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66 Responses to “3/2/08 Box Score: Sonics 111 Wolves 108”

1. Ed Whitson Says:
   March 2nd, 2008 at 8:58 pm

   Yeah — Sonics win!

   Oops, sorry. I know I’m supposed to be negative.

   Boo — Sonics win. It’s a conspiracy.

2. Mr. Baker Says:
   March 2nd, 2008 at 9:46 pm

   I would rather have the players getting better than to see them win or lose. I do not see much progress outside of the rookies, Petro, and Gelly.
   Collison is more reliable game to game.
   Wilcox has been on the floor when the other team’s pf has an above average performance. He gives up more than he gets too often.

3. SeaSonics Says:
   March 3rd, 2008 at 1:40 am

   One of the questions on sports nation was ” which one of these young stars has the brightest future in the NBA”

   Kevin Durant
   Dwight Howard
   Chris Paul
   Brandon Roy
   Deron Williams

   Thought it was interesting that in OKC Chris Paul got 63 compared to Durant at 8%.

   Shouldn’t they be more excited and have a little more faith in KD?

4. Lester Says:
   March 3rd, 2008 at 1:57 am

   Just did a little research on Earl: Since a three-game stretch in early January when he shot 4 for 22, he has, in the twenty-one games since, shot 49% from the field (45% on 3s) and has averaged 10.6 pts and 7.8 assists a game.

5. AK1984 Says:
   March 3rd, 2008 at 4:18 am

   “One of the questions on sports nation was ”which one of these young stars has the brightest future in the NBA”

   Kevin Durant
   Dwight Howard
   Chris Paul
   Brandon Roy
   Deron Williams

   Thought it was interesting that in OKC Chris Paul got 63 compared to Durant at 8%.

   Shouldn’t they be more excited and have a little more faith in KD?” {SeaSonics}

   Here’s my ranking of those players.

   1. Dwight Howard
   2. Chris Paul
   3. Deron Williams
   4. Kevin Durant
   5. Brandon Roy

   I don’t care whether someone lives in Seattle, New Orleans, or Oklahoma City, for any objective person would easily rank Chris Paul ahead of Kevin Durant on a list about who’s got the brightest future in the NBA.

   Hell, Paul is just plain better than Durant.

6. AK1984 Says:
   March 3rd, 2008 at 4:33 am

   “Just did a little research on Earl: Since a three-game stretch in early January when he shot 4 for 22, he has, in the twenty-one games since, shot 49% from the field (45% on 3s) and has averaged 10.6 pts and 7.8 assists a game.” {Lester}

   SEASON STATS

   Earl Watson (43.6% FG%; 47.9% eFG%; 50.4% TS%)
   Luke Ridnour (39.6% FG%; 42.1% eFG%; 47.4% TS%)

   For some reason, though, Luke Ridnour still has a devoted group of delusional supporters. That’s their problem, though.

7. montanasupesfan Says:
   March 3rd, 2008 at 7:23 am

   This is KD’s rookie season. The order might look a lot different in a year or two. Dwight Howard is still who i would build around though. Here’s a song from the TNT:
   http://www.ryanparkersongs.com/2008/03/save-sonics-2000-miles.html

8. Big_Worm Says:
   March 3rd, 2008 at 8:54 am

   can one of you stat guys figure out what the team shooting percentage is when luke is on the floor vs. when earl is on the floor?

9. Vinny Says:
   March 3rd, 2008 at 9:26 am

   Then compare that to opposing teams shooting percentage for the same situations..

10. Balloholic Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 9:27 am

    “can one of you stat guys figure out what the team shooting percentage is when luke is on the floor vs. when earl is on the floor?”

    Team EF FG% w/ Luke on the floor is 46.0%, it is 46.5% when he’s not playing.

11. Balloholic Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 9:27 am

    Those stats are from 82games

12. Big_Worm Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 9:41 am

    Weird… according to the stats, Earl is better than Luke on offense, but Luke is better than Earl on defense, which of course is the opposite of what we would expect… which probably means either our perceptions are entirely wrong, or the stats are too strongly tied to who they’re playing with/against to be easily evaluated.

    Watson

    EFG% 47.2% On
    EFG% 45.5% Off

    EFGa% 49.6 On
    EFGa% 48.5 Off

    Ridnour

    EFG% 46.0% On
    EFG% 46.5 Off

    EFGa% 48.0% On
    EFGa% 49.5% Off

13. montanasupesfan Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 10:03 am

    I think that’s it, who we’re playing and at what point in the game.
    Earl has toughend up a lot lately but it’s still “luke vs Earl”. It pains me to see what Jefferson can do compared to Swifts career.
    Off topic but at christmas we had major postings from Beantown- anyone figure out who he is and where he’s gone?

14. Lester Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 10:05 am

    That odd FG% stat about Ridnour and Watson was true for last year, as well. No concrete explanation for that. Ridnour has spent more time playing against the backup, so is that it? The Sonics play more zone D when Ridnour is in the game, so that it? Earl double teams more often and has greater range in doubling than Ridnour, and likely leaves shooters open more often, so is that it? Because Ridnour’s D is so weak, do the Sonics put more effort in to help D? And because Earl’s jumper can be weak, do the Sonics put more effort in to help him on O? Very curious stuff.

15. jrn Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 10:17 am

    its a more up and down game when Luke plays.. so they get easier baskets and they give them up as easily… and when Earl plays its more of a grind it up halfcourt game and more methodical. At least that is how it appears..

16. Steve Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 10:49 am

    “Here’s my ranking of those players.

    1. Dwight Howard
    2. Chris Paul
    3. Deron Williams
    4. Kevin Durant
    5. Brandon Roy”

    I’d put Durant over Williams mostly because I think Williams is a system guy, but otherwise I totally agree with your sentiments.

17. Myk Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 11:31 am

    I don’t care whether someone lives in Seattle, New Orleans, or Oklahoma City, for any objective person would easily rank Chris Paul ahead of Kevin Durant on a list about who’s got the brightest future in the NBA.

    Hell, Paul is just plain better than Durant.

    - Paul and Dwight Howard are two of the top five players in the game right now. Of course it is a bit ironic that LeBron James somehow doesn’t get to be on the young players list anymore…

18. Myk Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 11:35 am

    SEASON STATS

    Earl Watson (43.6% FG%; 47.9% eFG%; 50.4% TS%)
    Luke Ridnour (39.6% FG%; 42.1% eFG%; 47.4% TS%)

    For some reason, though, Luke Ridnour still has a devoted group of delusional supporters. That’s their problem, though.
    

    CAREER STATS:

    Earl Watson (41.4% FG%; 47.0% eFG%; 49.8% TS%)
    Luke Ridnour (41.6% FG%; 45.1% eFG%; 50.2% TS%)

    For some reason, though, Earl Watson still has a devoted group of delusional supporters. That’s their problem, though.

    AK cherry picking stats…its AMAZING! Both guys suck

19. Myk Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 11:38 am

    Earl double teams more often and has greater range in doubling than Ridnour, and likely leaves shooters open more often, so is that it? Because Ridnour’s D is so weak, do the Sonics put more effort in to help D? And because Earl’s jumper can be weak, do the Sonics put more effort in to help him on O? Very curious stuff.

    - Maybe it is true that it is easier to play defense against second string players and so all these years when we’ve heard that Earl was a good defensive player it wasn’t really the case. You could also make the argument (which I don’t necessarily agree with) that its easier to be good offensively when you start because you are going into the first and second halves warm. Again, not sure I agree with that argument, but its one that “experts” like to talk about.

20. Balloholic Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 12:05 pm

    Well then, I guess an argument could be made out of damn near anything.

21. Balloholic Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 12:12 pm

    Anybody want to share thoughts on Gelly’s last few games? Damien Wilkins Part Deux? I didn’t watch the Miami or Minny games but those stat lines looked pretty sour after what appeared to be somewhat of a coming out party in the previous few games.

22. McCoy Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 12:30 pm

    Re Gelly, please. Everyone has bad shooting nights, so the 1-8 is not a big deal (plus a couple of those misses were when someone passed to him up against the shot clock and a missed goal tending call). As for last night, not sure why PJ pulled him. Stupid to do in my opinion. He needs playing time and to get his points within the flow of the game. BTW, KD had only 7 turnovers last night.

    Gelabale should say adieu to the Sonics next year and play for a real team. He will be very useful and probably a real bargain for a decent team.

23. carlos Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 12:32 pm

    I think gelly is like a rookie considering his total nba experience, so he should be judged as that. What are your expectations for a second round pick in his second year? I think his development must be part of a process and you can’t expect him to be a 15 ppg player so fast. If he has a great game and then a bad one is something reasonable right now, I mean even durant has games like that. And he can’t be compared to Wilkins who has 2 more years of experience and a lot of playing time.

24. courtsense Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 12:41 pm

    Superman is not a Top-5 player in the NBA. Maybe Top 10 at best.

25. Balloholic Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 12:45 pm

    “Re Gelly, please. Everyone has bad shooting nights, so the 1-8 is not a big deal”

    Sure, but Gelly hasn’t exactly created a mold of good shooting games to break. I don’t think we’ve seen all there is to him, but so far, the good shooting nights are still the exceptions.

26. D_G Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 12:48 pm

    Courtsense:

    I think you might have missed one key word in this thread . . . best *YOUNG* player (also the option set was limited . . . as this discussion was drawn from an on-line poll).

27. courtsense Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 1:00 pm

    D_G said:

    “Courtsense: I think you might have missed one key word in this thread . . . best *YOUNG* player (also the option set was limited . . . as this discussion was drawn from an on-line poll).”

    I wasn’t responding to the poll - I was responding to this:

    Myk said:

    “Paul and Dwight Howard are two of the top five players in the game right now.”

    I agree with Myk that Chris Paul is a Top 5 player right now, but Dwight Howard? No way - not while Tim Duncan is still playing.

28. Frozenropers Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 1:15 pm

    I agree with Myk that Chris Paul is a Top 5 player right now, but Dwight Howard? No way - not while Tim Duncan is still playing.

    I think Howard could still be considered top 5 despite someone wanting to rate Duncan higher….

    1a. Lebron James
    1a. KoMe Bryant
    3. Chris Paul
    4. Tim Duncan
    5. Dwight Howard

    I don’t think there is anyone else that I am blatantly missing?

29. montanasupesfan Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 1:30 pm

    I prefer to play more gelly than wilkins right now.

30. Alex Chan Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 1:30 pm

    What about Kevin Garnett? The Celtics are 46-12 after all; I’d probably place him ahead of Howard.

    If we are just talking about sucess this season, then Manu Ginobili would have to be placed in any top-five list, probably even ahead of his teammate Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.

31. Supersonicsfreak Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 1:45 pm

    “What about Kevin Garnett? The Celtics are 46-12 after all; I’d probably place him ahead of Howard.

    If we are just talking about sucess this season, then Manu Ginobili would have to be placed in any top-five list, probably even ahead of his teammate Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.”

    Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, 9.5+ years, and Eastern Conference… All reasons your post is wrong!

32. Steve Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 1:53 pm

    “Young stars” and “top 5 player in the NBA” are two different things.

    Ultimately it will be interesting to see who has the more successful career; Garnett or Howard. Garnett is a guy who has been lauded for his entire career despite virtually never making it out of the first round; this is probably his most successful season to date. Not taking anything away from KG. Just saying that he probably wishes he’d been traded to the Eastern Conference years ago.

33. MC Nuggit Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 2:04 pm

    Gelly doesn’t seem to make mistakes (except for missed shots), and plays really solid D for how skinny he is. His uneven scoring is totally predictable for someone who’s played as few overall minutes as he has. Most important, he seems to make his teammates better and frequently when the Supes are on a run during a game recently he’s on the floor.

    Wilkins can score and play decent D, but is way less clued into spacing, timing, anticipation, flow, and teammate movement IMHO than Gelly.

34. carlos Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 2:16 pm

    I agree, teamwork is the name of the game, and that’s what he brings to the court

35. courtsense Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 2:18 pm

    Garnett has a obvious huge advantage over Howard in that Garnett is a excellent, committed defensive player…something Howard may well become, but as Alex often reminds me, is not close to at this time.

36. courtsense Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 2:19 pm

    That should say “an” obvious advantage…duh.

    By the way, I just had the weirdest Deja Vu.

37. McCoy Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 3:05 pm

    Despite his recent missed shots, Gelabale is currently 3rd on the team in TS%. Given the hit and miss nature of his time on the floor - I would think he is shooting pretty good. Hard to get into a flow with only 10 mintues playing time. And yes, we are talking about a really small sample, but last year he shot better as a rookie - and now he is clearly a much better long range shooter. Durant is getting the star treatment. He really thinks he is better than he is. It is annoying.

    I would guess Gelly is gone at the end of the year - due to the yanking around he has gotten from this team.

38. MC Nuggit Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 3:53 pm

    Yea but the Supes can match any offer for Gelly so it’s not up to him, it’s up to Presti…seems like he fits the mold of a versatile, defensive-minded player that Presti likes but he & Wilkins are redundant.

39. Joshu@ Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 3:55 pm

    “Thought it was interesting that in OKC Chris Paul got 63 compared to Durant at 8%.

    Shouldn’t they be more excited and have a little more faith in KD?”

    Deron William’s name wouldn’t have even been on a Sports Nation poll midway through his rookie season….nuff said. Besides KD’s stat column will go as follows(if they can move him to SF) next year: 25 ppg, 7 rpg, 5 apg.

    Let’s revisit things when that does happen. Because it is going to happen.

40. McCoy Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 4:01 pm

    I though Gelly was unrestricted as a 2nd rounder - either way, the way the Sonics treat him, why would they want to keep him.

41. Menace Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 4:03 pm

    I like how Gelly has been more aggressive since his NBDL stint. With that said I still don’t see him on the team past this year. Not because of his skills either……he just has two many people in front of him. He simply isn’t going to get many minutes here.

    Durant is ahead of him at the 2/3 spot. If Wilkens exercises his option he is ahead of him too. Green probably sees minutes at the 3 before him.

    The only way I see him coming back is if Wilkens opts out……which I highly doubt he does. But who knows…..stranger things have happened.

42. McCoy Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 4:20 pm

    The problem I see is that Gelly should be ahead of Wilkens - the fact that he is not is a joke. According to 82 games (with all the caveats of that data) Gelly guards the SF fine - and they seem to play Wilkens against SF and Gelly against SG;s. He is also better than Green, and currently he is better than Durant. the rotation should be Durant SG, Gelly SG/SF and Green SF. Wilkins shoud not play.

43. Menace Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 5:07 pm

    I would rather have Gelly in there vs Wilkens as well.

    But when it comes down to be a numbers game…..

    Wilkens $3 mm a year.

    Gelly $ 800k

    From Gelly’s perspective I’m not signing up to be the 3rd/4th guy at a position, and I want more money.

44. Lester Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 5:35 pm

    Oh, I would take Chris Paul over Kevin Durant in a second. Chris Paul has already proven what he is: a great player who makes average players (Chandler) into good players and good players (Peja) into great players and great players (West) into demons. I’d take Paul over Durant in a millisecond.

45. Alex Chan Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 5:39 pm

    “Just saying that he probably wishes he’d been traded to the Eastern Conference years ago.”

    Or he may also wish that Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were traded to Minnesota years ago.

    Dwight Howard also needs to work on his passing. There’s no reason at all for why he should only average 1.3 assists per game. He plays alongside the third most consistent shooter in the NBA in Rashard Lewis; Howard should be able to collect assists easily by just kicking it out to Lewis for the three-ball when the defense collapses on him. I don’t believe Howard will achieve Garnett’s passing ability but he should be able to develop the simple, fundamental passing skills possessed by Tim Duncan, who has averaged three assists per game in his career.

46. jjdjejvj Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 5:47 pm

    “CAREER STATS:
    Earl Watson (41.4% FG%; 47.0% eFG%; 49.8% TS%)
    Luke Ridnour (41.6% FG%; 45.1% eFG%; 50.2% TS%)

    For some reason, though, Earl Watson still has a devoted group of delusional supporters. That’s their problem, though.”

    Good call Myk, first thing I thought of too.

    And yes, unfortunately they have not been good.

47. Dick Tate Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 6:22 pm

    Joshu@ Says:
    Besides KD’s stat column will go as follows(if they can move him to SF) next year: 25 ppg, 7 rpg, 5 apg.

    Let’s revisit things when that does happen. Because it is going to happen.

    Sweet!

    Then I bet you’ll have a much stronger interest in discussing stats next season.

48. AK1984 Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 8:01 pm

    Well, Shaquille O’Neal (Net Points Per 100 Possessions: -15.2; Net +/- Production: -17.1; Net eFG%: -1.9%; Net eFG% Allowed: +6.5%) has been a bust thus far with the Phoenix Suns; that’s ’cause he’s not effective in Mike D’Antoni’s run-’n'-gun offense and can’t sufficiently defend the pick-’n'-roll at this point in his career. O’Neal sucks at the foul line, too, which drags down his true shooting percentage.

    Shawn Marion, moreover, was the Suns’ best one-on-one perimeter defender, weakside help defender, and passing lane defender. Despite the fact that Marion has a shaky jumper and has trouble creating his own shot opportunities, he was better than anyone at leaking out on fast breaks and scoring in transition from sharp passes via Steve Nash.

    On 2/5/2008, I explained why President of Basketball Operations Steve Kerr made a dumb, rash decision that ought to eventually cost him his job within the Suns’ organization.

    “Wow, I can’t envision Shaquille O’Neal with the Phoenix Suns. The addition of O’Neal would force wholesale changes in Mike D’Antoni’s offensive scheme, which’d probably not sit well with him. Although O’Neal, Amare Stoudamire, Grant Hill, Raja Bell, and Steve Nash would form a more prototypical lineup that could theoretically compete with the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs, the idea just doesn’t jive with me.

    If the Steve Kerr really wants to move Shawn Marion for an interior presence who’d fit the Suns’ fast-paced, up-tempo system, then offer “The Matrix” to the Sacramento Kings for Brad Miller and John Salmons. Miller and Boris Diaw would split mintues at power forward as high-post facilitators, while Grant Hill and John Salmons would share playing time as versatile small forwards who can shoot, dribble, drive, and pass with the best of them.

    My trade proposal would create this lineup.

    C: Amare Stoudemire
    C: Brian Skinner
    PF: Brad Miller
    PF: Boris Diaw
    SF: Grant Hill
    SF: John Salmons
    SG: Raja Bell
    SG: Leandro Barbosa
    PG: Steve Nash
    PG: Marcus Banks

    There’s a rotation that could win a title.

    Anyway, the Sacramento Kings might make that deal for one very important reason: it’d provide the franchise with a high-profile forward, Shawn Marion, who’d exercise the early termination option within his contract during the upcoming off-season and thereby save the organization millions of dollars. Besides, I’d like to watch Marion and Ron Artest, who are both combustible guys, co-exist with each other for a few months.”

    http://sonicscentral.com/blog/?p=1676

    At this rate, the Suns are likely to be quickly ousted come playoff time. In fact, that team would be lucky to get past its first-round opponent. All things considered, Kerr fucked over the franchise by closing its window and sealing the damn thing shut for a long time.

49. Joshu@ Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 8:05 pm

    Actually I have a strong interest in talking stats now, I just can’t stand how many composite stats people come up with to “elevate” their manner of discussion and perspective. I have talked stats this year too. I think what KD is pulling down now as a rookie is great. But even still as we saw with Amare when we played the Suns, 39 and lik 12 and with a -9 in the +/-. By that standard he gets ripped. It’s just funny to me. And I am pretty sure I am the only one-Supporter and Cynic alike-that is willing to put myself out there with that kind of prediction about KD’s output next. I also find it amusing that KD is the only rookie on that SN poll…..

50. Myk Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 8:18 pm

    Garnett has a obvious huge advantage over Howard in that Garnett is a excellent, committed defensive player…something Howard may well become, but as Alex often reminds me, is not close to at this time.

    - Hmm i’ll take a guy who is 22 and averaging 21.7ppg, 14.6rpg on 61% shooting over Garnett any day…

51. Myk Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 8:37 pm

    I have talked stats this year too. I think what KD is pulling down now as a rookie is great. But even still as we saw with Amare when we played the Suns, 39 and lik 12 and with a -9 in the +/-.

    - Im actually not happy at all with the progress that KD has been making. However, I am willing to believe that he still has an opportunity to improve

52. AK1984 Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 9:14 pm

    “But even still as we saw with Amare when we played the Suns, 39 and lik 12 and with a -9 in the +/-. By that standard he gets ripped.” {Joshu@}

    Amare Stoudemire sucks at interior defense; thus, regardless of scoring a bunch of points and securing some boards, his +/- production will be bad every few nights. The same thing goes for players like Al Jefferson and Carlos Boozer.

    It’s also why Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett are currently better than Dwight Howard, even though Howard — who I still compare to Moses Malone, as he possessed some of the same positive (e.g., dominant rebounder & overpowering low-post scorer) and negative (e.g., lax defense & inability to pass out of double teams) traits — will surpass Duncan and Garnett in due time.

    Kevin Durant, however, is an inefficient offensive player and a shitty defender; therefore, his peripheral statistics (Net Points Per 100 Possessions: -11.9; Net +/- Production: -11.8; Net Team eFG%: -2.7%; Net eFG% Allowed: +5.5%) indicate that he’s an enormous hindrance to the team.

53. The Big Dipper Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 9:54 pm

    AK: I think you are a bit premature in congratulating yourself on the Shaq prediction. It looks like you are right, at this point, but the Suns might turn it around.

    Just like it is premature to judge the Jason Kidd trade at this point. Dallas lost again tonight, and I think they are 4-4 with Kidd, even though Kidd himself is playing way over his head. If Kidd comes back close to his career average shooting %’s, Dallas will be even worse. I predicted from the start that getting Kidd was a huge mistake for Dallas, but I am not ready to proclaim myself correct at this point.

    It’s all about the playoffs for both Dallas and Phoenix. Unless they don’t even make the playoffs, the regular season record after the trades is meaningless.

54. Alex Chan Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 9:59 pm

    Anthony, the returns from the Shaq trade don’t too good at this moment. Though it’s still early, I agree that Kerr should not have traded Marion and Banks for Shaq. However, I think you are giving too much credit; the only way to beat San Antonio is to acquire a multitude of players who can create their own shot; San Antonio’s defense is excellent at stopping ball movement and offensive rebounding and the only way in which Marion can contribute anything offensively is through offensive rebounding and ball movement. He’s pretty much useless against San Antonio. His overrated defensive versatility is even more useless against the Spurs as he is unable to efficiently guard Parker, Ginobili, or Duncan.

    Kerr wasn’t wrong to trade Marion and Banks; he was wrong to believe to trade those two guys for Shaq.

55. Myk Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 10:03 pm

    AK: I think you are a bit premature in congratulating yourself on the Shaq prediction. It looks like you are right, at this point, but the Suns might turn it around.

    - AK believes in the theory of congratulating yourself about everything…by doing that you are bound to be right at least once in awhile…

56. Alex Chan Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 10:26 pm

    Looking at efficiency differential, it would be quite a stretch to argue that Dallas or Phoenix are in danger of missing the playoffs. Both teams have efficiency differentials that are significantly higher than the differentials belonging to the Warriors and Nuggets. Point differential tells the same story.

    The race for the final playoff spot in the West seems to be between the Nuggets and the Warriors. At 39-20, the Rockets would probably only need to go 9-14 the rest of the way to make the playoffs. Even without Yao, they should be able to win nine of their final twenty-three games considering that they are the best defensive team in the Western Conference and Yao’s injury may actually help the defense as well.

57. Alex Chan Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 10:29 pm

    The Sonics are overperforming considering their point differential; they probably shouldn’t have five more wins than the Timberwolves and Heat at this point considering that the Supes have a worst point differential than both of those teams. I suppose this “overperformance” can be attributed to Kevin Durant’s late-game heroics as I recall him hitting a game-winning or game-changing shot on at least four occasions; these shots are why the Sonics are well ahead of the Wolves and Heat.

58. AK1984 Says:
    March 3rd, 2008 at 10:53 pm

    “Kerr wasn’t wrong to trade Marion and Banks; he was wrong to believe to trade those two guys for Shaq.” {Alex Chan}

    I totally agree with you on that point.

    “AK believes in the theory of congratulating yourself about everything…by doing that you are bound to be right at least once in awhile…” {Myk}

    I also admit it whenever I’m wrong about stuff.

    “Even without Yao, they should be able to win nine of their final twenty-three games considering that they are the best defensive team in the Western Conference and Yao’s injury may actually help the defense as well.” {Alex Chan}

    Regarding the Houston Rockets, either Dikembe Mutombo or Chuck Hayes should be in the game at all times for defensive purposes. Rookies Luis Scola and Carl Landry should share mintues at power forward, too, as they’re both efficient on offense. In addition, Daryl Morey should waive Steve Novak — or not re-sign Bobby Jones to another ten-day contract — and, in turn, pick up a pivotman (e.g., Jelani McCoy) to improve the ballclub’s depth at center.

59. Balloholic Says:
    March 4th, 2008 at 12:08 am

    “Deron William’s name wouldn’t have even been on a Sports Nation poll midway through his rookie season….nuff said. Besides KD’s stat column will go as follows(if they can move him to SF) next year: 25 ppg, 7 rpg, 5 apg.

    Let’s revisit things when that does happen. Because it is going to happen.”

    Bitchin’. Don’t forget to call me when that happens coach. Two words. Pool Party.

60. AK1984 Says:
    March 4th, 2008 at 12:33 am

    “Bitchin’. Don’t forget to call me when that happens coach. Two words. Pool Party.” {Balloholic}

    Yeah, there’s almost no way that Kevin Durant averages 5 assists per game at any point during his career—much less next season. Hell, Durant just isn’t that prolific at distributing the basketball to his teammates. Now, even though Durant is stylistically similar to Tracy McGrady, he’s nevertheless statistically similar to Carmelo Anthony. Nearly five full seasons into his career, Anthony has yet to even average four assists per game during an entire season; furthermore, he’s got a career assists-to-turnover ratio that’s below one. I, for whatever it’s worth to y’all, expect practically the same results from Durant.

61. Ajw Says:
    March 4th, 2008 at 10:09 am

    Yeah, there’s almost no way that Kevin Durant averages 5 assists per game at any point during his career—much less next season. Hell, Durant just isn’t that prolific at distributing the basketball to his teammates. Now, even though Durant is stylistically similar to Tracy McGrady, he’s nevertheless statistically similar to Carmelo Anthony. Nearly five full seasons into his career, Anthony has yet to even average four assists per game during an entire season; furthermore, he’s got a career assists-to-turnover ratio that’s below one. I, for whatever it’s worth to y’all, expect practically the same results from Durant.

    I agree that Durant will not average 5 assists next season because I don’t think the team will improve much significantly after just one season of rebuilding. But would it be reasonable to think that as Durant gets better, and the team starts to score efficiently down the road, he might be a high assists guy. Especially when you consider that he’s getting 2.3 assists playing on one of the worst (if not the worst) offensive teams in the league. You add two good three point shooters, a decent low post scorer, and the likeliness that Durant will improve over the years and it might not be out of the realm that he is able to get 5 apg in 5 years.

62. Ajw Says:
    March 4th, 2008 at 10:29 am

    I still think Durant next season will put up similar numbers that Rudy Gay is putting up this year. Remember that Gay’s jumper wasn’t very good his rookie year. This year he improved on that and thus raised his shooting % about five points. Of course if he is still playing the two guard next season could factor into his statistical improvement.

63. Balloholic Says:
    March 4th, 2008 at 11:12 am

    “I still think Durant next season will put up similar numbers that Rudy Gay is putting up this year.”

    Yeah, that seems more realistic. I doubt his FG% will go up as dramatically as Gay’s did, but it’s not a stretch to consider it a possibility. I really hope to see more improvement in Durant’s jumper this season though…some indication that he’s actually being coached.

64. Joshu@ Says:
    March 4th, 2008 at 11:29 am

    I’m sticking by my predictions. But if you all want a pool party, yur gonna have to fly out to Provo, UT. And I don’t know that many of you have the guts to come to the “mormon bubble”, or Happy Valley as we like to call it…hehehhehehehe……

    On a side note…the Provo High School Mens basketball team took state for the 2nd year in a row….and the 17th time in the history of the school 15 of which I believe are under the coach that is there right now. Just a sidenote. Be watching for a few names….Brandon Davies and Kyle Collinsworth. These kids are gonna get some big time offers to play D-1 ball. Collinsworth is a Soph. and Davies a Junior. Kyle’s older bro Chris plays at BYU(unfortunately). Anywho, later.

65. D_G Says:
    March 4th, 2008 at 3:49 pm

    “On a side note…the Provo High School Mens basketball team took state for the 2nd year in a row”

    Is this where you are an assistant coach?

    If so Congrats!!!

66. Joshu@ Says:
    March 4th, 2008 at 4:41 pm

    Nope…they didn’t need any new assistant coaches this year. I might next year though…it all depends.

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