Tuesday Bolts – 9.8.15

Zach Lowe of Grantland: “Also, don’t listen to any doomsday talk about these bloated player salaries — how Anthony Davis and Stephen Curry could make $30 million per season, and LeBron could crack $40 million at some point. Those numbers are huge in raw terms compared with old salaries, but not in relation to the cap. Star players are making more only because the league is making more. Max salaries are set as a percentage of the team cap, and 30 percent of $108 million is naturally more than 30 percent of $60 million. Salaries north of $30 million aren’t the sign of a broken system. They are what players deserve under the current system.”

Darnell Mayberry: “Durant and Westbrook have largely escaped the daily scrutiny that comes with playing in a big market, and that certainly has helped them coexist. They also haven’t achieved the highest level of success, which has helped keep them humble and hungry for more. Maybe the alpha male trait takes on a different shape if the Thunder secures a championship. For now, Durant and Westbrook’s shared competitiveness and desire to win big have made them about as perfect a match as there is among alpha males. And their bond just keeps on growing.”

KD’s all-time starting five is pretty good.

Matt Moore of CBSSports.com on KD saying he’s still the best: “Durant won the MVP a year ago. There were many that felt he had surpassed LeBron. Since then, we’ve learned that’s premature. James is still the best player on the planet, and until Durant shows he’s healthy, you need to give Steph Curry consideration as well, along with Anthony Davis, James Harden, and maybe one or two others. But that’s not what Durant can say. That’s not what Durant can feel. For him, there’s only one answer. He can’t just say it, he has to believe it. That’s how confidence works. The good news is that he does feel that way, and as a result, maybe this is the season where he can really, finally claim that title when next June comes around.”

Sean Highkin of PB T: “You wouldn’t expect Durant to say anything else in answer to that question. He didn’t get where he is by not being confident in his own abilities, and when he’s healthy, he has a legitimate claim to being the best basketball player in the world. I’d still give the edge to LeBron James in that discussion, but it’s not a ridiculous notion. Hopefully Durant can stay healthy this year and prove himself right.”

The Thunder finished fifth in the ESPN Forecast for title winner.

Rahat Huq of Red 94: “The aggregate production from featuring Durant at that spot, with Ariza, far outweighs, I think, the benefit of adhering to conventional positional norms in resigning one of Jones/Motiejunas, just for the sake of having a “big”. I mean, has any depth chart screamed 2016 more than Lawson/Harden/Howard/Ariza/Durant? I mean, really. We just saw the Warriors win the title with Draymond Green manning the position; and yes, LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin etc. do still exist, but they would also have to worry with Durant on the other end, and that might far outweigh any damage done in the inverse.”