Monday Bolts – 12.14.09
Darnell Mayberry with an interesting story from last night: ”With his exploits, James had transformed the gentleman 
seated in the high-priced seat from fiery foe to friendly fan. For three quarters, the man offered his best Jack Nicholson, mercilessly heckling Cleveland’s superstar forward. No. 23 in the wine and gold even jawed back, on one trip down court appearing to annoyingly mouth the words, ‘Sue me.” But the fan slowly became a witness. James ended the first half by scoring each of the Cavs’ final 12 points. He had two three-point plays, a jump hook off the glass from the right block and two rim-rocking dunks. Twelve minutes later, James ended the third period in even more spectacular fashion, burying a barrage of deep 3-pointers en route to scoring Cleveland’s final 10 points of the period. By then, James had the middle-aged man fawning over his feats. Just before James inbounded the ball near the fan at the start of the final period, the man extended a closed fist. James graciously bumped knuckles. Durant, noticing the exchange while wrangling with his shoe laces, furrowed his brow then took exception. “You supposed to be on our side,” Durant said, pinching a piece of his white Thunder jersey. “What kind of fan are you?”
Mayberry also asked Tim Legler some questions: ”DM: You mentioned Chris Bosh. Do you think a big-name free agent like Bosh could be convinced to sign in a market like Oklahoma City? TL: There are certain guys that I don’t think there is anyway Oklahoma City as a market would have a chance to land a player like that. I don’t think Chris Bosh is in that category. He just spent his whole career up in Toronto. Toronto’s a great city, but in terms of NBA marketing appeal it’s not up there. It’s in Canada. He’s been up there and he’s been happy for the most part until this year. So I think Chris Bosh is a little different. His character and the things that are important to him are not the same things that’s important to some of the other marquee players. So I don’t think it’ll be out of the question that Oklahoma City can make a run at Chris Bosh. I know they’re in a good situation as far as the cap. They’re not going to get LeBron James. They’re not going to get Dwyane Wade. You have to start thinking about who else could have the kind of impact on our team that we need that can get us over the hump. To me, Chris Bosh is the perfect fit. If I were them I’d do everything I could to target him. I’m not saying you’re going to get him. Everybody’s saying he’s going to end up in Miami. But you never know. I think he could fit in well in a market like Oklahoma City and be happy there.”
Kevin Durant’s Giving Tree is tomorrow. Don’t forget.
Jalen Rose on the Thunder: ”I appreciate what the Thunder have done as far as building a team through the draft. They have four players who can really play. That is why they are in position, as a young team, to be as exciting as it gets. I refer to Durant, Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green and James Harden as the “Core Four.” Westbrook is a combo guard who can shoot and handle; like a lot of young guys, he needs to tighten up his decision-making. Green can switch out and guard four different positions. He is strong and tough and doesn’t need the ball to be effective. And Harden is a silky smooth lefty. He is crafty, and he can knock down the 3 or slash and get to the basket.”
John Krolik of Cavs: The Blog with some reaction: “What this team needs is a playmaker who can be consistent. Westbrook has all the talent in the world and will be a very solid player in this league for a long time, but he can’t be counted on to be the primary playmaker night in and night out, and Harden isn’t ready to fill that gap yet. If he can come into his own and balance out what Westbrook brings in the backcourt, the Thunder are going to flat-out start humming offensively.”
I found this hilarious last night when I saw it live. LeBron eating a Thunder fan’s French fries:
LeBron on the French fry eating: “There wasn’t nobody sitting there,” James said, explaining that he hadn’t taken the fry from the Durant fan. “The French fries had their own seat.”
I really have no idea what Jenni Carlson is writing about here: ”As a squad with plenty of stars in the making, Oklahoma City will soon find itself in the same place as Cleveland. It will need to sign Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, then not long after, Russell Westbrook. It will need to find the bucks to cement the franchise’s foundation. It will be a tall task, but if Cleveland can sign LeBron during the offseason, it will seem much more possible. If the Cavs can do it, then the Thunder can, too. Granted, LeBron wouldn’t be the first superstar to stay in one of the NBA’s smaller cities. Tim Duncan is in San Antonio. Dwight Howard is in Orlando.” How are these situations even remotely related?
Kevin Durant wants you to send in your pictures to his website. Do it.
You’ve got to read this Q&A with Brad Keller from some Seattle Weekly writer: ”SW: Do you think it would be fitting punishment for you to be locked in an empty KeyArena alone for 41 days per year, to remind you of the heartbreak that thousands of Seattleites experienced as a result of the Sonics leaving town? BK: There is nothing that would be fitting, because there is nothing that would warrant anything of that nature. SW: Well, you helped the team leave town. BK: I represented a client that had a dispute with the city. We had a showdown in the courtroom, and the result of that was, by agreement, the team was permitted to relocate. SW: Do you consider yourself to be the ultimate villain in the Sonics’ defection to Oklahoma City? BK: I consider myself to have been a lawyer that represented a client.”
Aubrey McClendon has gotten his dunes sold: ”A conservation group has signed a deal to buy 171 acres of Lake Michigan shoreline sand dunes in Saugatuck for $19 million from Aubrey McClendon, co-owner of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder. Officials for the Land Conservancy of West Michigan said Thursday the deal had been approved by its board. The Grand Rapids-based group has been working with The Nature Conservancy and the city of Saugatuck to acquire the property.”
Interesting video from reader Johnny. Basically watch as Jeff Green gets caught ballwatching. These are the ways teams can torch you from outside.
You might be able to offer Przybilla a deal that Portland wouldn’t match. But it is a long shot. And he is now past his peak and it is always unclear how much of a decline and how fast he is headed for. Again will be 31 next fall and thus is probably too old- for Presti. Barely old enough for Popovich and Buford but the opposite for Presti, here.
If there is a strong Presti target in the 2010 free agent class- that he can actually get- I haven’t been able to isolate him yet.
@justin
Did Jeff Green touch you inappropriately? He’s the second best player on a pretty good team in his third season. I don’t see why you want to write him off so quickly.
@Clark Matthews
Clark I am not going to repeat what I’ve written elsewhere about Jeff Green’s (lack of) production relative to other PF’s, so it’ll have to suffice to say that it’s meager. Also, while it’s certainly possible that he will make some big strides and become a force, it is also possible he will not. I subscribe to the latter.
Also, production wise, he’s the fourth best player on the team. Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant are all more productive than Jeff on a per minute basis.
@Crow
Check out Haywood’s career minute average and you’ll start to see why I still think he’d be a great acquisition (he’s only averaged 24.1 minutes over his entire career, and in the one year he is playing 30+, look at what he’s doing), and he’s probably not in the long, long term plans, but for the next 3-4 years, why not? He’d be a defensive, rebounding, shot-blocking upgrade until the younger pups are ready.
I think Marc Gasol would be a great feat with the Thunder.He´s a good rebounder,a good passer,can score in the low post and doesn´t need a lot of touches to be effective.
@J.G.
I watched the Wizards play the Celtics last week and I thought Haywood looked awesome.
But I’d imagine some dumb GM is going to overpay him big time. He’ll get 5 years, 45 million and turn into another Erick Dampeer (I think someone else already made that comparison.)
I see Haywood as a MLE guy or slightly above for three years. He’s not worth $8 million or above, which is what he’ll likely be after.
@Justin
Look man. Here is the deal. Yea you can be somewhat judgmental towards players but not completely. When it comes down to it they are doing things you will never understand. Especially guys like Jeff Green. Yea he is not as good as Chris Bosh or many other players in the NBA. But you forget..he was drafted in 2007. Bosh was drafted in 2003. And as everyone can know, 4 years more of hard work is a huge amount, just look at the thunder since a year from now, look at all of them since draft day. Even look at James since we got him with year. Yea he ball watched and yes he is not perfect, but I can only imagine how he is going to be 4 years from now. Give him the time Bosh had and everyone else you love in the NBA. I guarantee by then you will be praying that somehow we are able to sign him back.
justin, if you accept Lee for what he is- an offensive Big who rebounds and plays poor defense- and don’t expect him to get better on D (or any better on offense) then maybe, just maybe, you could look at him as part of the grand mix.
He is not a a strong or full “answer” and probably will cost too much. I don’t think Presti will target him.
J.G. I gave the things on the other side but I agree with you Haywood should be considered. There aren’t many better alternatives that realistic. To get it done Presti might have to offer too much money or years but he’s done that before with Krstic.
I think Bosh would be a great fit here. And to JG, I think he would help significantly more than a guy like Haywood. The reasoning is pretty simple: our defense is good, and our offense is bad. Despite all the clamoring for a center who rebounds, blocks shots and protects the rim, the Thunder are 6th in defensive efficiency, 11th in rebound rate, and 5th in the league in blocked shots. Meanwhile, we’re 21st in offensive efficiency. Bosh’s offense is far more important to the Thunder than Haywood’s defense. As an added bonus, Bosh puts Green in the 6th man role that most seem to agree suits him best, which not only helps him but should significant boost our anemic offense off the bench. Whether or not he would be willing to come isn’t something I can predict (although I don’t believe its out of the question), but I just don’t think it makes sense to say that Haywood would be a more valuable addition than Bosh.
Haywood as a MLE guy or slightly above for three years goes to a contender. Give him the 4th year or a bit more you might be able to get him, depending on his play for a great team vs more money value system and off the court preferences.
Green’s problem is that he doesn’t excel at anything. He’s a classic case of “jack of all trades, master of none”. That lends itself very well to being a sixth man, but a starting PF? Preferably not.
Haywood is aging and he recently blew out his knee. I don’t really like the idea of signing him, but if it was to happen, he shouldn’t get anything more than what Krstic got.
If they want Bosh they show up on his door at 12:01 am and the absolute Max deal with a ton or all of the money upfront each season and whatever signing bonus that is allowed and say take it in 48 hours (or less) or the offer is gone.
Just in case its unclear, I don’t mind getting Haywood. I think 4 years is too much, and I don’t think its really worth it to overpay for him. But he can help the Thunder in the short term.
To get Bosh KD probably has to befriend him and sell him vs the other stars who have been doing that for years.
Another need we should address is a scoring swingman to come off the bench. I’m hoping that Kelenna Azubuike will turn down his player option and sign with us. Kyle Korver would also be a solid option.
Green in year 3 on many stats is between the given too many minutes too quick Green of year 1 and the pretty improved Green on offense of year 2. Where he ends the season or next season I can’t really predict. His year 2 improvement threw me a bit because he really didn’t improve much thru his college career but the year 3 stall or slippage goes more back to that pattern.
Green has improved his steals and blocks but his overall defense is probably not much better.
@Simeon Huffman
Using the escrow service of your choice, I’d gladly wager any amount you’re comfortable with that Jeff Green will never be a Top 15 starting PF in the NBA.
Please do not compare Jeff Green to Chris Bosh. Chris Bosh was an All Star in his third season and was almost two years younger than Jeff Green is this year.
@Royce
This is also my fear about Brendan Haywood. I’m not opposed to $9 million+ as his value, but I’m not sure signing him to a five year contract would be smart.
If you are a risk-taker and serious about trying to vault into title contention I’d give Green at Center a couple hundred minutes this season to see what that does. Green at PF might be alright but it isn’t West-winning.
As good as 12-10 is, the 13th place team in the West is only 3 games back of them.
Hoopdata has a table showing the Thunder as the 4th most improved on offensive efficiency for data thru 12/8 compared to 11/13 but the defensive efficiency slipped about the 7th most. Do one or both of the numbers stabilize here or continue moving?
To All,
No way do I want Haywood for more than $6 million over four years. In complete agreement there. But as impressive as the defensive stats have been for the Thunder, there’s a reason why true bigs terrorize our team and make it very, very hard to win. Just take a look at the teams who have beaten the Thunder this year, and aside from Houston (Don’t say Sacramento, Thompson destroyed us), they all have one very glaring thing in common and I don’t think I need to say what it is.
I do think Bosh would help immensely on offense, but it’s more of the same problems on defense (if not worse) since, you know, he DOESN’T play any!
Oh, and while we’re at it, I’d love to add a pure shooter who can space the floor off the bench and a lockdown, smart backup PG (if it’s not going to be Weaver).
@J.G.
Brendan Haywood is worth a lot more than $6 million; Nenad Krstic and Nick Collison make more than that.
@justin
Yes, under the current salary cap. It’s expected to drop significantly next year, so you have to take that into consideration and adjust it.
@ Justin I can agree with you on some levels. Yes Jeff Green is most definitely not the best PF in the league. However, you have to remember he was never a PF until under Brooks. And yes his defense has lacked at times, but you have to be optimistic, especially with the Thunder. As a young team the core 4 we have are very important. Especially with the market size we have, the chances of getting an already great PF is rather small. We have to hope to acquire someone who transforms into a great PF. Now I’m not saying Jeff Green is that, but I do believe he has the potential to attempt a go at it or at least have an important role on the Thunder. What I was meaning though is that give him a few more years at learning his new position and possibly a bit better defense, he could be rather good. You can never count out a player at getting better at any point in his career. He has a long road ahead of him.
I hope we make a play for Gortat in the offseason. Orlando is really making a strong push this year, but will be way over the luxury tax next year and we might be able to take him off thier hands.
I’m glad that Jenni Carlson is around. I would miss the awkward silence and sideways glances following anything she says in a round table discussion.
Throwing my hat into the Jeff Green discussion…
My biggest gripe with Green isn’t his offensive style, size, ability to defend in the post, or his rebounding rate.
And while I love his locker room chemistry, work ethic, potential and versatility…
I think he has to be the guy to take the ball inside, get hacked and pull us through in tough games like the one last night against Cleveland. No one wanted to penetrate, and we gave up the game trying to match 3s with a team on fire from deep.
I can’t get mad at a guy like Durant — who has amazing shooting ability and a slight build — for not wanting to pound the ball in crunch time. He’s our super star, his skills are elsewhere, I *want* his body preserved.
But Green is athletic enough and skilled enough that he should be able to take it to the hole and get the fouls. If he’s going to make his mark by being a “jack of all trades” he’s going to have to want the win more than anyone else.
The only player we have on our team willing and ready to play this way is James Harden. I wonder if the game would’ve turned out differently if he had been subbed in sooner in the 4th (he sat by the scorer’s table a long time waiting to come in.)
Jeff has to be willing to do this. I’m not sure what else he can bring to the table that makes him long term viable unless he makes a miraculous turn around on his per-minute production compared with other players at his position. I think that’s an unrealistic expectation.
Yeah I agree Mark!, Green needs to make some tough / important inside moves. That is part of his job description.
Maybe Presti can sell Bosh on the Cost of Living in OKC… $17,000,000 in Miami would equate to roughly $21,000,000 in OKC. It’d really be maxing out his max contract.