third-best player, it’s fair to expect at least a 10 percent jump in his minutes this season. Harden is learning to be a more assertive offensive player — and athlete — and is too good of a passer not to be on the floor more often alongside Durant. He can help Westbrook score more efficiently as well, and spaces the floor perfectly for them thanks to his perimeter shot. His improved defense will earn him more minutes, and if he learns to foul less he’ll get even more time. It will be difficult not to start him, especially as the season wears on.”

Darnell Mayberry on the Mullens trade: “Something else to keep in mind is that the Mullens trade now extends the time the Thunder has to find a solution for Robinson. In other words, rather than be forced to iron out a buyout with Robinson before Saturday’s 5 p.m. deadline for rosters to be set, the Thunder could retain him into the season and wait for a more attractive trade offer to come along. For that to happen though, Oklahoma City must cut Reid, which seems an unlikely scenario considering league rules state the Thunder would forfeit its rights to the 57th overall pick out of Florida State now that he’s participated in training camp.”