Monday Bolts – 7.18.16
Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo on Westbrook: “But the C’s, like any potential Westbrook suitor,
would need assurance he would stay in one place, and such an assurance would be hard to come by. Depending on how desperate Westbrook would be to leave OKC, if he wants to become a free agent, there’s nothing stopping him from becoming one in a summer when any number of teams will be offering an even more profitable max contract. It’s long been rumored Westbrook would like to return to his hometown of Los Angeles, whether it’s the Clippers or Lakers, and Ainge would be weary to give up a potential top-five pick or any of the aforementioned players for a one-year Westbrook rental, only to see him leave for the Lakers. Such is the dilemma facing Westbrook, the Thunder and every rumored suitor between now and the time he’s either traded or becomes a free agent in 2017. Get your popcorn ready, because another summer superhero blockbuster could be on the horizon. Only this time Durant isn’t co-starring.”
Marc Spears of The Undefeated in a 5-on-5 on top offseason villain: “Look, I have no problem with his decision, but I think a lot of people see Kevin Durant as a villain by going to the Warriors after having a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals and losing it. I understand why Thunder fans will be upset. But he has earned his right to be a free agent; it’s his right to do whatever he wants. I don’t see this villain as a true villain. Regardless of what I think, however, he and the Warriors will be vilified going into the season.”
Christopher Reina of RealGM: “If unconquerable superteams are assembled to dominate the NBA, the Russell Westbrook Celtics could be the rebellious antidote, the scrawny yet capable underdog against the continuum of Warriors versus Cavaliers. Westbrook has always been the NBA’s antihero and his team would be the anti-superteazm. Westbrook’s polyphonic game is like acid rain and playing as the unequivocal alpha and omega with a finely crafted set of elite role players is perhaps the ultimate fulfillment of his basketball destiny. Perhaps it is also the ultimate fulfillment of this Celtics’ era, which has felt like a used car lot, to roll with a gloriously bright red Ferrari surrounded by four utility pickups. The Celtics would offer Westbrook a weaponized independence that embraces his individualist nature without the encumbrance of the anachronistic offense of the Thunder.”
Ty Lue defends KD’s decision: “People get mad about what he did, but to me, I’ve been a player and I’ve been a coach. When you’re free, that means you’re free. You can do what you want to do. He opted to go to Golden State. That’s his choice,” Lue said. “But they don’t say anything or get mad when guys get cut or they trade guys. Nothing is said about that. But as soon as a guy picks a team he wants to go to, it’s a big deal. I don’t understand it. I like KD. I support him in whatever he wants to do.”
Anthony Slater: “When boiled down, it’s a yes or no question that dictates the Thunder’s proper route. But in this situation, the motives of all sides — OKC’s, Westbrook’s and that of interested franchises — make everything more complicated Westbrook has given the Thunder no indication that he currently wants out. To the contrary, one source described him as ticked off about the Kevin Durant departure, determined for this new challenge and eager for the season to start: ‘He’s ready.'”
Berry Tramel on the 10-year anniversary of Bennett buying the Sonics: “Think back two weeks ago, to the day Durant announced he was leaving the Thunder. Felt pretty bad. But that day was not as bad as the day was good when Oklahomans bought an NBA franchise.”
Erik Horne on rotations: “Is newly-acquired Ersan Ilyasova or Enes Kanter the starter at power forward? Ilyasova provides Ibaka-like spacing with his 3-point shooting (career 37.0 percent), but Kanter was one of the best per-minute players in the NBA last season (21.7 points, 13.9 rebounds per 36 minutes). Kanter can shoot 3s, but do you want one of the league’s best offensive rebounders floating around the perimeter like Ibaka did to create space? Starters could come down to how Donovan wants to play. An Adams-Kanter-Roberson frontcourt sacrifices spacing for rebounding. Sliding Anthony Morrow in offers more perimeter shooting but sacrifices defense.”
