Boogie going back to No. 15?
— DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) July 9, 2019
Panels:
Second Half Only:
First Half
Sources: Westbrook eyes OKC exit, likes Miami| Westbrook & Thunder at point of no return?
“There’s no turning back from this. I think it’s still a very good relationship between Russ and the franchise, but all good things come to an end, they’re not going to be contending and they’re in a rebuilding period and that means they need to move on from Russ” – MacMahon
“It’s going to be easier said than done to unload him because that contract is so massive and so huge. Knowing Sam [Presti], he’s not going to rush this. He’s going to do what’s best for the franchise” – Spears
“If you say demanded a trade or asked for a trade, that just kills their leverage and it also severes the relationship between Russ and the franchise, but more importantly the city” – Shelburne
“I heard that he wanted out and that PG just beat him to the punch and neither one of them knew that the other one was thinking that way” – Spears
“The key word here is, ‘mutual.’ Russ doesn’t need to demand a trade. The Thunder have all the motivation in the world to trade him” – MacMahon
“I just don’t know why you have to move him now. You don’t want to trade him at a disadvantage. You want to trade him when you might even have to throw in a pick to get him” – Shelburne
LeBron at PG make sense for Lakers? (Via Chris Haynes/Yahoo! Sports)
“I just worry for him as far as energy wise. How quickly tried would he get. It sounds good until you have to do it. They got to load management him as well. In spurts yes, maybe in 4th quarters, yes, to start the game, I don’t know if that’s the best idea” – Spears
“Is he guarding opposing point guards? You cannot ask LeBron to defend point guards, especially against guys in the Western Conference” – MacMahon
“He’s always kind of been in this role anyway, now you’re just putting somebody in there. What he really needs is another shot creator on the floor. It would take away his scoring” – Shelburne
July 9, 2010 – Paul George driving to the basket and throwing it down hard in Orlando Summer League!
Think coffee shop will make Kawhi and PG regret their decisions?
Would you watch a Boban vs Tacko dunk contest?
“I would like to see a dance off between the two of them” – Spears
Floyd Mayweather’s perfect record ruined?
What did I just witness???@BoneCollector23
vs.@FloydMayweather👀 🏀 ⛸️@50KCharityChal #50kcharitychallenge pic.twitter.com/0FObm4bQSU
— Rob Villanueva® Creator (@creativebyrob) July 9, 2019
@FloydMayweather getting SNAPPED by @BoneCollector23 pic.twitter.com/KDqTMbTEUR
— Aidan (@therealpremey) July 9, 2019
Floyd sat down #Mayweather #floydmayweather #nba #trending #America pic.twitter.com/uwDAFXWmj7
— Junior Nuñez (@RafaelNunezJr19) July 9, 2019
Someone wanna let Jaxson Hayes know he already has a roster spot?
“That’s definitely the best ever [in Summer League]. It was a crazy buzz” – Spears
“The Pelicans offseason keeps getting better. This kid is going to grow into a stud” – MacMahon
Let’s…
1989: Tom Chambers on Mark Jackson
2010: JR Smith on Gary Neal
2006: Kobe on Nash
2013: Xavier Henry on Jeff Withey
2002: Ricky Davis on Nash
Moving on…
Expectations for D-Loading on Warriors?
Could be a possible trade candidate during 19-20 (Can’t be traded until December 15)
“They need him. Klay Thompson is not playing. Those three guys (Curry, Thompson and Russell) would be great together. You’re getting a more mature D’Angelo Russell” – Spears
“This was a huge surprise in the Bay Area. It’s a great move under the circumstances [of Klay being out]. He’s an All-Star” – Spears
“They added a bucket getter to kind of help keep things afloat while Klay recovers from his surgery. If they do trade him, they got to get at least the equivalent of two first round picks back. They gave one to Brooklyn and they gave one to Memphis” – MacMahon
“He might fit in okay there. What’s interesting about this move that they made here is it’s not exactly a fit culturally. They needed some youth in this team” – Shelburne
Audio – We’ve already seen him
Second Half
Dwight Howard: “I don’t have an ego…it’s dead” (Via Shams Charania/The Athletic)
Terry Rozier: “Who doesn’t want to be a starter or leader of a team?”
“I’ve been in the league for four years and who doesn’t want to be a starter or a leader of a team?… It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a nice journey.” – @T_Rozzay3
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) July 8, 2019
“He absolutely means what he says. But be careful of what you wish for” – MacMahon
“He’ll be great there, but it’s just limited. This Hornets team is falling off the face of the Earth right now” – Spears
“As a restricted free agent, he was going to have a hard time getting that kind of money [$58 million] anywhere else” – Shelburne
Kemba: “When you think of the Celtics, you think of championships and winning”
.@KembaWalker, Let's Do This ☘ pic.twitter.com/wJo8InbX3c
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) July 8, 2019
Dennis Smith Jr. on Knicks: “I think we can hit the playoffs” (Via Newsday)
“There’s no way in hell the team that plays in Madison Square Garden next season has any hope of sniffing the playoffs. They’ll win 30 games” – MacMahon
“They’re ready to prove everybody wrong. I think they’re going to be a young, pesky team” – Spears
Can LeBron make this Lakers roster work by Brian Windhorst
Worried about RJ Barrett’s summer league performance?
Averaging 9.0ppg on 7-33 shooting through two games in Summer League (As of July 9)
“I’m not concerned. We see this year after year, the sky is falling, we freak out. He’s played 64 summer league minutes. I’m not worried about what he’s going to be long-term, but I am a little concerned about his rookie season in terms of the fit with this Knicks roster. He’s a guy who’s at his best with shooting around him and this is a Knicks team with very little shooting and a lot of ball stoppers on their roster” – Schmitz
“The best thing that happened to him was playing at Duke to prepare him for being in New York. With every struggle, the headlines, the scrutiny, it’s summer league and he’s already getting it” – Spears
“He’s their guy. He wanted to be that guy” – Shelburne
“RJ needs the ball in his hands to be successful. He’s still searching for: What is my elite NBA skill?” – Schmitz
Zion’s conditioning a long-term issue?
Listed at 285 pounds
“I don’t think so. He’s going to play his way into shape” – Schmitz
“He looks a little bit heavier, but that’s what he looked like in high school. That’s the reason why he wasn’t the unquestioned No. 1 pick coming into Duke because he was out of shape and then a few weeks at Duke, he looks like the Hulk” – Schmitz
Most surprising player of Summer League thus far?
“Mfiondu Kabengele” – Schmitz
He is the nephew of hall of famer, Dikembe Mutombo
“Jarrett Culver” – MacMahon
“Alen Smailagić” – Spears
Upsets
China def. Hornets as 24-point underdog
FINAL: 84-80
And also, this happened:
“Not a great sign for a rebuilding team when you’re summer team is bad” – MacMahon
Tax Relief
Thunder trade Jerami Grant to Nuggets for 1st round pick (2020)
Thunder will save $39M in salary and luxury taxes
Significance of KD changing number from 35 to 7?
.@35Ventures pic.twitter.com/LKR00FOnys
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) July 7, 2019
“He needs some luck. Maybe it’s connected to Colin Kaepernick” – Spears
“Maybe it’s connected to Kaepernick, but he has yet to explain it” – MacMahon
“I wonder how much were going to hear from him this year?” – Shelburne
How will KD & Kyrie fit together?
“Kyrie has to be the leader and right the ship” – Spears
“Kyrie is going to have to to change and adapt when KD does come back” – MacMahon
