Monday Bolts – 6.13.16
Berry Tramel grading Dion Waiters: “In 47 Thunder games last season after being traded
from Cleveland, Waiters showed that his reputation for porous defense was a bad rap. This season, Waiters wiped out his malcontent reputation. Waiters accepted a sixth-man role and played well. His shots per 36 minutes were way down, to 11.8, after his previous career low had been 15.4. Yet Waiters never showed signs of bellyaching. After the season, Waiters admitted that starting was important to him, but for this Thunder team, he would make an exception. Hard to ask for much more.”
Erik Horne on Waiters: “Thunder general manager Sam Presti has been here before with Harden and Jackson, but unlike Waiters, both were traded before hitting restricted free agency in the summer. Waiters is restricted, thus the Thunder has the option to match any contract offer he receives from another team. Presti knows with the salary cap projected to rise from $70 million to $92 million for this upcoming season, there will be several clubs with money to spend, particularly on a strong 6-foot-4, 220-pound guard who can create his own shot, defend multiple positions and run the offense in a pinch.”
Here’s a clever way to campaign for KD to stay: Raising money for the Boys and Girls club.
Mary Fallin says KD can be on the cabinet if he stays. Great, now he’s leaving confirmed.
Jenni Carlson: “The way these guys play is different. Higher efficiency, more ball movement and increased trust on offense. Better communication and increased focus, especially in the playoffs, on defense. Sure, there were times that wasn’t the case — Game 6 against the Warriors comes to mind — but when the players stuck to the script, good things tended to happen. That’s a credit to Billy Donovan. And Billy Donovan is a credit to Presti.”
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Obviously, KD has been playing in a tougher conference than LeBron, increasing the degree of difficulty in the journey. And it’s why what just happened to Durant will sting his reputation for a while and feed the speculation of him leaving OKC for greener grass. After ousting perennial heavyweight contender San Antonio, Durant and the Thunder had Golden State on the ropes – and couldn’t deliver the knockout punch. Fair or not, Durant is viewed as the superstar who could not carry OKC to the Finals even after the Thunder seized a 3-1 lead. In Game 6, on his home court, Durant was 10-of-31 and 1-of-8 from 3-point range in the loss to the Warriors.”
Serge Ibaka has confeedense that KD is staying.
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel bringing the lols: “Central Florida is the perfect place for you, Kevin. First of all, your old Oklahoma City buddy Rob Hennigan is running the franchise. And if you sign here, you immediately become the greatest player in Magic history and instantly become beloved and cherished for being a superstar who chose to come to Orlando instead of choosing to bail on Orlando.”
