11/1/07 Box Score: Sonics 99 Suns 106
Posted on Thursday, November 1st, 2007 at 11:53 pm by Big Chris
The Sonics made a great showing for their home opener tonight, unfortunately coming up just a bit short. Kevin Durant gave the home crowd something to get excited about, and the “Save Our Sonics” chants were A+ quality.
Great game for Kevin Durant, who had 27 points on 11 of 23 shooting in his first NBA back-to-back game. The only negative comment on Durant’s game would be his TO’s, a couple of which he will grow beyond. Chris Wilcox also played well with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
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| Phoenix | ||||||||||||
| Name | Min | FG | 3Pt | FT | Off | Reb | Ast | TO | Stl | Blk | PF | Pts |
| G. Hill | 33 | 5-12 | 1-7 | 2-4 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
| S. Marion | 33 | 7-10 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| A. Stoudemire | 31 | 10-20 | 0-1 | 3-4 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 23 |
| R. Bell | 31 | 2-9 | 2-7 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| S. Nash | 34 | 6-13 | 3-6 | 3-3 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 18 |
| B. Diaw | 25 | 3-5 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| L. Barbosa | 28 | 3-7 | 1-4 | 2-2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| M. Banks | 13 | 4-6 | 4-5 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| B. Skinner | 7 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| S. Marks | DNP - Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||
| E. Piatkowski | DNP - Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||
| D.J. Strawberry | DNP - Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||
| A. Tucker | DNP - Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||
| Totals | 235 | 42-84 | 11-33 | 11-17 | 5 | 44 | 31 | 19 | 11 | 2 | 14 | 106 |
| Percentages: | .500 | .333 | .647 | Team Rebounds: 7 |
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| Seattle | ||||||||||||
| Name | Min | FG | 3Pt | FT | Off | Reb | Ast | TO | Stl | Blk | PF | Pts |
| D. Wilkins | 29 | 4-14 | 1-2 | 3-4 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
| C. Wilcox | 34 | 11-17 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 23 |
| N. Collison | 32 | 4-8 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| K. Durant | 39 | 11-23 | 2-6 | 3-4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 27 |
| E. Watson | 31 | 3-8 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| J. Petro | 22 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| D. West | 13 | 1-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| J. Green | 21 | 3-12 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| L. Ridnour | 7 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| W. Szczerbiak | 8 | 2-5 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| M. Gelabale | DNP - Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||
| M. Sene | DNP - Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||
| R. Swift | DNP - Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||
| K. Thomas | DNP - Coach’s Decision | |||||||||||
| Totals | 236 | 41-99 | 5-13 | 12-15 | 11 | 50 | 24 | 18 | 10 | 2 | 17 | 99 |
| Percentages: | .414 | .385 | .800 | Team Rebounds: 8 |
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| Game Info | ||||||||||||
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Technical Fouls: Phoenix - G. Hill 1, M. Banks 1. Seattle - J. Green 1 Officials: Jason Phillips, Leon Wood, Ron Garretson |
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Plus/Minus
Luke Ridnour was the only Sonic with a positive +/- for the game at +1. The rest of the Sonics ranged from -1 to -6.
Help Value (hv=Reb+Ast+Blk+Stl-TO)
Chris Wilcox led the Sonics at +14. Damien Wilkins was +13 and Earl Watson +12.
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:03 am
Some observations:
- We went on something like an 11-0 run when they put Luke in. 3 assists and no turnovers in 7 minutes.
- Watson still looks bad. 4 TO’s.
- Wilcox looks much improved offensively this season. He cooled off in the second half, but he looks good overall. He seems to do pretty well when double-teamed which is a good sign with KD lurking out behind the stripe. Too bad he lacks anticipation and awareness on defense.
- We got tired in the 4th… how come West was stuck on the bench? He had a poor shooting game but we could have used his energy down the stretch.
- Petro is getting a lot of minutes. Hopefully that’s only temporary while we get healthy, although he hasn’t looked as terrible as he did in the preseason.
- Green does some good things… he just needs to find his comfort zone offensively.
- Wilkins kills us when he shoots like he did tonight.
- Durant showed his talent and it will be worth going to games this season just to watch him play.
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:07 am
“Save Our Sonics” chants were A+ quality.
You should tell that to the schmoes over at the PI who didn’t see it that way.
I would have been there to pitch in but I had more important things to take care of. Sorry to say that but we just had a baby Monday and it was in ICU until Thursday afternoon. Just didn’t have time to do it all. But I did sell the tickets to another loud guy
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:21 am
Congrats. You should name it Durant.
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:21 am
i dug the SOS chants.
im so pumped for basketball season, yet at the same time it’s bumming me out because of what is going on with the team and OKC and everything.
i do hope to get out to quite a few games this year though, even if theyre packing up sooner or later
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:21 am
Durant Jackson has a nice ring to it.
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:36 am
Give some love to Softy.
softy@kjram.com
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:41 am
Petro would go from an alright backup center to a very good one if he could grab some offensive rebounds. All of his rebounds this season are defensive rebounds.
So far, Nick and Chris have held their own against frontlines that were much more heralded. However, they have only attempted two frees between them in two games.
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:46 am
I was at the game and didn’t understand
why Ridnour wasn’t playing most of the time at point.
What is Watson doing out there? He’s a backup, he’s not
a starter!
Other than that, the SOS chants were awesome, they
were extremely loud. Kevin Durant is a 19 year old
freak and I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes the
all-star squad this year.
Go Sonics!!!
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:04 am
I think Damian’s shooting percentage when he dribbles into a jumpshot might be like 3%. That dude needs to get a handle on what kind of player he is and fast. He needs to focus all of his efforts on being a Bowen-type of player. Hit the open spot up jimmy, focus on defense, don’t dribble or try to do anything creative for himself.
The offensive flow with Ridnour in for that short spurt was outstanding.
Watson at the point for the entire 4th Quarter? Huh? Terrible.
Great to see Wilcox’s improvements down in the post. Improved passing out of the double team, looks more assertive and he’s added at least a couple new wrinkles to his game. His defense is still a joke, but for 20-10, I suppose I can live with it.
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:23 am
It seems like PJ has made his decision on the lineup and is currently in “Sink or swim” mode. We will see how long it lasts. Luke is head and shoulders above the rest as far as being the point guard of this team. What Watson and West bring defensively does not come close to making up for what Luke does on the offensive end. I think the team needs to start Luke and plan on help defense so that this squad can have a chance at winning some games. Also, I like Jeff Green. He has an attitude. That is something that this team of “nice guys” can really use and hopefully it will rub off on the other players, especially Collison. I would like to see Nick add a little meanness to his game.
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:29 am
You know, I really used to enjoy this site. It was a place for intelligent conversations about basketball, but now it seems that many posters are so completely focused on pointing out particular players’ flaws that it’s an obsession. The blinders go on when the hated one plays well and come off when he makes even one mistake. I knew the people who can’t stand Damien were sitting on their hands until he didn’t do something right. Sure enough, he misses some shots and he should be shipped out. And of course, the favorite punching bag named Earl Watson. Not a single comment about the lobs he connected on in the first half. No comments at all until the Sonics start faltering and then the punches start rolling. He’s not a starter? He doesn’t even deserve to be in the NBDL? Simply ridiculous comments. If Earl Watson isn’t a starter he sure has been a finisher throughout his career, which is more important than a starter in the eyes of most who understand the game.
Earl and Damien have been in the league a lot longer than many college superstars have, as has Luke for that matter. Luke was considered good enough to try out for team USA, yet some posters insist that he’s terrible. All of these guys work hard and have proven that they belong in the league. But, those of you who hate these players will likely never be able to get over your biases and will continue to complain and whine and make ridiculous comments about them. I’ll be spending my time differently though.
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:33 am
“You should tell that to the schmoes over at the PI who didn’t see it that way.”
I would if I had the slightest interest in what any of them think. They live in a dream world.
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:37 am
EJlover - you need to have a thicker skin if you’re going to hang out on the internet.
Earl and Damien would be a lot more tolerable if they would accept their roles and not continually try to do more than they’re capable of. Earl needs to come off the bench, play tough defense, distribute the ball, and play within the offense. Damien needs to come off the bench, play tough defense, make hustle plays hit open jumpers when the opportunity arises, keep the ball moving when he’s not open. Right now they aren’t accepting those roles, and as a result we play a lot better when they’re not in there.
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:43 am
Thoughts from last night:
Jeff Green = eerily similar to Boris Diaw.
Damien Wilkins = a shot waiting to happen
Johan Petro = out of body experience ?
Kevin Durant = totally sick. Give this kid three years and he will be totally unstoppable. He’s like a 6′9 Kobe.
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:45 am
Here’s what I’m looking for from Earl, play solid D and have a solid A/TO ratio. He’s done both, he so far hasn’t been the problem.
We’ve played two very good teams, and we’re not very good.
West was terrible last night, its going to happen.
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:56 am
Good post EJlover, I echo many of your points. The daily agenda against certain players has already grown old.
There’s a reason Wilkins & Watson are starting. PJ values defense first. Earl & Damien are currently the best at their positions, therefore they’re the starters. Get used to it. The Suns only scored 106 points last night. It was a great game!
November 2nd, 2007 at 9:58 am
Oh, and I thought Petro looked great last night (nod to Scott). He looked poised. I take back my clueless slam from the other night.
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:04 am
“Oh, and I thought Petro looked great last night (nod to Scott). He looked poised. I take back my clueless slam from the other night.”
Thanks Dick…lol
He looks like he’s playing with a bit more confidence.
One thing that has to be noticed for the most part from PJ is he’s letting guys play in thier spots in the rotation and not yanking guys overly quickly. In the long run that does nothing but builds confidence in the players. Johan may not play a minute when Thomas and Swift are active, but PJ can honestly look at Petro and say ‘the minute we need you I have every confidence that you can give me the 20-25 minutes off the bench a night without worry’.
Drastically different from last year.
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:10 am
I enjoyed the KEY last night & SOS chants.
Hoops reflections….
KD is THE TRUTH - It will be great to watch him grow into a star
Wilcox - His play the first 2 games is very - very encouraging
Watson - reality time… he is a very good backup NBA point guard but he is a below average starter. I agree Luke should start & played well last night - but this is where for better or worse - we kind of have to trust PJ. I think PJ is still experimenting and getting to know the players & putting in his system etc. I would not be surprised to see Luke playing more & maybe starting in a few weeks once his mask is off & nose is healed.
Wilkins - I like playing him at the #2. Hey - his shot was off last night but he was terrific in the Denver game. He’s a solid defender and great rounding #2 guard who hits 85% of his FT’s. If I’m PJ I stick with him through thick & thin for about 20-25 games to give him a very solid shot to see how he develops with 30 minutes a night for 2 months or so. He won’t be a superstar but I think it is well worth the investment of minutes in him to give him his opportunity and see how he plays & develops.
Green - It’s hard for me to get a sense of how good he is & can become - but his effort seems to be solid. Patience.
This team is young & learning to play together with a new coach & several key new players. I liked their effort last night & see some light at the end of the tunnel we’ve been in that Wally Walker gave us.
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:13 am
“Earl and Damien would be a lot more tolerable if they would accept their roles and not continually try to do more than they’re capable of. Earl needs to come off the bench, play tough defense, distribute the ball, and play within the offense. Damien needs to come off the bench, play tough defense, make hustle plays hit open jumpers when the opportunity arises, keep the ball moving when he’s not open. Right now they aren’t accepting those roles, and as a result we play a lot better when they’re not in there”.
Yup, what Johan said.
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:18 am
My thoughts:
The Good-
EJlover really leapt into the leadership role, getting in people’s faces and reminding them that this is a team and the bickering and whining needs to be left on the other side of the door.
Dick Tate rebounded well and had EJ’s back.
Jackson overcame issues at home to turn stand with his team.
The Bad-
AK totally disappeared. His irritating, in your face, defense of his position is needed to handle all the softness in the middle.
Brian jumped the thread gate and almost killed any momentum the team had generated.
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:22 am
LOL.
I think PJ’s been doing great so far. It’ll be interesting to see if minutes start yo-yoing once everyone is healthy. He did say it would take a month or so to get it down.
I love Green’s game and what he brings to the team, but I don’t think he should be a threat to start until he can either find a way to score or stop shooting. His touch on his shots are scary bad. Hopefully he’s practicing about 500 jumpers a day.
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:37 am
Talk about players can get rough and it would be nicer if some of the excesses were trimmed but it is free speech and everybody’s opinion and style is different. The players generally avoid these boards and seem fairly immune to it. Their supporters will hurt or may respond to attacks that go to far. Those patterns probably will go on always. Everybody has to decide how much to read/respond. Sitting it out can be calmer and perhaps more enjoyable so anyone is free to consider it.
As much as individual players get criticism they are employees under direction and that direction should get a good deal of the focus. Way too early of course but Sonics tied for 12th in scoring, 28th in points allowed. 17th (below average) on raw overall FG%. 27th in FG% allowed and probably worse after factoring in 3 pointers. Is this good offensive design? Good defensive design? Good roster design? Everybody should get more time. Bad games happen to everyone. But I plan to focus a fairly high amount of attention on the coaches and managers who choose and direct the players. I know the players are doing their best, even if it isnt above average or enough.
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:38 am
What this team needs right now is 3 point shooting. When it came to cruch time Durant was shooting the lights out. Then Phoenix started to double him. Wally couldn’t hold on to the ball long enough to get his shot off. Nobody else is an outside threat. I am on the record of preferring Derrrick Rose but now I feel Durant really needs a PG that can hit the open J in the closing miniutes of the game. So Mayo may be a better choice if we get the chance. I also would like to see a few forwards that can hit a 3 point shot. Phoenix has several shooters. Seattle has to find a few.
Wilkins is better than Green right now. Give him his due. Petro has also played well. They are both young. If they continue to develop they can both be very solid in this league. For many years we used recycled centers with nothing left. You cannot trade for a quality center in this league. Give the centers time to develop. Look at the progress Petro has made.
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:45 am
5th highest in turnovers. Average on assists.
6rd best on defensive rebounding % is a bright spot. But offensive rebound a bit below average.
Of course these numbers may move significantly but that is the first look.
Plenty for the coaching staff to work to improve along with the players.
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:45 am
Wilkins is better than Green right now. Give him his due.
I can concede this argument (although I think it’s debateable)… but I want Green in there anyway because he has tremendous upside that needs to be developed. Wilkins ain’t gonna get much better, and in some ways his game is getting worse. It is only a matter of time (a couple months maybe) before Green is better than Wilkins. I’m not concerned with wins right now.
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:54 am
Wilkins ain’t gonna get much better, and in some ways his game is getting worse.
He ain’t no Ray Allen but at least he’s trying to put points on the board. We need those. To say a player that’s being looked to to be a full time starter and one of the primary scorers, can’t get better as he’s just starting to try to fill his role, seems like a silly thing to say.
It is only a matter of time (a couple months maybe) before Green is better than Wilkins. I’m not concerned with wins right now.
Then that’s when Green should start. You may not be concerned with wins but PJ is.
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:14 am
Is it just me or does Collison not look the same in the new system? It might take some time like last year for him to get in a groove but I think once Kurt Thomas and Swift come back I have a feeling that Nick minutes will be cut drastically. Wilcox looks leaps and bounds above him. Nick coming off the bench might be better for him, his double moves probably work better against second units.
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:21 am
Come on now Sports fan the first 2 games has been positive…Why you thinking lottery already! We need to focus on the season & not after it.
The good -
*The crowd was loud, love the SOS chant.
*Durant did not look like a rookie, man was he smooth. Once he bulks up, i think he will be able to finish more of those inside buckets. Missed like 3 easy ones.
*Green was not bashful, i really like that. During the preseason he didn’t look like a top 5 pick.
*We actually hit our FT yesterday
The bad
*Bigs need to get more to the line
*4th quarter
The ooogly
*Watson
*Wilkins shot selection
*Carlisimo subbing - FREE LUKE PLEASE
How badly did we need a playmaker in the 4th? I mean please FREE LUKE already. When he was in the Sonics were flowing.
Love the line up w/:
PG LUKE
SG Durant
SF Green
PF Wilcox
C Collison
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:25 am
West did not play the 2 vs Denver at all but when he was the 2 guard last night he was way undersized to play the position. I hope he looked bad because he was having a bad game not because he cannot play the 2 in the west.
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:26 am
Scott- West was a little off but I wouldnt call him terrible. He wasnt going 110% like he usually does so I am not sure if he is injured or if he was trying to play within the system (PJs). However he was in the game (3rd) when the Sonics had a 12-2 run but then PJ pulled him. I am not sure why but I think he should have played more than 13 min. Earl played 31 min.- I just dont get it.
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:28 am
He ain’t no Ray Allen but at least he’s trying to put points on the board.
Yeah, that’s the problem. He’s the 3rd option at best. When you’re the 3rd option you don’t dominate the ball and try to create. You give the ball to the creators and get your points off of what they do. He should be spotting up for jumpers or cutting to the bucket when Durant and Wilcox draw the attention of multiple defenders. When you’re 3rd option is a black hole on offense, you’ve got problems.
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:30 am
When thinking of this team I will always keep this in mind:
we lost by 7 pts to the PHX suns! There were 3 occasions (6pts) where we blew dunks (wilcox did it twice)…. so this game was literally a couple unlucky bounces from us getting a chance to win it at the buzzer. That means a lot and this whole team by commitee thing is really showing me that these guys can make some waves.
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:32 am
I think Nick can be effective out there with the starting five. He’s gotta knock down that jumper, though, thats what is really holding him back in my opinion.
I don’t think its unreasonable to have a starting 5 of Luke, KD, Green, Wilcox, and Nick. You’ve got two facilitators out there in Luke and Nick, two scorers in KD and Wilcox, and a hustle/loose ball/garbage points guy potentially in Green. You could replace Green with Wilkens I suppose. I just would like to see Damien move the ball better and not settle for jumpers.
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:36 am
This is the lineup I’d like to see
Swift
Wilcox
Green
Durant
Ridnour
We need a shot blocker to compensate for our sub-par perimeter defense. I think Collison and West are perfect coming off the bench. Of course we need Swift to be healthy first.
November 2nd, 2007 at 11:58 am
Sounds good to me Johan. I just want to see Durant and Wilcox get most of the shots and I’ll be happy. There’s an opportunity for Wilcox to have a real breakout season this year since Ray and Rashard aren’t out there taking all the shots. We’ll see if he can keep it up against teams that play better defense.
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:13 pm
I didn’t see Ridnour looking good at all. I saw him running the most retarded pick and roll I’ve ever seen in which he dished the ball off repeatedly to his teammate WHILE they were setting the pick. WHAT A PUSS. That leaves Collison or Wilcox having to put the ball on the floor; not a good idea. On one such occasion though, Wilcox blew my f’ng mind with a brutal drive into the paint for what would have been one hellified dunk. He missed it unfortunately.
I was really happy with what I saw of the team though. It’s so much easier to see this team lose than last year.
November 2nd, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Disappointments:
1.) Collison and Watson will be inconsistent at best.
2.) Wally is way worse than I ever expected.
3.) Swift is nowhwere.
————————————————————————–
Positives:
1.) Durant
2.) Durant
3.) Durant
4.) Wilcox…(and some here wanted him traded)
5.) West…..without him guard play would be pathetic.
Alll things considered not a bad start for the Supes at all.
November 2nd, 2007 at 2:45 pm
one of teh problems with green’s shot (though yesterday was just bad touch inside) as has been mentioned before is the sonics changed his form on his jumpshot when he arrived from gtown. i imagine it’ll take several months to see improvment on it
November 2nd, 2007 at 4:43 pm
I can’t argue about Wally Calabro. He may have one of the best outside shots on the team but more often than not he struggles with foot quickness to get himself open. And that same fault hurts him on defence. I don’tsee him appearing to be lazy, simply that he’s one of the least athletic players in the league.
Like Dick and Scott, I think Petro did fine compared to how he looked last year. There’s improvement for sure and that’s about all you can ask from him. He worked hard out there and doesn’t get pushed around, although besides Stoudamire the Suns don’t have any physically strong interior players.. Now if only he would stop thinking that he can knock down a midrange shot and concentrate on improving his low post game.
November 2nd, 2007 at 5:11 pm
ejlover, good post.
My anology would be tackle football. It’s part of the game to play hard and critique players, and we can’t just gloss over poor play as if a losing team is winning. However, piling on is not part of the game! I’ve seen posts in here railing on a few players where I can’t find any basis for the critique and it really is just piling on. Okay enough of my lame anology…
Another aspect of this is it is not bad at all to develop a late 1st round or 2nd round or undrafted player into a viable NBA player. It can really help fill positions where we have a need and they usually come at low salaries (remember Calvin Booth?). If team management then asks those players to be starters when they are not at that level all they can do is try, and the results are on management not the guy trying to play that much.
The Sonics get an A grade over the last few years developing these kind of guys, while I’d give them a D when it comes to finding a way to bring in star quality players. KD is the first one in quite some time.
November 2nd, 2007 at 5:24 pm
I don’t see how you all say West had a bad game? He didn’t do much in the first half but played decent in his 2nd half stint.
I think the sonics are show casing Earl Watson. That is all i can think of or maybe we dont see what they do in practice. Clearly Delonte West should be playing more than what he did last night against a team like the Sonics. If fact Luke and West should be playing 30+ minutes against a team like the Suns.
If they had I have no doubt the Sonics would have won.
Earl had a few nice lobs to Wilcox but Luke had the same type of plays too.
West didn’t do anything that I saw to warrent the non-playing time in the first game or the 2nd. West’s TOs in the first game were mostly after the Suns put the game away in the 4th after West sat on the bench for a critically Nuggett run. Watson was in. West did have two Turnovers earlier in the 2nd half but it didn’t effect the outcome as much because of them the Nuggetts didn’t score.
November 2nd, 2007 at 10:29 pm
“I don’t see how you all say West had a bad game? He didn’t do much in the first half but played decent in his 2nd half stint.”–Jimmy…
It wasn’t so much that Delonte had a horrible game, but, both he and Watson have been turnover prone in the last two games. In one game, Delonte had 2 straight travelling violations on consecutive possessions, and Watson has also been guilty of taking some circus shots. One of the new rules changes involves tightening up on the travelling calls, and the players still haven’t adjusted yet. (Barbosa was also called twice for travelling last night for the Suns.)
Overall, I think that the team is playing better than I expected them too though, and they’ve been able to play pretty good ball for 3 quarters. They just need to learn to finish.
Unfortunately, the problem that PJ is facing is that for the point guard position there’s no clear cut best option. Luke is the best free throw shooter by far, and his assist to turnover ratio is better than Delonte or Watson. However, when the team isn’t playing the zone he seems to play bullfighter defense…allowing guys to go straight to the hoop. Watson takes too many circus shots, and Delonte is turnover prone. PJ said that Delonte doesn’t understand the half court offense as well as Watson or Luke yet, however, Ridnour has been spending the most time on the bench. There’s no perfect option for PJ as a coach at that position.
I don’t think there’s a perfect option at the back-up center spot either. Petro runs the floor well, but, makes a lot of tick-tack and over-the-back types of fouls. Swift had a pretty good preseason, but, he struggled to defend well and really got worked by Andrew Bynum. Sene still needs to work on his consistency in PJ’s eyes to earn a spot in the rotation. If PJ continues to keep the rotation this tight, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some guys traded.
November 3rd, 2007 at 7:43 am
actually it was a carrying/palming the ball and then a traveling call…his problem is not distributing the ball or making plays..it is just the little dribbling issues he has.
November 3rd, 2007 at 8:33 am
the palming call and the traveling call where both questionnable in my opinion. i watch the replays and i really didnt see anything different than what any other player does. he just got called for it. overall west had a really good game (against denver) so i am not sure why he only played 13 min. in the game against the suns. earl played horrible in the game against denver and pj give him more min. in the game against the suns, i just dont get it.
November 3rd, 2007 at 3:08 pm
Yo, these are all thoughts from the game thread, but here goes. Sorry been off the boards for a bit.
someone said: “Don’t look now but Petro is looking like a very serviceable backup center right now (knocking on wood…..).”
that’s what I was thinking while watching the game. And while being a Petro-hater, wondering how the fK he is managing to put together these strengths and not look so stupid on the court… violating all past experience.
Menace said: “Isn’t it wierd how my boy AK doesn’t see it the same way considering how much he loves/loved Nicky C? ”
Yeah, that is a bit weird. I think he’ll come around though. Nice link of Green dunking over the top from out of nowhere too… thanks.
courtsense said: “I like West’s game, but he’s not a PG. He’s an ideal 6th man. Luke is the best PG they have right now, and until Presti drafts or trades for someone better, Ridnour needs to start. West will be better as a combo guard off the bench for 20-25 minutes a night. ”
Seems to be the consensus here. I was noticing this too, that West is a great distributor and scorer, but he doesn’t move the ball in the fullcourt like a real pg.
Zack Says:
November 1st, 2007 at 11:44 pm
“The difference is that Green is an athlete. Collison HAS to be smart and savvy in order to get by in the NBA. You combine that kind of play with natural talent and you’ve got a really good player. ”
Good thoughts, have to agree there.
November 3rd, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Steve said: “Johan Petro = out of body experience ? ”
Nice one…
November 3rd, 2007 at 4:07 pm
i’m afraid West needs to play more than just 20-25 minutes a game for the Sonics to win. he needs 30-40 minutes per game. I wouldn’t be surprised he doesn’t play this much in hopes that other teams don’t make a huge offer for him as he’ll be a restricted free agent.
November 3rd, 2007 at 5:05 pm
I forgot Petro. He should get court-time as long as he has an energy drink or whatever’s been goin on in the locker room.before the game.
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