Tuesday Bolts – 8.12.14
Erik Horne of NewsOK.com on the TV analyst opening: “Stacey King — Background: Lawton native, All-American at OU and NBA first-round draft pick. Played a decade of NBA ball, winning three championship with the Chicago Bulls in the early 1990s. Got into broadcasting in 2006, and has worked as the lead color commentator for the Bulls since 2008, earning popularity with a Gus Johnson-esque arsenal of catch phrases.”
Jason Concepcion of Grantland on Klay Thompson is good: “Worst-case scenario: Love is the player the numbers say he is, but now in wine and gold instead of blue and gold; Thompson either slumps or doesn’t improve fast enough to wedge the Warriors’ window open a few inches wider, then demands a max starting at somewhere around $15 million; Andrew Bogut’s skeletal structure remains worryingly fragile and Andre Iguodala’s knees begin audibly creaking; Curry tweaks his ankle; the Spurs keep doing the thing they’ve been doing almost 20 years; the window comes haltingly to a close; Curry flees in 2017; and Warriors fans look back at the summer of 2014 and wonder about what might have been. Yet again.”
Lang Whitaker’s spelling contest.
Bill Simmons on Kevin Love: “Until I started researching this column, I believed that Love had to be overrated because of his 0-0 playoff record. And actually, he’s underrated. Everything he accomplished on that forgettably broken Minnesota team was BETTER than I thought. It’s all about perception, right? Barkley’s 1989 and 1990 seasons were better than his first Phoenix season, but he stole the MVP from Jordan because WE thought Barkley was better that year. Why did we think that? Because Barkley landed on a futuristic small-ball juggernaut with a devastating point guard (Kevin Johnson) and two terrific long-range shooters who spread the floor (Dan Majerle and Danny Ainge). His subpar defense didn’t matter because that team was built to win offensively. They just played hard and tried to outscore everyone. (And for that one season, they almost did.)”
The Raptors got fined $25,000 for comments Drake made at a concert about Kevin Durant.
Daniel Friedman of SI.com on KD’s diet: “Everyone has their vices, and the leader of the Oklahoma City Thunder is no different. When asked about the kinds of foods he just can’t help but get his hands on, Durant responds, “Candy! And just snacks in general.” He then goes on to list his candy lineup, which includes Twizzlers, honey buns and Oreos.”
