Tuesday Bolts – 8.5.14
Per the New York Daily News, Under Armour is offering $30 million a year to KD: “According to a person familiar with negotiations, Durant, whose seven-year, $60 million deal with Nike is expiring, could earn as much as $30 million annually if he signs with Under Armour Inc., whose headquarters are in Durant’s home state of Maryland. Nike and Adidas are also in talks with Durant, whose combination of brilliance on the court and marketability in the aftermath of his emotional MVP speech has made him the darling of Madison Avenue.”
Jay Bilas on USA Basketball: “Was the stanchion too close to the baseline? It seems so. But we must remember that the NBA Summer League is played in that same building with that same stanchion, and USA Basketball has played its scrimmages in past years on that same court. Of course, as a result of this injury, the placement of the stanchion should be considered and the players should play under the best of conditions. But the enterprise that was celebrated up until Friday’s game should still be celebrated, while at the same time showing concern and compassion for George. There is always risk of injury, but there is very limited risk of catastrophic injury. That is not to say that we shouldn’t remain vigilant to reduce risk as much as possible, but sitting out due to fear of injury is not the right response.”
Chad Ford with a super early mock draft: “Bird is a good athlete and, before he got hurt, proved to be a good shooter. This area continues to be problematic for the Thunder ever since they traded James Harden. Not sure Bird is the long-term answer, but he’s an intriguing prospect.”
John Wall and Brad Beal are among the early cuts for Team USA. YOU SEE THAT KEVIN DURANT?
Stein and Windhorst break down the U.S. roster. Spoiler: They have KD making it.
Thoughts to the Kufahl family.
Now even Seattle is getting into the 2016 Kevin Durant mix: “By the time 2016 rolls around, Seattle will – hypothetically speaking – just be getting their expansion team. Generally speaking, teams that join the league via expansion don’t typically have rosters that are a) great, and b) expensive. But let’s say that just before that hypothetical expansion draft, Durant signs in Seattle, for X amount of dollars. At that point, he’d be the only player on the team, so Seattle could easily make him the highest-paid player in the league. On top of that, he could then hand-pick his roster through said expansion draft and free agency.”
