The Nuggets have acquired Allen Iverson for Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and 2 No. 1 Picks.
To counter the Nuggets' acquiring Iverson, the Sonics are looking at picking up Penny Hardaway, as Mitch Richmond and Clyde Drexler refused to return their calls.
Anyhoo, Denver's lineup (and, remember, they're the second best team in the NW Division) now looks something like this:
C - Camby
PF - Nene
SF - Melo
SG - JR Smith
PG - Iverson
With Boykins, Najera, et al coming off the bench. Hey, Rashard Lewis, care to re-evaluate your thoughts today?
"Now we're in a position where we can catch up with [the Nuggets] easily," Lewis said of the Sonics (10-16). "You don't wish for things like [the brawl and suspensions] to happen, but now that it has, you think about how that can affect things in the division."
I know, that's a cheap shot at Rashard, as he didn't know Iverson would be on the next thing smokin' for the Mile High, but c'mon, did anyone seriously think the Sonics had any chance at passing the Nuggets this year?
Folks, the Sonics are in last place in the NW Division. The coach they let go - Nate McMillan - is currently leading the "rebuilding" Blazers to 4th place. The Timberwolves, whose roster was seemingly cobbled together by pulling names out of a hat, are 2 games up on Seattle. The Jazz and Nuggets are so far ahead of the Sonics in the standings, Bob Hill would need Dick Cheney to find him a defense contractor to build a $750 million telescope to see them.
This road trip has fried my last sense of loyalty to the Sonics organization. Trade Ray Allen, trade Rashard, make Fortson the new Wheedle - I really don't care. Good luck, Oklahoma City, I hope you enjoy this team more than we have.
Word.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't we see if Nick Anderson is available? Just make sure he's not on-court for any last-second free throw attempts.
ReplyDeleteCheer up, people. Yeah, the road trip was a bummer, but we've got home games against Toronto, N.O. and Boston coming up. Hopefully that ought to right the ship.
ReplyDeletedayum. harsh
ReplyDeleteHey Pete,
ReplyDeleteLong time reader, first-time commenter*. Firstly, love the site. Especially the colors.
One lousy road trip fried your last sense of loyalty?! I thought you were made of sterner stuff, dude. What happened to the Petey I knew who was a Pepsi Junior Mariner when 11,000 was big weekend crowd at the Kingdome? Where's the Petey that was true-blue when Dan Doornink single-handedly beat the LA Raiders in the '84 playoffs? The Petey that mixed, served, drank the Kool-Aid and licked the punchbowl when a sub-.500 Sonics team stormed thru the '87 playoffs?
What happened to that kid?!
(From atop a 10-gallon bucket of Costco laundry detergent) You see, true sports fanaticism does not rise and fall like the price of gas in an election year. No sir, it's a foolhardy, nay, borderline retarded belief that is more deeply rooted than religion.
Did I give up going to St. Anthony's because, hey, the Vatican's having a rough year, I'm gonna give those Episcopalians a whirl in '07? No, it was for other reasons, so that's a crappy example. Still, though I may be a lapsed Catholic, I will never be a lapsed Seattle Supersonics fan (emphasis on "Seattle").
Call me delusional, naive, crack-smoking. It's the internet, anonymous people call each other all kinds of things. I don't care. "Long Suffering (Cubs, Browns, Clippers etc.) Fans" don't get to wear that badge by taking a break from their teams whenever they feel like it! No, they earn that badge from several decades of misery. I'm only 30-plus years into this thing, and I'm not gonna give up because of a meaningless 0-5 road trip. Are you?
Your pal,
Raf
*since power outage
ur trippin. ur just a fair-weather fan. stick by the supes, beeotch.
ReplyDeleteI sympathize with people that say stick with the Sonics through thick and thin - but how can you expect me to show loyalty to an organization that is threatening to destroy the very team to which I'm supposed to be loyal?
ReplyDeleteSorry, but so long as the dagger of relocation swirls above the head of Sonic fans, I see no reason to show any loyalty to this team. David Stern, Howard Schultz, Clay Bennett - they're all a bunch of hypocrites who blather on about how important team sports are to a city's identity, yet are willing to relocate three teams from three cities (Portland, Sacramento, Seattle) which have shown nothing but loyalty in more than a collective 80 years.
Good luck in Oklahoma, Las Vegas, or wherever the teams wind up. Just don't expect me to lose any sleep over it.
Because if you let the suits take away your fanaticism & loyalty, then they win.
ReplyDeleteDon't let them win.
At least go down swinging.
What I don't understand is how we can jetison Wally, but not Rick Sund. He's just as much to blame. Throwing our names in the hat for Iverson wouldn't have raised the payroll, if anything it would have lowered it. I don't see why we can't take chances or make trades BEFORE we the season is lost.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame Sund all that much. His draft record is actually pretty good - better than average anyway - and the Ray Allen trade was fantastic in retrospect (seriously, D-Mase and Gary have been washouts and the #1 pick turned into Ridnour, which means we got our starting backcourt for two guys that are averaging about 15 points combined a game).
ReplyDeleteI think there are 2 problems
1. We're locked into Ray and Rashard, and that combo just isn't doing it.
2. Wilcox is not the answer
Unfortunately, those 3 guys are tied into huge contracts which prohibit the team from adding thing of substance. Any change the Sonics make will involve one of those 3 guys.
Chunky - I don't think you want to use the Browns as an example here. If Art Modell ever took a step in Cleveland after what he did to the team, those folks would cut his body into bite-sized bits before he got off the plane - and the same would go for anybody else associated with the previous Browns' administration.
ReplyDeleteLogically, Rick Sund will be replaced before any other endeavor to improve the team.
ReplyDeleteI now see that Pete's putting up a tough guy front. He's trying to protect himself from further heartbreak, but I know he cares. It's okay, Pete, you're among sympathetic co-sufferers. And at 10-16, emphasis on "pathetic."
ReplyDeleteCan I take this to mean that the power has been restored to Greater Fairwood and that folks can begin thrice-daily clothes washings again?
ReplyDeleteThe Sonics don't need to ship Ray and Rashard, they need a veteran center and a team commitment to defense. They lose close games because they can't (or don't bother to) stop anyone from scoring.
ReplyDeleteI think the Sonics are only one or two players and a philosophy away from 2nd round playoff contention.
You forgot to add a good coach and decent GM to that wishlist, fella...
ReplyDeleteAny team that makes Dampier look like an all-star has serious interior problems.
ReplyDeleteSund has built this team around perimeter shooters without a thought of defense. Sure, his drafts have been good (besides the last three years which are likely to provide immediate relief for somebody else in about three years), but the players he's drafted fit that bill. They don't play good defense, they don't rebound. They just shoot and shooting doesn't win championships.
ReplyDeleteWell.. Iverson gets to take the spotlight for a little while, since Carmelo is suspended until mid-January.
ReplyDelete