Thursday Bolts – 11.13.08
Bethlehem Shoals of FreeDarko and Tom Ziller talking a little Kevin Durant (very interesting stuff): “Durant, possess no such mystical qualities. Barkley, I think, compared KD to Gervin, in terms of piling up points without anyone noticing. And it’s true: Unless Durant hits five threes in a row and follows it with an especially acrobatic drive (which, with his length, he rarely resorts to), his style is impressionistic. Not understated—a 6’9″ jumble of arms and legs that rises up for threes like he’s floating is still an extraordinary sight. But between the lack of emphasis in his game, his build, and those limbs just seem to trail off into the rafters on every play, Durant can get pretty ethereal at times.”
- Joe breaks down the game: “The game was never in doubt. The Thunder were without Kevin Durant who rolled his ankle on Monday, but I don’t think it would have made any difference. This was out of control from the outset and Kevin is not our strongest defender. We needed stops and never really got them at any point. It’s true that we could have used his points, but we needed stops far worse.
- The Lost Ogle looks at trade options for Earl Watson: “Losing him would not be a big deal. It shouldn’t be hard to find a guy who can guide the team to a 1-6 record. Currently, Watson averages 7.6 points, 5.6 assists, and one steal per game. That assist figure is in the top-25 for the league, but most of those come from handing the ball off to Kevin Durant and letting him do his thing. The real measure of how Watson is doing for the team is how the team looks on offense, since he is the starting point guard. No one who has watched more than a couple of ESPN highlights would suggest the Thunder run like a well-oiled machine.”
- Boy, that optimism from the Oklahoman is dropping quickly, isn’t it? “Eight down, 74 to go. Lord, have mercy on our souls. Thunder coach P.J. Carlesimo insists his team is better than a year ago, but the numbers look painfully familiar. ”
- And within that story, check out this odd quote from P.J. Carlesimo: “It certainly doesn’t mean anything to our (Oklahoma City) fans,” Carlesimo said. “What do they care if we’re better than last year?” (What’s that supposed to mean? There are multiple ways of interpreting that one. Does he mean we’re like an expansion team and this is our first year with the team so last year doesn’t matter? Or is he saying that we don’t care about wins and losses because we’re just excited to have basketball? I don’t know. You tell me.)
