Wednesday Bolts – 12.11.13
ean Highkin of USA Today: “The 2012-13 Thunder replicated the formula of their 2012 Finals run by sliding Kevin Martin into Harden’s sixth-man role. They finished the year with the second-best record in the West and appeared to be the favorites for a repeat Finals berth until Westbrook went down with a knee injury in the first round. When Martin left for the Minnesota Timberwolves this summer, they didn’t sign an obvious replacement. As it turns out, they didn’t need to. Third-year point guard Reggie Jackson is blossoming in a bench role, and second-year guard Jeremy Lamb, a key piece in the Harden deal, has improved at both ends of the floor after spending most of last season in the D-League. What this Thunder team lacks in a clear go-to scorer off the bench they make up for in depth.”
Anthony Slater: “Following his 17-point, 10-rebound breakout in Detroit early last month, Steven Adams tailed off a bit. His production, impact and minutes dwindled over the next couple weeks. But as of late, with his role still somewhat limited, Adams is back to giving the Thunder great minutes. I thought his activity in brief spurts on Tuesday was huge. He only got 11 minutes, the lowest among Thunder players who saw the floor, but he was impactful for that entire stretch. Defensively, he clogged the lane, ripped down four rebounds and blocked two Paul Millsap shots (with one erased by a questionable foul). And offensively, he flashed that unique touch around the rim, floating in a contested hook and rolling in a lay-in off a tough catch. Moving forward, Brooks should find him more minutes for him in different pockets of the game. His play has warranted it.”
Is Westbrook an elite defensive point guard?
Justin Farrar of Deadspin has put Perk on the Sh*t List: “If you’re still not convinced, take your cues from Thunder GM Sam Presti. Hours before dealing Harden to Houston for one year of Kevin Martin and a grab bag of picks, Presti was praying Harden would accept a four-year, $52 million deal—a deal that would’ve paid him even more than the just-extended Serge Ibaka, and a deal that would’ve banished their luxury-tax-avoidance plans to the land of wind and ghosts. Meanwhile, Kendrick Perkins got his deal because a few CBA quirks allowed the Thunder not to hand Jeff Green a jersey anymore. Of course, at the time, Perk’s game looked more like a professional center’s and less like what happened when someone got bored of NBA 2k14 and left the Xbox controller upside down on the floor, but nevertheless: Presti wanted Harden. He settled for Perkins.”
(Quite a few things that are a little off in there, but still, a pretty fun read.)
