3/28/08 Box Score: Sonics 93 Bobcats 96
Posted on Friday, March 28th, 2008 at 11:42 pm by Big Chris
Congratulations Seattle Supersonics! You played hard, almost won, yet preserved our precious lottery balls.
Kevin Durant led the Sonics in scoring with 18 points. Earl Watson had 16 points, and the key turnover down the stretch to ensure the Sonics loss. Way to preserve that record Earl! Nick Collison added 12 points and 10 rebounds to the loosing effort. Nick was the only Sonic starter with a positive +/- for the game.
(27-45)
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(17-56)
| Charlotte | |||||||||||||||
| Starters | Min | FG | 3Pt | FT | +/- | Off | Reb | Ast | TO | Stl | BS | BA | PF | Pts | |
| G | 43:27 | 7-20 | 6-10 | 7-8 | +8 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 27 | |
| R. Felton | G | 35:38 | 8-15 | 2-4 | 5-6 | +5 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 23 |
| E. Okafor | C | 33:54 | 8-12 | 0-0 | 3-5 | +8 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 19 |
| G. Wallace | F | 45:53 | 4-12 | 1-3 | 2-2 | +7 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| J. Dudley | F | 37:50 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 1-2 | +13 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Bench | Min | FG | 3Pt | FT | +/- | Off | Reb | Ast | TO | Stl | BS | BA | PF | Pts | |
| M. Carroll | 13:12 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | -4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | |
| N. Mohammed | 12:50 | 3-6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | -16 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| E. Boykins | 12:22 | 1-5 | 1-2 | 0-0 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| R. Hollins | 4:53 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| D. Anderson | DNP - Coach’s Decision | ||||||||||||||
| J. Davidson | DNP - Coach’s Decision | ||||||||||||||
| O. Harrington | DNP - Coach’s Decision | ||||||||||||||
| Totals | 34-78 | 10-19 | 18-23 | 6 | 33 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 16 | 96 | |||
| Percentages: | .436 | .526 | .783 | Team Rebounds: 13 |
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| Seattle | |||||||||||||||
| Starters | Min | FG | 3Pt | FT | +/- | Off | Reb | Ast | TO | Stl | BS | BA | PF | Pts | |
| K. Durant | G | 39:37 | 6-17 | 0-4 | 6-6 | -14 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
| E. Watson | G | 27:55 | 8-14 | 0-2 | 0-0 | -18 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 |
| J. Petro | C | 19:42 | 4-8 | 0-0 | 0-0 | -14 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 |
| N. Collison | F | 36:18 | 5-10 | 0-0 | 2-2 | +4 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 12 |
| J. Green | F | 29:16 | 3-9 | 0-0 | 2-2 | -11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Bench | Min | FG | 3Pt | FT | +/- | Off | Reb | Ast | TO | Stl | BS | BA | PF | Pts | |
| D. Wilkins | 31:04 | 4-10 | 1-3 | 1-2 | +11 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | |
| D. Marshall | 26:47 | 3-7 | 2-4 | 2-3 | +10 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | |
| L. Ridnour | 20:15 | 3-4 | 1-2 | 0-1 | +13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | |
| F. Elson | 9:05 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | +4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| E. Gill | DNP - Coach’s Decision | ||||||||||||||
| A. Griffin | DNP - Coach’s Decision | ||||||||||||||
| M. Sene | DNP - Coach’s Decision | ||||||||||||||
| Totals | 38-82 | 4-15 | 13-16 | 6 | 39 | 17 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 21 | 93 | |||
| Percentages: | .463 | .267 | .812 | Team Rebounds: 11 |
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| Game Info | |
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Technical Fouls: None |
Arena: Key Arena, Seattle, WA
Attendance: 13,592 |
Legend
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March 29th, 2008 at 12:02 am
Until the draft lottery balls are selected out in the open public will it be questioned for the lack of integrity continuing to surround the process among consipiracy theorists. I remember how some of the Grizzlies felt betrayed and bamboozled because the whole NBA draft lottery is supposed to be random, but nobody other then Stern and his boys get to witness the event from behind the curtain…why can’t the selection of the picks for the top ballers in the world be held in public view?
March 29th, 2008 at 12:14 am
Other than the wrong starting lineup and a few sloppy turnovers, the Sonics played inspired basketball.
March 29th, 2008 at 12:19 am
D. Marshall has always reminded me of a saner version of Rasheed Wallace. I like his energy and ability to rebound, block shots and shoot the ball.
March 29th, 2008 at 12:24 am
Odd, I always thought Marshall was a better Jerome Kersey.
March 29th, 2008 at 12:50 am
Only the Heat have a worse record than the Sonics….in other news, Greg Oden was discovered to be playing in pick-up games without Mcmillan’s permission….no damage was done.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:18 am
Like most games, we lost again because of poor pg play at the end. I’d rather have Jeff Green as my 6′9″ pg down the stretch making the passes. There was a reason Nate left Earl off the roster come playoff time.
March 29th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Why isn’t Mo Sene getting any PT? Does PJ hate the kid? He played real solid the d-league defensively… Offense still real raw, but what do we have to lose?
Side note that is Durant’s worst Fg% in over a month…. Everyone is gonna have their bad games. I didn’t watch the game… was it Bobcats defense, bad shot selection, or just a bad game for Durant?
March 29th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Speaking of lottery balls and PG play, did you guys catch Derrick Rose’s line from last night?
27 points on 10/16 shooting. 5 assists. in 26 minutes!? That’s a solid performance.
Also, I wonder where Stephen Curry’s performance in the Dance is going to get him drafted. That kid can straight up play. Before the tournament, I think most people had him going in the second round if he came out this year. I wonder where he goes now? Could he be a target for the Supes with the Suns pick?
That would be one young and talented team. Run a lineup of
PG - Rose
SG - Curry
SF - Durrant
PF - Green/Collison
C - ?
That would be fun to watch
-=cysco
March 29th, 2008 at 8:57 am
I also thought Sene was supposed to get some run. What happened. Why play Marshall??
March 29th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Several days ago Pj mentioned he wasn’t concerned with getting Sene minutes because he already knew what Sene was capable of doing (he said something similar about Ridnour earlier in the season) based on his play in Idaho. You can take that comment whichever way you’d like.
I suspect players such as Marshall & Petro are being showcased for this summer. Sene will still be here next season, so he isn’t a priority.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Doesn’t Marshall’s contract end this season?
March 29th, 2008 at 10:39 am
It doesn’t really make sense. Petro’s been playing all year and starting for a while. While there is always room for improvement with PT there is not much mystery to what his skill set contains. Not much else to showcase.
As for Sene, he really hasn’t played much against NBA talent. Give him some extended minutes to play and grow.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Marshall has one more season remaining.
Teams do observe the lotto ball draw these days, though it is off camera
I don’t know how well Curry translates to pros but even if it isnt as starter he might fit a 3rd or 4th guard role. Scoring off the bench.
March 29th, 2008 at 11:01 am
You never know. Presti may have had conversations about Petro near the trading deadline but was told, “Hey, we’re interested in Petro but need to see him log starters minutes over a decent period of time before we commit a package that involves him. Do that and we’ll talk again this summer.”
March 29th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Presti should package whatever to get the Sonics another top lottery selection…. Mayo, Durant, Green, Beasley and whomever else would get Seattle and the NBA generating a lot of revenue.
March 29th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
As an extremely undersized shooting guard, Stephen Curry is not worthy of being drafted by an NBA ballclub. After Curry graduates from Davidson in two years, his professional career will be either in the NBDL or overseas. As it is, some of y’all need to better appreciate the difference between a college superstar and a NBA caliber player.
Look, Mouhamed Sene doesn’t play regularly ’cause he can’t perform at this level. On both offense and defense, Sene has practically zero court sense — which is ’cause he’s got the basketball IQ of a 12-year-old kid playing in middle school — thus, it’s mighty difficult for the team to run offensive sets and play position defense with him running around like a headless chicken.
Donyell Marshall is under contract through next season. As an overweight, over-the-hill scrub, Marshall is just fodder for a poorly constructed team such as the Seattle SuperSonics. I’m not sure if it was Scott or Steve who first noticed the similarites; yet, either way, Marshall brings back memories of a washed-up Vin Baker — which includes everything from their slothfulness to the jersey #42 — so that’s brought about some flashbacks.
Anyhow, Kevin Durant had a substandard field-goal shooting percentage last night — which was partly due to his chucking of four missed shots from beyond the arc — furthermore, he played hideous defense against Jason Richardson. Despite Durant’s fluidity, he’s remarkably unathletic and sluggish for a player of his tall, lanky stature.
Durant, moreover, is seemingly allergic to involving his teammates on offense — which was a huge problem for him last season in college, as he single-handedly imploded the Texas Longhorns with his selfishness on the court — plus, his propensity to commit stupid ball-handling turnovers can kill the offensive flow at any moment.
Jeff Green isn’t a point guard and, unfortunately, there are still idiotic morons who possess an unhealthy disdain toward Earl Watson. I’m sick and tired of citing statistics that indicate how Watson is an above-average playmaker and distributor of the rock, since people are either too dumb to grasp that fact or just don’t give a rip.
Dang, it’s hard to like anyone who’s associated with this dysfunctional, f-ed up franchise.
March 29th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Presti should package whatever to get the Sonics another top lottery selection…. Mayo, Durant, Green, Beasley and whomever else would get Seattle and the NBA generating a lot of revenue.
Problem is we don’t have much to offer in terms of talent on the roster unless you talk about giving up Green/Durant or if somebody feels like Wilcox will be a star in this league…
Mayo and Beasley together would be something to watch with their supposed attitudes.
March 29th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Sonics got too many first round picks over the next few years not to trade up in this draft.
March 29th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
“Sonics got too many first round picks over the next few years not to trade up in this draft.” {phenom}
It doesn’t work that way.
A package including a 2008 first-round draft pick (via the Phoenix Suns), a 2009 first-round draft pick (via the San Antonio Spurs), and a 2010 first-round draft pick (via the Phoenix Suns) wouldn’t have enough value to obtain a lottery pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
“Problem is we don’t have much to offer in terms of talent on the roster unless you talk about giving up Green/Durant or if somebody feels like Wilcox will be a star in this league…” {Ajw}
Uh, Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox lack that trade value.
Sam Presti obviously overpaid for Green, while Wilcox was once straight-up dealt for Vladimir Radmanovic. It’s time to stop overvaluing the Seattle SuperSonics’ assets, as there’s a reason that this team is complete and utter excrement.
March 29th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Ya, all of those late first round picks are really going to entice some team to give up the chance of drafting Beasley or Mayo. Sure thing.
March 29th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Trading the Phoenix pick and Wilcox or Collison is an easy swap for another top pick. Petro and Watson might interest teams, but the Sonics should be able to get Mayo or Rose plus Kevin Love or Lopez.
March 29th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
“Ya, all of those late first round picks are really going to entice some team to give up the chance of drafting Beasley or Mayo. Sure thing.” {Dick Tate}
Let’s let the guy live in a dreamworld of unicorns, dragons, and mermaids, since becoming aware of reality could crush his spirit.
March 29th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
If I was forced to edit my own material, then I’d've gone with screwed-up instead of “f-ed,” crap instead of “rip,” and garbage instead of “excrement.” “Dang,” which is a useless word that’s devoid of any emotion, would’ve been altogether scrapped by me.
At any rate, though, this rendition of the Seattle Supersonics is almost dead and buried to me. For all I care, Clay Bennett, Sam Presti, P.J. Carlesimo, and Kevin Durant can jump on a chartered flight to Oklahoma City and never return here.
I’d honestly like a two-year hiatus from the Seattle Supersonics, with an expansion team on the horizon for the 2010-2011 season. It’s one way to wash this vile taste out of my mouth. It’d also put some of you braindead homers in your rightful place, too.
March 29th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
I’m shifting topic here a bit - from “On-Court” hoops stuff to the ongoing “SOS” discussion:
Paul said on another post yesterday that Maybe Sonic fans need to try and genrate some messaging to NBA owners - expressing our desire that we want 7 need their support. I agree 100% with the sentiment of this.
I believe now is the time for as many sonic fans as possible to generate respectful, thoughtful & numerous messages to NBA owners.
Sadly - I don’t think writing David Stern is worth the time - he is simply to arrogant, selfish and dishonest to listen to anyone.
I think the PR dynamic in this situation is a very important one - and Sonic fans have a great position. The national media is already behind us in a strong way. The average NBA fan across the country supports us. Given this - I think the more noise we can make to influence NBA owners the better.
The good news is - the internet & blogging has quickly changed the communication potential in our society dramatically.
I think it would be wise to as many of us as possible to do 2 things:
1. Go onto other teams NBA bloggs and ask fans there to contact their own team’s owner & request they vote “NO” on Clay’s move proposal. If possible provide that team owners mail or e-mail address to help them. Owners should pay attention to their own paying customers
2. Contact these owners directly as Sonic fans who simply want to ask for thier support in this as they head towards the April BOG meeting.
I know many would say it won’t do any good - But I feel like we are down to the last 2 minutes of a close game and we ought to do everything we can. I think this is a worthy goal and direction in the next 2-3 weeks.
March 29th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Also…
If we could divide up the 30 or so NBA teams with 1-2 of us each taking 1-2 teams that might make sense for focus?
I’m open to ideas for organizing this or maybe everyone just does what they want to do?
If there is not support for this idea then forget it - but we do have 2-3 weeks to try and make some noise across the country.
It might even make sense to really push hard on Paul Allen to come out in support of us - If anyone should - He should given the obvious connections. Hitting Aronson of Miami & cuban with extra efforts maight make sense too given their influence.
I think contacting the main NBA wirters in each city that has an NBA team and asking for them to write a piece on this in early/mid April would be wise also.
“If the NBA can Screw Seattle after 41 Years they can screw anyone.”
This really is not just a Seattle/OKC issue - this is a league issue with big-time implications for everyone.
March 29th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Stephen Curry is only a sophmore. Not an NBA prospect at this current time.
6′3″ 185 and not a PG. Davidson isn’t exactly in a powerhouse conference.
March 29th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Yahoo.com has the ten best selling and worst selling jerseys list
Bennet and Stern lead the list of worst selling.
March 29th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
“Yahoo.com has the ten best selling and worst selling jerseys list
Bennet and Stern lead the list of worst selling.” {montanasupesfan}
That article was a lame, weak attempt at satire.
Also, you failed to realize that Chris Quinn — who recently drew the ire of Shaquille O’Neal, as that blowhard unfairly bitched out his former teammates — topped the list.
Yeah, I’m not in a good mood.
March 29th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Leave it up to AK to spew. Wow bro, congrats. KD has made big head way, especially this last month, and of course you stay quiet until you get one tiny shot….and last night wasn’t even a good shot. Funny thing, of the major contributors in their rookie campaigns Durant is superior at the PER….funny that you like to cling to that stat when it is only convenient. I personally hate it and think that it means nothing, but nonetheless it has steadily increased for him over the course of the season.
March 29th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
I gave a couple of Sene positive individual stats trying to be upbeat and encourage at least trying him. But on the flipside I see team defense actually is a couple points worse with Sene on court vs off this season as it was last season- in contrast to the main hope for possibly putting him on the floor. But again reverting to optimism for the heck of it I see that where offense screeched to a halt in brief time last season (down -14 pts a game) with him on the court it actually improved a couple of pts in the very brief run this season. Small sample so it is all shaky but maybe some progress. I had hoped he’d get 500 minutes this season and there is no acceptable reason for not having gotten it except if they truly felt he wasn’t ready and would be given the wrong signal by receiving it. I hope he gets 500 minutes next season. Are they going to give his 4th yr option? Come on, decide something- try to use, trade or move his contract to ending.
March 29th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Durant’s PER has moved up because of March and is 4th best among rookies. He will get rookie of the year but a few votes will go to others.
Green PER is 24th as it has been all season but I’ll cut some slack for now. Hopefully he will have a top 10 PER for the group as sophmores or 3rd year men. If he does then Presti should get a good deal of criticism for the pick and Green will catch some more too. It is rare that an under PER 12 starts unless they are strong on defense or it is a fake inversion so the coach can bring the true starter quality guy off the bench for a lift. Will he ever be the 5th best performing player from this class? He certainly could as it is a pretty weak class. But he has a ways to go.
March 29th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
“Funny thing, of the major contributors in their rookie campaigns Durant is superior at the PER….funny that you like to cling to that stat when it is only convenient.” {Joshu@}
Although Player Efficiency Rating is an all-around statistical assessment of someone’s offensive production, it’s not at all a defensive metric. I doubt that you were aware of that fact, for otherwise you’d've noted that my recent commentary has been mostly geared toward Durant’s hideous defense.
Anyhow, Myk is the guy around here who unconditionally loves PER. I, however, just think that it’s an okay measurement. Personally, my favorite statistic is definitely Net Points Per 100 Possessions. Durant, for whatever it’s worth to you, is still abysmal in that category.
March 29th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
should have been … If he “doesn’t” then… in above
So far Green is very similar to Wilkins at defending SFs. Some ability but overall below average 1 on 1 and team defensive performance while there.
But he gets more time to dial it in.
March 29th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Green is still evolving. Over last 10 games he is team’s best 3 pt shooter. Chance or real improvement?
March 29th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Almost 1 in 3 of all players are under 10 PER like Green but only Bruce Bowen has played more despite that and only 14 total have played half or more of that amount of time. So roughly half the teams in the league refuse or just don’t have to play a player below that efficiency level even half as much. Very very few rookies get this much opportunity to learn. Learn from it Jeff. Presti and PJ have been very very generous. Show return on that investment next season.
March 29th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
“Green is still evolving. Over last 10 games he is team’s best 3 pt shooter. Chance or real improvement?
Green’s game isn’t about shooting the 3 at all. He has never been known for his 3 point shooting so I highly doubt that he all of a sudden develops it as a weapon in the NBA. But who knows…..Big Smooth wasn’t a 3 pt shooter for most of his career either.
March 29th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Curry may be a sophomore and from Davidson, but look at the performances he put up against top schools: 40pts against Gonzaga, 30 against G’town, 33 against Wisconsin, and last year he put up 30 against Maryland. He was second in the nation in scoring last year behind someone we know well: KD.
Although Curry is undersized, his bbal IQ is fantastic and he pics apart team defenses. Look at his scoring between first and second halfs of these games.
I have no doubt that someone will take a flyer on him in the late first/ early second round. Nate Robinson isn’t too large of a guard and he was taken 21. So it is no way a stretch of the imagination that he will be selected.
March 29th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
AK1984 Says:
At any rate, though, this rendition of the Seattle Supersonics is almost dead and buried to me. For all I care, Clay Bennett, Sam Presti, P.J. Carlesimo, and Kevin Durant can jump on a chartered flight to Oklahoma City and never return here.
I’d honestly like a two-year hiatus from the Seattle Supersonics, with an expansion team on the horizon for the 2010-2011 season. It’s one way to wash this vile taste out of my mouth.
I have to say i’ve been having similar thoughts lately as well. Dang.
March 29th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
I like Durant. I like Green. I like Nick.
We are where we are and no amount of whining or stat-cherry picking to make a point is going to change a thing.
Whine all you want, AK, you sound like a petulant child. Your solution to everything is blow up the roster every few weeks.
You (rightly so) complain about a lack of stable rotations or starting line ups, but based on your frequent roster suggestions (and idolization of Bob Whitsitt), you’d change entire rosters more than most folks wash towels.
Quit being part of the problem and start being part of the solution.
Sorry for the personal attack, but man, enough is enough.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Ditto
March 29th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Anyhow, Kevin Durant had a substandard field-goal shooting percentage last night — which was partly due to his chucking of four missed shots from beyond the arc — furthermore, he played hideous defense against Jason Richardson. Despite Durant’s fluidity, he’s remarkably unathletic and sluggish for a player of his tall, lanky stature.
- Ahhh, AK sits and doesnt say anything for four weeks and then the first game he is back at it again. If this doesn’t prove how pointless his ramblines are then I don’t know what does…the funny thing is that he thinks he is pretty smart, so you think he would realize how stupid he sounds.
Keep cherry picking stats…it does nothing but help your case.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
“I like Durant. I like Green. I like Nick.” {jjdjvjej}
I like Kevin Durant, but not to the same extent as others. Prior to the 2007 NBA Draft — as well as before the Seattle SuperSonics’ surprise showing during that year’s lottery selection — I tabbed Durant as the next Tracy McGrady. As of this moment, my mind hasn’t changed on that assessment.
I, by the way, like Nick Collison. Along with Scott and a few others long-time regulars, I supported Collison during the whole “Chris Wilcox has tremendous potential” idiocy that was spewed forth by several folks. In all likelihood, Collison would be an outstanding 7th/8th man on a championship contender.
“You (rightly so) complain about a lack of stable rotations or starting line ups, but based on your frequent roster suggestions (and idolization of Bob Whitsitt), you’d change entire rosters more than most folks wash towels.” {jjdjvjej}
Despite the admittedly amusing “Trader” Bob Whitsitt jab, I disagree with your assumption that I’d change entire rosters all the time.
In the NBA, a ballclub almost always has to construct its roster around a legitimate superstar to win a title. From that point forward, it’s a matter of obtaining role players who’ll play well alongside the franchise cornerstone.
As it is, I don’t envision Durant as a leader or a winner.
“Quit being part of the problem and start being part of the solution.” {jjdjvjej}
None of us can truly be a part of the solution, as we’re not in a position to make an actual difference.
“Sorry for the personal attack, but man, enough is enough.” {jjdjvjej}
It doesn’t bother me, so no worries there.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Anyhow, Myk is the guy around here who unconditionally loves PER. I, however, just think that it’s an okay measurement. Personally, my favorite statistic is definitely Net Points Per 100 Possessions. Durant, for whatever it’s worth to you, is still abysmal in that category.
- BTW, does that fact that Ridnour and Wilcox lead the team in that stat mean you are their bigget fans?? The power of numbers…
March 29th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
“Keep cherry picking stats…it does nothing but help your case.” {Myk}
Look, Kevin Durant sucks on defense.
eFG% Allowed: 51.5%
Net eFG% Allowed: +4.6%
Assisted FG% Allowed: 61%
Net Assisted FG% Allowed: +2%
Points Allowed Per 100 Possessions: 113.3
Net Points Allowed Per 100 Possessions: +8.4
That, without a doubt, is an irrefutable fact.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
AK - no hassle here, i was merely pointing out that bennett and stern are getting much more recognition by outside media.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
“- BTW, does that fact that Ridnour and Wilcox lead the team in that stat mean you are their bigget fans?? The power of numbers…” {Myk}
I’ve complimented Chris Wilcox for his improved back-to-the-basket skills on offense, even though he’s still lax on defense for long stretches of time.
Wally Szczerbiak, Kurt Thomas, and Mickael Gelabale are all more productive than Luke Ridnour — who’s seemingly done most of his damage versus reserves, while getting destroyed against starting caliber point guards — with regards to Net Points Per 100 Possessions.
All things considered, it takes a mixture of several stats mixed with visual scouting to determine someone’s worth on the court.
March 29th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
“AK - no hassle here, i was merely pointing out that bennett and stern are getting much more recognition by outside media.” {montanasupesfan}
That’s a good point.
I’m sorry for being an asshole.
March 29th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
“I tabbed Durant as the next Tracy McGrady. As of this moment, my mind hasn’t changed on that assessment.”
Whats wrong with that?
March 29th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
“I have no doubt that someone will take a flyer on him in the late first/ early second round. Nate Robinson isn’t too large of a guard and he was taken 21. So it is no way a stretch of the imagination that he will be selected.”
Nate Robinson is also an athletic freak. Stephen Curry is not. Not knocking the kid…..but at his size he isn’t a great NBA prospect.
March 29th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
I’ll assume Green will get to PER15 eventually with decent defense. Whether he gets to PER 17+ and / or above average defense I am wait n see.
Maybe no more than 5 guys get much past PER 15 from this draft, if so then Green might not be much of a regret in league terms though he still has to prove a fit and help win here. But if more than 5 get past PER 17 and / or above defense and Green doesn’t that will indicate a non-optimal pick and the more of them, the more it would be fair to criticize Presti’s choice.
The evaluation will extend from PER to fit, wins, and future salary for salary / productivity ratio too. Maybe Green will prove a good or very good player and maybe he could go higher on the good or very good value scale in longterm. He might not be the kind of player other teams break the bank to try to take away. Durant probably will go near max contract and maybe Presti wants to go big 3 at least (like Spurs) instead of 2 star. A hoped for lower re-signing cost for Green could help make that happen and still leave room for a support group within whatever budget. Time will tell.
Sonics right now are
Watson-Durant=Green-Wilcox-Collison
despuite the fact that team stats are no where near like Spurs may it isnt completely foreign to the Spurs design of
Parker-Ginobili-Bowen-Duncan-Oberto?
March 29th, 2008 at 9:15 pm
Measuring Durant by net points per 100 possessions at team level is a readily available, reasonable part of an evaluation of him as long as it is kept in mind that his is only 20% of the players responsible for the “on” the court portion for the Sonics part of the equation and has nothing to do with the quality or lack of quality of the bench who play when he is “off”. 90% of the forces on that rating are from other people.
At the 1 on 1 level Durant is nearly even at SG if you adjust for number of shots taken. If he is the #1 guy that will have to increase to a 5-10 pt raw advantage and a sizeable true advantage.
On adjusted +/- he is currently showing at near -9, one of the worst on team, ahead of only Wilkins among main rotation.
http://tinyurl.com/ysd975
On adjusted +/- Wilcox is the player with the biggest positive impact. Not necessarily all coming from him but people playing off him as well. Collison 2nd best and the PGs showing alright here.
But adjusted +/- is far from a sufficient or last word.
It is a complicated puzzle.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
The troubling thing with Green is his sub-par defense, which seemed to be the rationale behind taking him with the fifth pick. The effective field goal percentage for the opposing small forward when he’s presumably defending the small forward (a task that he has taken during the second half of the season) is over fifty-two percent. That’s an outrageously high effective field goal percentage considering that small forward is the weakest of the non-center positions in the Western Conference offensively.
It’s tough to see Green as anything more than an average role player at this point. His play this year seems to suggest that he will more likely be a decent eighth man on a winning team (or the fourth best player on a losing team), rather than one of the three best players on a winning team.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
If Presti had a chance to do the Ray Allen trade over again, perhaps a more prudent strategy would have been to ask for Rajon Rondo to have been included in the package, instead of the #5 pick. Rondo is on the same career track, if not further ahead, in terms of progression as Devin Harris was in his first two years in the league.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
The Celtics story in Sports Illustrated’s NBA preview (sorry, no link) indicated that Presti originally asked for Rondo rather than West, but was turned down. Celtic GM Danny Ainge was quoted as saying “I was never going to do that.”
March 29th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
In this case Durant’s net points per 100 team possession is consistent with his pure adjusted +/- but it is not necessarily always the case.
There is a even better impact measure called overall +/- and I might post more about where Durant and others stand on it in near future but it will take a little more work.
Green’s upside might be as high as 3rd or 4th best guy on a winning team. How big the winning dependent on Durant and the #2 and possibly #3 from future drafts. That is the hope.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
What if Presti offerred Ray Allen for Wally, West, and Rondo (or substitute some other player for Delonte West, such as Tony Allen)? Considering the absurd amount of hype that this draft class received, wouldn’t the Celtics have been interested in keeping the #5 pick and taking the alternative package instead?
Green has pretty much played only the SF position in the second half of the season; does Presti see SF as his long-term position? If so, two other SFs from this year’s draft (Thornton and Young) have already out-performed him this season and even appear to have more potential as well.
March 29th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Wally has been a complete bust for Cleveland thus far in case anyone was wondering. He couldn’t even toss a pebble into the ocean at this point. The reason why Wally may have performed so well here is that he was never under any pressure to succeed given that this team was never expected to come close to competing for a playoff spot this season. However, once he’s placed in an pressure-ridden atmosphere, Wally has shown he cannot handle it.
March 29th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Alex Chan Says:
What if Presti offerred Ray Allen for Wally, West, and Rondo (or substitute some other player for Delonte West, such as Tony Allen)? Considering the absurd amount of hype that this draft class received, wouldn’t the Celtics have been interested in keeping the #5 pick and taking the alternative package instead?
Not likely. The Timberwolves wanted Rondo in the Garnett trade and were turned down as well. Ainge was set on Rondo being the point. Looks like he knew what he was doing.
Green has pretty much played only the SF position in the second half of the season; does Presti see SF as his long-term position?
I don’t know about Presti, but PJ just said about a week ago that he likes Green at SF and plans to start him there next year as well.
March 29th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
The best analytic summary rating for impact I can produce right now is “overall +/-” considering a weighted combination of personal performance (80%) and pure adjusted +/- reading (20%). I won’t threw out all the numbers but the summary is that Wilcox and Collison show slight positive impact, the PGs are also near neutral but the starting wings and rest of bench are all much weaker than what an average .500 team has.
When you put Durant’s personal performance data together with his pure adjusted team +/- it only looks half as bad as what net points per 100 possessions or pure adjusted +/- shows but it is still negative at this time. Hopefully next year he will be contributing toward a positive team results as the best of the others do.
Sonics need better stars and / or better depth.
And better coaching of course.
March 29th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
“Not likely. The Timberwolves wanted Rondo in the Garnett trade and were turned down as well. Ainge was set on Rondo being the point. Looks like he knew what he was doing.”
Perhaps. If Presti offered to take on Brian Scalabrine’s contract (Scalabrine, Rondo, and Wally for Allen), then perhaps Ainge may have been persuaded.
March 30th, 2008 at 1:56 am
“Although Player Efficiency Rating is an all-around statistical assessment of someone’s offensive production, it’s not at all a defensive metric. I doubt that you were aware of that fact, for otherwise you’d’ve noted that my recent commentary has been mostly geared toward Durant’s hideous defense.”
Really?! then when you called him a chucker and referenced his offensive contributions…you were talking about his defense right? Or how about him being “allergic” to involving teammates in the OFFENSIVE workings of the game? No, no, wait……your are so right, you werent talking about offense at all. Mostly geared toward defense nothing bro. IF you were MOSTLY talking about Durant’s D, you would have been on here every night after every game instead of waiting for him to have a bad offensive night. Weak sauce. Nuff said.
Oh, and I believe it was you who, when I commented about Amare being a prime example of why the PER is crap, stating that even though he puts up 39 points his interior defense is no good and thus it being an accurate model of measuring ones output. Care to bring anything else to the forefront mi amigo? Honestly, for someone who rips on KD all the time….you are as big a chucker with troll-like, rancid remarks like KD is from the 3. I guess the only difference between the two is KD puts nearly 20 a night and you…well….we have yet to see. Late.
March 30th, 2008 at 2:10 am
If I was coach..
a. Cut Watson’s minutes.
b. Don’t let Wilkins shoot more than 6 shots.
c. Collison more minutes/touches.
d. Let Ridnour run the show/shoot more.
e. Green gets 15+ shots and more touches in general.(great passing skills.)
f. Durant 15+ shots.
g. Bench Donyell Marchall.
h. Elison benched forever if he takes another shot more than
five feet from the basket.
March 30th, 2008 at 2:40 am
The troubling thing with Green is his sub-par defense, which seemed to be the rationale behind taking him with the fifth pick. The effective field goal percentage for the opposing small forward when he’s presumably defending the small forward (a task that he has taken during the second half of the season) is over fifty-two percent. That’s an outrageously high effective field goal percentage considering that small forward is the weakest of the non-center positions in the Western Conference offensively.
- I dont really have an opinion on Green’s Defense either way at thsi point (same with Durant, btw). However, I would point that 82games positonal breakdown isn’t really a very good way to judge stats cause it is said that it is purely based on height. However, I look now and see that Durant has been listed at PG and SF but never PF…which seems unlikely. Overally, it is very diffcult for them to have an objective measure to positional data.
Doesn’t mean Green’s defense doesn’t suck. Just means that there are probably better numbers out there.
March 30th, 2008 at 2:42 am
Look, Kevin Durant sucks on defense.
eFG% Allowed: 51.5%
Net eFG% Allowed: +4.6%
Assisted FG% Allowed: 61%
Net Assisted FG% Allowed: +2%
Points Allowed Per 100 Possessions: 113.3
Net Points Allowed Per 100 Possessions: +8.4
That, without a doubt, is an irrefutable fact.
- At this time he has a defenisve rating of 110. Kobe Bryant a couple of years ago had a defensive rating of 111. Perhaps we should let the 19 year old kid be in the league for a few years before we decide how good of a defensive player he is…perhaps he’ll grow to be a better defensive player just like he’ll grow to learn to take better shots…
But then what random facet of his game will you pick to bitch about then??
March 30th, 2008 at 2:45 am
Wally Szczerbiak, Kurt Thomas, and Mickael Gelabale are all more productive than Luke Ridnour — who’s seemingly done most of his damage versus reserves, while getting destroyed against starting caliber point guards — with regards to Net Points Per 100 Possessions.
- Look it’s the Big Dipper defense. “My stats are good…until they prove something I don’t want them too…then well there are always other excuses”
“I tabbed Durant as the next Tracy McGrady. As of this moment, my mind hasn’t changed on that assessment.”
Whats wrong with that?
- You mean that player that has been an All-NBA player a couple times. Ya…who would want that??
Really?! then when you called him a chucker and referenced his offensive contributions…you were talking about his defense right? Or how about him being “allergic” to involving teammates in the OFFENSIVE workings of the game? No, no, wait……your are so right, you werent talking about offense at all. Mostly geared toward defense nothing bro. IF you were MOSTLY talking about Durant’s D, you would have been on here every night after every game instead of waiting for him to have a bad offensive night. Weak sauce. Nuff said.
- exactly…
March 30th, 2008 at 2:46 am
Perhaps. If Presti offered to take on Brian Scalabrine’s contract (Scalabrine, Rondo, and Wally for Allen), then perhaps Ainge may have been persuaded
- The biggest thing you wuold have to figure out is how much is Rondo’s performance a factor of having three all-star level players on his team. I think that both Earl and Luke would look 100xs better on Boston right now then they do here in Seattle, which leads me to believe that we’d be just as unhappy with Rondo here as our other PGs.
March 30th, 2008 at 7:56 am
That’s true if the players you set up can’t make the shots then you look bad as a pg. Earls turnover at the end of the last game was puzzling though.
March 30th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Team defense is the product of 5 players and their coach/system and the opposition but it will be a major test for Durant and Green. Currently in bottom 25 in league for rotation regulars while on court. Worse when together. Rookies, but will have to change drastically to get anything done.
That season Kobe had a team defense of 111 (04-05) the Lakers won 34 games. Things can change, things have to change from that.
Team defense is on Presti and PJ more than Durant, they have to give him better teammates (a 7 foot defender, better ball pressure, a true wing stopper) and systems but it is still on Durant & Green a fair amount if they are the foundaton players.
March 30th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Derrick Rose is abusing Texas right now. No one on the court can match his athleticism and strength.
March 30th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Yeah, Rose is probably the most athletic point guard I’ve seen at the college level. I think I would take him over Beasley in the draft at this point.
March 30th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
what a great springsteen concert last night .
go sonics
March 30th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
As good as DJ Augustin has looked, D Rose is showing why he’s the top PG in the draft.
March 30th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
This game shows the difference between a great college PG (Augustin) and a great NBA PG (Rose). Rose, Durant, Green, Collison is a foundation I would love to root for.
March 30th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
JJ said: “If we could divide up the 30 or so NBA teams with 1-2 of us each taking 1-2 teams that might make sense for focus?”
JJ, we’ve done this a bit (trying to get support on team blogs), and met with very limited success. Blazer fans are really supportive. But you will find that the blog Admins for most major sites are really geeky and knowledgeable, but tend to have very narrow-minded opinions in favor of their teams that influence and drive their views. It’s really easy to get into a situation where a negative poster or admin will totally shoot down your polite, well thought out idea on their blog.
I agree about contacting the NBA owners. Not sure if SOS is in agreement on that point just yet. But we are running out of time IMO.
March 30th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Folks,
Just wanted to share this song I put together on the Supersonics situation, in case you didn’t see it posted on the message boards:
http://www.myspace.com/macrounit
Song is called “Fortyone” and should start play automatically when you visit the above myspace address.
Let me know what you think about it!
Cheers,
Speed
March 30th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
The Sonics disarray / cliques that D Marshall mentioned are believable to me on the outside and that Presti & PJ allowed it to stay that way is further suggestion of a weak effort at winning this season. Whoever is in the core next year and beyond better start acting they own & operate the place, working together to win and getting the rest in line with that.
KD probably couldnt do that this year but he will have to be at least 1/2 or 1/3 of that leadership in the future.
March 30th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I found this forbes rating of financial situations in NBA markets:
http://tiny.cc/fe4cw
Very interesting. Very depressing stuff regarding Seattle (even in comparison to New Orleans and Memphis).
I guess I have a bunch of questions when I look at this stuff:
1) Forbes measures both total revenue and “Gate Reciepts”. “Gate Receipts” seems to account for about one-third of any team’s total revenues. On the other hand the correlation between gate reciepts and the remaining total revenue is remarkably high. The teams with lousey gate reciepts have to worst revenue from other sources (and vice versa). Seattle, by the way, is at the bottom in both.
1a) What are the other sources of revenue that aren’t gate receipts?
1b) Why are these other sources of revenue so closely tied to gate reciepts?
1c) Would a new staduim with luxury boxes and more seats improve the other sources of revenue?
March 30th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
More about the Forbes data.
If one focuses on the revenue side — Seattle looks like a very, very bad market. On the other hand, if one focuses on the profits/earnings . . . Seattle doesn’t do too bad (but a team like Memphis is awful).
This doesn’t make sense to me. I would guess that in Memphis where they have been stuggling to draw fans for a long time, they would have low profits because of low revenues. But this does not seem to be the case. It seems that from the Forbes data, Memphis has much better earnings than Seattle, but they lose a lot more money and it does not seem to be due to differences in players salaries.
Why would this be? Again, it does not make sense to me.
March 30th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Final question about the Forbes financial data . . .
Is this stuff credible?
March 30th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
What are the other sources of revenue that aren’t gate receipts?
National tv, merchandising, local media, naming rights, corporate sponsorships
1b) Why are these other sources of revenue so closely tied to gate reciepts?
Both tend to correlate with winning and/ or market size (which tends to lead to big modern arenas) but also market relationship (well-regarded energetic local ownership helps)
March 30th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
D_G I’d say the Forbes is fairly credible on most things but not certain to be accurate of everything (franchise value are probably off / too low on low ranked teams) or a complete presentation (after taxes / depreciation)
March 30th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Heisley said Memphis gets chickenfeed local tv money. Probably one of very lowest. That was his main reason for advocating greater revenue sharing.
March 30th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
1c) Would a new staduim with luxury boxes and more seats improve the other sources of revenue?
On naming rights- yes. And probably with corporate sponsorships and perhaps some with merchandising. Impact on local tv would be indirect. New arena , maybe more attention buzz but it still takes winning to sustain and monetize it
March 30th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
On forbes data.
In the 06-07 season.
Seattle ranked 3rd-to-last in current value.(…)
Seattle ranked LAST in revenue.(Good lord..)
ouch…
This data sheet is the reason Supersonics are leaving..
March 30th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
BTW
Look at Cleveland
7th in Franchise value
5th in Revenue
Lebron James ladies and gentleman
March 30th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Sam K Says:
This game shows the difference between a great college PG (Augustin) and a great NBA PG (Rose).
No doubt. DJ throws up a bunch of floaters and off balance, shy away from contact shots that remind me too much of Ridnour. No thanks.
March 30th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Messed up the italics.
March 30th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Stephen Curry’s mom is hot!
March 30th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
“The biggest thing you wuold have to figure out is how much is Rondo’s performance a factor of having three all-star level players on his team.”
I think that is a really good point. Rondo was far from stellar as a rookie with worse players around him. I do think he has improved, but he was a big question mark coming into this year. Its easy to say we should have asked for/wanted Rondo in heinsight. But we don’t have Garnett/Pierce/Allen……..on the Sonics Rondo could very well be on a Ridnour/Watson level.
Honestly…….I would think he would average more than 5 assists a game with the players he has around him.
March 30th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
my point exactly.
March 30th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
They also said Allen Iverson was too small of a guard.
Stephen Curry will be drafted because he has serious game!
March 30th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Winning helps revenue and franchise value. It did with Sonics in 90s. Both could at least move upward to more respectable with winning again.
Superstars help with these as well obviously. Especially ones who win, ones with enough defense from and around them to win.
March 30th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
“They also said Allen Iverson was too small of a guard.”
Spud Webb……Nate Robinson…..etc etc etc. Stephen Curry isn’t that kind of athletic freak. Big difference in scouts eyes. You can make up for a lack of height with athleticism. Curry doesn’t have that. He’s good…..love watching him…..he just isn’t a good NBA prospect.
March 30th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
As I’ve said before….I’m rooting for Curry. I really like watching him play. Great college player. His tourney run reminds me of Randolph Childress from 10 years ago. I think Childress was done after his rookie deal expired.
Not buying into any hype that Curry is an NBA prospect at this point. He is too small and isn’t a PG. He isn’t athletic enough to be a 6′3″ NBA off guard.
March 30th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Speedcat…. On trying to get NBA fans in other cities to contact their owners & giving voice to support Seattle & vote “NO” on Clay’s move request:
You suggest this has not worked very well in the past. You may be right - Maybe the best we can do is send out own comments to NBA owners. Maybe we could get a bit more supprot as we near the deadline????
I don’t know - but I agree with you that we are running out of time & doing something may be better than nothing.
Some other posters yesterday were suggesting this & I just offered my support. Let’s see if SOS gives us any guidance next week.
March 30th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Why are we supposed to ignore Love’s relative lack of athletic ability…poor basketball body…and a slight lack of height because he has such basketball IQ…and yet the same cant be said about Stephen Curry? That guy is just flat out a player…
March 30th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
The Sonics disarray / cliques that D Marshall mentioned are believable to me on the outside and that Presti & PJ allowed it to stay that way is further suggestion of a weak effort at winning this season. Whoever is in the core next year and beyond better start acting they own & operate the place, working together to win and getting the rest in line with that.
KD probably couldnt do that this year but he will have to be at least 1/2 or 1/3 of that leadership in the future
- I completely agree…say what you want about how Donyell Marshall is a poor player and all that. However, at this point and reading his blog I would not be surprised that his presence is what has helped Durant become a more consistent offensive player. Before Marshall came here Durant was too willing to defer to everyone else or float outside on the perimeter…I think that was in direct response to no one on the team taking the time to talk to him.
March 30th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Stephen Curry sort of reminds me of Salim Stoudemire.
March 30th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I don’t think Love will be good in the L either. He’ll be a bulkier Nick Collison. Not a bad thing at all……but not something you want to use a lottery pick on.
March 30th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Speaking of Stephen Curry…..where is Bo Kimble these days?
March 30th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
did you guys see this quote from Ray Allen about his concern about the team being sold to Clay?
http://tinyurl.com/2kswgt
March 30th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Stephen Curry = Eddie House. Nice guy to have as your 2nd or 3rd guy off the bench to stretch the D and occasionally score in bunches. I’d roll the dice on him if he was available with the Suns’ pick.
Kevin Love = Nick Collison. Never a star but could make the rotation of any NBA team. As close as anyone will come to a “sure thing” in the late lottery.
March 30th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Sounds like Ray’s more optimistic about Seattle getting another team if the Sonics leave than I am.
Unless some private group is willing to build an arena it’s not going to happen. No private group will make that kind of investment on a vague promise.
March 30th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
http://tinyurl.com/2e8jvl
Spencer Hawes speaks out to support saving the Sonics.
March 30th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Hey Dick Tate,
I fixed the tinyurl problem, you should not go into moderation every time you post a tinyurl now. Let me know if you do.
cheers
Speed
March 30th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Thanks Speedy. Thanks for the Ray link too.
March 30th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
“IF you were MOSTLY talking about Durant’s D, you would have been on here every night after every game instead of waiting for him to have a bad offensive night. Weak sauce. Nuff said.
Oh, and I believe it was you who, when I commented about Amare being a prime example of why the PER is crap, stating that even though he puts up 39 points his interior defense is no good and thus it being an accurate model of measuring ones output.” {Joshu@}
I laid off of Kevin Durant lately ’cause he quit chucking shots from beyond the arc, which is obviously out of his shooting range. Durant’s second-rate defense is still an issue, though, so it’s up for discussion when evaluating his progress. My objective is to bring balance around here, as too many people excessively swoon over Durant — along with unjustifably detest Earl Watson — which essentially makes me the devil’s advocate.
Actually, I’ve taken shots at both Shaquille O’Neal and Amare Stoudemire for sucking at interior defense — as they can’t defend even the most basic pick-’n'-roll — thus, you’ve got me mistaken on that one. Currently, I’m surprised that the Phoenix Suns have managed to come together and gel as a team. I still don’t expect the Suns to fare well in the playoffs, however, but that’s just my prediction.
Hell, as it is, my respect regarding underrated interior players has always been toward Pau Gasol — who undeservedly received some hate around here when I suggested that Sam Presti should attempt to trade for him — since he’s a better all-around player than defensively inept guys like Stoudemire, Al Jefferson, and Carlos Boozer.
“Stephen Curry’s mom is hot!” {Menace}
We can all agree there.
March 30th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Stephen Curry doesn’t seem to be quite as speedy as Eddie House or Salim Stoudamire, so they probably aren’t the most apt comparisons for him. Also, I was too young to intently watch Bo Kimble play during his college or professional career; that makes it tough for me to draw similarities between the two of them.
Now, after checking out the following video on YouTube, Shawn Respert appears to closely resemble Curry.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=yYdmBKhfGsw
Respert didn’t pan out in the NBA and, for all intents and purposes, was an out-’n'-out bust. Regarding Curry, it’ll be in his best interest to stay at Davidson for two more years; afterward, he can plan for a lengthy professional basketball career overseas.
March 30th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
2 things instantly come to mind on those 2 articles:
1: seattle will never get another team, no matter what, stern cant be trusted.
2: its just the beginning of teams moving, its gonna happen to other teams all over the league.
thanks for posting the links.
March 30th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
I’d rather use the Sun’s pick on a guy like Brandon Rush. A guy that can do a little bit of everything and has that traditional SG height.
March 30th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
“When your organization is getting snatched from underneath your feet as a fan, that’s a tough thing to deal with,” Hawes said. “I’m going to ask my dad, If they stay, what is he going to do with the season tickets? Are you getting rid of those? It’s hard to support a team where there’s no future for them.”
For Hawes, the situation could only be more personal if he was wearing a Sonics jersey. He can claim the next best thing, though, as he is the best of friends with Sonics rookie Kevin Durant, the resident face of the franchise.
“I know he likes the city, (and) he likes being there,” Hawes said. “But at the same time, he realizes that business is business and sometimes that’s how it goes.”
I read quotes like this and it just makes me wonder why fans would want to see the team stay here as a lame duck for two seasons. What’s the entertainment value?
March 30th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
It’s going to be very hard to continue to “prove” that Seattle is a viable city in terms of fan support and the resultant revenue generated, if the Sonics end up in lame duck mode for 2 years running. People just aren’t going to show up. Esp. considering the product they have been putting on the floor. Who knows, maybe we’ll be in lottery mode for another 2 years, and then with Presti’s picks the OKC SuperShiesters (aka StolenSonics) will be a real contender.
The first thing that comes to mind is a widely and regularly publicized boycott, however such a stunt could just as easily be used against us for the same reason as above. But then again, Stern doesn’t need real stats to make his case, he just makes them up as he goes along. So if he is the one making the decisions, then we are up a creek no matter what. Luckily there are 30 team owners and other factors in play over the fate of the Seattle SuperSonics.
On a happier note, the things we have in our favor right now are:
1) City of Seattle playing very tough and very interested in both keeping the team and getting the Key and Center remodeled
2) Widespread support of NBA fans everywhere against the proposed move of the team
3) Slade Gorton. Talk about the right guy for this job.
4) At least 2 lawsuits that will not be friendly to the NBA or Clay’s group
5) Ballmer and crew (this one should have been #1) - big money of that caliber gets noticed and will be hard to ignore
6) $225mil of a $300mil arena proposal already pledged prior to the NBA relocation vote.
7) The fact that we and others have managed to keep this issue in the public eye on a regular basis for the last couple of months. We need to keep the pressure on in this regard.
Here’s looking for a good game tonight, despite all the angst we are living with.
March 30th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
I guess the entertainment value is denying Clay/OKC entertainment value while he is pumping out $$$.
For part of me, screwing CB and DS means just as much to me as getting a team.
March 30th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Speedcat… Nice cummary of some of the current positives.
I would also say that I hope the Seattle leaders will really promote this whole deal within our city/region/state as part of a needed “Re-Make” of the whole seattle center area & that the KEY is used for MANY different events & groups. I had some freinds tell me this morning they enjoyed a great Bruce Springstein concert at the KEY last night.
A new key is good for the whole region
But a new key will need a consistent & premier tenant like the Sonics to be viable and to have the revenues to maintain it as a first class facility.
ballmers group makes this possible & I wish the crazy politicians outside Seattle could see the wisdom of this and find the extra 75 million.
Just venting & rambling. But this really is a bigger issue than just the Sonics.
March 31st, 2008 at 8:25 am
Kevin Love = Nick Collison. Never a star but could make the rotation of any NBA team. As close as anyone will come to a “sure thing” in the late lottery.
- Fat guys who look like they are 40 when running down the court are not always a “sure thing”…seriously, don’t people watch this guy as he huffs and puffs up and down the court. It is downright painful.
March 31st, 2008 at 10:33 am
Myk’s boy Brockman gets no love…….so he can’t give Love any either. Typical Husky mentality.
March 31st, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Myk’s boy Brockman gets no love…….so he can’t give Love any either. Typical Husky mentality.
- Not at all…I just don’t see them as much different. Love is a better shooter and slightly taller. Don’t see how those two skills makes him a lotto pick and Brockman not draftable. I think they are both 2nd round pick performing players. Brockman might just be too short to play. However, I don’t see how Brockman being a Reggie Evans’esque player would be out of the question.
March 31st, 2008 at 12:47 pm
And trust me…as a Husky I’m one of the least homers that I know…most of my friends ended up going to WSU so I really don’t care much about the rivaly. I’ve always felt that the Cougars felt it was much more important for a rivaly to exist than Huskies did. Most UW alum could care less about WSU Cougars