Tuesday Bolts – 3.25.14

Zach Lowe of Grantland writing on the Bobcats: “The so-called “Thunder model” of NBA team-building was never really a discrete, original thing. It had existed before; Oklahoma City was not the first team to bottom out and rebuild around draft picks. And it can only exist as a success if you nab a franchise-changing star with one of those picks. The Thunder did something almost impossible to replicate in drafting an all-time great player in Kevin Durant at no. 2 and then remaining bad enough in the next two seasons to snag two more top-four picks. They famously nailed them all, with Sam Presti tossing in the Serge Ibaka selection at no. 24 just to taunt everyone else. That’s not a model. That’s an unsustainable hot streak, and one that required some major luck.”

Darnell Mayberry: “Reggie Jackson would be the player of the game in my book. He controlled the offense and played good defense. He scored 16 points with a game- and career-high 11 assists. He found teammates early and kept looking for them throughout. He made his shots when the ball swung his way and didn’t force much of anything.”

Oh, and Lowe is not a fan of Caron Butler isolations.

Via Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider, KD is the top player based only on numbers: “A couple of weeks ago, I felt that Durant deserved MVP but that James would get it by virtue of a stronger finishing kick. Since James’ 61-point outburst, that hasn’t really transpired, and it’s now hard to see a scenario where Durant doesn’t win MVP. Based on the metrics, it will be well deserved.”

Andrew Sharp of Grantland: “And whenever the playoffs start and we all go back to cursing Kendrick Perkins’s existence, remember this moment. Remember that there are more important things in life than basketball, and remember that no matter what his plus/minus numbers may say, Kendrick Perkins will always be one of the NBA’s greatest humans. I will fight anyone who says otherwise.”

Marc Stein has OKC third in power rankings: “Kevin Durant just became the first player since Larry Bird in 1987-88 to amass at least 35 points, 10 boards and five assists in three successive games. And I promise you that it’s all truly secondary to the news that Russell Westbrook really seems to be OK after that collision with Kyle Lowry.”

NBA.com has OKC third: “Russell Westbrook’s MRI came back clean, but Friday’s bump in Toronto was another reminder of just how fragile the Thunder’s championship dreams are. Having won five of their last six, they’ve righted the ship a bit, though their offense has been shaky. And omigosh, Kevin Durant’s game-winner was just ridiculous. He was 31 feet away, Amir Johnson was in his face, and the net barely moved.”

Perry Jones being eaten by dogs.

Some are running with the fact Scott Brooks was non-committal about Westbrook’s minute limit in the playoffs, but sitting there listening to Brooks say it, it sounded more like him just doing his best to not speak out of turn and avoid saying, “Of course it’ll be lifted then.”