Tuesday Bolts – 3.9.10
Eddie Johnson for HoopsHype says KD will be a top five scorer in history: “There are five reasons why Kevin Durant is one of the top scorers in the game and these reasons will eventually move him into the Top 5 scorers in NBA history if he stays away from injuries. We already know Durant is an excellent jump shooter, but that skill alone does not make him the great scorer that he has become. Jason Kapono and JJ Redick are very good shooters, but are not and will never be big-time scorers. Durant understands angles, timing and, most importantly, how to catch the ball in his range. These weapons make him extremely dangerous on the basketball court. Durant is a rhythm three-point shooter. That is not his strength, although defenders for the most part think it is.”
Russell Westbrook, the football player: “Bob Stoops was asked to speak to the Oklahoma City Thunder last season. During that session, Russell Westbrook asked Stoops if Westbrook would have made a good football player. You’re not kidding, Stoops said. Stoops sat courtside and watched the Thunder-Sacramento game last week and came away amazed at Kevin Durant’s development and Westbrook’s physical attributes. “6-3, long arms, ballhawking skills,” Stoops said of Westbrook. “He’d have made a great cornerback.”
Which of course reminded me of these pictures.
P.J. Carlesimo is reportedly interested in the Oregon head coaching position.
Ranking based on power. Marc Stein with OKC at eight: “Take it as a compliment, young Mr. Durant, that you’re being pestered by media gnats about your OKC future all the time now. That annoyance is yet another sign that you’ve crashed the game’s uppermost stratosphere.”
SI with OKC 10th: “Road losses are the hallmark of most young teams. Just not Oklahoma City. The Thunder’s 19 road wins are the second most in the Western Conference, and that total is four short of their overall victory total last season. OKC has won seven of nine on the road, including victories last week at the Clippers and Sacramento.”
Seven on NBA.com: “The Thunder got away with a pair sub-par defensive games against the Kings this week, but they got spanked by the Nuggets in between. Two of OKC’s worst offensive games have come against Denver, who they would meet if the playoffs started today.”
Dime answers James Harden’s All-Beard Team question: “Other than just being the guy who posed the question, Harden is pushing the beard for a whole new generation. And while his beard has grown since this shot was taken, unlike some guys just experimenting, I don’t see Harden shaving it off any time soon.”
Etan Thomas and the Thunder held a slam poetry competition.
Ziller with an NBA playoff matchup matrix.
Kelly Dwyer has Scott Brooks third in Coach of the Year: “Has a proper superstar, sure, but he’s also in the midst of a rebuilding project – a team that merely moved from one town to another but was made to look like an expansion team – and the Thunder are way, way ahead of schedule.”