Monday Bolts – 12.28.09
First off, I hope you all had a merry, merry Christmas. And secondly, happy birthday to my awesome father who had 
his too-many-to-count birthday yesterday. Best to you Pop.
Kevin Durant with a welcome note to his new teammate: “The circumstances that [Eric Maynor] came in with, catching three planes and getting traded as a rookie after 20 games, it was tough. He came in and controlled the game for us and got the ball to people in good spots and if we would have made more shots for him he maybe would have had nine or 10 assists. He played well and I know once his feet get under him and he becomes more comfortable with our offense, he’s going to excel. We’re glad to have another guy that we can depend on to backup Russell. He’s a scorer but he knows in this league that he has to defend and distribute the basketball. But he can score when we need him to, and he’s versatile in his game. He gives us a different dimension to our offense. Him and Russell are going to be phenomenal for us.”
In case you didn’t hear over the weekend, D.J. White has been assigned to Tulsa. He had 22-9 and 19-9 in two games over the weekend.
Nets Are Scorching wants the Nets to follow the Thunder’s path: “Outside of Durant, and possibly Westbrook, these are not yet household names, yet the Thunder are keeping their young heads above water in the tough Western Conference. While there’s still a lot can that go wrong for the Nets, the Thunder should hopefully provide hope for what can go right. While adding someone on the level of LeBron James or Chris Bosh is nice, it’s not a necessity. The Nets just need to stick with their plan of rebuilding, even if it means an ugly record in November and December.”
Kiki Vandeweghe on the matter: “Could they have won more games letting the veterans go, retarding the growth of a Durant?” Vandeweghe asked, rhetorically. “Yeah, they probably could have won a few more games, but that’s not the path they chose. It took them two years to get there; we’re trying to do it within a year, but it’s a tried-and-true method (of) almost force-feeding your guys. And that’s what they did in Oklahoma, they force-fed their guys and they got good results.”
Elie Seckbach with more on Kevin Durant, and some time with Jeff Green and James Harden:
Kevin Durant back in the MVP race on NBA.com: “This spot is a revolving door of the remaining talent in the league, and Durant supplants Tim Duncan simply because The Race thinks Durant is a more explosive player — though that could change by next week. Durant’s 38 points in a win over Phoenix on Wednesday is evidence enough that he is one of the best in the league, and should be for years to come. The Race wonders if he’ll continue his career in Oklahoma City or if he’ll ultimately wind up somewhere else.”
Fran Blinebury says OKC is on the “nice” list: “Nice. A year ago at this time, the Thunder had three wins and an interim coach who was trying to lead them out of the darkness. Now the young core of Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook has its heads above water and are swimming to a bright future.”
Susan Bible on Eric Maynor: “Among those in attendance at Maynor’s second game in Oklahoma City, a familiar face, University of Oklahoma head basketball coach Jeff Capel, was spotted courtside. “That’s my dude,” says Maynor about his VCU recruiting coach. “We’re going to hang out a lot while I’m down here. He’s maybe 15, 20 minutes away so I get to go to some OU games, check him out. It was good to see him in the arena tonight.”
DJ is putting up good numbers, maybe at some point he will take collisons spot in the rotation, we are running into the problem of too many decent backup players.
Hopefully we dont sleep on the nets tonight, Yi jianlian has been great since his return, they are tougher then their record shows, but after last games sleepwalk, this could be our bounceback game, and we play well, id like to see more minutes for maynor tonight if we get a big lead
I’m going to say it. Tonight would be the absolute perfect night to start Harden. Devin Harris can be an elite scorer, but he’s been hampered by the injury even when in the lineup. He’s never been much of an outside shooter and is under 40% this year overall. After that, the only scorer the Nets even have is Lopez (whom Thabo can’t guard).
Tonight is the best opportunity the Thunder are going to get to test out lineups, and Harden starting should be up there on that list. I love Thabo, he is a piece that every great team needs. But Harden is the future, and this is the kind of game Thabo has been invisible for all year. He has no elite player to guard, but will see enough defense (Lee) to be useless on offense as well. Give Harden the chance, Brooks, show us that having a versatile lineup isn’t all just talk. Put the right guy in at the right time, don’t force-feed a lineup that isn’t the best for the team it is facing.
@Keith
I like where you’re going with that, but when I consider Brooks as a coach, I think he’s too oldschool to do it. My perception of Brooks is that he’ll start a guy if he outworks the starter in practice, and that’s about it.
Besides that, I have a feeling that Brooks will start Thabo just to prove the point that the guys who play defense first get the nod. It’s a not-so-subtle way of communicating his priorities to his team.
There is also that oldschool respect issue, that a guy doesn’t lose his starting job if he’s doing what you’re asking him to do. He may see his minutes decrease if another guy is pushing him, but he won’t lose his spot.
Maybe I’m wrong and Brooks isn’t like that, but he seems that way to me. I would imagine that next season will be the year that you see a new lineup (barring injury of course).
excellent post . . .
Alternating starters based on the competition is rarely done in the NBA.. players usually benefit more from having roles established and continuity in the rotations. We’ve seen the bench develop and improve all year as a result of this. Looking back on former coaches: Bob Weiss, Bob Hill, PJ Carlesimo.. you have to feel good about how Scott Brooks manages the rotation. I’d rather have someone who is consistent than the spastic, unpredictable rotations we’ve been subjected to in the past.
@Keith
I am not ready at all to start Harden, but he should totally get starter minutes tonight. I feel that he and Serge are tied together as a two man swing, so are Kristic and Thabo. If Harden comes in, we sacrifice alot of defense if we don’t bring in Serge.
@f5alcon
This is absolutely a trap game with Washington on the schedule tomorrow. We need to come out, and play sharp. If we don’t self-destruct tonight, that game in D.C. looks very winnable; hopefully we can get a three game streak going to face Utah on New Year’s Eve
Also, Thabo and Harden are now averaging about the same number of minutes a game this month, so I think it’s obvious that Brooks is giving Harden more minutes progressively, as he earns them. I don’t think that’s bad at all.
@justin
Agreed. I think starting in the NBA is a little overrated. Clearly, you want your best players out there, but only because that is typically your best lineup. If the guys coming off the bench don’t improve your bench (which, honestly, I believe our second string is about equal to our starters), there’s no reason to put them out there. We have a roster that doesn’t fall off when our starters are resting, and Harden is a big part of that. If you start Harden, who’s going to be the offense off the bench?
@Pennington
4 game winning streak, we have 2 now
@Lefty
maynor could provide offense off the bench, or if start ibaka at PF and have green come off the bench, but i dont see it happening but it is a possible rotation
@Lefty
the mayne event eric maynor
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/11781/the-brutal-early-season-l – Kevin Arnovitz has a great post on TrueHoop detailing some of the Christmas games. There’s one paragraph that he writes about line-ups and stuff like that that I think applies to some of the discussion you guys are having right now. Good stuff.
“It’s unlikely that many of these questions have definitive answers right now. Coaching staffs need to do some trial-and-error and employ the good ol’ scientific method this early in the season. Don’t worry so much about “rotations being set” — a common complaint among observers — in December. Better to arrive at these truths headed into the postseason. Flexibility is a beautiful principle — one Orlando rode to the Finals last season over a much more orthodox Cleveland team. ”
Read the whole article to get the full jest of his meaning, but I like the point he makes. Kevin is a talented writer.
Emphasis on the “Don’t worry so much about “rotations being set” — a common complaint among observers — in December.” part. lol
Wouldn’t you love a 5 game winning streak to close out the year, looking forward to a softer schedule in January?!
@scott
I think we can reach last years 23 win total by the end of jan
is it just me or does that guy that interviewed the players seem a little creepy to anyone else? he was askin some weird questions
RAWR!! and I’m back from being snowed in!! only to get kicked in the groin!! an old coworked called me today letting me know he has tickets to tonights game…. On the floor.. between the THUNDER BENCH and the SCORE TABLE!!!! yea just ruined my day lol
@grant phillips
Yes he does
I’m sure the only thing keeping Elie’s nose in one piece is a hefty dose of agents and PR personnel.
I agree that next year’s starting lineup, barring another trade for a center like Kaman or Okafor, looks like Westbrook, Harden, Durant, Green & Ibaka. Maynor, Krstic, Sefolosha & Collison look to be the bench rotation, however, there are a couple of potential twists.
Krstic’s contract next season is a player option at $5.8M so it’s not clear if he opts out. If he does I don’t know if Presti resigns him. I think it depends a lot on Ibaka’s, White’s & Mullens’ development. Ironically, whether or not Krstic takes the player option might also depend on their development. If those guys are coming on strong Krstic might not anticipate getting enough minutes which could cause him to jump early for another contract.
Nick Collison will be an expiring next season. His trade value will be very high. Whether or not Presti is inclined to trade Nick will likely depend on how DJ White & Mullens are looking, along with who ever Presti drafts next June.
Could make for some churn in the rotation. Which is probably a good thing.
…and the crappy day got better! just won the office tickets to the Jazz game on New Years eve!
Keeping a set starting rotation is meaningful for certain players, but let’s not pretend everyone doesn’t know what being picked 3rd overall means. Harden is going to start eventually. The point is starting him now gives him more experience. He’s never had to come out of the gate and roll with whatever happens. I doubt Thabo is really so egotistical to be put off by playing off the bench, nor do I think our big 3 is somehow going to be thrown out of whack without Thabo for the first 12 minutes.
One of the only real issues I’ve had with Presti, to this point, is that he has created this grand idea of versatility and exploiting matchups… but we don’t. Our guys are very much set in their positions, in their roles, and in their rotations. Let’s see this team actually use it’s pieces to get the most out of them, not just the same way over and over. Harden is the greater offensive threat by far, and there really isn’t anyone for Thabo’s superior defense to guard. We would be better served with Harden starting and playing the bulk of the minutes, and it will only help his ultimate development.
@Keith
I think by versatility and exploiting matchups was not inteded as a “this guy has a quickness advantage run ISO for him!” Once the young guys realise their own matchup advantages then you will see the plan in action. Right now you can get glimpses of it from time to time.. Example of westbrook is WAY too quick for Kidd… so he drives to the hoop. Most of the time the guards quick enough to match westbrook are smaller than him so he has the oppertunity to post them up (granted he has no real post game at this point but its in theory.)…
@dork
I think Keith is trying to say that if we’re a team who takes pride in our matchups then we should start Harden tonight, because there is no NJ Net who is a scoring threat for Thabo to lockdown. Meaning, James could lockdown their scorer just as well as Thabo and also add a scoring punch.
I’m not saying it’s a bad idea, I’m just saying that Brooks won’t do it. I don’t think we’ll see him tinker with the lineup this season, barring injury.
@dj
I really doubt krstic will opt out, he wont make more money anywhere else I think we would resign him, but for a lot less money, we only had to go big so that NJ wouldnt match the contract we offered.
I think we will offer collison an extension at about half his current salary, or trade him as an expiring and see what he does in free agency.
We will probably sign a vet PG to mentor westbrook and maynor. I would expect playing time for DJ white, at least to increase his trade value if he isnt going to be a rotation player for us.
Mullens may make the roster, though he probably needs another season in the d league.
If we keep our 2 picks in the 1st rd I think one makes the roster the other goes to the d league.
@Keith
I agree with us having all this versatility and not using it, but I think that is an issue between presti and brooks. One of them needs to cave and we either need to draft/pick up fa with the idea of a set rotation and role or brooks needs to play players based on matchups. Even if we ran an 8 man set rotation and had a 9th player who played matchups would be a boost.
@f5alcon
I think of it instead of an issue between brooks and presti more of a brooks and presti not wanting to confuse the young fellas with a large amount of different starting lineups.
@dork
I agree with not wanting to confuse them, but brooks will only play a 9 man rotation, there have been games where we could have used a 10th guy off the bench for scoring or energy.
@f5alcon
I agree with most all of your observations (DJ to D-league due to depth at PF not demotion, Krstic unlikely to opt out, team offering Collison extension but for significantly less per) EXCEPT for the signing of a veteran PG. With Coach Brooks and Mo Cheeks on the bench, and hopefully a healthy Weaver to play 3rd string back-up, I just don’t see the need. I also don’t see any reason to remotely suspect any sort of rotational friction between Presti and Brooks. The team is exceeding everybody’s expectations, and I have been entirely on board with Thomas’s relegation to the bench, and DJ’s lack of playing time in favor of Collison and Ibaka.
@f5alcon
Keep in mind that part of the reason for a nine man rotation is the only backup 3′s we have are part of the starting rotation at other positions. With Weaver out, the only ‘real’ SFs we have are Durant, Green, and Thabo. We could go with a three guard lineup of Westbrook, Maynor and Harden in a pinch, but if Durant or Green have to miss a game due to injury or suspension, we might be up a creek.
@Steve H
I don’t think there is friction, I just think they tout something that isn’t accurate. It’s like your favorite restaurant. You like everything they serve, but ultimately, you just order the same thing every time you go. The Thunder have a bunch of great players, who each can play a multitude of positions, but they almost never play anything but where they start. Our smallball lineup with Durant at the 4 has actually shown some very promising stuff, but we almost never see it, not even just for a spark when things aren’t going our way. Yes, we are probably overachieving already, but complacency on the part of our coach or GM should never be OK. We are good, but we still have a long ways to go to being champions.
I’ll tell ya, much like what Justin said, for years we had coaches that would continually tinker with the rotations. It was maddening. We would scream for them to just set a rotation and stick with it.
So really it’s kind of nice that Brooks isn’t that guy.