Wednesday Bolts – 8.10.16

Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider: “The Thunder got an important commitment from Russell

Westbrook last week on a renegotiation and extension that will keep him from hitting free agency until the summer of 2018. Oklahoma City also did well to snag Victor Oladipo and the No. 11 pick (used on Gonzaga big man Domantas Sabonis) from the Orlando Magic in exchange for Serge Ibaka, and I think replacing Dion Waiters with 2013 second-round pick Alex Abrines will ultimately prove a win. Still, the best-case scenario for the Thunder over the next 12 months is to get back in contention — where Oklahoma City was before Kevin Durant’s departure, having come within a win of the NBA Finals. Without Durant, the Thunder aren’t even a certain playoff team. It’s impossible to lose a star of Durant’s magnitude and not come out a loser.”

Stephen Jackson says blame Tony Parker for OKC beating the Spurs in 2012: “I’m going to give you a perfect example. We was up 2-0 against the Thunder, my last year with the Spurs in (2012). They came back and won three games straight. But game six in OKC, I was having a hell of a game. I had six threes. Me and Kawhi (Leonard) was playing well. At the end of the game, when my six threes and other guys shots got us back in the game, Tony came in the game and tried to save the day and stopped playing team ball. We ended up losing that series. I kind of felt like that while he was on the sidelines, he was over there saying sneaky stuff to players and the coaches about getting back in the game so he can try to get his own personal achievements in the game and that’s why we lost. Pop wouldn’t say that. But I remember right after the game, me, Kawhi and Tim (Duncan) was sitting down after we lost, he came over there and said ‘I should have rode you guys, You all did everything you could.’ That’s his way of saying I should not have put Tony in the game.”

Ronnie Price is still coming to the Thunder.

Hardwood Paroxysm on which NBA team would win a decathlon:  “Compact athletes with incredible speed and strength to accelerate? Russell Westbrook, that sounds a whole heck of a lot like you. John Wall may think he could beat Russ in a 40-yard dash, but I think Westbrook would, at the very least, be a contender.”

This Q&A with Lee Jenkins is very good: “It really depends. How much do I get from the primary subject? That really tells the story. If you have someone like Kobe or LeBron it helps because they are excellent historians regarding the game and their own careers. Once I did a story on JaVale McGee and that was different. He was in the media and getting killed for doing all these stupid things so I wanted to know: who is this guy? We set up the interview and it was the most painful interview I’ve ever done. It was maybe three minutes long. He said maybe 1-2 words for every answer, so sometimes the primary subject doesn’t give the story. His Mother was incredible however. I talked to her for maybe 1-2 hours and she made the story. So, you have to find that strong voice. I don’t care much about quotes — I want the story. Start with a broad canvas and narrow it down as you go.”

Here’s the Thunder’s preseason schedule.

Erik Horne: “While he didn’t start like he did against Brazil in Lithuania’s opener on Sunday, Sabonis was able to stay out of foul trouble in his reserve role, even while battling former NBA power forward Ike Diogu multiple possessions. When Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas was out of the game, Sabonis often played as the lone man inside on offense and held his own.”