Friday Bolts – 6.17.16
Erik Horne on Mitch McGary: “Mitch McGary was second-to-last to speak. Before rookie
Cameron Payne wrapped up the Thunder’s exit interviews, McGary took his place behind a table at the practice facility and answered questions for 9 minutes and 39 seconds. The session was telling, not just for McGary’s candidness but the time itself. The interview lasted longer than all but two of his 20 game appearances in 2015-16. It was another lost season for McGary, an undoubtedly talented forward who still faces questions about his health and commitment to basketball entering a critical third year with the Thunder.”
Sports Illustrated Kids with some deep Durant analysis: “The Thunder are the immediate favorite since they’re the only team Durant has ever played for and there’s no obvious reason for him to leave. Durant brought the team within one game of the NBA Finals, giving him unfinished business in OKC. Durant and Russell Westbrook have formed one of the most potent duos in the NBA. The Thunder also have Billy Donovan, one of the league’s brightest young head coaches. Oklahoma City will need to break the bank in order to bring Durant back, though. With the cap going up in 2017, Durant could sign a deal worth $208 million.”
Big news from this Heat blog: Kevin Durant would make their team better.
Jared Dudley on KD signing with the Wizards: “I realistically don’t. I hope for the fans they do, because he’s from there, and he would bring such excitement. They’d be right behind Cleveland, right there with them to be able to contend. I don’t see it though.”
Dan Feldman of PBT: “This is why not everyone recruits star free agents – new players eat into the finite resources minutes, shots and money. This is part of the reason players don’t tank – they don’t want the team replacing them with a higher pick. This is why veteran leadership is an overrated concept – not everyone is willing to train someone to overtake them. Dudley is stating something that I think is true. Durant doesn’t seem that keen on accepting the burden of playing for his hometown team. But Dudley might also be projecting his desired outcome onto his prediction.”
Berry Tramel on Mitch McGary: “We keep hearing that McGary is a good-shooting big man. But he hasn’t shown that, even in limited minutes. McGary missed all four of his 3-point shots this season and is 0-of-6 for his career. No big deal. That’s not any kind of sample size. And McGary made three of five long 2-pointers this season. But here’s a red flag. McGary made just four of 10 foul shots this season, after making only 25 of 40 a year ago. He’s 29 of 50 in the NBA so far. That’s an indicator of a poor shooter, not a good shooter.”
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