Nothing like a
Lost in the shuffle - D.E.F.E.N.S.E. I'm talking 14 steals and 26 New Orleans turnovers type of defense. Earl racked up 5 on his own, and Wilkins and Ridnour combined for 7 steals.
On Wilcox, check out these numbers:
FGA in two games since Ray Allen got hurt: 29
FGA in previous FIVE games with Ray in lineup: 31
In other words, the points Ray was getting are going directly into Chris Wilcox' pocket (as well as some other guys, of course; i.e., Wilkins, Watson, etc.). Honestly, I was totally wrong about Rashard Lewis stepping up - either the Hornets were waiting for him to do it and they overcommitted to stop Lewis, or he's just not capable of being the guy on a consistent basis.
More importantly, it hasn't mattered. As always seems to happen in these cases, other people have helped - Watson, Wilcox, Wilkins, Gelabale, Petro - easing the hurt of Ray's absence.
All right, let's take a deep breath. The Sonics just got done knocking off two teams that aren't exactly title contenders. The Hawks and Hornets were a combined 4-9 in their most recent games before taking on Seattle, so a little restraint is due.
To me, the real test will come on Sunday at home against the Warriors. Golden State is on an even playing field with the Sonics. Both are teams that have performed below expectations, but both have a large number of talented players. Most important, both are possible end-of-the-playoff-bracket type teams. A win against the Warriors before the Sonics head out east for a 5-game trip would be flat-out fantastic.
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ReplyDeleteDo we start talking about an AI for Ray trade yet? Maybe we throw in Luke or Earl and Danny and we get a good 20-min a night big man from them as well.
ReplyDeleteAllen Iverson is the type of player that the Seattle Supersonics DON'T need on the team.
ReplyDeleteYa AI would be so much worse than Ray
ReplyDeleteI love AI, and I that as famous as he is, he's underrated historically, but he's not what the Sonics need, even if they deal Ray for him.
ReplyDeleteAI would be a lousy fit next to Ridnour, and if you think the team stagnates with Ray on offense because of the way he commands touches, imagine how bad it would with Iverson on the team.
Iverson needs to play for a team where he is the #1, #2, and #3 option, and the rest of the guys on the team don't mind. The Sonics aren't that team.
C'mon, thebigo, for you should've remembered that I dislike guys who don't play defense. Fred Hoiberg and Casey Jacobsen, therefore, aren't favorites of mine.
ReplyDeleteI don't like selfish point guards, too, such as Allen Iverson. As it is, you should also know that fact.
Who cares if Iverson is a shooting guard? Any point guard that plays with him never has the ball in their hands anyway.
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