Comments on: Is Kevin Durant the anti-Battier? Well, maybe he was in 2008 http://www.dailythunder.com/2009/03/is-kevin-durant-the-anti-battier-well-maybe-he-was-in-2008/ Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:10:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Friday Bolts – 12.11.09 | Daily Thunder.com http://www.dailythunder.com/2009/03/is-kevin-durant-the-anti-battier-well-maybe-he-was-in-2008/comment-page-1/#comment-36911 Friday Bolts – 12.11.09 | Daily Thunder.com Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:55:34 +0000 http://www.dailythunder.com/?p=1289#comment-36911 [...] much that it’s in NBA box scores, said Durant was not helping his team last year. Of course I disagreed and gave what I thought was a good explanation for it, but regardless, that’s what the numbers said. Now Henry is presenting new numbers saying [...] [...] much that it’s in NBA box scores, said Durant was not helping his team last year. Of course I disagreed and gave what I thought was a good explanation for it, but regardless, that’s what the numbers said. Now Henry is presenting new numbers saying [...]

]]> By: Kevin Durant doesn’t care about your “plus and minuses” | Daily Thunder.com http://www.dailythunder.com/2009/03/is-kevin-durant-the-anti-battier-well-maybe-he-was-in-2008/comment-page-1/#comment-25282 Kevin Durant doesn’t care about your “plus and minuses” | Daily Thunder.com Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:43:19 +0000 http://www.dailythunder.com/?p=1289#comment-25282 [...] know KD, I’ve kinda sorta defended you on this matter… just keep that in mind. [...] [...] know KD, I’ve kinda sorta defended you on this matter… just keep that in mind. [...]

]]> By: The dissection of Kevin Durant by the genius Henry Abbott | Daily Thunder.com http://www.dailythunder.com/2009/03/is-kevin-durant-the-anti-battier-well-maybe-he-was-in-2008/comment-page-1/#comment-25087 The dissection of Kevin Durant by the genius Henry Abbott | Daily Thunder.com Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:55:00 +0000 http://www.dailythunder.com/?p=1289#comment-25087 [...] mine on the bold. I wrote something back in March about the same topic if you’d like to peep that as well. Now go read it. You’ll be a better person for it. [...] [...] mine on the bold. I wrote something back in March about the same topic if you’d like to peep that as well. Now go read it. You’ll be a better person for it. [...]

]]> By: donuteyes http://www.dailythunder.com/2009/03/is-kevin-durant-the-anti-battier-well-maybe-he-was-in-2008/comment-page-1/#comment-3254 donuteyes Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:45:41 +0000 http://www.dailythunder.com/?p=1289#comment-3254 oh my god, did anyone see that ny times article about battier's defense? it was eight pages! EIGHT! who cares about shane battier's defense that much? this article is proof that relying on stats alone is silly. oh my god, did anyone see that ny times article about battier’s defense? it was eight pages! EIGHT! who cares about shane battier’s defense that much? this article is proof that relying on stats alone is silly.

]]> By: Keith http://www.dailythunder.com/2009/03/is-kevin-durant-the-anti-battier-well-maybe-he-was-in-2008/comment-page-1/#comment-3232 Keith Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:26:08 +0000 http://www.dailythunder.com/?p=1289#comment-3232 Great points, Peter. I think the crutch argument is probably the most apt in this situation, though I think you have overlooked the difference in play between 2008 and 2009. KD is a fantastic player, but he's been trained since the age of 14 to be a one-man team. In college he was given complete freedom to dominate the competition. As a rookie, Presti basically did the same thing. He's certainly learning (assists going up, defense improving), but he has a lot to be coached out of. As you mentioned, it took MJ years to figure it out. Kobe, considered one of the best players in the league, only gets it to a point. Do I think the team overall is better with Durant? Yes. But do I think everyone not named KD gives their maximum effort while he's in the game? No. And that's something both sides need to work on. Durant needs to inspire his teammates to play as well as they can play, and that it will be rewarded. On the flip side, the team needs to accept what Durant can do while also demanding he be Lebron and MJ, not swept-in-the-first-round Kobe. Great points, Peter. I think the crutch argument is probably the most apt in this situation, though I think you have overlooked the difference in play between 2008 and 2009. KD is a fantastic player, but he’s been trained since the age of 14 to be a one-man team. In college he was given complete freedom to dominate the competition. As a rookie, Presti basically did the same thing. He’s certainly learning (assists going up, defense improving), but he has a lot to be coached out of. As you mentioned, it took MJ years to figure it out. Kobe, considered one of the best players in the league, only gets it to a point.

Do I think the team overall is better with Durant? Yes. But do I think everyone not named KD gives their maximum effort while he’s in the game? No. And that’s something both sides need to work on. Durant needs to inspire his teammates to play as well as they can play, and that it will be rewarded. On the flip side, the team needs to accept what Durant can do while also demanding he be Lebron and MJ, not swept-in-the-first-round Kobe.

]]> By: Royce http://www.dailythunder.com/2009/03/is-kevin-durant-the-anti-battier-well-maybe-he-was-in-2008/comment-page-1/#comment-3223 Royce Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:24:22 +0000 http://www.dailythunder.com/?p=1289#comment-3223 Well, as I said, it's not like this stretch is completely out of nowhere. The team had a nice January (with KD) and got itself straight winning a couple of games back-to-back. OKC isn't as bad as people seem to still think. Sure they stunk in 2008, but this is an entirely different group. Well, as I said, it’s not like this stretch is completely out of nowhere. The team had a nice January (with KD) and got itself straight winning a couple of games back-to-back. OKC isn’t as bad as people seem to still think. Sure they stunk in 2008, but this is an entirely different group.

]]> By: Peter http://www.dailythunder.com/2009/03/is-kevin-durant-the-anti-battier-well-maybe-he-was-in-2008/comment-page-1/#comment-3222 Peter Tue, 10 Mar 2009 03:21:44 +0000 http://www.dailythunder.com/?p=1289#comment-3222 Having been the person to set off the "Ewing Theory meets KD blowback" comments a couple of posts back, I'll confess I've never seen Durant play. Haven't had TV in my home since 1996, and I only watch the deep playoffs (something KD never got to in college). So my comments on KD are based strictly on his stats, not on the gut call of watching the kid play. My attention was just piqued when the lousiest team in the league suddenly goes on a 4/5 tear that coincides with their best player sitting. Don't tell me they played dogs over this time. OKC is a dog, and it's been losing to those other dogs all year long. And even when it won once in a while, it never strung any wins together. That is, until KD sat. The beauty of all of this is that we get to see what is what when KD comes back. Does Krstic fall back into a minor role? Rose not see the light of day? Other hands start to go cold? Or, does OKC go on a royal tear now that their best player is back? It's going to be very interesting to watch. Last thing: my Spider sense was piqued about KD when I went through his stats. The stats show that this kid is one of the best shooters in the league. A brilliant shooter. But sometimes, a shooter that good can work against a team if he becomes a crutch for the other players. It took Jordan what, 6 years?, to figure out that he had to just stop shooting during the middle of the game to let his sorry teammates get a little bit warm. That way, in crunch time, if the other team tripled him, and he kicked out, those warm teammates would nail it. Some days, it looks like Kobe gets that. But then he'll go all Kobe on us. I don't know if KD gets this yet. But even though he's only 20, he's so freaking good, he should have learned it already. I mean, I'm sure he went for 50 regularly in high school. Did he learn then the necessity of making sure your teammates stay warm, confident, and ready to go? Having been the person to set off the “Ewing Theory meets KD blowback” comments a couple of posts back, I’ll confess I’ve never seen Durant play. Haven’t had TV in my home since 1996, and I only watch the deep playoffs (something KD never got to in college).

So my comments on KD are based strictly on his stats, not on the gut call of watching the kid play. My attention was just piqued when the lousiest team in the league suddenly goes on a 4/5 tear that coincides with their best player sitting. Don’t tell me they played dogs over this time. OKC is a dog, and it’s been losing to those other dogs all year long. And even when it won once in a while, it never strung any wins together.

That is, until KD sat. The beauty of all of this is that we get to see what is what when KD comes back. Does Krstic fall back into a minor role? Rose not see the light of day? Other hands start to go cold?

Or, does OKC go on a royal tear now that their best player is back? It’s going to be very interesting to watch.

Last thing: my Spider sense was piqued about KD when I went through his stats. The stats show that this kid is one of the best shooters in the league. A brilliant shooter.

But sometimes, a shooter that good can work against a team if he becomes a crutch for the other players. It took Jordan what, 6 years?, to figure out that he had to just stop shooting during the middle of the game to let his sorry teammates get a little bit warm. That way, in crunch time, if the other team tripled him, and he kicked out, those warm teammates would nail it.

Some days, it looks like Kobe gets that. But then he’ll go all Kobe on us.

I don’t know if KD gets this yet. But even though he’s only 20, he’s so freaking good, he should have learned it already. I mean, I’m sure he went for 50 regularly in high school. Did he learn then the necessity of making sure your teammates stay warm, confident, and ready to go?

]]> By: Crow http://www.dailythunder.com/2009/03/is-kevin-durant-the-anti-battier-well-maybe-he-was-in-2008/comment-page-1/#comment-3220 Crow Tue, 10 Mar 2009 02:33:09 +0000 http://www.dailythunder.com/?p=1289#comment-3220 It will change next season but for right now, based on the numbers but not messing with them in detail I'd use this set of lineups. Vary the minute distribution to matchups and performance: Krstic Collison Durant Sefolosha Westbrook Krstic Green Durant Weaver Westbrook Krstic Green Weaver Sefolosha Westbrook Krstic Collison Green Sefolosha Westbrook Collison Green Durant Sefolosha Westbrook Krstic Green Durant Sefolosha Westbrook Krstic Green Durant Weaver Watson Collison Green Durant Weaver Watson Krstic Collison Durant Weaver Watson It will change next season but for right now, based on the numbers but not messing with them in detail I’d use this set of lineups. Vary the minute distribution to matchups and performance:

Krstic Collison Durant Sefolosha Westbrook
Krstic Green Durant Weaver Westbrook
Krstic Green Weaver Sefolosha Westbrook
Krstic Collison Green Sefolosha Westbrook
Collison Green Durant Sefolosha Westbrook
Krstic Green Durant Sefolosha Westbrook
Krstic Green Durant Weaver Watson
Collison Green Durant Weaver Watson
Krstic Collison Durant Weaver Watson

]]> By: Crow http://www.dailythunder.com/2009/03/is-kevin-durant-the-anti-battier-well-maybe-he-was-in-2008/comment-page-1/#comment-3219 Crow Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:32:16 +0000 http://www.dailythunder.com/?p=1289#comment-3219 Yeah Joe. Study all the detail anybody wants but in the end do right big things as much as possible and the little stuff has less chance to hold you down. Tinker with the small stuff after you get the big stuff figured out. Yeah Joe. Study all the detail anybody wants but in the end do right big things as much as possible and the little stuff has less chance to hold you down. Tinker with the small stuff after you get the big stuff figured out.

]]> By: jk http://www.dailythunder.com/2009/03/is-kevin-durant-the-anti-battier-well-maybe-he-was-in-2008/comment-page-1/#comment-3215 jk Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:03:53 +0000 http://www.dailythunder.com/?p=1289#comment-3215 Whether or KD is responsible for the poor defense entirely or not isn't the issue anymore. I believe the great thing to come from this past week's success will be a concerted effort on both Durant and Green's part to play defense with the same fervor and effort they give on the offensive end. Plus, Henry Abbott had a great post earlier in the week how players get better at defense as they age. I believe that will be true for our young trio. I will say this though, with Durant and Green on the floor at the same time, it is going to be very difficult to matchup with some teams. Green simply isn't big enough to be a great power forward defender, nor is KD quick enough to be a great defender of many shooting guards. I don't think anyone will doubt that when we have Collison and Kristic patrolling the paint versus Green and Collison/Kristic, we are better defensively. The same can be said for when we have Thabo when he guards the SG. Whether or KD is responsible for the poor defense entirely or not isn’t the issue anymore. I believe the great thing to come from this past week’s success will be a concerted effort on both Durant and Green’s part to play defense with the same fervor and effort they give on the offensive end.

Plus, Henry Abbott had a great post earlier in the week how players get better at defense as they age. I believe that will be true for our young trio.

I will say this though, with Durant and Green on the floor at the same time, it is going to be very difficult to matchup with some teams. Green simply isn’t big enough to be a great power forward defender, nor is KD quick enough to be a great defender of many shooting guards. I don’t think anyone will doubt that when we have Collison and Kristic patrolling the paint versus Green and Collison/Kristic, we are better defensively. The same can be said for when we have Thabo when he guards the SG.

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