Sonics Vs. Grizzlies Game Thread
Posted on Monday, November 19th, 2007 at 3:05 pm by Xteve
Pre-func with The Notorious K.E.V. as he profiles the Heartbreak Kids, aka the Memphis Grizzlies. To close out this road trip with a winning record would be totally dope.
The Grizzlies have a very tenuous footing in Memphis … ticket sales and crowds are way down this year.
Back when the Grizzlies first moved from Vancouver to Memphis there were a couple of extremely obnoxious jackass trolls on ESPN that taunted the hell out of the ‘couver fans for ‘losing’ their team; when the reality was that Michael Heisley stole it from them, more less with David Stern and the rest of the NBA complicit in the heist. Karma’s a bitch, fellas.
But enough of that. Props are due to Damien “The Omen” Wilkins* for his 41 point outing on Friday. It’s only fair to give the guy props for a well-played (hell, a superior) outing because I’ve been highly critical of his performance to date. Not that that means for one second that my opinion of his shot selection has completely changed; but I’m definitely willing to give credit where credit is due.
I’ll be switching back and forth between this and watching my Broncos on MNF; haven’t heard if Javon Walker will be playing tonight but I like Denver’s chances and look for a similarly played games as their matchup vs. the Steelers a couple weeks ago. Enjoy the game!
*coined by AK, as far as I know.
November 19th, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Either Paul M. or Pete N. from SupersonicSoul coined “The Omen” as a nickname for Damien Wilkins, so I can’t take credit for that one.
November 19th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
buy low sell high…
Goodbye, Damien…
November 19th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
I think the Sonics bounce back and play the grizzlies very close. Not sure if we pull it out in the end, but I see this one being close.
November 19th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
I’ll be switching back and forth between this and watching my Broncos on MNF
Maybe after the Seahawks have been in the NFC for about 20 years, i’ll be able to start rooting for AFC West teams again… maybe.
The Sonics game is being rebroadcast at 8pm. That’s the one i’ll be watching.
November 19th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
Will Rudy Gay and whichever sportswriter printed the story, be made to pay for Gay saying that the way to slow down Durant was to get up in his grill?
November 19th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
PJ says if Darko is out as expected, Jeff Green will get the start to match up against Gay at PF…
November 19th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
damien your trade value is at an all time high. pull the trigger, presti!
November 19th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
“Maybe after the Seahawks have been in the NFC for about 20 years, i’ll be able to start rooting for AFC West teams again… maybe. ”
I’m kind of the same way with the Hawks … grew up rooting against them as a divisional opponent so really don’t have much of an opinion on them most Sundays. Hard to pick which division is worse this year, the AFC West or the NFC West.
November 19th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
“I’ll be switching back and forth between this and watching my Broncos on MNF
Maybe after the Seahawks have been in the NFC for about 20 years, i’ll be able to start rooting for AFC West teams again… maybe.”
Truer words have never been spoken. I STILL hate the Raiders and the Broncos, I’m indifferent vs. Chargers (probably because they sucked more than us most of those years), and the Chiefs? Two words-Derrick Thomas…FUKK YO COUCH!
November 19th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
Earl is a terrible penetrator.But Damien with the block at the rim!
November 19th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
Right as usual, Courtsense.
Green Lantern gets the start.
November 19th, 2007 at 6:24 pm
Wilcox is just brutal on the defensive end - always slapping to strip the ball, never altering or blocking the shot.
Durant and especially Green need to learn to finish strong at the rim and knock off the Derrick McKey floating finger roll BS.
November 19th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
again no tv for me.
looks like our guards and center aren’t playign defense just from the boxscore
And yeah, there’s no excuse not to dunk a close shot..you’re not dr. j or the ice man so quit the finger rolls.
November 19th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
Do it Wheezy! You can take their bigs any day.
November 19th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Wally being a one man army right now
November 19th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Dammit guys. They’re 6-7 from the arc now… you might want to get out there and actually defend them.
November 19th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Were getting played with out there.
November 19th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
Hell yeah, Sene.
November 19th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
Sene!
November 19th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
One thing no one can say about Mo is that he doesn’t try to throw down every time he has a chance.
November 19th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
A little run, a little D now boys.
November 19th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
A little run, a little D now boys.
November 19th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
Scott, imagine if we could say that about Petro!
November 19th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
can we please stop having delonte run the point? please? please??
November 19th, 2007 at 7:14 pm
Who else do we have?? Earl isnt giving them too many reasons to not use Delonte…
I’m not happy about it either but we are kinda screwed at that position
November 19th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Where is the effort and the pride on the defensive end?
Where is the heart and hustle for the boards and loose balls?
The close-outs on the perimeter shots are a step slow every time, while the zone rotations completely lack any sense of urgency or anticipation.
10 games in, and I’m really getting tired of watching teams rain open 3’s on our heads…maybe it’s time for PJ and the Sonics to grow some chest hair, man-up and get busy.
And if I see the 6-10 Durant finishing soft in the paint as if he’s playing on an 8-foot basket with a 6-foot and under team, I’m gonna puke.
Memo to KD: elevate, use your reach, and dunk the damn ball!
November 19th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Mike Wilks should be on waivers soon, as Anthony Carter will be taking his spot.
Sene and Gelabale fit in well during their short stints on the court.
Green transitioning well into the starting power-forward role.
Wilcox, Wilkins and Watson should be traded in a blockbuster deal for a stud who can play defense and offense like GP or Kemp.
November 19th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
The players continually make so many bad decisions that it’s almost impossible to evaluate PJ’s coaching strategies.
But damn, our players are nasty.
November 19th, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Geez, it looks like they’re gonna put 130 on us tonight. I’m out…
November 19th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
Someone mentioned Collison’s ability to provide a spark off the bench, primarily playing against the other team’s second unit. I agree in this philosophy and perhaps a center by committee approach is most desirable until Swift claims responsibility for the middle.
November 19th, 2007 at 7:52 pm
yikes. at least we’re getting some thanksgiving receipts out of this.
November 19th, 2007 at 7:52 pm
man 100pts in the 3rd qtr..sad sad game.
November 19th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Miracle comeback time! Gonna need a lot of halfcourt shots.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Buy or Sell: 20+ wins?
November 19th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
“Wilcox, Wilkins and Watson should be traded in a blockbuster deal for a stud who can play defense and offense like GP or Kemp.”
Name one GM in the league that is going to trade the player you described for the three W’s? Seriously
November 19th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
Sell
November 19th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Sell…
15+? Anyone???
November 19th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Isaiah Thomas is on the line, Scott. He says he’ll trade us Marbury for them.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
6:30 to go, down by 20. PUT IN SENE, FOR GOODNESS SAKE.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
i agree..sene has a lot of energy to play.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:12 pm
I see ballsforbrains hasn’t lost his touch. Has “Sonic Defense” become a lost art?
November 19th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
The Supes are lucky Josh Childress missed that free throw at the end of regulation. A 2-3 roadtrip does not sound as bad as a 1-4 trip.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
Sene is in! Time for some REAL entertainment.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
Sene has got the funniest looking free throw routine in the NBA.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
Ok, Sene. 21pts, 2:53 left. You can do it.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
Here is some breaking news! Durant may get traded.
http://www.thebrushback.com/durant_full.htm
November 19th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
“Copyright 2007, The Brushback - Do not reprint without permission. This article is satire and is not intended as actual news.”
Now get outta here you douche.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
I can accept Mike Miller, Gasol, or even Rudy Gay putting it on us. But Stromile Swift!!!!!! That absolutely kills me.
Sene. Reverse layin attempts. Why?
November 19th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
“Copyright 2007, The Brushback - Do not reprint without permission. This article is satire and is not intended as actual news.”
The fact that Brushback has to give that disclaimer shows how gullible some people really are.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
Wilcox is not a good enough defender to play center. Without Collison in the middle we have no defense. Petro and Sene are worthless. We definately need size in the middle. If Swift isn’t healthy it is going to be very long season for Collison.
Only 6800 in attendance. Pathetic.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Green and Wilcox just didn’t play any defense on Stromile Swift tonight. Fatigue isn’t a good excuse as the Grizzlies were also playing their fifth game in seven nights. Three blowout defeats on what may be the “easiest” road-trip of the season; the worst may have yet to come as I see San Antonio is strolling into town this Sunday.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Green had 14 boards. Very nice.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
Alex - The problem wasn’t one on one defense on Swift. No, it was the entire team allowing Stoudamire/Lowry to drive and kick/dish at will on them. They got so many open looks you’d have thought it was pick up game.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Well, at least New Jersey appear to be having a similar night in Utah.
We’ve got a four day break, the Nets play in Portland in that time.
Though knowing our luck, they’ll get Air Canada back in time for our game.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
I’d agree with that Mcwalter. Swift did score quite a few buckets on Green while going one-on-one. Memphis could have put up 140-150 points if they had kept their starters in for the fourth quarter.
November 19th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
Good call Alex, if Belichick were coaching the Grizz I’m sure they’d have scored 150. Oh well… I’m up in town from SF to see the Nets game so hopefully I’ll run into some of you guys at SPORT before the game.
November 19th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
the only time I get to see Sene, he gets absolutely posterized by some cat named Kinsey…
That was ugly.
November 19th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
Game reflections….
JG is encouraging - liked his rebounding & effort
The interior defense ia absolutely terrible - and I don’t see an answer - Swift seems like a non-factor although I give him more time to heal the knee etc. > but I’m not optimistic.
Watson is terrible
KD is so young - turnovers were bad - he looked tired tonight
It’s going to be a tough year on the court. I predicted 28-32 wins before it started - now I’m thinking about 20
November 19th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
Defensively, as a team, we were poor all around. Inside and out. Look at Damon Stoudamire’s numbers. Can’t really point the finger at anyone individually. Stromile Swift!!!! Kills me.
The 3s we gave up early on did us in.
Positives: Green’s boards. Delonte had a good game, but his scoring came too little too late. Wally shot well. Wilcox too.
November 19th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
REMINDER FOR NETS GAME FRIDAY NIGHT:
SOS rally at 6:00 PM
If you are going to the game encourage people around you to stand up and join in the SOS “Chant” at the 6:00 Minute mark of the 2nd & 4th quarter. That should get some national TV press response .
November 19th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
Another positive: Eight players in double-digit scoring.
November 19th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
Another somewhat positive: Durant slowed down his shooting.
November 19th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
Our veteran players make mistakes similar to our rookie players. Seeing Sene again I’m reminded of his length and enormous reach, and the fact that he has no idea how to play basketball.
I’m for trading Damien too, but what could we get? Also does he or doesn’t he have an opt out at the end of the season?
November 19th, 2007 at 9:35 pm
“the only time I get to see Sene, he gets absolutely posterized by some cat named Kinsey…”
Sad fact about being a shotblocker who goes after every shot, that’s gonna happen.
November 19th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Also sad when a 7 footer goes for reverse up and under layins.
November 19th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
…..and swats at rebounds.
November 19th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
“the only time I get to see Sene, he gets absolutely posterized by some cat named Kinsey…
That was ugly.”
Mouhamed Sene plays disgustingly awful man-to-man inteior defense, which is the main reason that he’ll never be a low-post force like Dikembe Mutomobo. “Sideshow” Sene’s lone skill, which is that of being a serviceable weakside defender in the paint, can be easily found in guys throughout the NBA who actually have an offensive skill set that surpasses a junior varsity high-school basketball player.
November 19th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
“Sad fact about being a shotblocker who goes after every shot, that’s gonna happen.”
Why didn’t David Pendergraft and Steve Rosenberry notice that Mouhamed Sene was the ultimate one-dimensional player when they scouted him? How couldn’t they notice that he’s exceptionally raw, an absolute joke as a player, and a farce to the game of basketball? Who was gullible enough to buy into the crap spewed forth by Rick Sund regarding the Seattle Supersonics supposedly having enough depth to take on a project and, moreover, Bob Hill’s astonishing miscalculation about Sene being able to produce as a rookie?
That all baffles me to this day.
November 19th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
Yeah and Sene was our top draft pick in 2006.
November 19th, 2007 at 10:11 pm
Trust me. I know.
November 19th, 2007 at 10:24 pm
“…..and swats at rebounds.”
We know you don’t like the pick, but at this poitn he’s grabbed 7 rebounds in 13 minutes. That’s not bad for a guy who doesn’t do a good job of grabbing boards.
November 19th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
The thing that really confuses me is why Presti & PJ keep Sene active on the Sonics roster as opposed to sending him to the D-League. I so no value in him riding the bench & paying a few garbage minutes every few games.
November 19th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
“We know you don’t like the pick, but at this poitn he’s grabbed 7 rebounds in 13 minutes. That’s not bad for a guy who doesn’t do a good job of grabbing boards.”
Not bad at all. Its not like he lost the game. But you can’t say that he looked good tonight. He was a circus in hoops shoes out there. I’m watching the replay right now again just for laughs.
November 19th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
“The thing that really confuses me is why Presti & PJ keep Sene active on the Sonics roster as opposed to sending him to the D-League. I so no value in him riding the bench & paying a few garbage minutes every few games.”
They have 11 healthy bodies for one.
Second, the D-League season doesn’t start for 2 weeks….
November 19th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
The decision to draft Robert Swift over Al Jefferson was just as egregious as the decision to draft Sene over Ronnie Brewer.
Wasting those two draft picks on two guys who have done very little in their professional careers put this franchise in a position to draft Durant. If you believe that KD is the real deal, then Sund actually may have done this team a service in the long-run. If you aren’t buying KD’s potential, then those two wasted picks could keep this team in purgatory in the same way that the wasted picks of the Hawks have kept that franchise in the Eastern Conference basement for a decade.
November 19th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
“One thing no one can say about Mo is that he doesn’t try to throw down every time he has a chance.”
Considering his the reach/size and the fact that he has a serious lack of touch………I would prefer it if he tried to throw down everytime. Sure does beat up and under layin attempts. That is so lame when a 7 footer tries to do that. Pathetic. Not just when Sene does it……but any 7 footer.
November 19th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
“But you can’t say that he looked good tonight.”
I thought he looked fine in the first half, his block on Gasol was solid. He grabbed a solid offensive board, the putback was with authority and honestly I thought he got fouled.
Second half I didn’t like the underhand scoop and I hope they’ll work with him on just going up strong. If he goes up strong on the two he tried to get fancy he goes to the line both times.
I’d call it a mixed performance, with way more positives when the game actually mattered.
For the record when either Robert or Kurt are back I’d send him to the D-League for a couple months to let him play consistently.
November 19th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
As a player who’s stylistically similar to Tracy McGrady, we now know for sure that Kevin Durant will never be a legitimate franchise player. Durant’s shortcomings as an inefficient volume shooter — which, as has been proven by actual all-time greats like Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson, can be overcome by even rookies — and an abysmal defensive player will prevent him from ascending to the the status of a legend.
If Durant wants to be on a championship team, then he’ll need to be paired with a true superstar in the post — such as McGrady with Yao Ming on the Houston Rockets or Dwight Howard with Rashard Lewis on the Orlando Magic — otherwise, opposing teams will be able to expose his flaws on a nightly basis. Unfortunately, though, it’s nearly impossible to acquire those type of players — as DeAndre Jordan, who’s drawn early comparisons to Andrew Bynum, is the only guy with that kind of potential available in the 2008 NBA Draft — thus, it’ll be pretty goddamn hard to fill that role.
Along with a #1 option in the low-post, the Supersonics also need a two-way swingman (e.g., Shane Battier, Caron Butler, Josh Childress, Richard Jefferson, Corey Maggette, et al.) on the team to mask Durant’s defensive deficiencies. In addition, a top-notch point guard with supreme playmaking skills — with Derrick Rose of the Memphis Tigers or 17-year-old Ricky Rubio of Euroleague ballclub Joventut Badalona being prime examples — who can facilitate the offense and distribute the basketball in a proficient manner would be the puzzle’s final, yet quite possibly most important piece.
All right, I’m done dreaming for one night. Besides, Sam Presti will probably select a superfluous wing player (e.g., Austin Daye & Donta Greene), a ball-hogging combo guard (e.g., O.J. Mayo), a defensively unsound swingman (e.g., Chase Budinger), a physically soft power forward (e.g., Kosta Koufos), an undersized shooting guard (e.g., Eric Gordon), an unproven foreigner (e.g., Nicolas Batum) during the 2008 NBA Draft and, as a result, destroy my fading hopes for building around Durant.
Other than Rose, Jordan, and Carmelo Anthony clone Michael Beasley — who, despite reports of him being listless on defense, is a guy who dominates the low block on offense and would work well next to a high-post facilitator like Jeff Green at the forward positions — there’s too many flawed players who’ll most likely enter the 2008 NBA Draft for my liking.
November 19th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
I didn’t think he looked bad in the first half either. I think it was a 2 min span and he looked normal. But in the 4th in garbage time…….eeeeeeesh. He looked like he had never played before.
He did the underhand scoop more than once. Got away with a travel and got bailed out with a foul call. Swatted a defensive board away from a teammate out of bounds with his left hand. Pure comedy.
November 19th, 2007 at 10:48 pm
“Considering his the reach/size and the fact that he has a serious lack of touch………I would prefer it if he tried to throw down everytime.”
Don’t know where that scoop came from tonight in the second half. Then to try it twice, baffles me.
I’m sure they’ll be laying into him about it on the flight home and at practice tomorrow.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Sene was still better than Petro.
Petro: 13min, 2to, 5 fouls
Sene: 6min, 0to, 0 fouls
November 19th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Petro had 7 boards. Neither were very good.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Excluding the 2 rookies for a moment, here’s what the Sonics apparently have right now:
At Center:
Swift = a totally unknown (albeit injured) commodity.
Petro = an athlete with no basketball IQ whatsoever.
Sene = see Petro.
Net result = ZERO.
Future implications = HELP!
At Power Forward:
Wilcox = a freakish athlete with no clue defensively.
Collison = a hard-worker who is physically overmatched.
Thomas = an aging and injured veteran nearing retirement.
Net result = The team’s interior defense is simply awful.
Future implications = HELP!
At Small Forward:
Wilkins = a role player playing for a big contract elsewhere.
Szczerbiak = a veteran scorer limited in every other respect.
Net result = At best, a limited bench/role player or two.
Future implications = Jeff Green + cap relief in two years!
At Shooting Guard:
Gelabale = a nice role player content just to be in the NBA.
West = a decent combo guard trying to prove he can start.
Net result = At best, some decent depth.
Future implications = Durant and who?
Point Guard:
Watson = a career backup trying to prove he can start.
Ridnour = closer to Dickau than Nash on the PG continuum?
Net result = at best, a average backup between the two.
Future implications = HELP!
Rick Sund and Wally Walker spent 5 first-round picks (including 4 lottery picks) on Swift, Petro, Sene, Collison and Ridnour - and of the 5 only Collison has a contributing role on this team.
The others are either outright busts (Sene and Petro), unknown (Swift), or inconsistent and inconspicuous (Ridnour).
Thomas can’t play because of injuries, making his contribution negligible - unless the Sonics can trade him at the deadline.
Wally is a bench scorer and a 2-year contract in search of a big trade.
And then we’ve got the 2 rookies.
Nice.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:19 pm
AK, I’m almost afraid to ask - but I’m curious what you think of Roy Hibbert.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
AK,
The problem with building thru the draft is that the players are so young these days that it takes most of them 3 or 4 years to become NBA ready instead of the one or two years when guys spent 4 years in college. By the time they get good enough to play they are ready for their second contract. We have a long wait if we are going to build around Derrick Rose. I prefer to acquire the bigs that we need first. Other than Swift, we have no prospects at Center at all. Get some 6-11 guys like Devon Hardin. Guys that can swing between Center and PF. Add a star PG thru free agency if we must. Derrick Rose and Mayo are not playing PG in college anyway. They have several years of development ahead and we have little patience with the PG’s we have got. Damien has been in the league four years. He is just now coming into his own. This is pretty normal. Can we wait four or five years for these kids to develop? I don’t think so.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:35 pm
Just think! Had we traded the second pick in the draft and a few pieces to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett, we would have Ray Allen, Rashard and KG. We would probably be 9-0 like Boston.
November 19th, 2007 at 11:57 pm
Sports Fan Says:
November 19th, 2007 at 11:35 pm
“Just think! Had we traded the second pick in the draft and a few pieces to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett, we would have Ray Allen, Rashard and KG. We would probably be 9-0 like Boston.”
Yeah, that would be great - until we played the Spurs. Garnett has never done anything against Duncan, Ray can’t deal with Bowen always tripping him, and Rashard just runs and hides.
9-1 now doesn’t mean shyat - Boston hasn’t won anything yet.
Here’s another reality check for everyone busy climbing on the Celtics bandwagon:
Garnett, Pierce and Allen have played in a combined 121 playoff games in their careers. Wow - pretty impressive, huh?
Oh wait - Tony Parker has played in 100 all by himself! Ginobli in 90, and Duncan in 138! That’s 328 games between the 3!
That’s the kind of stat that will matter next June - not how hot the Celtics were in November.
November 20th, 2007 at 12:01 am
“AK, I’m almost afraid to ask - but I’m curious what you think of Roy Hibbert.” {courtsense}
Basically, Roy Hibbert is a big, wide body who can take up space in the paint. On offense, Hibbert is a very efficient low-post scorer who’s fundamentally sound and plays within his abilities. Furthermore, he’s remarkably apt at guarding his man as a one-on-one interior defender.
The problem, though, is that Hibbert has pretty much no upside. Hibbert has seemingly peaked by not only having a high basketball IQ and a strong grasp of the fundamentals, but also ’cause he’s unathletic and slower than all hell. Indeed, there apparently isn’t any room for him improve.
With Hibbert, I essentially see a mix of Erick Dampier and Brendan Haywood — who, no matter their mediocrity on offense, are both highly underrated as defensive monsters in the pivot — which means that he should be selected somewhere between the 10th and 15th pick during the 2008 NBA Draft.
November 20th, 2007 at 12:14 am
“Just think! Had we traded the second pick in the draft and a few pieces to Minnesota for Kevin Garnett, we would have Ray Allen, Rashard and KG. We would probably be 9-0 like Boston.” {Sports Fan}
Plain and simply, Kevin Garnett wouldn’t've wanted play for the Seattle Supersoncis. Either way, though, Garnett and Ray Allen’s monstrous contracts would’ve made it nearly impossible to retain Rashard Lewis. There’d've been no way around it.
Who, moreover, would the Supersonics have included in such trade — along with the draft rights of Kevin Durant, of course — to match Garnett’s salary? No matter Kevin McHale’s idiocy as a front office executive, it’s doubtful that he’d want to absorb Chris Wilcox, Luke Ridnour, Earl Watson, Damien Wilkins, Mouhamed Sene, and Johan Petro’s contracts to make the deal work under the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement.
It was an implausible idea. so don’t act like it was a possibility.
November 20th, 2007 at 12:14 am
I’m not sure if I would take Boston over Detroit or Orlando in a seven-game series. I wouldn’t be so certain about San Antonio either; they will have to avoid a playoff series with Dallas as the Mavs are 8-4 (could be 8-3 if Jason Terry had not been suspended for one of those games) against the Spurs in their last twelve encounters, including the postseason.
November 20th, 2007 at 12:17 am
“Here’s another reality check for everyone busy climbing on the Celtics bandwagon:”
What’s more worrisome to me is that they’re playing those three guys a TON of minutes. Sure they’re 9-1 but all three KG, Pierce and Allen are playing 38 minutes a game or more.
Those three have a lot of tread on the tires, I thought by adding Posey and having T Allen healthy enough to be on the court that they might be able to cut back at least Pierce and Allen’s minutes by about 5-7 more than they’ve been resting them.
One of those three goes down and that teams gets pretty mediocre pretty quickly.
November 20th, 2007 at 12:34 am
courtsense Says:
“Excluding the 2 rookies for a moment, here’s what the Sonics apparently have right now… Help!”
Terrific post. I have been bitter since these move to “rebuild” the team took place, fearing we’d be set back for much longer than one or two years of rebuilding. Hardly seems possible but I actually overestimated the veteran talent they brought in via the Allen trade to have some semblence of a team in the mean time (I predicted 25 wins). The center position has killed this teams chances for a few years now, and they likely were counting on Swift and Thomas to at least do an adequate job there and it just isn’t in the cards so far.
On the positive side they have played well in most of the loses, and I don’t count the last game of an eastern road trip as very meaningful. But they need to show some semblance of competing once they get home. In preseason many said just play the young players since we won’t win anyway, but it messes with everyones minds to lose so much and not be competetive.
November 20th, 2007 at 12:39 am
As far as riding the Boston bandwagon, count me on. Of course they are thin and injuries can easily knock them out of contention.
But when in NBA history has a team gone from 2nd worst to contending for a title! Teams spend years clawing their way up, and Boston had a loooong way to go if they hadn’t done these deals. It may not work out, but I give them huge credit for trying. And these are not Marbury like stars they brought in, all three are great players, great team members and off court guys, and they are still very much in their primes. If they can swing some kind of deal to bring one more solid guy who can play minutes it will really help them.
November 20th, 2007 at 1:08 am
Wow, AK, where do you come up with all these cutting edge insights regarding the draft class of 2008??? Couldn’t possibly be nbadraft.net, could it? You remind me of the Michael Bolton clone from the bar scene in Good Will Hunting - great at regurgitating the opinions of others, but incapable of forming your own conclusions. Also, your bombastic writing style is not impressing anyone and quite frankly makes me want to physically harm you.
November 20th, 2007 at 2:30 am
“Wow, AK, where do you come up with all these cutting edge insights regarding the draft class of 2008??? Couldn’t possibly be nbadraft.net, could it? You remind me of the Michael Bolton clone from the bar scene in Good Will Hunting - great at regurgitating the opinions of others, but incapable of forming your own conclusions. Also, your bombastic writing style is not impressing anyone and quite frankly makes me want to physically harm you. {Sam K}
Along with checking out websites such as http://NBADraft.net, http://www.DraftExpress.com, and http://scouthoops.scout.com/, I watch numerous YouTube clips — as well as occasionally check out some college games that are aired on television — when coming up with my overall analysis of players.
I, for whatever it’s worth, have several disagreements with the contributors at NBADraft.net — such as how Chase Budinger has Grant Hill listed as his closest comparison, while I’ve constantly stated that the Layne Staley look-a-like is a hybrid of Brent Barry and Dan Majerle — so there’s that.
Hell, I just compared Roy Hibbert to the likes of Erick Dampier and Brendan Haywood; yet, NBADraft.net has the relatively athletic, albeit offensively challenged Joel Przybilla oddly listed as Hibbert’s closest comparison. I, without a doubt, don’t get where its writers came up with that bizarre conclusion.
I also despise how the folks at NBADraft.net and DraftExpress overrate foreigners. The fact that those websites have Congolese native Serge Ibaka — who’s another raw, untested player without any domestic experience — compared to Shawn Kemp and Tyrus Thomas, respectively, is proof of that absurdity.
At any rate, however, there’s no need for you to patronize me like a hot-headed blowhard. Still, I can understand how watching this abortion of a team play like utter shit could make an ustable person displace their anger and want to inact violence upon somone. It doesn’t surprise me one goddamn bit.
In all honesty, though, it’s hilariously hypocritical of you to judge me for using written assessments to help form my opinions about basketball players — as you’re the one who just recollected a famous scene from an Oscar-winning film to express your disdain for my style, which indicates a lack of originality — thus, everyone here ought to pardon me for not taking this personal attack too seriously.
Anyway, let’s just calm down, take it easy, and relax a notch.
November 20th, 2007 at 9:41 am
“As a player who’s stylistically similar to Tracy McGrady, we now know for sure that Kevin Durant will never be a legitimate franchise player.”
Congratulations, in true Animal House style your new poster name is ….Ass Klown.
November 20th, 2007 at 9:48 am
I mean seriously, dude. You are an ass klown when you make statements like that.
because one player’s style is “similar” to another guy, that means that he’ll never be a franchise player? That’s logic for you. Hey Kobe Bryant was once stylistically similar to T-Mac in his first couple of years … is he now not a franchise player?
Do you smoke copious amounts of weed before you post, or do you just not care about coming off like the most retarded blowhard on the P-I boards?
Check out the article on firejoemorgan.com about Phil Rogers; no question Rogers is a complete dipsh!t but frighteningly there’s not a whole lot of difference between his logic and yours there.
http://www.firejoemorgan.com/
November 20th, 2007 at 10:36 am
“because one player’s style is “similar” to another guy, that means that he’ll never be a franchise player? That’s logic for you. Hey Kobe Bryant was once stylistically similar to T-Mac in his first couple of years … is he now not a franchise player?
Check out the article on firejoemorgan.com about Phil Rogers; no question Rogers is a complete dipsh!t but frighteningly there’s not a whole lot of difference between his logic and yours there.” {Steve}
Unlike myself, Phil Rogers is a motherfucking idiot. As it is, expected fielding independent pitching (i.e., xFIP), strikeouts per 9 innings (i.e., K/9), strikeout to base on ball ratio (i.e., K/BB), and percentage of balls hit into play induced as grounders (i.e., GB%) are the most important statistics regarding the evaluation of a baseball pitcher’s value.
I comprehend the reasoning behind your correlation, though.
Anyway, Kobe Bryant was never stylistically similar to Tracy McGrady. As it was, Bryant and McGrady’s outputs as 18-year-old rookies — which occurred during the 1996-1997 and 1997-1998 seasons, respectively — did mirror each other. Yet, to the best of my knowledge, their comparable production in that regard was mostly based on their lack of collegiate playing experience entering the NBA and limited minutes as rookies.
Stylistically, Bryant has always possessed insane athleticism, played tenacious defense, and scored in an efficient manner like his idol, Michael Jordan, but it just took him a couple years to garner enough playing time to come into his own. McGrady, on the other hand, gave me the vibe of a young and healthy Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway. During their respective primes, McGrady and Hardaway were excellent playmakers, versatile scorers, and respectable defensive players.
Of course, that’s just my observaion.
November 20th, 2007 at 10:40 am
courtsense says:
“Here’s another reality check for everyone busy climbing on the Celtics bandwagon:
Garnett, Pierce and Allen have played in a combined 121 playoff games in their careers. Wow - pretty impressive, huh?
Oh wait - Tony Parker has played in 100 all by himself! Ginobli in 90, and Duncan in 138! That’s 328 games between the 3! “
Gee. I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact all 3 play on the same friggin’ team. Surrounded by role players that would be main players on a lot of other teams. Nah, that couldn’t be it.
November 20th, 2007 at 10:47 am
“As a player who’s stylistically similar to Tracy McGrady, we now know for sure that Kevin Durant will never be a legitimate franchise player.”
I’ve got to agree with Steve on this one. Strange logic AK.
November 20th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Atlanta is at the front of the line for the rights to trade for Wilkins. Childress or Josh Smith could be the centerpiece of a blockbuster deal involving Wilcox, Watson, Wilkins and fillers.
November 20th, 2007 at 11:30 am
AK has been blastin Durant since the draft lottery.
AK is short for A Killjoy.
November 20th, 2007 at 11:48 am
“AK is short for A Killjoy.” {phenom}
Okay, that made me laugh.
Anyway, here’s a logical trade proposal involving the Atlanta Hawks and the Seattle Supersonics
FROM ATLANTA & TO SEATTLE
SF Josh Childress ($3,631,450)
PG Tyronn Lue ($3,500,000)
C Lorenzen Wright ($3,250,000)
PG Anthony Johnson ($2,860,000)
FROM SEATTLE & TO ATLANTA
PG Earl Watson ($5,800,000)
SF Damien Wilkins ($2,900,000)
C Mouhamed Sene ($2,105,520)
PF Johan Petro ($1,077,120)
http://realgm.com/src_checktrade.php?tradeid=4297482
Not only is Josh Childress the perfect type of player who’d mask Kevin Durant’s deficiencies, but Tyronn Lue, Lorenzen Wright, and Anthony Johnson’s expiring contracts would be an added bonus.
November 20th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
hoopster said:
“Gee. I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact all 3 play on the same friggin’ team. Surrounded by role players that would be main players on a lot of other teams. Nah, that couldn’t be it.”
Of course- it has everything to do with the fact that they’re all on the same team - that’s the point! Experience counts in the playoffs, and Boston’s record today will mean nothing if and when they face a team like the Spurs - especially given the individual matchups I mentioned before.
By the way, I’m not sure which players or teams you were referring to, but I doubt guys like Brent Barry, Bruce Bowen, Michael Finley, and Francisco Elson would qualify as main players on any other teams.
November 20th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
Gee. I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact all 3 play on the same friggin’ team.
Yeah, that one was rich. I sure hope KG, RA & PP can figure out how to play with each other before the playoffs. LOL.
November 20th, 2007 at 7:10 pm
Dick Tate Says:
“Yeah, that one was rich. I sure hope KG, RA & PP can figure out how to play with each other before the playoffs. LOL.”
So you liked that one? Great! Here’s another rich one: it has nothing to do with Boston’s trio “figuring out how to play with each other before the playoffs” - Dick - it has to do with the relative levels of playoff and/or Finals experience.
Hoopster’s “rebuttal” made my point for me - which is that the Celtics’ record on Nov. 20th means nothing if/when they meet the Spurs in the Finals, because it just so happens that at least 2 of the 3 Boston superstars historically don’t fare well against their San Antonio counterparts, and the Celtics as a team have about 1/5th of the cumulative playoff experience of the Spurs.
Isn’t this stuff just obvious? Apparently not - probably because the Spurs are “boring” and the Celtics are the new Flavor of the Week.
November 20th, 2007 at 7:21 pm
because it just so happens that at least 2 of the 3 Boston superstars historically don’t fare well against their San Antonio counterparts
Get real. Historically, those three players were the lone threat the Spurs had to shut down. If Bowen and Duncan have their hands full with Allen and Garnett, who shuts down Pierce?
I really hope they meet up in the finals. I can’t wait to see how my flavor of the week does against my favorite team from the last ten years.
November 20th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Dick Tate said:
“If Bowen and Duncan have their hands full with Allen and Garnett, who shuts down Pierce?”
Hmmm…good point there - I’m not sure Ginobli and Finley would be enough to overcome Paul Pierce all by himself. And God knows Tony Parker would have his hands full with Rondo, while Elson would be far too busy dealing with Kendrick Perkins.
Sorry, Dick - I’m just being a smartass. I too hope they meet up in the Finals - it would be great theater if nothing else. Just knowing Ray had to go through Bowen to get a ring would be priceless.