On a team headlined by superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, might Serge Ibaka be the most unique talent for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season?
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That’s how the Hobbesian Western Conference works: destiny flirts with caprice, and weakness, however temporary, is punished nastily and brutishly. While Spurs fans might deliberate what could’ve happened had they finished a number-two seed last season, there’s enough revisionist history for Thunder fans to fill a college course syllabus with, from the James Harden trade to a slew of ill-timed injuries throughout Scott Brooks’ tenure. It’s going to be an interesting season for San Antonio. If the Suns can keep things on an even keel, a breakout season for 25-year-old guard Eric Bledsoe could see them improve on last year’s 39-43 campaign.
Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Enes Kanter, Nick Collison, Anthony Morrow, Andre Roberson, Mitch McGary, Cameron Payne and others paid the visit after their morning practice to try and brighten a few spirits. Adding Aldridge to Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard and newcomer David West should make the Spurs a formidable foe. But his advocates would remind you that the numbers don’t reflect him playing with a full squad.
While players like Conley, Durant and Horford are unrestricted, others such as James, Nowitzki and Howard hold player options, allowing them to opt out of their current deal to renegotiate a more lucrative contract with their current teams.
With so much money expected on the market next year, many basketball observers will be watching for players who might be trying to pad stats, boost personal resumes and perhaps play for next year’s contract rather than this year’s team.
I blame familiarity for the fact that I’ve gotten this far without mentioning Durant and Westbrook’s impact but, really, what don’t you already know about them?
“Eighty-two games is a lot of games, ” Donovan said Tuesday. Indeed Durant didn’t get on the floor until December, and it wasn’t long before problems with the same foot sent him to the sideline again, this time for the remainder of the season.
Can the Thunder defense withstand the whirlwind? .
The San Antonio Spurs haven’t missed the playoffs since 1996 and enter this season as one of the favorites to win the National Basketball Association title. But they lost out on a playoff berth via the tiebreaker process.
Matchup to watch: Aldridge versus Ibaka. But all eyes should be on the new Spur and how well he can score on (and draw away from the basket) one of the NBA’s best shot-blockers.
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Factor in the arrival of Billy Donovan, he of the pace and space offense and experience with the skilled big man, and the green light is even greener from 3 for the versatile Ibaka, who at 26, isn’t using the 3 to stay on the court, but expand his stranglehold on it. Theoretically LMA should present a superior alternative.
