Wednesday Bolts – 1.8.14

Jon Hamm explains why OKC traded Ryan Gomes: “But the NBA allows for some fun accounting tricks. In trading Gomes to Boston and taking back no salary in return, the Thunder wiped Gomes’ salary off their books completely. Even though the Thunder has paid Gomes’ salary all season long, that salary cap hit is now moved off of Oklahoma City’s books and onto Boston’s. And though Boston released Gomes and won’t pay him a dime this season, his ‘cap hit’ is now property of the Celtics. It’s as though these rules were written by former Enron executives and approved by Arthur Andersen.”

Zach Lowe of Grantland on OKC’s alternates: “I may have made these a “dislike” last season. I don’t care. They might be my least favorite jerseys in the league. The Thunder may need a wholesale makeover at some point. A young team, with so much talent and swagger, should look cooler than this.”

Derek Fisher writing on his website: “Whenever I go back to Salt Lake City to play, one of the first things I think about now is how the fans react. They’re booing or saying whatever they want to say — feeling that I left the team or that I’m a traitor, things like that. Sports sometimes warps people’s reality in terms of the way they relate to teams and the athletes on the teams. How you feel about my time with the Jazz or what you think I did to the Jazz — none of that matters in comparison to making a decision for my family related to the health of my daughter. The basketball part, the Jazz part, is kind of like a backdrop, and almost irrelevant in the context of what we’re actually talking about.”

Henry Abbott wrote a little something about Fisher’s post.

The Bucks are shopping Gary Neal. He makes about $3.1 million. Could be a potential target.

Darnell Mayberry: “Let’s keep this in perspective. “The Thunder was down two starters, on the road, against a division rival that has been playing its best ball of the season and one that it had already beaten twice this season. Very important. What happened here Tuesday night wasn’t pretty and probably not acceptable. But this is a game you just blow off and move on from. You don’t dwell on it. You don’t over analyze it. You just own it and move on. Given the circumstance, there’s really not much you can take away from this performance.”