Tuesday Bolts – 4.28.15
David Aldridge of NBA.com: “If you pumped them full of truth serum, the Thunder would acknowledge that their stars had to work too hard too many times to score. No one would expect anyone other than Durant or Westbrook to take shots down the stretch of games. The issue is how they get them. There was just too much isolation, too much one screen and pull up, not enough regular incorporation of others into the offense. That works fine in the regular season, but in the playoffs — as the defenses got better — the Thunder too often struggled.”
Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com on Brad Stevens: “One general manager ranked Brad Stevens third among NBA coaches, just behind five-time champion Gregg Popovich and Rick Carlisle. Another said the Boston Celtics’ second-year coach isn’t quite that high but has already cracked the top 10 — and is climbing. It’s hard to argue against ranking Stevens in the top half of the league’s coaches, despite the fact that the 38-year-old has coached fewer than 170 NBA games and fewer than 400 overall games in his career. NBA executives will seldom praise another team’s coach on the record. But behind the scenes, a large number of decision-makers around the league are raving about Stevens.”
Craig Sager for NBA.com: “It’s difficult to win an NBA championship, and if the window of opportunity presents itself, a franchise should do whatever it takes to keep the window open as long as possible. USA Today NBA writer Sam Amick may have said it best assessing in Oklahoma City decision: “You won’t find anyone who says Sam Presti is not smart. Only time will tell if he might have outsmarted himself.”
The Players’ Awards are predictable and hilarious.
Darnell Mayberry: “That didn’t stop the Thunder general manager and other team executives from traveling to both campuses on multiple occasions this season for what some believe were trips to scout Billy Donovan and Kevin Ollie. Both have been rumored to be serious candidates for the Thunder’s coaching vacancy. Presti spent several days with the Gators men’s basketball program in Gainesville in February, according to reports, while a person with knowledge of the situation said the Thunder spent substantial time around the UConn program this season, scouting Ollie.”
Jenni, sigh, Carlson: “It seems unlikely, but here’s one more interesting tidbit to chew on. Former Oklahoma coach and current Duke associate head coach Jeff Capel was widely believed to be headed to Arizona State as the Sun Devils’ new head coach. But then after Duke won the national title, he suddenly removed himself from consideration. Lots of people wondered why. Maybe Capel knew a better job was going to come open. Maybe he knew something about a certain college basketball coach. Coach K in OKC? If I was Sam Presti, I’d give him a call, make him a pitch and at least see if he was interested. Maybe it’s not so krazy.”
