Friday Bolts – 2.5.16
Tim Bontemps of the WaPo on the Wizards: “At this point, it’s hard to see how the Wizards could
hope to compete with any of those options. Yes, they have Wall, more than a worthy running mate and a perfect partner as a pass-first point guard. But this season was supposed to fill in the rest of the picture for the Wizards. It was supposed to prove Washington was about to turn the corner and show why it was a worthy option for Durant – one that could provide him with the platform to chase championships, Durant’s main goal. All Washington has done instead is reaffirm how far away the Wizards are from the league’s elite – and how unrealistic it appears that their dream of bringing Durant back home will come to fruition.”
Anthony Slater: “It’s 2016 and a fun, star-filled Western Conference power rules the NBA landscape, leaving all other challengers to battle for the second-most wins and headlines. But rewind your mind four years into the past. Wasn’t this supposed to be the Thunder? How did we get here? How did the Warriors leapfrog OKC in this decade’s NBA pecking order? How did we get to the point where Golden State is not only threatening to render this era of the Thunder title-less but also serving as the scariest threat to end it early by stealing away Durant from the city he’s so beloved? It all stems back to the 2012 offseason.”
Andrew Bogut on KD: “If you were a player would you want to join our team?” was Bogut’s response to SiriusXM NBA Radio’s Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine regarding the report. “Who knows where it’s coming from — probably a mix of his agent, creating whatever it is from that aspect. We’re not too worried about it,” Bogut explained. “Funnier things have happened in this league, so I definitely wouldn’t be shocked if something like that happened.”
Michael Pina for FoxSports.com: “Despite all the success Bogut, Iguodala, Barnes and the Warriors have shared, the thought of adding an all-time, in-prime talent like Durant is unquestionably the right thing to do. The Warriors are unbeatable in their current iteration, but what if someone gets hurt two months from now? What if Gregg Popovich cooks up a magical game plan in the Western Conference Finals and takes the Warriors down? What if, what if, what if.”
Guess what: The Thunder were ranked 29th out of 30 teams with their floor by SI: “It doesn’t get much more drab than the floor in Oklahoma City. The muted blue that fills the key and out of bounds baseline and apron areas lacks intrigue, especially when paired with the light wood stain.”
Adam Silver is reconsidering Hack-A-Shaq rules.
Berry Tramel: “And it raises a question. Could Westbrook somehow break into the hallowed ground of Oscar Robertson? Could Westbrook average a triple double in a single season? In this season? Well, he’s averaging a double double already. If Westbrook can average 10 assists a game over the final 31 games, he’s got two of the three covered. So it gets down to rebounds. Westbrook has 390 rebounds this season. If Westbrook plays all 82 games, he needs 820 rebounds to reach 10.0 per game. That means 430 rebounds is required over the final 31 games. That’s 13.87 rebounds per game. Could Westbrook do that? Well, it’s not likely.”
Chad Ford on surprising rookies: “There’s another point guard that I think was probably underdrafted: Cameron Payne. Scouts really warmed up to him as we got closer to the draft, and he was heavily in the mix to be selected by the Pacers at No. 11 before Turner fell to them. I think he’s looking more and more like a steal for the Thunder. His combination of basketball IQ, quickness and 3-point shooting gives him a great chance of being a good starting point guard in the league down the road.”
