Tuesday Bolts – 9.1.15

Zach Lowe of Grantland: “Consider one example: Durant’s max salary for 2016-17 will be about $25 million, leaving $15 million or $20 million to split between Wade and Whiteside. That won’t do it, unless Wade takes a massive hometown discount. (By the way: Rail against the Durant rumor mill if you want, but you’re kidding yourselves if you don’t think Riley will set Miami up to make a run at him.)”

Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider on the East favorite: “Come the postseason, when Irving should have had plenty of time to work off the rust no matter when he returns, Cleveland’s talent edge figures to be overwhelming. Remember, last season’s Cavaliers tied the best record en route to the NBA Finals (12-2) since the first round expanded to the best-of-seven format in 2003, and that was without Love for the final two series. Unless an unexpected rival rises from the second tier of East contenders, Cleveland might have an even easier path to the Finals this time around.”

Comprehensive recap of the Shaq-Kobe podcast.

GQ on Russell Westbrook’s great week: “A few days pass. For most, a Taylor Swift concert would be the highlight of the month. Not Russell. He had bigger, more important things to do. On Saturday, he dusted off a Tom Ford tuxedo, gathered his friends and family in Beverly Hills, and married Nina Earl, his college sweetheart. Their first dance was to Lauryn Hill and D’Angelo. They were serenaded by a surprise performance from Miguel. Can you even imagine what it’d be like to have this guy sing at your wedding? I can’t. I bet it’s way better than a deejay.”

LeBron sold his Miami home for a cool $13.4 million.

Ben Golliver of SI.com has Enes Kanter as a top snub in the top 100 list: “The slow-footed, late-to-react Kanter wasn’t actually scoring points on his own team’s hoop, but it sometimes felt that way. Although Kanter’s solid low-post scoring and high-volume rebounding proved sufficient to land him a four-year, $70 million offer sheet in free agency, which the Thunder felt compelled to match, there just wasn’t room for such a blatantly one-way profile in the Top 100. Perhaps a year surrounded by Oklahoma City’s embarrassment of riches back at full strength will help even out Kanter’s game.”

DeAndre Jordan fired his agents.

Tim Faklis of Sporting News: “Ultimately, the Thunder may be most dangerous because of their mindset. Westbrook and Durant’s mental makeup is well-documented, as partially evidenced by their strong media presence. Both of them back healthy after a couple years of injuries is a scary thought, especially after Westbrook’s MVP-caliber 2014. That Durant is entering free agency next offseason only increases the immediate pressure. The Thunder need to make this season work, or they risk falling apart. That’s important not only for management, but also for the players, Durant included. This could turn into something fun. But it all starts with how big the collective chip on their shoulder ends up being.  Maybe missing the playoffs last year will end up being for the best.”