It is so much easier to just not care
Posted on Saturday, October 31st, 2009 at 9:44 am by Brian Robinson
So I got around to watching the dvr recording of the TrailBlazers/Nuggets game.
Damn it is easier not to watch.
I have really, really told myself that the NBA product is tarnished. I’ve told my self that the product is in a rut and that I personally have been burnt out on it.
It is easier to say that when I don’t watch the games.
Sitting back for a while I do realize that Portland has a good sell going. Watching Denver/Portland you cannot help yourself when Martell Webster scores but to say “Look at what our guy just did!” Same with Brandon Roy. Same with Nate McMillan. When Odom does something I can’t help but watch attentively because of all the time I spent comparing him to Kevin Durant.Their team really has a lot going on. Then you have Denver with George Karl…Again the heartstrings get pulled.
I wonder though just how long Portland can keep Travis Outlaw on the roster before realizing he just isn’t that good of a player.
I wonder if there has ever been a guy signed to a max contract who was less impactful than Kenyon Martin. Grant Hill was injured in Orlando. We all know that Vin Baker was a total bust in Seattle. In both those cases the signings may have been negatives, but at least they made an impact. Martin has just been a non-factor for the franchise. Shortly after his arrival the franchise reigns were turned over to Carmello and he has just been one more guy on the roster since then. It is somewhat odd.
Interesting to watch the political debate. I am going to be really happy either way with the KCE race. Dow Constantine is very solid on our issue and whatever happens we have a new mayor and a new county executive. Good times ahead.
God I miss hoops. I have young nephews that I really need something positive to go and do with. Where do I go? What do I do? This season just calls for an indoor sporting event.
October 31st, 2009 at 10:43 am
Vote for Mallahan and Isreal get Licata out of there!!!!
October 31st, 2009 at 12:09 pm
K-Mart is no Vin Baker
October 31st, 2009 at 12:14 pm
http://www.curlingseattle.org/juniors/
October 31st, 2009 at 12:16 pm
The beating K-Mart had taken from Duncan, from the word go, did show just how small he was, no matter how big he played.
October 31st, 2009 at 12:44 pm
K-Mart was injured too. He’s not a bad player…..but in heinsight clearly not a max money type player.
Speaking of max money. The whole you can make more max money the longer you’ve been in the league is pretty dumb. All that does is…
1. Promote jumping to the league as early as possible
2. Promote signing deals that get you to the most max money as soon as possible (D Wade).
3. Handcuffs franchises by forcing them to pay players the most money in a players least productive years.
I think the NFL has done it right with how they deal with salary. The NBA should make it more about signing bonuses and have no guaranteed contracts. That way you don’t end up paying T-Mac $23 mm for half a season and Jermaine O’Neal $22 mm for what will probably be his least productive year in years. You can just cut them.
October 31st, 2009 at 1:02 pm
with regards to getting our hoops fix, i’d like to see some viewing parties of epic sonics games at bars throughout the winter, maybe even with some former sonics showing up. that’d be fun and it might be a cool way to keep the community engaged. i’m sure as hell not going to portland.
i can’t wait to start emailing our new leaders as soon as elections are over.
keep your eyes on the prize this winter about getting the Supes back. but in the mean time, get excited about the HUSKIES defending a pac 10 title.
October 31st, 2009 at 1:13 pm
TD beats down everyone!!!
October 31st, 2009 at 1:42 pm
You can all hate me for this one, but Go Zags (since someone brought up College bball).
October 31st, 2009 at 2:01 pm
I personally love going to huskies hoops games. This year should be really exciting, especially with our backcourt.
About the zags..There was a rumor that UW and Gonzaga were renewing their series. I hope so, those were great games.
October 31st, 2009 at 2:06 pm
RE: Zags - when it comes time for March Madness I can root for any WA state team. Well, any of them except the Cougs.
October 31st, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Im sure Tim Thomas would give KMart a run for his money. Its shocking that there was a person in the NBA who considered giving Thomas so much money was a smart move.
October 31st, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Meant to post this here:
I work at a coffee shop in Brooklyn so Starbucks comes up a lot, always about how it sucks. The other day a man came in and said “know why Starbucks is so burnt? Because that’s how they drink it in the Northwest.” The drip coffee I’ve tried at Starbucks around NYC is burnt and nasty and they call it the Pike’s Place Blend. As if you needed another reason to hate Howard.
Damn I can’t stand that they’re 2-0 and looking as good or better than any Sonics team in the last decade. F You Howard.
October 31st, 2009 at 3:43 pm
What’s going on with the Kings to Seattle rumor
October 31st, 2009 at 3:59 pm
It was pretty easy for me to transition to venting at the politicos for the past year.
There is only so much more of that I can do, the election is next Tuesday. After that I will catch up on a lot of reading.
I do not have much interest in other sports.
My kids have plenty of activities that do not involve the major sports, though my super readers would be super happy to go to a supersonics game in the future.
I like what Lester had to say about going to games with his father. In my situation I am the father, we went to games. I still have the GP and Ray Allen bobbleheads.
VOTE!
October 31st, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Haymaker & Sally = fckn awesome.
Funny I know Violet - I might go see them for halloween tonight.
usually a good party over there. Small freakin world.
Thought the police captn was a great actor. Camp you weren’t so bad yourself as the deputy mayor. Cho had me busting out! “Guantanamo!” priceless.
October 31st, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Simmons mentioned Sonicsgate and gave a link in his NFL column this week.
October 31st, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Lets not get too excited about a 2-0 start for the Zombies. They’ve played the Kings and Detroit.
“There was a rumor that UW and Gonzaga were renewing their series.”
If UW really wanted to renew the series…..they shouldn’t have backed out of it in the first place. UW was trying to get an annual game at the Key only. So the proposal was basically for Gonzaga to play UW in UWs home city every year. Gonzaga said no. Do you blame them?
October 31st, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Yeah Menace, I agree it’s more exciting when rivalries are played at the actual team’s arenas, but Key Arena does have a lot bigger capacity. For that reason only I could see it being better, but I still prefer games on campus. Just like the Apple Cup at Qwest, no thank you!
October 31st, 2009 at 5:30 pm
i havent watch nba since the lakers and boston finals and i have to say that in the begining it was really hard for me because i love the nba and the sonics even tho they were bad. So i started to watch more college basketball in its place and i begining to enjoy it. its not the nba but the passion and the rivarly between to school are amazing
October 31st, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Ray Allen watched Sonicsgate today and tweeted about it!!
“@sugarray20: watched sonicsgate. It’s a shame there is not a team in Seattle”
Also Bill Simmons gave us that long-awaited shout-out!!!
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmonsnflpicks/091031
“COWBOYS (-9.5) over Seahawks
Hate laying this many points with Dallas, but Seattle has passed the Injury Point Of No Return. That reminds me: I am doing a signing in Seattle on Nov. 17. They are mired in the single crappiest sports stretch of any city not named “Detroit.” The Seahawks get crushed by injuries — every season. The Mariners threw money at the wrong guys, made the disastrous Erik Bedard trade and fell apart. The Sonics were stolen from Seattle — literally, STOLEN, and if you don’t believe me, watch this movie — by Clay Bennett and Aubrey McClendon as David Stern watched it happen for reasons that still don’t make sense. I don’t know what’s going on with their college teams, but I’m sure it’s awful.
Things have been so bad, the whole city threw itself behind its MLS team and now fancies itself the soccer capital of the United States. Now, I like soccer. As you know. It’s just hard for me to believe that Seattle — once one of the best professional basketball cities in the country — is now a soccer city and not a basketball city. I find this to be profoundly sad. This is where the ‘79 Sonics played, for God’s sake. Sikma’s perm, Gus and D.J., Lonnie Shelton’s big butt … and on top of losing their franchise, they have to watch Durant evolve into a superstar for another team? That’s just cruel. Anyway, I am excited for my signing there. For one more night, the Sonics jerseys will be in full force. That will be fun.”
October 31st, 2009 at 5:52 pm
I LOVE BILL SIMMONS!!!!
October 31st, 2009 at 6:14 pm
now that i’ve read above, thanks Kevin!
agreed on NFL getting the salary structure right Menace. the NBA PA will never agree to that, but they’re gonna have to give a little bit on the ridiculous shit so we stop seeing Raef Lafrentz’s contract be the talk of the trade deadline. way to many old crippled vets absorbing cash as 11th men these days.
October 31st, 2009 at 7:04 pm
UW was trying to get an annual game at the Key only. So the proposal was basically for Gonzaga to play UW in UWs home city every year. Gonzaga said no. Do you blame them?
- I think with things like the Gonzaga thing and UW scheduling Eastern Washington and Portland St in football you are seeing the Emmert/Woodward effect, where they are starting to act like a big time program from the South. They don’t care about perception and they know full well that the UW/Gonzaga game is much more important to Gonzaga then it is to UW so why give in to demands?
Im not defending this…and Im not sure Im happy with this new attitude…but its pretty obvious what is happening. The UW AD has stopped being nice. As an alum i have little excitement to pay for an Eastern vs UW football game…but it’ll make it easier to get bowl eligible
October 31st, 2009 at 7:13 pm
“They don’t care about perception and they know full well that the UW/Gonzaga game is much more important to Gonzaga then it is to UW so why give in to demands?”
No it doesn’t. Gonzaga is the state’s premiere program. Have you seen Gonzaga’s non-con??? UW is a small fish now. Not worth the time. The Dub was tired of getting worked over by the Zags. The Zags have only gotten stronger since then, as well, there recruiting classes as of late have been sick. Remember the name Bol Kong, it’s going to be a fun show this year.
October 31st, 2009 at 8:14 pm
I’m actually surprised UW made an offer at all. The Pac-10 schedule is tough enough as it is (recently). Its probably in their best interest to keep the non conference as vanilla as possible. But if they really want it to happen again they should have offered a home and home.
Gonzaga has no trouble scheduling good non conference games. I don’t agree at all that a series with UW would be that important to them at all. Look at the Battle in Seattle. They have no problem scheduling quality non conference teams anymore. Over six years they’ve pulled in……
Missouri #3
Nevada #24
Tennessee #11
Uconn #2
October 31st, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Gonzaga has no trouble scheduling good non conference games. I don’t agree at all that a series with UW would be that important to them at all. Look at the Battle in Seattle. They have no problem scheduling quality non conference teams anymore. Over six years they’ve pulled in……
- I agree that there isn’t any benefit to scheduling that Gonzaga. Beating Gonzaga really isn’t any better then beating another decently ranked NC game…but losing to them effects them in numerous manners. That is why they offered the game at Key Arena. If Gonzaga really wants to play UW they have their opportunity…and if they don’t then the teams won’t play each other and the Zags fans can get over it. Not too many UW fans really complain about it.
Of course, you have the sports media calling out UW and that’s just because they want a big game to cover. UW is doing what is in its best interest these days…the sports media needs to accept that. They’ve also made a stance that they won’t be playing road football games against non-BCS conference games. We all saw with Oregon why its pointless to go to Bosie St and play a game.
October 31st, 2009 at 8:37 pm
No it doesn’t. Gonzaga is the state’s premiere program. Have you seen Gonzaga’s non-con??? UW is a small fish now. Not worth the time. The Dub was tired of getting worked over by the Zags. The Zags have only gotten stronger since then, as well, there recruiting classes as of late have been sick. Remember the name Bol Kong, it’s going to be a fun show this year.
- Spoken like a true Zags fan…no…Gonzaga is not the state’s premiere program. No matter what they’ll always be second tier…even to WSU. A good WSU or UW team is better then the Gonzaga teams. That’s why they rarely get high rankings and have struggled in the tournament…they were a cute story in 1998…now they’ve hit their glass ceiling.
UW wasn’t necessarily tired of losing to Gonzaga…they were tired of having their RPI substantially hurt due to the loss and not getting that same benefit when they won. Of course, it didn’t help that Mark Few basically made inappropriate comments about Lorenzo Romar when recruiting Josh Heidfeldt. BTW, UW has out recruited Gonzaga as well…
October 31st, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Awesome news Adam! Thanks for sharing.
So guys keep me posted on this Bill Simmons book signing, might have to attend.
October 31st, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Were the comments about how Cam Dollar was cheating?
November 1st, 2009 at 10:07 am
Last call, late voters.
Here are my endorsements:
http://manywordsforrain.blogspot.com/2009/10/dispatches-from-tenth-circle-seattle.html
November 1st, 2009 at 10:15 am
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingaerospace/2010177963_boeingmurray01.html
more evidence that Boeing’s last set of “negotiations” were just lip service.
November 1st, 2009 at 10:23 am
Bill Simmons posting Sonicsgate in his week 8 NFL picks is huge! It taps into a NFL viewing audience. an audience that would miss the traditional NBA blogs news and mags. Bill is very cunning, I feel that this link in his NFL article might have even greater impact because of who was reading it. Rabid football fans on a weekend at their computer. His picks lately have been really good so lots of eyes are on this.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmonsnflpicks/091031
Baker,
I am having 2 witness sign my ballot to ensure I don’t get my vote stolen by some signature reader, again.
November 1st, 2009 at 10:26 am
http://correspondents.theatlantic.com/hua_hsu/2009/10/legalize_kemp.php
some Sonicsgate props from The Atlantic Monthly
November 1st, 2009 at 10:32 am
interesting notes on Brandon Roy - scored 42 points but his team lost. He is totally direct and not shy in calling out a lack of defensive effort on his team.
And Delonte West is back in action. Wish the best for that guy.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nba/2010177733_nbanotes01.html
November 1st, 2009 at 10:35 am
more love from Bleacher Report, thanks guys!
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/281725-nbaless-in-seattle
November 1st, 2009 at 10:37 am
someone likes Damien Wilkins again: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/282260-damien-wilkins-the-t-wolves-unexpected-hero
November 1st, 2009 at 11:17 am
I was checking the NBA boxscores the other night and noticed …. “Damn, Ben Gordon is with the Pistons? Wait what? Shawn Marion is with the Mavs??”
I’ve tried to avoid NBA at all cost since it kills me.
then I checked on the 2-0 Thunder and saw K-D tore $hit UP in Detroit … and my heart just ripped
November 1st, 2009 at 12:18 pm
“interesting notes on Brandon Roy - scored 42 points but his team lost. He is totally direct and not shy in calling out a lack of defensive effort on his team.”
What’s his +/- been in their losses? Maybe they should bench him. hahahahah
November 1st, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Trufant. Grrr.
November 1st, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I love bill simmons. I went to his book signing in new york and waited around for 3.5 hrs just to thank the guy for completely having our backs during the whole oklahoma debacle. I showed up in my sonics shirt and met up w/ eric e - who is a totally cool cat btw - and i’m pretty sure we were 2 of 3 people there w/ sonics gear on. I had him sign “fuck okc - bill simmons” in my book. totally worth the wait, and I told him that my boys in seattle have a tshirt for him when he gets out there his book signing. (My teammates back in seattle are planning on giving him a shirt of my intramural team called, FUCB. i designed the logo for it.)
Anyways, I’m hoping you guys back in seattle can make it out there for a big showing when bill is in town - he deserves our thanks for sticking w/ us the entire fucking time. wear your sonics gear! as always, FOKC.
November 1st, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Sorry if this is a repeat. Interesting comments from Bill Simmons on his new book, KD, Oden, and LeBron:
http://greenstreet.weei.com/sports/boston/basketball/celtics/2009/10/30/bill-simmons-talks-some-hoops/
November 1st, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Will the Bucks go the way of Seattle?
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/bucks/67381417.html
November 1st, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Its a shame that we can only get a team by ripping out the hearts of other fans.
I don’t want to see the Pacers leave Indiana. And someone explain to me how the hell does the Pacers not make money? DIdn’t they have that awesome stadium called the “Colosseum” ??
November 1st, 2009 at 2:21 pm
“Its a shame that we can only get a team by ripping out the hearts of other fans.”
The obvious solution is to snatch back the old team. Anybody who could pull that off would deserve a Nobel Peace Prize.
“I don’t want to see the Pacers leave Indiana. And someone explain to me how the hell does the Pacers not make money? DIdn’t they have that awesome stadium called the “Colosseum” ??”
They play at Conseco Fieldhouse. It opened in 1999. Much like KeyArena it opened to rave reviews and has been deemed worthless from a revenue-generating standpoint in about a decade:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conseco_Fieldhouse
November 1st, 2009 at 3:15 pm
There was a study done by Marquette Law School
http://law.marquette.edu/s3/site/images/sports/v10-sports-facility-costs.pdf
There needs to be a study similar to this to have in place for teams building arena’s in the NBA. So that when a team does build one, based on how much they have spent, and the amenities they have…they can, with the league plot out a “renovation” schedule to stay with the curve of innovation. The league itself has been negligent in this regard. That way it would be easier for teams to kind of get an idea of what’s going down. Then, no one is in the dark when it comes time to do something.
November 1st, 2009 at 4:08 pm
The fact that an NBA franchise is in trouble in the state of Indiana is a giant red flag? Hoosiers!!! They are basketball crazy in that state!!!! Not sure if its the case now, but they used to have the craziest HS basketball tournament in the nation there.
Yet they are in trouble. Something isn’t right.
November 1st, 2009 at 4:36 pm
What’s his +/- been in their losses? Maybe they should bench him. hahahahah
- That game it was a -1…a bit different then -13. FWIW, Green and Westbrook have been much better then Durant this year…
November 1st, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Was just cruising box scores and man did JJ Reddick have a ball game today. As a Maryland grad I don’t root and cheer for any Dukies what so ever. Given JJ was one of the greatest ever in college up until last years playoffs he’s be a complete flop.
Now… he’s got the game figured out, getting the minutes and could be absolutely scary.
November 1st, 2009 at 6:40 pm
FWIW, Green and Westbrook have been much better then Durant this year…
Much better??? Not sure how you could describe their play as “much better” by any rational measure. The guy is averaging 25 & 11.5 through 2 games which were both wins…
Game #2 vs. DET +/-
Durant = +2
Green = +2
Westbrook = +5
Game #1 vs. SAC
Durant = +17
Green = +19
Westbrook = +23
I’m beginning to think he stole your girlfriend or something
November 1st, 2009 at 6:46 pm
“more evidence that Boeing’s last set of “negotiations” were just lip service.”
IAM did themselves in with the last strike.
I maintain that blaming the company, while a very Seattle thing to do, solves nothing.
November 1st, 2009 at 6:48 pm
watching Rip City @ Zombies here:
http://www.atdhe.net/6326/watch-portland-blazers-vs-oklahoma-city
Martell just threw down, personal grudge? I hope so!
November 1st, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Durant just 3 for 19 tonight. Westbrook is quick! I really can’t see a star player wanting to stay in OKC. Terrible atmosphere, but it’s only after 30 minutes of watching and I’m biased.
November 1st, 2009 at 7:25 pm
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/jerrybrewer/2010182364_brewer02.html
Clay Bennett on the Seahawks sidelines talking to the Seahawks CEO… WTF!?
November 1st, 2009 at 7:50 pm
I loved a comment early on from the Blazer color guy.
“The PA Announcer just announced a sell out, but I see a lot of empty seats.”
November 1st, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Thank you Portland for beating the Okies. Now hopefully that will be the start of a long losing streak.
Vote for Mallahan and Isreal
November 1st, 2009 at 8:02 pm
Hoping for the Thunder to win. Win over fans in OKC…then BOLT town…..maybe next game.
November 1st, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Much better??? Not sure how you could describe their play as “much better” by any rational measure. The guy is averaging 25 & 11.5 through 2 games which were both winsM
- My bad…Westbrook had 14pts, 13asiss and 7 boards and 23 points tonight. BTW, one thing that is pretty amusing is that there are so many people here defending him and yet Im getting the feeling they haven’t actually seen him play a game since he left Seattle two years ago. LOL
November 1st, 2009 at 8:41 pm
FWIW…I have nothing against KD. In fact in year one when everyone was fraeking out about his stats I was defending him. But, I just find it amusing that people just willfully ignore things that are so amazingly obivous and then use terms like “he has a great feel for the game” and yet have barely seen him play (if at all).
November 1st, 2009 at 9:07 pm
I think Westbrook, Green, and Durant are all playing better. It doesn’t have to be a pissing contest between them.
I called this last year. It’ll never matter to Myk. Durant will probably never get any credit or props because that would trump his theories. If they go on to win more games or improve as a team it’ll be because of Westbrook or Green or coaching or whatever.
If Westbrook can improve his turnover problem, and improve his shooting, he could be amazing. So far this season he’s passing the ball really well.
November 1st, 2009 at 9:19 pm
How many games did you watch last year Myk?
November 1st, 2009 at 9:23 pm
My bad…Westbrook had 14pts, 13asiss and 7 boards and 23 points tonight. BTW, one thing that is pretty amusing is that there are so many people here defending him and yet Im getting the feeling they haven’t actually seen him play a game since he left Seattle two years ago. LOL
He also had 9 turnovers tonight, but I never implied Westbrook hasn’t played well, in fact it appears he has. I was simply just amused you found a way to belittle the contribution of a player who averaged 25 and 11.5 in back to back W’s and had a marginally worse +/-
I doubt any of us, including you, have watched them play a ton since they left Seattle. Having said that, defending his value isn’t any different than constantly tearing him down…
November 1st, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Why is there no mention of the 9 TOs or the beloved +/-?
November 1st, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Caught some of the hawks lakers game on the directv league pass. the laker commentators said that the thunder was the weakest team name in the league. haha.
November 1st, 2009 at 9:39 pm
“I have nothing against KD”
Myk doesn’t like Durant. He likes Westbrook. Period. Why else would you spend so much time criticizing and hypothesising about the guy?
November 1st, 2009 at 10:29 pm
OKC attendance was 16,920 tonight. I assume that’s paid attendance:
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=291101025
I’m sure the P.A. guy just made an honest mistake. After all, we know the Okies wouldn’t lie.
November 1st, 2009 at 10:43 pm
Who gives a f**k about what the Thunder doing?
November 2nd, 2009 at 9:56 am
I’ve got no connection with any other team. So I’ll just continue to torture myself by following their results and continue to wonder if the same results would have happened here.
At the same time it doesn’t really matter to me if they win or lose. I guess I follow the players…..not the team.
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:11 am
i love the fact that simmons puts paid to the bogus notion that the sounders’ popularity somehow proves that seattle is past the sonics. . . it is ridiculous to point to a franchise’s strong support as a weakness in a market’s sports suitability. the fact that folks show up & care for the sounders should be interpreted as yet another in a long line of positives in re. seattle as a pro sports town. ditto, the seahawks & m’s. and, since soccer in the usa is not yet run against the other winter sports (because the mls has more sense than stupid fifa), there’s even less reason to put the sounders up as an impediment. they play at different times of year, for the most part.
bottom line: seattle was, is, and will again be a great place for an nba team.
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:37 am
“it is ridiculous to point to a franchise’s strong support as a weakness in a market’s sports suitability. the fact that folks show up & care for the sounders should be interpreted as yet another in a long line of positives in re. seattle as a pro sports town. ditto, the seahawks & m’s.”
Couldn’t agree more. Its not one sport vs the other, and I’ve never understood why some feel the need to put one against another. Success, no matter what sport or your opinion, is good for everyone. Its good for the Storm to do well. Its good when UW women’s softball/volleyball are good. I hope the Seattle Myst take it all!!!
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:51 am
$100 million in tax money to support 2,500 millionaires (since I assume you’d pretty much have to be one to afford a Tesla)
Hey Chris Van Hypocrite, Where’s Citizens for More Important Things? Or is this yet another thing SEIU pays you not to care about …
http://www.seattlepi.com/transportation/411722_electric2.html
November 2nd, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Hey, Ray Allen gave a shout out to you guys who did Sonicsgate on his twitter.
Ray’s keepin it real.
November 2nd, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Simmons wasnt saying the sounders replaced the sonics. He was saying the Seattle sports scene is so bad fans have had to resort to following an mls team. He gave us credit as a great basketball city and that it was stolen from us.
November 2nd, 2009 at 2:40 pm
What is the likelihood of Licata getting bounced?
November 2nd, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Slim
November 2nd, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Crimmy at 12:59 & Others … On Bill Simmons and his new NBA Book signing tour…
My son just sent me this note - wondering if there could be any juice among SOS type folks for something along this line…..
What do you all think - worth trying to get something going for Nov. 17 with KJR &/or Maybe ESPN Kiro and others????????
—————————————
Bill Simmons is coming to Seattle on November 17th for his book signing. I’m going to go for sure, but what I was thinking is how cool would it be if we called KJR, or got on saveoursonics, and attempted to get a couple hundred people there. I think it would be awesome. It would serve a couple of purposes: 1) It would be a way to say thank you to Bill for repeatedly showing his support for Seattle, the Sonics, and his disdain over the NBA allowing the move to go through. 2) Show him that Seattle does care. Think about it… if a thousand people showed up and Seattle blew other cities crowds out of the water he would not only be impressed, but I guarantee he would write and talk about it. 3) Its another way for people who care about the sonics to get motivated again.
I think it is a interesting idea… what do you think?
November 2nd, 2009 at 7:01 pm
To be fair, you don’t have to purchase Tesla to use the electric charging stations. The same article mentions the Nissan Leaf which is going to be around 30k.
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:51 pm
It would be fun to go JJ, but think like 20 to 40 (and that is being optimistic) not a couple hundred or a thousand.
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:05 am
Xteve, I think the hope is that at least one of these: the Nissan Leaf, all electric Ford Focus, and Mitsubishi’s e car, and the Chevy Volt (last I heard this was still in the works) will all be out by next year or the year after. I know, we have been hearing about this EV stuff literally for decades and still nothing affordable for the common guy. But I think we are getting a LOT closer, especially with this new program to install the charging stations. This is a sea change in the electric vehicle game. Once the stations are there, the manufacturers will come, knowing that the “range anxiety” issue will go away for consumers. There are also existing, much more affordable plug-in hybrids that will benefit from these charging stations. So I think the goal is not to benefit millionaires but to make this a real market for everybody. Seattle will be on the forefront in this game. I see this as a huge economic and environmental benefit to our region. Added bonus - drive your EV and less of your hard earned money will be going toward wars for oil.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:34 am
it was the carter doctrine which specified that the oil fields of the persian gulf were vital natural interests worth fighting over. . . just a historical remembrance for the off-topic tangent.
November 3rd, 2009 at 8:38 am
I love the idea! The more green and gold the better. I met up with “Criminy” for Bill’s first signing in NYC, we were both rocking Sonics gear. It took 3.5 hours for him to get his book signed.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:30 am
Sonicsgate is going to the book signing.
Never been happier to vote in my life. Today is a good day.
Baker, I hope your wrong about tricky Nick Licata. We need more political sacrifices to the Basketball gods.
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:20 am
Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley was traveling out of the country Monday but told The Commercial Appeal last weekend that the team values Gay moving forward.
“There’s no question we have a high appreciation for Rudy and his talent,” Heisley said, according to the report. “Now the question is how do you get to the right deal? If you’re asking me, am I willing to pay as much as I can possibly pay? No. That’s not appropriate in today’s financial climate.
“We’re going to make a very attractive offer to Rudy,” he added, according to the report. “We think he’s a great player. They think he’s a great player. We have a very high opinion of Rudy.”
sounds to me like the owner is getting ready to sell the team!!
November 3rd, 2009 at 1:10 pm
“I think the hope is that at least one of these: the Nissan Leaf, all electric Ford Focus, and Mitsubishi’s e car, and the Chevy Volt (last I heard this was still in the works) will all be out by next year or the year after. ”
That’s still a lot of cheddar to be dropping on hoping that tens of thousands immediately trade in their vehicles for unproven EVs, and can still be truthfully portrayed as a ginormous expense which benefits only a microscopic segment of the population. Thus the CVD call-out.
That is also eerily similar to the thinking process that led to the million dollar toilet fiasco. If we build it they will come … didn’t happen the way they expected. Don’t expect it will happen anytime soon with EVs either unless the gov’t lets you trade your car in for free. The manufacturers claim the Leaf and the Focus are both retailing in the $30,000 range, but everyone is remarkably silent about just how much the batteries cost, with estimates ranging from an additional $10-$25,000. That’s pretty damn expensive. If you can afford to drop $55K on a car, the cost of gas is incidental.
November 3rd, 2009 at 1:12 pm
sounds to me like the owner is getting ready to sell the team!!
LOL, sure does. He should’ve given Gay a maximum contract so he didn’t tip his hand.
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Heisley will just end up trading Gay at the deadline to the Lakers for a pair of second round picks and Adam Morrison.
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:54 pm
I agree with your points XSteve…but CVD coming out against this would mean tha the hates the environment and wants the world to EXPLODE!!
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:57 pm
And Menace…Im not a Westbrook guy although I think he could end up being the more valuable player….and if pointing out the stats that are reflecting how he is affecting his team is tearing him down then I dunno.
Guess we should all wait until at least there are statistically signficant number of games to judge. FWIW, Nash had 7 TOs last night…and he’s considered one of the better PGs in the game.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:44 pm
http://philadelphia.about.com/od/arts/ss/philly_live.htm
a guy from Philly sent Sonicsgate this link.
nice diggs. that will never fly in seattle center. looks like mini-vegas. I guess “congratulations” are in order. Mr. Stern is proud. I wonder how the money flows on this beast.. dadonka arena
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Guess we should all wait until at least there are statistically signficant number of games to judge.
I agree, but the banter is a fun way to kill time too.
FWIW, Nash had 7 TOs last night…and he’s considered one of the better PGs in the game.
His team also won the game, he had 14 assists to the 7 TOs, and the Suns were +9 when he was on the court. Westbrook’s team lost, he had only 2 assists to the 9 TOs, and his team was -13 when he was on the court - tough to draw a parallel between those two games…
But it doesn’t even matter, it’s only one game and I like Westbrook - a lot actually. My reason for mentioning the 9 TOs in the first place was just to point out if we are discussing the pros and cons of Durant, you can’t bring other players into the discussion as comparables and only talk about the pros.
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:21 pm
I like Westbrook too. He’s a guy that I was completely against drafting at the time. I didn’t think he was a PG. Like I said before, if he cuts down the TOs and shoots at a better clip he’ll be scary good.
“Im not a Westbrook guy although I think he could end up being the more valuable player”
He absolutely could be. But as a stats guy…..how can you say that with a straight face given his FG% and TOs? I guess there’s always +/- right? lol.
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Shouldn’t we be reviewing election results instead of gabbing about Thunder players? Since we’ve been reduced to junior politicians and all.
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Hutchinson and Mallahan are lossing now. Though Mallahan is only down by less than 1%
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Hey Guys,
Opened up a thread at http://www.ihateclay.com/lets-talk-politics/ to talk politics through the evening. Got a lot of things going on in this thread, thought I’d open up a politics only thread over there.
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Here’s some more NBA meat to stew over, courtesy of the indispensable Tim Donaghy:
http://deadspin.com/5392067/excerpts-from-the-book-the-nba-doesnt-want-you-to-read?skyline=true&s=x
Thoughts?
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Enough talk about the Blunder. They are not our team. Let’s talk about the Bucks, who are more likely to be our team than the Blunder are. Brandon Jennings looks like star of the future. Andrew Bogut would be the best Sonic center since Jack Sikma. We already know Luke Ridnour. Michael Redd and his contract will be gone before they arrive in Seattle. Hurray for cap room! Pacers anyone?
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:08 pm
I hope the Bucks and the Pacers stay where they belong.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:13 pm
I’d like to see every team stay where they are… except our old team. I’d welcome them back with open arms and if they’d like to win a championship their first year back… that’d be okay too.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:22 pm
i liked what i heard from dow in that KJR interview. the only problem is ballmer. we don’t know where her stands on staying in past 2009 with his offer in case the legislature doesn’t have a special sessiom. the only question i have for dow is if ballmer leaves, what about the future.
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:01 pm
Dow wins
Mayor up in air
Pete Holmes wins big!
1033 fail
71 slight lead
November 3rd, 2009 at 11:44 pm
Leave the Bucks alone..Cornets, Grizzlees, Slippers, Bobkats or Blunder yes.
November 4th, 2009 at 12:10 am
After McGinn spoke to his supporters, an unusual campaign tactic emerged. His campaign handed out pre-paid cellphones and lists of undecided voters to at least 20 volunteers, with instructions to call the voters to see if they had not yet voted.
If the voters had not yet cast ballots, they were asked to drop their ballots off at five QFC stores around Seattle where McGinn volunteers would be stationed. The McGinn volunteers would then take the ballots to a Sea-Tac post office that stays open until 11:45 p.m. — allowing the ballots to still be postmarked today.
“We had a plan,” said volunteer Nate Cormier, standing outside the West Seattle Junction QFC, holding a blue McGinn sign and ballots from three voters.
- WTF is this? how is this even remotely legal?
November 4th, 2009 at 12:11 am
He absolutely could be. But as a stats guy…..how can you say that with a straight face given his FG% and TOs? I guess there’s always +/- right? lol.
- Menace…there is this teeny tiny thing called defense…that’s just as important than offense. I dont get why that concept is so hard for you to grasp.
November 4th, 2009 at 12:26 am
There’s a Patrick Ewing running for City Council Position No. 5 in Bothell. He currently has a 17-vote lead.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:16 am
Ding, dong….
November 4th, 2009 at 10:20 am
McGinn still leads 50 to 49. Looking bad for Sonics fans.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:35 am
yes sonics fans, but it is looking worse for citizens of Seattle.. Mcginn is an extremist who is going to to fight with Olympia instead of work with them.. Lets hope these next 125,000 ballots are better for Mallahan!!!!!
November 4th, 2009 at 10:43 am
yea, i don’t have a great feeling about our chances if mcginn is in office. his statement to sos wasn’t too bad, but i don’t think he cares or will pretend to care like nickels did. but like we were saying before, it’s a win-win in the executive’s race. dow is a big time sports fan and fought hard for 6116. i think he’ll be good. maybe if mcginn ignores us we’ll just have to focus more on the east side venue idea.
November 4th, 2009 at 11:28 am
“there is this teeny tiny thing called defense…that’s just as important than offense. I dont get why that concept is so hard for you to grasp.”
and haven’t you acknowledged that their aren’t really any good numbers/stats to rate D?
November 4th, 2009 at 11:31 am
and haven’t you acknowledged that their aren’t really any good numbers/stats to rate D?
- Well one of the best stats is to track how much better a team does on defense when you aren’t on the court… +/-. Anyways, I have to laugh. We are basically having the same Watson/Ridnour argument but in reverse. Guess time will tell if KD actually becomes one of the best players in the leauge (Bill Simmons said he could have a better career then LeBron)…one thing I’ve found a little shocking is that Harden seems to be playing as a good “glue guy”. For a few games his stats haven’t been great, but the team plays better on the court.
November 4th, 2009 at 11:35 am
I still don’t see how its legal for representatives from a campaign collect ballots and claim they will mail them for the person. The potential for fraud is insanely shocking.
We complain about our local government here…but I think it is pretty obvious the voters here are just as ignorant. On Seattletimes.com there was a person who listed the reasons they voted for McGinn. The first one was that he was “clearly” more inteligent…number four was that he had a good sense of humor.
Seriously…a good sense of humor is one of the top 5 reasons why you vote for the guy?
November 4th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Im outside of the Seattle voting block so I could care less about the “citizens of Seattle.” However if your boy is going to lose maybe it’ll be wiser to start sending overtures to the camp of the victor to start working a plan for the future instead of talking all of this sh*t. Spouting off about how the new guy is going to be “bad news” and how you “don’t trust him” is probably not the best first impression the cause wants to give the new administration. Just throwing that out there.
November 4th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Robert Swift signs with NBDL
http://tinyurl.com/yzfy764
November 4th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Hey Gang I posted this in the Gregoire thread but am reposting since that one is stale:
I’ve been gone for a while & just wanted to throw down some props to the green & gold faithful & the SC crew for creating, on this particular thread, something I thought had gone extinct: an incredibly balanced, detailed, and REASONABLE political dialogue.
-MC Nuggs (not a denver fan or a mcdonalds reference, FYI)
November 4th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Spouting off about how the new guy is going to be “bad news” and how you “don’t trust him” is probably not the best first impression the cause wants to give the new administration. Just throwing that out there.
- Give me a break…
November 4th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
- Well one of the best stats is to track how much better a team does on defense when you aren’t on the court… +/-.
http://www.82games.com/0809/0809OKC.HTM
On court/off court is even better. Notice how KD is the only player where the team actually came out even when he was out of the game instead of behind like everyone else.
November 4th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
I don’t trust any of them, winners or losers and I didn’t have an opinion either way on them as people.
Until today. After seeing Dow on the news today I don’t like that guy at all. He is one arrogant elitist POS.
November 4th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
“Well one of the best stats is to track how much better a team does on defense when you aren’t on the court… +/-”
“On court/off court is even better.”
It could. But couldn’t it also be misleading?
It is possible to play good defense and still have points scored on you isn’t it? Couldn’t your +/- on court off court numbers be negative if you were playing really good D on Kobe/Lebron and they still scored 30 on you?
Who’s playing when you aren’t? Who are you guarding vs your backup/teammates. Couldn’t numbers also be scewed if you have a strong 2nd team or the other team has a poor bench?
Just a thought.
November 4th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Mayor’s race has tightened up McGinn leads by just under 500 votes.
November 4th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
McGinn’s margin only 462 votes.
November 4th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Holy crap. 49.77% to 49.33% McGinn in the lead.
November 4th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
They will release more numbers tomorrow. The 910 vote gap is now half.
The final might not be known until Friday, and there are about 4000 ballots that have some kind of problem (signature, did not scan, coffee/beer stains).
Here is the kc results page
http://your.kingcounty.gov/elections/200911/Respage23.aspx
November 4th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
I wonder if the next Seattle mayor is not passionate or effective in bringing an NBA team to Seattle will that just open up the option of a Bellevue or Renton arena and plan?
The market here for an nBA team is regional - it is not limited to having the team/arena in Seattle at all - this is a big market the NBA would love to get back into - If Ballmer wants to make it happen he has the $$$ and the connections and the juice to do it wherever he wants. It just depends on how committed he is to the vision.
I think everything changes in January of 2010 when the legal issues around the Cities settlement with Clay B. kind of clear up in terms of Clay’s potential payment. Things could change quickly in 2010 but I doubt much will happen until then,
November 4th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Xteve shared a Dow video from kiro where I’m in the background practically the whole time, geeking on the Blackberry + swillin’ Corona. LOL!
Sup McNuggit! Long time no hear man.
November 4th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
http://www.kirotv.com/video/21516090/index.html
I’m the geeky dude with beard, glasses Blackberry and Corona. Xteve said I should’a burped at the end after swilling, so Dow would be like, “was that my hair moving? my hair never moves!”. Good sense of humor, as always Xteve.
November 4th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Licata is cruising with nearly 57% of the vote. However, that’s about 20% less than he usually gets. Is that a moral victory worth mentioning?
November 4th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
I’ve gotta say JAS, it’s not a moral victory for me. I will NEVER forgive that man for what he said. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the comment that put Queen Stern over the edge and drove him to despise Seattle.
November 4th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
looking good Speed lol.
November 4th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
ya that was a fun evening. A bit bummed down on the 2nd floor with the Mallahan for Mayor crew though.
November 4th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Enough politics. They will all let us down in the end, so why stress about it. Let’s focus on our next team. I mentioned the Bucks because they presently have the worst arena in the NBA, and as we know all too well, that’s what matters to King David. The Bobcats, Hornets and Clippers (my God, we DO NOT WANT that team!) all have good arenas, so they aren’t moving, no matter how little their fans care. The Nets are spoken for so they are off the board. The Grizzlies have an odd lease that is pricey to shake. Besides the Bucks, the Pacers and Kings have the worst arenas, so they are likely our best hope to become Sonics 2.0. The Kings seem destined for Las Vegas. The Pacers’ arena was the toast of the league a decade ago, so it’s predictable that their fans are about to get screwed. I really don’t want a former ABA team because I loved that league and treasure their legacy, but dang it, I need Sonics 2.0, so I am willing to sacrifice them. Danny Granger is a major offensive force. Mike Dunleavy is good when he’s healthy, which isn’t often of late. We know Earl Watson well enough to know we don’t want him. TJ Ford has his moments. Tyler Hansbrough? Who knows. Roy Hibbert is better than Jerome James. They have some other decent parts, but Granger is really the only blue chip. Taking a team like the Pacers away from Indiana is a rough thing to do, but that kind of thing is the only way Seattle will ever see the NBA again, guilt aside. Expansion is not happening. Paging Mr. Ballmer…
November 4th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
bobby…. My guess is in 1-2 years Ballmer will have opportunities to buy a team - the economics would seem to point to that. As teams lose huge amounts of $$$$ they will look to sell. It’s just a matter of his will - how much would he want to make it happen?
The lockout looming is another huge variable - what will that do the the game - the value of franchises - Ballmer and others buyers interest level …
November 4th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Would really like to see the Grizz moved back to the area. Should have never left the neighborhood in the first place. But I do acknowledge their lease. Sadly the Pacers do seem like the most likely target.
November 4th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
“We Won Last Night”…Nancy Pelosi…A-Rod
November 4th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
“Would really like to see the Grizz moved back to the area. Should have never left the neighborhood in the first place. But I do acknowledge their lease. Sadly the Pacers do seem like the most likely target.”
When the lockout hits, that team that is already making only 4 or 5 mil a year from their market, is going to see NOTHING from that OR the turnstyles. That lease, while keeping them firmly planted for the time being, will also work against them when they have even less of an option to pay the bills as it is now.
Things are going to get so bad, that both the city and the ownership group, as well as the NBA, are going to want that team out of there. So I see the Grizz as a possible option as well…IF and when the strike happens.
November 5th, 2009 at 5:52 am
Tim Ceis will be on Dow Constantine’s transition team. That doesn’t seem so hot.
November 5th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Looks like more of the ole same ole same ole. Hope not but yikes.
November 5th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Seems kind of an odd message hiring the guy who was the 2nd in charge of selling out the Sonics.
November 5th, 2009 at 11:57 am
I’d hate to see the Bucks or the Pacers moved to Seattle. Both teams were founded in their respective cities over 40 years ago. The bucks also have the heritage of The Big O and Lew Alcindor/Kareem.
I’d feel fine about Seattle taking a team that had only been in town for a few years. Too bad about that Grizzlies lease.
November 5th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Yo Speedy, thanks for asking! Much craziness para mi lately, bought & moved a 100-year old house (here’s the 5-hour move crunched down into 3 min: http://www.centraldistrictnews.com/2009/07/25/madrona-house-move-tonight-live-on-cdnews). Dealing w/a sh!t-ton of transition at work too, but have come back up for air.
Having a really hard time watching or reading about the NBA still. It was my fave major sport forever, and I’m reading the Bill Simmons book since he’s super-funny, but now it all seems so TAINTED…
I think Dow will be fine on bringing a team back. About the city, even if McGinn & Licata are in office someone made a good point that that will open up the door for the east side towns to get involved.
November 5th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Hey Nugg, cool to hear about your new house! I’m not sure what will happen with any publicly funded option for a new arena or remodeled Key, but we are getting very close to the end of the year where the private option becomes a far more likely outcome. And I’m sooo ready for that. Sick of peeing into the political winds here.
November 5th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
McGinn picked up about 50 votes and is leading by a margin of 515 right now. That still trends well for Mallahan, IMO.