Wednesday Bolts – 7.9.14

Zach Lowe of Grantland with a must-read

: “The stars can’t win, in part because the NBA has created a system in which a player maximizing his individual income makes it harder for his team to build a competitive roster around him. But are people — media, fans, GMs — overstating the difficulty of that challenge? Maybe the onus should be on teams to spend wisely enough so they can accommodate multiple star players without prodding those stars to “sacrifice” in pointed public comments.”

Interesting from Ethan Strauss of TrueHoop: “With his less-than-super-efficient high scoring average, Anthony might well have symbolized how casual fans get snookered into worshipping false idols. His volume shooting was the past, and players of more balanced yet subtle skill sets were the future. That iso ball that the “eye test” loves was so early Iverson era. It had no place in the NBA’s version of a Moneyball revolution. Less than four years later, Anthony plays host to a vigorous recruitment effort from advanced-stats godfather and Rockets general manager Daryl Morey. Melo is the missing piece in Chicago, the foundation of a new era in Los Angeles. Yes, there are still concerns over whether Anthony will be worth a five-year max contract, and there remains criticism of Anthony’s defense. But ultimately, Anthony’s New York adventure has seen a rehabilitation of his game, if not his reputation.”

Pau Gasol is worried about OKC’s cultural diversity.

Things are not going good for Grant Long according to Fox 25: “According to online court records, Rowell is not the only one or the only local business looking to collect a debt from Long. Oklahoma County court records show since the loan Long got from Rowell, nine different businesses, including two local quick-cash companies, filed lawsuits against Long in district court. Earlier this year, Long filed for bankruptcy in federal court. His initial paperwork filed for the bankruptcy only lists four creditors, including two out-of-state casinos which Long said he owed a combined total of more than $300,000. That creditor list does not include the loan he took out from Rowell which was supposed to be paid in October. It also does not include many of the companies that have sued Long over unpaid debts.”

Russell Westbrook launched his sunglasses line.

Gordon Hayward getting the max. How do you like that.