10/31/07 Box Score: Sonics 103 Nuggets 120
Posted on Wednesday, October 31st, 2007 at 11:58 pm by Big Chris
The Sonics played one of the better teams in the NBA very close for 33 minutes. Unfortunately the games are 48 minutes long. That said, a lot of positives can be drawn from tonight’s game.
Damien Wilkins led the Sonics with 21 points, to go along with his 8 rebounds. Delonte West contributed 19 points. Wilcox, Petro and Collison combined for 30 points and 29 rebounds.
Kevin Durant scored 18 points on 7 of 22 shooting. His shot was off, but you could see glimpses of what is to come. And it should be noted that Allen Iverson fared only slightly better shooting 9 of 22.
Linas Kleiza was a killer tonight, really a key difference maker in the game. If he can continue to shoot as well as tonight, hitting the open 3pt. shot, the Nuggets will be very tough to beat all season long. That would add a dimension that has been lacking from the Denver teams of the past few years, a legit outside threat.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seattle | ||||||||||||
| Name | Min | FG | 3Pt | FT | Off | Reb | Ast | TO | Stl | Blk | PF | Pts |
| K. Durant | 31 | 7-22 | 2-7 | 2-4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 18 |
| C. Wilcox | 28 | 7-14 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 14 |
| N. Collison | 29 | 4-8 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 5 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| D. Wilkins | 35 | 7-14 | 4-6 | 3-3 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 21 |
| E. Watson | 23 | 1-8 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| D. West | 24 | 8-13 | 1-1 | 2-4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19 |
| W. Szczerbiak | 17 | 0-3 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| J. Petro | 23 | 3-8 | 0-0 | 2-3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| J. Green | 18 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3-7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| M. Gelabale | 3 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| M. Sene | 3 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| L. Ridnour | DNP - Broken Nose | |||||||||||
| R. Swift | DNP - Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||
| K. Thomas | DNP - Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||
| Totals | 234 | 40-96 | 7-17 | 16-27 | 14 | 52 | 27 | 19 | 9 | 5 | 27 | 103 |
| Percentages: | .417 | .412 | .593 | Team Rebounds: 15 |
||||||||
| Denver | ||||||||||||
| Name | Min | FG | 3Pt | FT | Off | Reb | Ast | TO | Stl | Blk | PF | Pts |
| C. Anthony | 39 | 10-21 | 3-6 | 9-10 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 32 |
| K. Martin | 18 | 3-7 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| M. Camby | 34 | 1-5 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 3 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 4 |
| Y. Diawara | 27 | 5-8 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| A. Iverson | 36 | 9-22 | 0-3 | 7-9 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 25 |
| E. Najera | 24 | 6-7 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 14 |
| L. Kleiza | 27 | 6-12 | 5-10 | 1-4 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 18 |
| M. Wilks | 11 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| N. Hilario | 15 | 1-5 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| B. Jones | 2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| S. Hunter | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| V. Wafer | 1 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Atkins | DNP - Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||
| A. Carter | DNP - Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||
| J.R. Smith | DNP - Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||
| Totals | 235 | 42-91 | 11-27 | 25-35 | 13 | 50 | 31 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 120 |
| Percentages: | .462 | .407 | .714 | Team Rebounds: 9 |
||||||||
| Game Info | ||||||||||||
|
Technical Fouls: Seattle - D. West 1, Defensive Three 3 Attendance: 19,380 |
||||||||||||
Plus/Minus
Delonte West led the Sonics at +14 for the night. All other Sonics were at zero or worse. Earl Watson was -31, Damien Wilkins -18, Chris Wilcox -17, and Nick Collison -14. For those who are new or don’t remember, you want to be in the positive. Marcus Camby was +25 for the Nuggets.
Help Value (hv=Reb+Ast+Blk+Stl-TO)
Nick Collison led the Sonics at +14 tonight. Chris Wilcox, Damien Wilkins, and Johan Petro all came in at +10. Marcus Camby was +21 and Allen Iverson +19 for the Nuggets.
November 1st, 2007 at 12:33 am
Is that picture from tonight’s game?
Big up for that bad boy holding up SOS sign.
Look for me and my homies tonight on T.N.T.
Last year we made the biggest sign in the entire arena, we ended up being on Seattle Times, PI, and SportsIllustrated.
This year, we have another big sign.
Look out for us!
as for the game. Get used to this. We will be exciting to watch for 3 quarters, but our youth simply won’t keep us in games during the fourth.
Delonte West = pimp. End of discussion
November 1st, 2007 at 12:34 am
Yep, we had a plant behind the bench in Denver.
Steve knows him, and is passing the props on already. Go J. Random Dude in Denver!
November 1st, 2007 at 12:36 am
The statistic that jumps out at me is no free throw attempts for the starting frontcourt. Both guys also seemed to struggle with scoring in an actual halfcourt possession.
November 1st, 2007 at 12:40 am
Another positive was the chemistry between KC and the Snapper. They seemed to play off each other very well and mixed in a fair amount of the wit that I thought was missing from prior broadcast teams.
November 1st, 2007 at 12:48 am
I think everyone is forgetting that this is in Denver. I think it could have been the altitude…Its like everyone in the 4th just ran out of gas.
The good - Pretty exciting team to watch. Green showed he can defend. We have a 1 -2 -3 punch combo (Durant, West, Wilcox)
The bad - Our defense. Wally needs to start or more minutes to be effective…He looked very slow & rusty. Durant shooting was off.
The ooogly - Watson! Petro! Greens FT! Carlisimo subbing!
November 1st, 2007 at 1:00 am
Alex Chan Says:
November 1st, 2007 at 12:40 am
“Another positive was the chemistry between KC and the Snapper. They seemed to play off each other very well and mixed in a fair amount of the wit that I thought was missing from prior broadcast teams. ”
Totally. KC was VERY friendly and cool with the Snapper, and the flow was good.
Wow, this is the second time I’ve agreed with you Alex in one night. Weird.
November 1st, 2007 at 1:00 am
Petro was really impressive and under control the entire game. It couldn’t have been a much more positive game for Petro.
I couldn’t be more pleased with my Wilkins prediction this morning. Green looked solid. Durant won’t always miss like that.
I was very encouraged by 3 shots from Wally. He clearly was looking to pass first (5 assists), but still had no rebounds. Not active other than helping others in the flow of the offense.
Watson was terrible and completely lost in the first quarter. Looked like sene dribbling up the court.
Wilcox = expected. Spurts of brilliance and was much more aggressive around the cup, but it didn’t translate well into the box score because he had no help down there.
Collison did not play as well as the stat sheet showed.
This team will be much better tomorrow if Thomas, Luke, and Robert can possibly play (at least sometime soon down the road).
One conclusion from this team: PJ has a very good hold on this team and they will have a hard time losing a lot of games if they stick to this gameplan.
November 1st, 2007 at 1:02 am
The media (if you are listening, and somehow I think you are) needs to REALLY focus on the SOS signs, and all of the support signs for keeping the teams here, tomorrow night and thru the season. PLEASE! Get the camera on the guys with the biggest Save Our Sonics sign!
Thank you.
November 1st, 2007 at 1:06 am
Hear hear, Speedcat.
And thanks to David Zalubowski, the AP photographer who took the photo up top in Denver, too.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/photos?photoId=1722745&gameId=271031007
November 1st, 2007 at 1:06 am
James,
Yeah I think PJ has got a hold of this team, for good or for bad; IMO this is a good thing.
I’m so eager to see Thomas and Swift in there instead of Petro…
and actually eager to see Luke in there over Watson. At least he scores more, in general. Luke seems to have a better ability to get the flow of the game going, where Watson (albeit a better defender) gets lost rather often.
November 1st, 2007 at 1:08 am
Is Petro ok after slamming the ball off the court into his face?
Wilkins was hot in the first half, but he failed to get Durant the rock in the 2nd half, when DRant started to sizzle. Instead, Wilkins forced another jump-shot on the way to hittin nothing but air.
Petro and Wilkins need to settle down with all of their shooting-antics before they be riding pine.
November 1st, 2007 at 1:10 am
Thank you, David Zalubowski. Sincerely.
November 1st, 2007 at 1:17 am
I hope PJ allows Ridnour to play with the halloween mask and Kurt Thomas needs to play asap.
November 1st, 2007 at 1:18 am
In a couple of years, Boston will regret getting rid of West. When given 30+ minutes, he can be a 19 and 7 guy much like Chauncey Billups. And Chauncey has never even shot a high %. That would suck for Boston, first Billups, now West.
November 1st, 2007 at 1:30 am
I’ve been pretty down on Petro. But I liked his defense and rebounding tonight. Didn’t really like his shot selection. In fact I feel he shouldn’t shoot unless he is all alone under the hoop or going for a dunk. But if he focuses on d and boards I’ll be cool.
James I liked your point about Wally. He is going to catch a lot of flack from people because he didn’t put up buckets. But for a guy with a selfish rep….he had 5 assists. It took him a while to attempt his first shot too. He had 3 assists before he even attempted a shot. He also didn’t get any good looks. I mean none. He only took 3 shots total. He just seemed out of rythm. Hard to do when you play spot minutes here and there. He will be better.
How cool is it to see Durant lead the break?
Wilcox looked good. He is at his best when we are out and running. Like in the 2nd quarter.
Wilkens played great the first 3 quarters. His shot selection is still suspect. If he takes shots out of the offense/open jumpers he is fine. When he tries to go one on one….I cringe. 8 boards is nice.
Too many easy buckets for Denver. Our transition D needs some work. Way too many uncontested lay ups.
Green looked good on D. Great help D. Offensively he looked OK. He got robbed of an and 1. Didn’t really get any good looks either. He was patient though. Wasn’t forcing the action like some of his teammates. Like Wally…..he will have much better games.
Delonte looked good. Offensively and defensively. Very confident offensively. You can tell he is a vet. He isn’t the playmaker that Watson/Rid are…..but he makes up for that offensively/defensively. He has the worst neck tat I’ve ever seen. Skull and crossbones? 5 turnovers is kind of high, but he got some cheap calls against him too. There were some questionable carry and travelling calls which probably don’t get called in years past. He is the starter on this squad. No doubt.
November 1st, 2007 at 1:39 am
Defensively Durant had his moments. 3 steals and a block. Being as freakishly long as he is…..its disruptive. His D does need work though.
Offensively he was ok. Sure he could have shot better. But get used to it. I think we see a lot of games like this from him. The thing is though. When he catches fire…..he is going to put up 30-35.
November 1st, 2007 at 1:43 am
“In a couple of years, Boston will regret getting rid of West. When given 30+ minutes, he can be a 19 and 7 guy much like Chauncey Billups. And Chauncey has never even shot a high %. That would suck for Boston, first Billups, now West.”
Very well could be true. Keep in mind that it took Chauncey 6-7 NBA seasons and 4 teams until he really became decent. West is on a faster track (hopefully).
November 1st, 2007 at 3:32 am
West looked great but only thing that worries about him is that he has been brittle..if he can stay in the line up all season, it should be fun though..
November 1st, 2007 at 4:36 am
+14 with West on the floor, -31 with Watson…
Bad shot selection in the first half for Durant but he is so young. The potential is here at both ends of the floor.
The frontcourt played ok despite Swift and Thomas not being there. even Petro was decent. His best game since a very long time.
November 1st, 2007 at 6:15 am
West should start
November 1st, 2007 at 6:24 am
Earl starts and played like he is the odd man out.
Petro plays like he is the reserve center of choice.
What’s up with that? Did they switch bodies?
What’s to get excited about?
Durant’s length and willingness to go to the basket.
Green bringing the ball up the floor.
Green on defense.
Wilkins hitting shots…he’ll be guarded better next time which may free KD’s shot up a bit.
Wilcox playing like a post player with his back to the basket.
Delonte West.
SOS sign looked great in HD.
What’s to worry about?
Delonte West.
Durant is still not shooting the ball well. When do we see that shot we have heard so much about?
Nick’s foul trouble.
Earl Watson.
Petro….Ok, he got his solid game…based on historical data we should expect 13 embarrassing ones in a row.
ESPN showed a closeup of an Oklahoma Sonics fan sign saying You’re Almost Home!
I still don’t see a fast break from this team. They are NOT running. Maybe we will see it tonight.
Pregame ESPN talked about the Tim Donahee-hee-hee scandal, the Isiah sex scandal and the Kobe and Marion trade demand scandals but ignored the Sonics get sued by the city and fans until they were in the game. They felt it was sad, but that the teams were as good as gone after the lease expires.
November 1st, 2007 at 6:43 am
Anyone else think Wally looked like he was palying in quicksand? I knew he was slow, but wow.
November 1st, 2007 at 6:59 am
Kevin Durant and Sue Bird pimp Seattle restaurants in American Airlines in flight Magazine…
http://www.americanwaymag.com/tabid/2855/tabidext/3404/default.aspx
November 1st, 2007 at 7:21 am
The team only got stops when West and Green both were in the game. Even though Wilkens and Wilcox scored some points, their defense was very weak.
November 1st, 2007 at 7:41 am
What will it take to trade Watson?!?!?! 1 for 8 shooting… he didn’t exactly clamp down defensively on ANYONE… 2 turnovers…. a missed free throw? C’mon, at this kinda production I would rather have Ridnour blindfolded out there and just give the us West to help out on D.
Durant had some tough breaks (nerves) and at times he underestimated his opponent (getting blocked). He’ll learn from these and his game will improve.
Is there any chance Wilkins will actually be able to give us 20ppg and 5+rpg?! If so then look out for this team.
Going to tonights game, anything I should do/ look out for/ bring?
November 1st, 2007 at 8:12 am
“ESPN showed a closeup of an Oklahoma Sonics fan sign saying You’re Almost Home!”
Wow. That makes me sick to my stomach.
November 1st, 2007 at 8:27 am
I feel bad for saying this, but if there’s one guy on this team I DON’T want getting too much confidence, it’s Wilkens. I guess you could probably say the same with Watson actually. You Damian get it with a great 1st half, then he seems to get an inflated sense of himself and starts doing one-on-one crap in the 2nd half that he’s absolutely terrible at. He needs to know his role. Hit the open jumper, makes some hustle plays, get back to his early years and play a little D. Let Durant and Delonte do the creating.
Oh, and the Earl Watson perimeter pumpfake might be THE single worst offensive move in the history of sport.
November 1st, 2007 at 8:37 am
Another great night for Damien Wilkins. He was wasting away on the bench behind R&R. I am glad to see him get his chance. He is much more effective than Green and shoots better than Durant. Of course, he gets too little credit on this board as most of you are still in denial. So far, Wilcox, Wilkins and West are the guys that have stepped up their game. Petro looked good tonight, too.
November 1st, 2007 at 8:51 am
I was really happy with Wally. You can’t say enough about a guy with a horrible reputation coming in, getting five assists in limited minutes and not shooting us out of the game. Good job.
Man crush=D. West.
Woman crush=J Alba
Senagal crush=Petro (I thought he actually did alright).
Oh yeah, when Petro, Sene, and D. West are on the court together, we are ugly as sin.
November 1st, 2007 at 8:56 am
Sene is from senegal, I think Petro is just french… meh
November 1st, 2007 at 9:01 am
“I was really happy with Wally. You can’t say enough about a guy with a horrible reputation coming in, getting five assists in limited minutes and not shooting us out of the game. Good job.”
Good point, I talked with Brian at half and that was one of the things I brought up. At that point Wally had 3 assists but had not taken a shot and was up off the bench nearly every play when he wasn’t on the court yelling encouragement.
He keeps that up and it won’t take long for fans to give him a bit of a break.
Personally I really liked what I saw from Mo. The guys on Denver who looked really quick at times he just gapes by and it doesn’t look as though he’s really extending too much energy to do it. No matter who you’re playing against, 4 boards in 3 minutes is no joke.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:01 am
What is it with Petro?
Does he only put forth legit effort if it is a real game?
Does he just go through the motions in summer and preseason?
November 1st, 2007 at 9:02 am
Strange Sidenote: Attention PJ!! 1983 called and he wants his glasses back.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:04 am
“Another great night for Damien Wilkins. He was wasting away on the bench behind R&R. I am glad to see him get his chance. He is much more effective than Green and shoots better than Durant. Of course, he gets too little credit on this board as most of you are still in denial. So far, Wilcox, Wilkins and West are the guys that have stepped up their game. Petro looked good tonight, too. ”
You might want to be careful with that being in denial talk. Damien’s counting stats don’t cover up the fact that he was a black hole on offense most of the night; he was singlehandedly killing the flow in the 1st quarter until he settled down and remembered how to pass the ball. I hold him mostly responsible for Klieza’s outburst in the 3rd quarter where Linus was left totally wide open on the perimeter, but I also can’t remember specifically if they were playing zone during that stretch or what.
Damien’s line last night can be summed up neatly in one stat: 4-6 from 3 pt range. If he continues to do that every night he’ll deserve the props. However I’m not expecting him to do that any more than I am expecting Petro to average nearly a double double every night off the bench.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:08 am
“[Wilkins] shoots better than Durant.”
Wilkins is a mediocre shooter at best.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:12 am
I don’t agree that Denver is one of the best teams in the league. They won’t win anything close to 60 games. Denver’s defense in that game was just atrocious. They are probably a playoff team, but won’t go anywhere in the playoffs.
I still don’t get the raves about Kevin Durant. He’s not a rebounder. He’s not a defender. He’s not a ball-handler. He’s a shooter. And he can’t shoot. That’s not a good thing — to be a shooter who can’t shoot. Durant’s stats in college were not that good: about 47% on fg, and about 40% on 3-pt shots. Nothing remarkable there. And it’s likely that those %’s will be significantly lower in the NBA than they were in college.
I just don’t get the excitement about Durant. He’s good for being so young, but he’s not quick, and he’s not athletic, and I don’t think that will change as he gets older. He might get stronger, but not quicker. I’m sure he will shooter better than 7-22 this year, but I don’t think he will shoot better than the average NBA 2-guard or small forward.
So far, Durant sort of reminds me of Derrick McKey. Not as good as McKey yet, but Durant’s only 19.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:16 am
“Durant’s stats in college were not that good: about 47% on fg, and about 40% on 3-pt shots.”
You do realize that they were good enough to be named NCAA player of the year right? As a Freshman, the first one of those ever.
“So far, Durant sort of reminds me of Derrick McKey. Not as good as McKey yet, but Durant’s only 19.”
Credibility just went out hte window, nice.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:16 am
Durant = Mckey?!?!?!?!? Derrick Mckey probably never jacked up 22 shots in his life. He was a defensive SF who was a relunctant shot taker. I just had a flashback…Mckey guarding Tim Hardaway in the 92 playoffs. MMMMM…….MMMM GOOD!!
November 1st, 2007 at 9:19 am
For everyone bashing Earl’s defense, remember he was guarding Iverson. If this team is going to win it needs to keep guys with weird names like Najera, Kleiza and Diawara from combining for 54 points. Iverson and Melo will get theirs every night regardless of the defender.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:20 am
“Petro looked good tonight, too.” Are you kidding me? His boards did little to help the Sonics. Several times he got a board on defense but couldn’t figure out who to past it to letting the defense get back and ending our transition offense. Also, the dude still isn’t boxing out, all his boards can on rebounds right to him. If Nene, Camby or Martin were an where near him then they’d end up with the board. Plus, Petro kept jacking up shots. I a couple jumpers and several fade away baby hooks. Neither are effects shots, though I did see a few of those hooks go down.
Overall, I thought the Sonics played below average defense, which unfortunately is an improvement over last season. Don’t let the final score get in your head, because Karl left his starters in until the last 2 minutes of the game, where as PJ threw up the the white flag at when he pulled Durant and other regulars for good with 5:43 left. Those 4 minutes between saw Denver push it’s lead from 101-89 to 118-99. Granted game was pretty much decide already and that the Sonic got some quick points at the very end, but I think overall the game was close and played well for 3 quarters and that the team either got winded from the altitude and/or lost focus in the fourth quarter. Overall I was impressed, perhaps due to low expectations, that Nuggets didn’t just blow the Sonics out from the get go.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:23 am
Big Dipper -
The kid JUST turned 19. Go look up what Tracy McGrady did in his first year, or Rashard Lewis, or Dirk Nowitski, or Kobe Bryant.
Durant has unbelievable talent.
- Rare height/length
- Rare body control/fluidity
- Rare shooting stroke (beautiful touch, quick release, great range)
If Durant were 6-5 I would agree with you, but he’s 6-10 with freakishly long arms, and growing.
Give him time, and he’ll be a good rebounder, defender and ballhandler, on top of being one of the top five scorers in the league.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:27 am
“Durant’s stats in college were not that good: about 47% on fg, and about 40% on 3-pt shots. Nothing remarkable there. ”
Reading that post I realized there’s thirty seconds of my life I’ll never get back again. Sigh.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:29 am
Dipper you will eat your words, I promise.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:33 am
What are peoples plans for (going to) the game tonight? Any SOS signs? Poster suggestions? Shirts on sale at the game? How do I represent the way I’m supposed to?!
November 1st, 2007 at 9:34 am
Glass Half full: The Sonics had 6 more shot attempts, out rebounded (albeit by only 2, way to go Mo) and turned the ball over only 4 more times than Denver. They beat us with the long ball and from the line. That 1-2-2 zone got them the 3’s but I will take my chances with that instead of Melo and AI layup drill. Well, actually both happened but I feel pretty good about the potential of this team. If Swifty was playing AI would have had a bruised tailbone. Robert will protect the lane from dribble penetration and use his 6 fouls to make people think twice about going down the lane.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:42 am
Sitting courtside with a huge “Keep The Sonics in Seattle” sign. Repping my Durant jersey too, of course. GO SUPES!
November 1st, 2007 at 9:44 am
Big Dipper -
I took the liberty of compiling some 1st and 2nd year numbers for the players I mentioned. I predict that after Durant has completed his first two years, his stats will be better than all of these:
Player
Age FG% PPG
Nowitski
20 .405 8.2
21 .461 17.5
Bryant
18 .417 7.6
19 .428 15.4
Lewis
19 .365 2.4
20 .486 8.2
McGrady
18 .450 7.0
19 .436 9.3
November 1st, 2007 at 9:47 am
Durant played better than i expected, with the sole exception of his shooting, which i did expect. He rebounded well and played passable defense. Not bad for a skinny 19 year old. If he ever becomes a highly efficient shooter, which is what he is supposed to be, then he will be very good.
West played really well, but the turnovers are a concern. A couple were not entirely his fault, but still not so good. I think he is a perfect 6th man, but it is worth starting him to see what happens.
I thought the half court interior defense was decent - certainly better than in years past. The killer was the 3 point shots. The Sonics cannot let other teams take so many. Defense should be about letting the other team take 18 footers.
The Sonics outrebounded a decent rebounding team - a pretty bid deal in my book considering how bad they have been the last two years.
Turnovers - not a big deal, because of the fast pace and also Denver tends to be a league leader in creating turnovers.
The big problem for this team is the same problem of the pre-season - shooting %. It is awful (although they outshot Denver % wise from the 3 point line). This is a lot about Durant and Green, but also the point guards (Watson and Ridnour, not West). Amazing how far the Sonics have gone from top 3 shooting team to probably bottom or close to bottom.
One last thing, Go Sene. If PJ can stand to watch Durant stink it up shooting wise, he should be able to stand watching Sene play a bit more. Just watching the way he rebounds the ball - he can be a great rebounder, just a matter of experience on man-to-man defense and offensive sets.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:52 am
In fact, with a little work, Sene could be a 7-1 version of Reggie Evans. That would be a valuable player.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:53 am
Big Dipper - You I already don’t like your logic on Durant, but that for making a clown out yourself with this rant:
“I still don’t get the raves about Kevin Durant. He’s not a rebounder. He’s not a defender. He’s not a ball-handler. He’s a shooter. And he can’t shoot. That’s not a good thing — to be a shooter who can’t shoot. Durant’s stats in college were not that good: about 47% on fg, and about 40% on 3-pt shots. Nothing remarkable there. And it’s likely that those %’s will be significantly lower in the NBA than they were in college.” - Big Dipper
Please elaborate on what you though of Leborn James’ rookie season, when he couldn’t shoot a lick either. Or Melo’s rookie season for that matter.
http://www.tiny.cc/rookiestarts
Above is a link of search I made on basketball-reference.com about rookies from the ABA/NBA between the ages of 18 to 20. It’s a search based off of averages for those years. Take a look and tell me that Durant isn’t going be as productive as any of those players as a kid that just turned 19 in this past September.
November 1st, 2007 at 9:57 am
opps looks like I’m the clown… “You I already don’t like your logic on Durant, but that for making a clown out yourself with this rant:” It should be… already know… and it should be but thanks for…
Man my typos were terrible there… sorry guys.
November 1st, 2007 at 10:07 am
My point is that Big Dipper is taking a very short sided look at Durant. I think Melo and Lebron are best examples to compare him to, because of age, level of hype, and their in the same generation in terms of how the NBA game is played.
Melo shot 42% and 18 attempts per game
James shot 41% and 19 attempts per game
Ok… so Big Dipper also sad Durant can’t rebound
Melo grabbed 6 rebs per game
James grabbed 5 rebs per game
Isn’t that what Durant got in the first half last night?
Dipper stated that Durant can’t dribble
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNmUAlopgOM
Dipper I think your just way off and I’m not sure why you hate Durant so much.
November 1st, 2007 at 10:29 am
I have absolutely no idea why Watson is starting over West. West looked fantastic last night, and for a team that lacks a real go to scorer, west should be in over watson until a proven scorer appears on this team. Thats our biggest problem when it comes to winning games this year. We are a solid team. We have depth, but we have no go-to guy yet. Durant is that guy in the future but as of now, I think we’re going to have to find a leader if we want to win. We were in that game until the final 12 minutes, when our team just shut off.
Also, why was Ridnour not played at all? I personally think Ridnour is better then Watson (and Szerbiak). He should be coming off the bench as the back up point and watson should be sat until the last few minutes.
New starting lineup should be:
C - Wilcox
PF - Collison
SF - Durant
SG- Wilkins
PG - West
By the way anyone else notice that we have four guys with the last name starting with W, and at any point in a game they could all be in…
November 1st, 2007 at 10:29 am
I have absolutely no idea why Watson is starting over West. West looked fantastic last night, and for a team that lacks a real go to scorer, west should be in over watson until a proven scorer appears on this team. Thats our biggest problem when it comes to winning games this year. We are a solid team. We have depth, but we have no go-to guy yet. Durant is that guy in the future but as of now, I think we’re going to have to find a leader if we want to win. We were in that game until the final 12 minutes, when our team just shut off.
Also, why was Ridnour not played at all? I personally think Ridnour is better then Watson (and Szerbiak). He should be coming off the bench as the back up point and watson should be sat until the last few minutes.
New starting lineup should be:
C - Wilcox
PF - Collison
SF - Durant
SG- Wilkins
PG - West
By the way anyone else notice that we have four guys with the last name starting with W, and at any point in a game they could all be in…
November 1st, 2007 at 10:32 am
“ESPN showed a closeup of an Oklahoma Sonics fan sign saying You’re Almost Home!”
When I saw that I thought that that’s just the sort of thing Sonics fans should be be seeing. When the season’s under way and they’re getting back into the game, the team, and Durant’s performance and development the threat of the team’s leaving will start to mean quite a bit more. Posters here stay interested and active in the off season. The seasonal fans who are the majority aren’t going to feel the threat of loss until actual games remind them of what they have. “Great play by Durant!” “Come home OKC Sonics.” Pulling the rug out from under the excitement like that is going to make the travesty of the team’s moving all the more stark, not just to local fans and (hopefully) politicians, but to the national stage.
November 1st, 2007 at 10:38 am
I have to wonder if Watson, and to a lesser extent Petro are being showcased for potential trades. That’s the only way to explain Watson getting the start and Petro getting off the bench.
November 1st, 2007 at 10:46 am
Big_Worm Says:
November 1st, 2007 at 10:38 am
“I have to wonder if Watson, and to a lesser extent Petro are being showcased for potential trades. That’s the only way to explain Watson getting the start and Petro getting off the bench.”
Agreed - that’s the only explanation that makes any sense. The “mask” story has got to be a cover for PJ to get a better look at West at the point, and for Presti to shop Watson around.
November 1st, 2007 at 11:12 am
I completely disagree with you guys on Watson vs Ridnour, but I totally agree that West should see most of the minutes that Sonics have at the point guard position. I’m fine with West coming off the bench, I think he’s a great energy guy for both your offense and defense. As long at he’s playing 30 mins a night does it matter whether he starts or not?
November 1st, 2007 at 11:12 am
Well, Delonte West’s major flaws were exposed during the fourth quarter of last night’s game. In essence, West is reluctant to involve his teammates by dishing them the ball, is prone to committing turnovers, and plays at an excessively frenzied pace. All things considered, that’s why West isn’t a natural point guard.
November 1st, 2007 at 11:19 am
looks like the starters I posted in the lineup thread worked out best last night.
November 1st, 2007 at 11:39 am
“Well, Delonte West’s major flaws were exposed during the fourth quarter of last night’s game. In essence, West is reluctant to involve his teammates by dishing them the ball, is prone to committing turnovers, and plays at an excessively frenzied pace. All things considered, that’s why West isn’t a natural point guard. “- AK
I see it more as a coaching or depth problemas opposed to a shortcoming on West’s behalf. You are right when you say “that’s why West isn’t a natural point guard. ” Carlesimo should be convinced soon.. Watson looks terrible and the team just doesnt gell when he is running the show. It was a catch 22 situation for PJ and he had to choose the lesser of 2 evils, so to say, when choosing his crunch time QB. At least Luke will give him another option down the road. I am thinking that Rid may be a key component as to how well the Sonics do this year. Watson looks lost and the rest of the team mirrors his look when he is on the floor. At least in game one. But one thing it may show is Watson will be inconsistent at best, IMO. Which puts more emphasis on Luke.
November 1st, 2007 at 11:39 am
“Well, Delonte West’s major flaws were exposed during the fourth quarter of last night’s game. In essence, West is reluctant to involve his teammates by dishing them the ball, is prone to committing turnovers, and plays at an excessively frenzied pace. All things considered, that’s why West isn’t a natural point guard. ”
I agree with that assessment except the reluctant part. I simply didn’t see sustained evidence that he was reluctant to dish. He is definitely a 2 guard who can play some point but probably isn’t a guy you want running the offense all night.
That said I thought West played an acceptable floor game until the 4th quarter. He was certainly much better at forcing the tempo and directing the offense than Earl. West’s TOs seemed to come in bunches late in the game, but it wasn’t just him. I thought the whole team could do better at taking care of the ball, especially against guys like AI who are known to reach in and slap. Too many easy TOs throughout the game.
November 1st, 2007 at 11:42 am
Rid
West
KD
November 1st, 2007 at 11:52 am
Rid
West
KD
Nick
Wilcox
should start….Using West at 2 and KD at 3 give us a better balance of scoring and defense. KD Looks more like a 3 physically and the more you can keep West at 2 the better. He can create enough to throw other teams off and could thrive there with a legit PG. If Rid can play smart instead of like And 1 superstar ‘Professor’ the Sonics could make a playoff run with this team. They looked alot like the team that couldnt finish games last year but the difference is that this year there is plenty of room for improvement as the season rolls on.
November 1st, 2007 at 12:00 pm
“Bad shot selection in the first half for Durant but he is so young. The potential is here at both ends of the floor.”
Wait what? I thought his selection was great. He just missed a lot of wide open 3’s and a couple of hard drives. Even though he got called for a charge, it’s nice to see him take it to the hoop hard.
November 1st, 2007 at 12:05 pm
“I still don’t get the raves about Kevin Durant.”
Then again, you’ve never heard of Brandan Wright and Marco Bellineli.
November 1st, 2007 at 12:07 pm
“I have to wonder if Watson, and to a lesser extent Petro are being showcased for potential trades. That’s the only way to explain Watson getting the start and Petro getting off the bench. ”
Petro got off the bench because Thomas and Swift were out.
November 1st, 2007 at 12:23 pm
“Well, Delonte West’s major flaws were exposed during the fourth quarter of last night’s game. In essence, West is reluctant to involve his teammates by dishing them the ball, is prone to committing turnovers, and plays at an excessively frenzied pace. All things considered, that’s why West isn’t a natural point guard. ”
I agree with that assessment except the reluctant part. I simply didn’t see sustained evidence that he was reluctant to dish. He is definitely a 2 guard who can play some point but probably isn’t a guy you want running the offense all night.
I agree with both points. West can score, which is a huge need, but I didn’t see a point guard. As much as everyone wants to bag on Watson (which he deseved for his offensive performance last night), he did a decent job on Iverson and his assist/TO ratio wasn’t bad either. He also set up some players such as Collison for example, who had a couple nice looks that he proceeded to brick.
That said, the point guard position is manned by three flawed players and is going to be a huge problem this season. Nothing new there.
November 1st, 2007 at 12:38 pm
You know, we haven’t talked much about the Nuggets. I thought they looked OK on offense even if it’s mostly freestyling with a few pick n rolls thrown in here and there. They have lots of weapons, but defensively it’s all about Marcus Camby on that team, and their bench is paper thin.
The Sonics are bad enough defensively that guys like Najera and Klieza will look good, but I can’t see last night’s Nuggets beating the better Western teams in a series. Iverson and Melo are both incredible individual talents but I see absolutely zero rapport between them on or off the floor. That one shot of them on FSN where both were sitting next to each other but in completely separate worlds was interesting. They weren’t even acknowledging each others’ presence at all. Weird. Still have enough talent on paper to win 50 games in their sleep.
November 1st, 2007 at 12:39 pm
West should be coming off the bench. He can play some point, but he’s miscast if he’s your starting point guard. His versatility and energy make him an ideal 6th man. Ridnour should start because the offense runs more smoothly with him in. Crunch time minutes could go to either (or both) of them depending on matchups. Watson needs to get traded ASAP.
November 1st, 2007 at 12:43 pm
“I don’t agree that Denver is one of the best teams in the league. They won’t win anything close to 60 games. Denver’s defense in that game was just atrocious. They are probably a playoff team, but won’t go anywhere in the playoffs.”
Atrocious? Their D + Kleiza won that game for them. George Karl credited their defense for the win. AI had how many steals?
That said, the point guard position is manned by three flawed players and is going to be a huge problem this season. Nothing new there.”
I agree.
West is a 2 IMO. He lacks the passing/playmaking ability that Rid/Watson have. He can score and play D though.
I think the # of turnovers he had last night isn’t a reflection of what we can expect though. I hate to make assumptions after one game. His career avg is 1.6 to per game with a 2-1 assist to to ratio.
Watson lacks the scoring that West does.
Rid doesn’t have the D, but might be the best playmaker.
November 1st, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Delonte West is going to be the steal of the trade. People who didn’t watch the game immediately look at the 5 turnovers. The people who watched the game saw that the 3 of the 5 turnovers came when the game was decided (last 6 minutes of the game) and the other sonics seemed to be shell shocked and not doing anything on offense. The two turnovers that mattered at all were the carrying call and the traveling call both of which were sketchy calls in the 3rd quarter (i think) but the refs have been emphasizing those two calls for the past year.
Delonte was just what the doctor ordered when he entered the game. People say 6th man, I say 2nd main scorer as a starter. He actually plays better as a starter. That is the first time really i’ve seen him play pretty well coming off the bench.
His defense was pretty darn good too. Jeff Green and him on the floor defensively made things happen and constested alot of shots. Its funny saying that since Redz is a point guard and Green isn’t exactly Bill Russell.
If the Sonics play like they did last night they will be an entertaining team every game win or lose.
Chris Wilcox will posterize anyone.
November 1st, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Nuggets are not one of the best teams in the league??? are you kidding me? If they were in the east they would be the best team in the east.
The only teams better than Nuggets are the Spurs, Mavs and possibly the Suns. There is no other team that would beat them consistently.
Delonte ran the offense..they did alot of fast breaking last night pushing the tempo and taking quick shots. Delonte did that just fine. Why do the Sonics need to ‘run the offense’ when Delonte can just score easily driving to the bucket? He passed off when he needed to and pushed the ball up very well. In fact that is how he got all his assists minus a nice drive and dish. Did you all watch the same game? His turnovers were fluky and not just careless and hideous passes.
Delonte will get the charging calls alot because he is aggressive and he will travel sometimes for some reason but maybe thats just the new emphasis i’m seeing.
November 1st, 2007 at 3:48 pm
Cut down on turnovers. D west didn’t have any until the fourth quarter, I believe. Jeff Green needs to hit is freethrows–70% for his college career, 78% last year. I know you can do it, Jeff! Then the rest of the guys will hit theirs, because I think it’s contagious…
November 1st, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Ridnour = good playmaker. poor defender. up and down offensively.
Watson = decent playmaker. good defender. below average offensively.
West = ok playmaker. Good offensively and defensively.
To me West makes up for his less efficient playmaking with his consistency on offense/defense. He has the least holes in his game. Whereas the other two are liabilities at times. Rid defensively (sometimes offensively) and Watson on the offensive end (scoring wise).
He had 5 TOs last night. His career avg is 1.6. Watsons shooting display and assists vs West’s scoring and turnovers. I’ll take the latter.
November 1st, 2007 at 4:13 pm
I also consider Watsons prayer runners (at least 2-3) and forced airball, end of shotclock attempt, as turnovers (even though they are credited as missed fgs).
November 1st, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Jesus. This has turned into a Watson vs. West vs. Ridnour discussion. I wish PJ would stop showcasing and start coaching.
November 1st, 2007 at 4:31 pm
Jesus. This has turned into a Watson vs. West vs. Ridnour discussion.
Tune in tomorrow for part 2 of 82.
November 1st, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Its only because coaches see that West’s abilities are more tailored to the 2guard but then they fail to see that having that at the PG position along with his other assets would be beneficial to the team. It was the same deal in Boston for West…
West vs Banks = West Win
West vs Telfair = West Win
West vs Rondo = West Win, then Rondo win due to West’s injuries.
November 1st, 2007 at 4:59 pm
It looks like the ball movement is much improved from last year. Even though Delonte’s playmaking is not as good as Luke or Earl, the improved ball movement will make that less of an issue. We were getting good shots all night. We just couldn’t hit them. We need D and a offensive threat which West can give us.