Wednesday Bolts – 4.27.16
Berry Tramel: “The West landscape changed mightily in a 31-hour period in which Curry,
Golden State’s historic sharpshooter, went down in Game 4 against Houston and Paul, the Clippers’ gallant quarterback, suffered a broken hand against Portland and his all-star bodyguard, Blake Griffin, suffered a quad muscle injury. Curry will be re-evaluated in two weeks, terminology all too familiar to the Thunder, which heard “re-evaluated” repeatedly last season, when both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook took turns being shelved, Durant finally for the season.”
From Jackie MacMullan’s piece on Brad Stevens: “When Stevens was named head coach at Butler, he received an invitation from Florida coach Billy Donovan to participate in a preseason coach’s summit. Stevens, who hadn’t yet coached a game, was asked to demonstrate how to guard bigs with undersized players. ‘Billy had just won two national championships, and I was a nobody,’ Stevens says. ‘But as I’m speaking, he’s taking notes and asking questions. That’s how it’s supposed to be. You’re supposed to keep learning. You’re not supposed to stagnate.'”
Erik Horne: “There’s further evidence in Leonard’s full resume that the gap is closing. At 24, Leonard already has a Finals MVP award. He’s a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, a soon-to-be two-time first-team All-Defensive team member. This season, he may keep Durant off the first-team All-NBA roster. Spurs center Tim Duncan says Leonard, like Durant, has reached the point where he should be getting more foul calls, where he should receive star status. That’s respect typically not associated with a defensive stopper.”
12 things you probably missed on Andre Roberson’s dunk.
Frank Isola of the NY Daily News: “The Lakers are reportedly looking for a candidate who can also serve as a free agent recruiter. Two summers ago, Carmelo Anthony met with the Lakers but decided to re-sign in New York. LeBron James was a free agent last summer but never considered the Lakers. Durant, like Anthony and James, owns a home in the Los Angeles area and could be persuaded to join the Lakers and restore that franchise to prominence. Fisher or Ollie could improve their chances while Jackson and the Knicks are clearly playing from behind.”
Jason Terry guarantees a Rockets win, you guys.
Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News: “If they landed Durant and lost Curry again in the 2017 playoffs, the Warriors would still have Durant. If they signed Durant and lost him to an injury, they’d still have Curry. This is why they want Durant, right here, this current situation, because two superstars (both in their primes) is better than one (or 1.5 if you count Green or Thompson as near-superstars). Even if the Warriors storm to the championship in June, they almost certainly will still think this, and it still will be correct, by the way.”
(So the Warriors want KD as an insurance policy. Got it.)
