Thursday Bolts – 8.1.13
Serge Ibaka’s latest blog post: “This country means a lot to me — I became a professional basketball player in Spain. Spaniards adopted me when I left Congo as a teenager and I’m very grateful for that. Unfortunately, I will not be able to play with them this summer, because my body needs a rest after many years of nonstop basketball. But I will be cheering for them and I’m sure they will be very good in the tournament. In fact, they are my favourite team to win the gold medal — I hope I’m right. Right now, I’m in Spain, staying in shape and resting my body at the same time. In a few days I will start a long trip that will take me to different parts of Africa. It’s a trip I’m very excited about and that I will write about extensively in the Iblogga.”
J.A. Adande of ESPN.com in a 5-on-5 on offseasons: “Oklahoma City Thunder losing Kevin Martin in a sign-and-trade. Had the Thunder retained Martin, then Russell Westbrook’s rehab might have been enough to qualify as a successful offseason. Instead, OKC lost ground. The terrible part is Martin’s departure leaves the Thunder with 71 career NBA points (all from Jeremy Lamb) to show from last season’s Harden trade.”
Per Zach Lowe of Grantland: “Wrap on KD/OKC thing: Owners voted to reimburse OKC $8 million, ~ half of gap b/w KD’s “old” contract and his actual deal, per league source.”
Tips for Thunder Girl tryouts.
Hanley Ramirez, Yasiel Puig, Russell Westbrook and Russell Westbrook’s jean shorts.
Chad Ford of ESPN Insider gives OKC a C- for its offseason: “Not sure there was a team with a quieter offseason than the Thunder. With a payroll dangerously close to the luxury-tax threshold, they had to let sixth man Kevin Martin walk and signed only a minor role player in Fisher and their draft picks. Adams is a freak of nature — a young, 19-year-old big man with an NBA body, strength, athleticism and motor. But he’s relatively new to the game and has a lot of work to do to be ready for the pro game, especially on the offensive end. Despite being just 6-foot-7 and 206 pounds, Roberson was one of the best rebounders in college basketball last season. And they hit in the second round with Jerrett, a big stretch-4 who underachieved as a freshman at Arizona but who looked solid in summer league. All three have bright futures but will likely spend the season in the D-League. The Thunder drafted well, but their window is now, and it’s unclear whether Jeremy Lamb has the chops to replace Martin coming off the bench. So many teams have improved in the West, but the Thunder’s lack of creative moves marks a second straight disappointing offseason.”
Derek Fisher is no longer union president and LeBron is considering running for the spot.
