Tuesday Bolts – 7.10.12

Berry Tramel on Harden’s market: “James Harden made the U.S. Olympic basketball team, which certainly is great for the status of the Thunder and Oklahoma City, not to mention Mr. Harden himself. But will Harden’s inclusion on the exclusive squad eventually cost the Thunder? Does being an Olympian — being grouped with the likes of LeBron and Kobe and Durant and CP3 — drive up the price tag for Harden’s next contract? That’s the ultimate question about Harden, who until Oct. 31 can sign an extension with the Thunder, but otherwise would become a restricted free agent next off-season. And the answer is no. The Olympic selection will not drive up Harden’s price tag. Harden’s price tag already is at its limit. The Olympic selection is a sign that Harden’s value already is at the max. The Olympic selection is not setting the market; it’s just following the market.”

Bradford Doolittle for ESPN.com on Big Threes: “Oklahoma City’s Big Three was every bit as potent, especially on offense, and it was an organic group of players plucked from the upper rungs of the NBA’s lottery ladder. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden have grown together quickly, making the Thunder the hot pick to dominate the West for the foreseeable future. With the Heat and Thunder poised to contend for the crown the next few years, it’s no wonder that teams are scrambling to assemble big threes of their own.”

Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com on OKC’s Big Three: “This is the current runner-up and favorite to overtake Miami’s big three down the line. But don’t expect it to happen anytime soon. Not because the Thunder’s three-headed monster will be broken up in the near future, but because the Heat’s three are just that good. This trio is so young that the oldest player (Durant) is younger than every player in the rest of the top seven. The sky’s the limit.”

A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com: “Perry Jones III has got some serious skills for the ‪Thunder‬. There’s no way this kid should have been a late 1st round pick.”

Vince Goodwill of the Detroit News: “Perry Jones III is beyond smooth…easily impressing me thus far.”

Brett Koremenos for The Post Game on Westbrook for Team USA: “For Westbrook to play often, he will have to relish a role as a defensive stopper. At 6-3 and one of the best athletes in the NBA, Westbrook has always had the potential to be an elite defensive player. But with the Thunder, he is asked to expend quite a bit of energy on the offensive end of the floor as a primary creator and his defensive presence has never materialized because of it. Expect Coach K to implore Westbrook to spend his time with Team USA expending his limitless energy pressuring opposing guards up and down the floor. If he can adopt a similar role that Avery Bradley did for the Celtics this past NBA season, Team USA’s opponents will be in a world of hurt.”

KD says Blake Griffin had a “power layup.”

From a site chronicling an epic road trip, Oh Now We’re In The South, a stop in OKC: “The starters got ready for the tip and said what up to each other while Rumble the Bison, the Thunder Mascot, banged a big drum at mid court to get everyone even louder and keep the crowd on their feet until the first made basket. The fans obliged, sitting down after a driving Serge Ibaka dunk. Oklahoma City felt more like the NCAA tournament games I watched in the skybox than the Mavericks game itself. The crowd felt like a 15,000 member student section.”

Matt Tolnick of HoopsHype wants to change the charge: “Perhaps defenders could be required to maintain a more formal defensive position before drawing an offensive foul, as opposed to cupping one’s nether region with two hands, as if he were setting a screen. Defensive players could be required to have their hands up, or to be crouched in a defensive stance, or both. Under today’s rules, defenders seeking to draw offensive fouls appear more concerned with getting planted and selling the contact than actually doing anything that would practically defend the offensive player’s move.”

Kobe says Westbrook could be Team USA’s Wade: “One of the things that D-Wade brought to our team in Beijing was he created extra possessions for us,” Bryant said. “He shot the passing lanes extremely well. He got a great amount of steals, which created a lot of easy run outs for us, and Russell’s just as good at that.”

Larry Coon doesn’t have any amnesty candidates for OKC.

Sam Amick of SI.com says Derek Fisher could still return to OKC, but Cleveland is the frontrunner with the Nets and Dallas close behind.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com on Perry Jones: “You would understand if Perry Jones never wanted to hear the word “motor” again, much less use it himself. Motor, or lack thereof, was one of the reasons Jones was the biggest slider on draft day, all the way down to the 28th pick, by the Oklahoma City Thunder. The concept that Jones didn’t play with consistent energy was as big of a negative mark on his scouting report as an old knee issue that concerned some teams. But in his first foray with the Thunder on Monday at the Orlando Summer League, Jones was throwing around the word in casual conversation. So were his teammates when talking about him. Motor this and motor that.”

J.A. Adande of ESPN.com on parity: “What I don’t understand is why an owner would want to aid the process through trades. We keep hearing about teams afraid of losing their star and getting nothing in return. In the NBA system, nothing is something. “Nothing” can amount to room under the salary cap. Didn’t the Atlanta Hawks garner praise for accumulating expiring contracts for Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams?”