Tuesday Bolts – 11.3.15
Anath Pandian of CBSSports.com on the Wizards not extending Beal: “Durant’s name has been
linked to the Wizards for quite some time, mainly because he grew up in the Maryland DMV area. However, Durant is remaining mum about his 2016 free agency, and if the Thunder end up going far in the playoffs or even win in the Finals, he will more than likely re-sign with Oklahoma City. Durant could also choose to sign a one-year deal and then become a free agent again in 2017, when he may have the chance to earn even more money after the NBA’s new TV deal causes the salary cap to increase.”
Anthony Slater on last night: “The first game-tying look was a good one, a wide-open Russell Westbrook transition 3 just one possession after he’d hit an even tougher shot. It didn’t fall, but Dion Waiters grabbed the offensive rebound, kicked it back to Kevin Durant and the Thunder still had 10 seconds to play, trailing by three. Coach Billy Donovan raced to the scorer’s table signaling timeout. But Durant didn’t see or hear him. KD veered toward the left wing and fired up an off-balance, contested 26-footer. It went way long, not even hitting rim. Rockets rebound. Thunder foul. Dwight Howard free throws. Rockets win: 110-105 over OKC, handing Donovan his first loss as an NBA coach.”
The Thunder didn’t reach an agreement with Dion Waiters, but he sounds like he wants to stay in OKC.
Marc Stein had the Thunder second in power rankings: “It didn’t take long to get our first glimpses of Angry Russ and, of surely greater comfort to Thunder fans, Silky KD. OKC has looked as vulnerable on defense as those same fans feared, but the offense is humming early and Billy Donovan seems to be just fine with Westbrook and Durant commanding the team’s media spotlight.”
PBT has the Thunder second: “Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook look in mid-season form and with those two you know their offense is elite. The Thunder defense did not look tight for the first couple games, although it looked better against Denver Sunday. Dion Waiters has looked decent, didn’t see that coming.”
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com on rookie extensions: “But gambling with a player’s future is not a risk-free endeavor — for either side. If Drummond were to suffer a career-threatening injury this season, would the Pistons still step forward with a max extension offer in July? Would the Wizards do so for Beal under those circumstances? There also is some measure of risk for the team, especially with at least 18 teams currently positioned to have a max salary slot available next summer, when the cap escalates from its current $70 million to $89 million due to the influx of TV revenues. Restricted free agency is tricky as it is; even more so with this many teams flush with cap room for 2016-17.”
