Wednesday Bolts – 6.15.16
Jason Concepcion of The Ringer with conspiracy theories: “Unwritten rules are rules that
no one bothered to write down because they’re about feelings, a subject that no one wants to talk about. We laud the Platonic ideal of the athlete who will do anything to win until they actually do anything to win. That’s what makes the debate around LeBron and Draymond so fun, so circular, and so hypocritical. No one likes being called a bitch. Moreover, no one likes admitting that they don’t like being called a bitch. And, furthermore, being stepped over is basically the physical embodiment of being called a bitch, so don’t do it, because you know how it makes people feel: It makes them feel feelings.”
Erik Horne with a review on Andre Roberson: “Andre Roberson has a goal. The 24-year-old wants his name on the NBA’s All-Defensive Team. He received just one vote this season, trumped by teammates like Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka whose defensive impact this season didn’t reflect the final ballot. Too bad the voting didn’t factor in postseason play. In the Thunder’s 18-game NBA Playoffs run, Roberson showed elements of his two-way game that forced the league to take notice. In the Western Conference finals, Golden State’s Klay Thompson scored 24.6 points per game against the Thunder, yet the Warriors were outscored by 1.9 points with him on the court. How?”
The Steven Adams mural is finished downtown.
Berry Tramel grading Roberson: “You saw Roberson get better and better just within the playoffs. But he’s actually been getting better by the month his entire career. Roberson raised his 3-point percentage from .247 last season to .311 this season. A similar jump turns Roberson into a big-time player. He’s already an analytics dream. Roberson takes only the most efficient shots – 91 percent of his shots this season were at the rim or 3-pointers. He took just four 2-point shots all season longer than 10 feet. And 75 percent of Roberson’s 3-point shots were from the corner, where the distance is shorter. Roberson made 36.4 percent of those. Get that number into the 40s, and he can name his minutes.”
Chad Ford has Buddy Hield going to the Kings (sad faces): “The Kings are in playoff-or-bust mode and need a player who can come in and immediately make an impact. They are also badly in need of an upgrade at the 2. Hield’s character and work ethic are also much needed on the most dysfunctional team in the league.”
