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Position: center/forward Height: 6-9 Weight: 253 College: Cincinnati Born: October 1, 1972 Opening day (2002) age: 30 Drafted: not drafted NBA exerience: Two years (one with Sonics) Hand: Right Acquired: Signed as a free agent October 1, 2001 Contract status: Unrestricted free agent |
200-02 in Review: A longshot (pun intended) at best to make the Seattle Supersonics' roster as a training camp invitee, Art Long took advantage of injuries and impressed the team with his willingness to scrap in the paint and good athleticism for a center. Against all odds, Long was a part of the Sonics' opening-night rotation. During the season's first two weeks, Long drew the ire of fans with silly fouls and poorly-timed turnovers. That all changed on November 11 against Washington, when he put together his first career double-double. As the team got healthier, Long's minutes were cut, but with Jerome James and Calvin Booth on the injured list by mid-December, he emerged as Seattle's starting center. The move coincided with a six-game Seattle winning streak, and suddenly Long seemed entrenched in the position. He could not survive 37% shooting in the month of January, however, as he suddenly struggled with his shot. By the beginning of February, Long was out of the rotation. Vin Baker's mid-February injury created playing time for Long, and he responded by picking up where he'd left off in December, giving the Sonics valuable minutes as a backup at power forward. He was continuing to serve in this role after Baker's injury before he was felled himself by a torn hamstring suffered on March 22. The injury sidelined Long for the remainder of the regular season, and fear that he might re-injure himself led the Sonics to leave Long off of their playoff roster. This did not sit well with Long, who left the team prior to their series with the San Antonio Spurs. He finished his first full NBA season with averages of 4.5 points and 4 boards per game.
Previous NBA Career: After completing his collegiate career at Cincinnati, Long headed overseas. He spent the 1996-97 season in Portugal with Estrelas de Avenida, dominating in his limited time there. By 1998-99, Long had made his way to the CBA, playing for the Idaho Stampede. A year later, he moved on to the Yakima CBA franchise. Despite posting good numbers, Long was released mid-season, reportedly because of attitude problems. Still looking for a crack at the NBA, Long moved on to France for the 2000-01 season. After he was selected for his league's All-Star team, Long got the call from the Sacramento Kings, who brought him in mid-season to provide depth up front. Playing behind players like Chris Webber, Long found playing time tough to come by, playing just 20 minutes over nine games. He did not score.
Shooting/Scoring: Politely, Long's offensive game could be termed as "limited". At the NBA
level, he lacks the tools to create his own offense and is generally reliant on feeds inside the lane
and put-backs. The next time an NBA team dumps the ball to Long in the post will be the first; he
lacks moves and can be turnover-prone at times. He does possess a face-up jumper out to 12 feet
with mixed results. He's better off leaving this alone, however. One of Long's best attributes
offensively is that he usually does not try to do too much and sticks to his game.
Grade: C-
Floor Game: After turning the ball over every other play during the season's first two weeks,
Long got comfortable with the pace of the NBA game. He actually did a fairly decent job of
distributing the rest of the season, finishing with a 0.65 assist/turnover ratio. That said, a minimalist
approach is probably best for Long in terms of ballhandling. He ought to do a better job of setting
screens, but is a willing screener.
Grade: C-
Rebounding: Of the Sonics' regulars, Long was the best rebounder on a per-minute basis,
averaging 12.2 rebounds per 48 minutes. He does it more by battling and fighting for position than
by pure talent. He is much better on the offensive glass than he is on the defensive glass.
Grade: A-
Defense: Trying to play center at 6-9, Long was often physically overmatched last season.
He will battle for position, and was arguably the Sonics' best post defender. In one memorable
game, he made Los Angeles' Shaquille O'Neal work for everything he got in a Sonic victory in
early December. However, Long is not a very good help defender, and is not much of a shot
blocking threat. He will handle his own man, but don't expect more. Long, who was at one point
the league's leading fouler/minute (though teammate James ended up with a higher ratio at
season's end), is in a constant battle with referees. He sometimes doesn't help himself with
silly fouls, and needs to make sure that he does not allow players three-point plays.
Grade: B-
Intangibles: Before he came to Seattle, Long had a fairly negative reputation with regards
to his personality. Allegedly, he punched a police horse while at Cincinnati, though he denies the
story. For most of the season, he was no problem whatsoever, and willingly accepted when his
minutes were cut. Then he bailed on the team, and any goodwill he had built up was lost. Long
seems to be very dedicated and a hard-worker. He picked up three technicals throughout the
season and complained to media that he was not being treated with enough respect. Newsflash,
Art -- you're going to have to earn it at this level.
Grade: C
Overall: Art Long is, in essence, a replacement-level player, forever at the fringes of the
NBA and one bad break away from returning to basketball's minor-leagues or overseas. Last
season, however, he managed to play nearly 1000 minutes for a playoff team despite injuries,
and that is a testament to the work he put in and his effort on the court. Despite this, Long is likely
not a rotation player on a good team, and a lesser team would probably prefer someone younger
(though he has only two year's experience, Long is 30). The ideal situation is that he end up as
the fourth big man in a three-man rotation, or the fifth in a four-man rotation. In case of injuries,
he has clearly demonstrated that he can step up and capably provide spot minutes. As well, Long's
six fouls can be put to good use against the O'Neals of the league. He will not be doing that in
Seattle. The Sonics have made it fairly clear through the media that they are not interested in
a return engagement. Instead, they will thank Long for a solid year of work and wish him luck.
Grade: C-