Thursday Bolts: 9.21.17
Alex Abrines is still awaiting clearance for training camp: “Abrines hyperextended his right knee playing for his native Spain in FIBA EuroBasket… Abrines said he’s pain free and could do “everything” on the court, but until the bone bruise is gone, the Thunder is playing it safe and limiting him. He started shooting on Wednesday, he said, but mostly his rehab has involved swimming, pool workouts and running on the AlterG, an anti-gravity treadmill. Abrines doesn’t know yet if he’ll still be limited when training camp opens on Tuesday, but he’s anxious to get back on the floor.”
Enes Kanter shared his thoughts on KD’s Twitter drama: “We now know how he felt about us. That made us really sad. We were in a war together when he was here. We won together, we lost together, but we never tried to blame each other. We never tried to blame Kevin or he never tried to blame us when he was here. But these comments – before I’m angry or mad or whatever – it just made us really sad.”
Erik Horne interviewed Cole Cashwell — the 16-year-old Twitter user who kind of started this KD mess: “At first, I didn’t even notice he was talking about himself in the third person,” Cashwell said. “And then people started tweeting me ‘you just exposed KD.‘ I was really confused for a minute or two.”
Russell Westbrook was on The Ellen Show: “DeGeneres came prepared with a few gifts for Westbrook: mini versions of outfits he has worn, sized to fit Westbrook’s 4-month-old son, Noah.”
The Thunder went to the zoo yesterday. The results were hilarious: “Adams has stopped at the rhinos and just asked our tour guide if the rhino ‘has a lady.'”
The Nike PG1 made the list of shoes most frequently worn by NBA players: “What does come as a bit of a surprise is Paul George’s sneaker, the PG 1, landing at No. 3 on the list in its first year on the market, a testament to the quality of his shoe’s first design.”
ESPN lists the worst superstar breakups in NBA history: “This breakup has probably been the messiest since Shaq and Kobe. First, there was Westbrook’s infamous cupcake Instagram post after Durant bolted for the Golden State Warriors. Then, Westbrook showed up at Golden State’s Oracle Arena in a photographer’s vest. Durant and his teammates responded to the cupcake photo — and cupcake shirts worn by OKC fans — by wearing those shirts after Durant’s first game back in OKC.”
Adrian Wojnarowski on the NBA reforming the draft lottery because fans hate tanking: “The NBA’s pursuit of draft lottery reform is rooted in research that “many fans continue to say that tanking is making them less interested in the league,” president of league operations Byron Spruell told ESPN. Lottery reform is moving toward a Sept. 28 vote at the NBA’s Board of Governors meeting in New York. The league’s competition committee has recommended passage of commissioner Adam Silver’s proposal intended to curb the chase to the bottom of the standings for higher draft positions.”
