Tuesday Bolts – 7.22.14
KD in a Q&A on his former high school coach getting hired: “Yeah, I know where you’re going with this one…But, nah, Coach Adkins was a guy who displayed to me that as I started to get older as a teenager, getting into my young man years at 17 or 18 years old, that it was cool to care about other people, and it was cool to be sensitive to other people’s feelings. I saw that on the basketball court, and he taught me a lot. And I’m very excited that he gets his dream job to work with the highest level of basketball players. So I’m happy for him.”
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com on the Josh Huestis thing: “For Huestis, it’s a complicated decision. If the Thunder don’t sign him to guaranteed money, his rights are frozen, he can’t sign with another NBA team until those draft rights expire. He can go to Europe and make more money than in the D-League, but sometimes heading overseas can make it hard to return. Plus, being right under the Thunder coaches’ noses can give you a better chance to be seen and maybe have them pull the trigger on signing you to your rookie deal. There are pros and cons that go well beyond the immediate money.”
Dan Feldman of PBT: “That show of faith should give Huestis some confidence, but there’s a major difference in the situations. Jerrett, a second-round pick, didn’t get a guaranteed contract on condition of being drafted. Huestis, if Oklahoma City wants to retain his rights, does. That gives Huestis much more leverage. We’re moving toward a 30-team D-League where every NBA team has its own affiliate. Then, a new set of rules will govern roster and cap limits. For now, though, with the rules in place, something appears to be amiss. Maybe the only issue is Huestis’ logic, but if it’s anything deeper, the NBA and players union might get involved.”
Get it straight: KD ain’t never been locked up.
Former Marland coach Gary Williams: “One interesting thing on this LeBron going back to Cleveland, Durant’s watching that very close,” Williams said on ESPN 980 last week. “He’s seeing the adulation pouring out for LeBron James for coming home. And Durant loves this area. He does. He’s back every summer. He plays at Montrose [Christian] against their high school kids sometimes; he’s out there taking charges. He just loves to play basketball. He’s been over at Maryland, he plays with the players over there. He just wants to play. And these are where his ties are. I know one thing, when his career’s over, I’d be shocked if he didn’t live in this area.”
KD’s former fiancee talked about their ended engagement briefly: “I was engaged last year and it kind of changed that relationship big time because I was going in a direction that unfortunately a lot of people aren’t willing to sacrifice their lifestyle for.”
