Wednesday Bolts – 7.13.16

Fred Katz of the Norman Transcript: “So, what does all this have to do with the upcoming

season? If the Thunder could reasonably justify Westbrook’s dribbling habits over the past few years, just think about the extremes they could surge to next season, when there isn’t a secondary creator who can challenge his abilities. Sure, he’ll likely have Victor Oladipo, a fellow ball-handler and capable creator, next to him in the starting lineup, but the new Thunder shooting guard hardly commands the rock like one of the NBA’s three best players did. And let’s remember one of the reasons the Magic were so willing to trade Oladipo to the Thunder last month was because of his struggles meshing with Elfrid Payton, a fellow ball-dominant point guard, in Orlando’s first unit. Westbrook will have the ball. He’ll have it all the time. And the more he does, the more shots are going up.”

Adam Silver on Durant: “Just to be absolutely clear, I do not think that’s ideal from the league standpoint. For me, part of it is designing a collective bargaining agreement that encourages the distribution of great players throughout the league. On the other hand, I absolutely respect a player’s right to become a free agent and, in this case, for Kevin Durant to make a decision that he feels is best for him. I have no idea what’s in his mind or heart in terms of how he went about making that decision.”

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Harrison Barnes with his perspective: “It felt like two months as opposed to four days,” he said. “But the Warriors told me they were going to be active in free agency and that was pretty much a gesture to me that I should be looking at other teams. When I made a list of other teams I wanted to go to, Dallas was on top of that list. When they offered me, I was excited. And when Durant went to Golden State, I knew that this was going to be my new home.”

Shea Serrano of the Ringer on if OKC had won Game 6: “Kevin Durant becomes an insta-legend and unquestionable hero. The story that gets written is about how loyal he is, how 10 toes down he is, how LeBron left Cleveland to get a ring in Miami and how Durant would never, ever, ever, ever do that. He signs a new contract with the Thunder, followed by Westbrook doing the same thing. They spend the next seven years together hunting championships, winning four in a row at one point. Their fame and overwhelming success become so gargantuan that they become the first players to get inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame while still playing in the league.”

Berry Tramel: “The Thunder is the 1993-94 Bulls, who lost Michael Jordan to a baseball fantasy but still had Scottie Pippen and an interesting roster. Chicago won 55 games. The Thunder is the 1996-97 Orlando Magic, which lost Shaquille O’Neal and won 45 games and would have won more had Penny Hardaway been healthy. Alas, Hardaway never was healthy again. So bad things happen to good rosters. But good things don’t happen to bad rosters. The Thunder has a good roster. An interesting roster. A playoff roster. A fighting roster. Time to focus on what the Thunder has, instead of what it lost.”