Friday Bolts – Hyperizers Edition
A couple housekeeping notes: People ask me every now and then how they can just get a list of Bolts or News or Video 
sometimes. Two ways: Every post is tagged and put into a category. So you can either click the category name at the bottom and it will give you a list of every post that falls into that or you can go over to the sidebar and click the drop-down “categories” menu and select one there. I’m making a few changes to thing over the next few weeks so if things are different, that’s why.
Dime had a nice Q&A with Russell Westbrook: ”Dime: Do you have to work on getting a vertical leap like that, or has that been something you’ve always had naturally? RW: To be honest, I was never really jumping that high when I was younger. I had to work on it. I didn’t dunk for the first time until the last game of my senior year in high school. I didn’t really start dunking regularly until college. I just work on my legs and my core: Running the stairs, squats, working my hamstrings and quads. Then just sit-ups for my core.” Wow. You hear about other guys dunking for the first time in like seventh grade and Russ didn’t throw down until he was a senior. That’s wild.
Evidently, KD played in something called the Kenner League recently: “Either I read the schedule wrong or the schedule was wrong (I’m actually guessing that it was both), but I thought there was only going to be one game with Hoyas in it. Anyway, I showed up with one minute left in the first game and to my surprise Chris Wright (who has added some serious muscle) and Greg Monroe’s team (does anyone REALLY know or care what the team names are?) was in tight one with a team chock full of people I didn’t know. Even more shocking was that Kevin Durant was playing with Chris and Greg. KEVIN FREAKING DURANT … Kevin Durant is awesome. I mean, really awesome. He can do whatever he wants on a basketball court even with the skinny frame. He kept making this guy who I would swear was Mikki Moore look like even more of a fool than looking like Mikki Moore makes you look.”
Scott Howard-Cooper grades the offseason for every team: “Oklahoma City: B- … The Thunder were one of the few teams with serious cap space, but they stayed away from the kind of splashy move that nearly landed Tyson Chandler during the regular season. Instead, general manager Sam Presti took the sound route with his biggest transaction, drafting James Harden third to fill a need at shooting guard. Many talent evaluators believe Blake Griffin is the only player entering his rookie season as more of a lock to have a long, successful career than Harden. Kevin Ollie replaces Earl Watson as the veteran backup to point guard Russell Westbrook.”
Kevin Durant’s new Nike commercial is out and it’s pretty cool. Introducing your new hero, Velvet Hoop:
Oh, and just in case you missed it, Rashard Lewis was suspended 10 games for using PEDs. Uh, last person on earth to have suspected?
More video! Kevin Durant highlights from this year’s Goodman League:
Here’s a MASSIVE team preview from Eric Wong, editor of Roto Evil: “Preseason Battle to Watch: Thabo Sefolosha vs. James Harden – Since he performed very well for the Thunder last season, Thabo will probably get the 1st crack at starting at shooting guard on opening night. After all, he’s long, athletic, a fierce defender, and he doesn’t need to have the ball in his hands to contribute. In other words, he’s a great complementary player to Durant, Westbrook, and Green. In this scenario, the rookie Harden would come off the bench, where his scoring abilities would be better suited for Oklahoma City’s 2nd unit.”
Velvet Hoop?
wow i have to say that, that commercial is the best thing i have ever seen. kevin durant is a beast!
Yeah that commercial was better than I expected. But Nike always has great stuff. Cool to see KD rap.
I’m sorry…but that commercial just confuses me.
I’m 23 and I now feel like I don’t understand the times.
@Nix
Unless I’m crazy, I don’t think it was supposed to make a lot of sense. I think that was kind of the point. Maybe not though.
Rashard and KD killed it. Let’s see if I can state this in the appropriate manner…
4real nephew, 4 a coupla ballers, those fools can SPIT n FLOW yo!
Watchin the street ball highlights, I kept thinking to myself that this game is just too easy for him. He needs to play on a taller rim with no back board or somethin.
The Serge Ibaka video on Roto Evil is pretty cool. The kept having to raise the pole they use to measure vertical leap…. nice. He also has a dunk in the video where I’m pretty sure he leaves from the free throw line.
@Chas
Yeah, it’s not even fair to put KD on the court with normal cats. He just makes it look like he’s on the court all by himself.
I love Kevin Durant.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct
4 shizzle J Rizzle
Man Royce, I freakin love the commercial and KD, oh I mean Velvet Hoop looked so smooth when he rapped that he could be the only sports athelete that I would actually buy his music.
@Bryan
In one of the clips he did have Michael Beasley on his team i’m pretty sure there were some good players there playing, just not NBA guys, but he’s wasn’t playing by NBA rules that’s real streetball at it’s finest.
The NBA should issue a new subset of rules to keep KD in check. Seriously, this game is going to be really boring for him in a few years on the offensive side at least. Maybe KD won’t match Lebron’s stats that he accumulated in his first 3 years but over the span of their careers, I’m just lead to believe that KD will beat him statistically. I just hope KD throws in a few Finals rings along with his MVPs and scoring titles.
That RotoEvil breakdown was really good. I enjoyed it alot, and thought all his points were good. His prediction 34-48 is about where i expect and his section about Durant was really impressive to me.
“In those 43 games, KD averaged a monster 27.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals, .9 blocks, 1.6 threes, and 7.9 free throw attempts on 49.3% FG, 43.8% 3P, and 86.4% FT shooting. If he had put up those stats over the entire season, Durant would have ranked 3rd in scoring, 11th in 3P%, 14th in steals, 23rd in FT% (2nd among players with 7+ attempts), 29th in FG% (3rd among players with 17.5+ attempts), 29th in rebounds (3rd among small forwards), 37th in blocks (5th among small forwards), 39th in threes made, and 53rd in assists (4th among small forwards).”
@clark
I thought so too. That’s the same neighborhood I’ve got them at.
James Harden didn’t get picked at #4 to be a bench/rotation player. But this season is all about winning games, so he’ll have to legitimately beat out Thabo for the starting spot. I’m just predicting he will.
I also like the 2nd unit… Livingston, Sefolosha, Collison & White with a starter tossed in their. Could be any starter really with their flexibility.
@GAP
you didn’t buy Wayman’s music? Man you’re missing out.
@dj
James was picked 3rd btw.
But even Brooks said that nothing is guaranteed as far as minutes are concerned. But I think you’ll see Thabo play a lot of 2 and most of KD’s backup minutes as well.
Yep, here come the PEDs…
Just looking at some of the players, I’d bet there are several more on them. Lebron, perhaps; his physique seemed unnatural way back at age 18. Dwight Howard, on the same team as Rashard, also looks unnatural. What do you all think? I don’t care what people say about basketball not being impacted by steroids… speed, quickness, and strength certainly play in basketball!
@DSMok1
From what I understand, what Rashard tested positive for isn’t an anabolic steroid. It’s something that’s legal to take in Major League Baseball. It’s a supplement that raises your testosterone just barely.
@DSMok1
What part about Lebron’s physique and game screams normal or run of the mill? He is a genetic anomaly. But I don’t think that steroids have that big of an impact in basketball as they do in football and baseball because guys are more lean and want less bulk in basketball than other sports.
I believe Reshard was an accident, I don’t want to look at Basketball the way I do baseball now, I don’t care how ridiculous of an athlete Lebron is, I believe he isn’t on PEDS
p.s. Atleast we know KD isn’t on ‘roids
I’ve watched Rashard his whole career, from crying baby 18 year old in the draft room to his first all star game, being brow beat by Gary Payton, to being bonafide running mate with Ray Allen. He doesn’t look much different now than he did at 18. Just a little more muscle on the biceps and shoulders, but not a whole bunch.
There is just no way he’s on anything anabolic or he would look like Dwight Howard right now. He is 6’10 just like Howard, but he looks like a bit more muscley (sp?) Kevin Durant.
Dwight Howard has a gigantic upper body, but the rest of him is pretty skinny. I don’t think he is on anything.
The boy gets his vitamins thats all.