Tuesday Bolts – 7.12.11
Kevin Durant with one of life’s great problems: “Who else Mother be on the phone with them and make you kiss her thru the phone? I had to do that in front of 30 ppl jus now…”
KD’s agent is exploring overseas options: “If the opportunity presents itself and the lockout persists, he’s going to have to consider it just as other players are considering it,” Goodwin told SI.com. “Kevin has shown some interest to know what the situation is and we’ll reach out to the players’ association and make sure that they’re aligned with the guys in case they do take an offer. But I think what you’re going to see happening is a lot of players are going to look at the opportunity if the lockout prolongs that they can go somewhere and play basketball.”
Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com on what OKC risks in a long lockout: “Name something, anything, and it’s at risk for the Thunder. They lose the value of Russell Westbrook playing on a rookie deal. They lose the value of James Harden on a rookie deal. They lose the value of Serge Ibaka on a rookie deal. They lose one year of Kevin Durant’s Hall of Fame playing career. They lose another season of playoff experience. They lose a very good chance at making a run at an NBA Finals. They lose a season of having their top eight players (Durant, Westbrook, Harden, Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins, Thabo Sefolosha, Nick Collison, Eric Maynor) all locked into affordable contracts. They lose the chemistry and momentum that goes with having an entire nucleus together for multiple years. What’s worse: they have nothing to gain from a work stoppage, other than perhaps the money that would come with increased revenue sharing. Without a single bad or untradeable contract on their books, there is no financial reason OKC would root for a year away from the game. In fact, any change to the Collective Bargaining Agreement that firms up the cap would make it more difficult for the Thunder to keep all this talent in house. That means they wouldn’t get the chance to win now and their ability to win later could be compromised. Usually, young teams that make a deep run through the playoffs can’t wait to get back on the court for a second go-around. Multiply that feeling by about 10 and that’s the situation facing OKC.”
Ethan Sherwood Strauss of HoopSpeak with an interesting point on the NBA’s TV deal: “While I get why the NBA took the 2007 TV deal, it is worth noting that eight-year contracts are not normal for this commissioner. The preceding five-year 2002 contract had been the longest one David Stern had ever signed. Basketball history is littered with brief, flexible two-to-four year television arrangements. In retrospect, the 2007 deal was too long, too binding. Like the contract given to Ron “Metta” Artest, short-term gain has likely transitioned to enduring albatross. With hindsight goggles, I question the NBA’s 2007 wisdom. But increasingly, I question: Why are we ignoring the huge TV aspect while scrutinizing every other dimension of how or why the league could be losing money?”
Kobe in the clutch, the debate.
Nate Robinson’s lockout backup plan: “I might go play football,” the 5-foot-9 Robinson said. “Do something that nobody’s tried to do. If I can, I would love to play football a little bit. I’ve been doing a little bit of training. Why wouldn’t you want to have an NBA player that can play football try out? That’s a lot of publicity for your organization.”
On KD’s generosity: “Kevin Durant has never forgotten where he came from and where it all began. He spent a lot of time at the Seat Pleasant Activity Center and he realizes how much that place did for him in terms of growing up and playing basketball for a living. He donated $25,000 to the center so they could renovate their game room and lounge area. Thanks to Durant’s donation, the center was successfully refurbished and is now known as Durant’s Den. The center was able to put in a brand new vinyl floor made to replicate a basketball court, two 55-inch LCD flat-screen televisions, a projection screen, an Xbox 360, a PlayStation 3, bar stools, couches and lounge chairs. Aside from the money he has donated to the center, Durant has also donated school supplies, shoes, sports equipments and uniforms whenever the center has requested help.”
Brighter future: OKC, Miami or Chicago?
Zach Lowe of SI on Nate Robinson: “Maybe this is really going to be it for Robinson. He’s such a tantalizing scoring threat that some team will probably sign him to a minimum-level contract next summer, even if he struggles to get off the bench in Oklahoma City (or for whatever team might acquire him in a mid-season trade), but that might not be a given.”
