Just to remind us all that this is a basketball team we're following, and not a conglomeration of lawyers and court cases, a bit of on-court news to report:
1. Scott Perry will not return as the Sonics' Asst. General Manager next year, having taken a position with Detroit Pistons, from whence he came to the Sonics a year ago. Perry is expected to be named the VP of Basketball Operations for the Pistons.
2. Gary Washburn reports in the PI that Sam Presti failed to confirm - not once, but twice - that PJ Carlesimo will return as the Sonics' head coach next season. I'll allow you to read Washburn's piece to get the rest of the story, but the bigger question is, Does it mean anything?
Perhaps not. After all, Carlesimo is a big enough boy to be able to withstand a few days or weeks of uncertainty, so it's not as though he'll be anxiously awaiting every text message and phone call he receives in the next little while.
On the other hand, Presti can't be terribly enthused with how the season went, especially the way in which the team seemed to tune out their coach and go on early vacation in numerous games in the second half of the season.
The franchise's utter lack of certainty in any aspect of its existence has more than a little to do with that, of course, but shouldn't Carlesimo's avowed dedication to defense shown up on the court at some point this year?
Luckily for PJ, both Kevin Durant and Jeff Green showed improvement in their games as the season went on, for if those two keys to the team's future failed to show any increase in skills after 82 games under Carlesimo, then that might have been it for the long-time assistant.
One other aspect to consider, naturally, is Gary Washburn's obvious disdain for the entire situation. It's only human nature to grow weary of a lousy situation, and covering the Sonics this year was a lousy situation no matter how you looked at it. GW, perhaps inheriting the Bitter Baron title from the since-departed Frank Hughes at the TNT, seemed to take the Sonics' failures down the stretch more than a little too close to heart, and his frustration at the season may have played a role in the quotes he obtained.
I was in the Columbia Tower and saw a basketball game break out.
ReplyDeleteI give Washburn credit for sticking it out. He was the only reporter that made it a point to grade the player performances after every game of this brutal throwaway tank of a season.
ReplyDeleteHow’s this for foreboding irony: The Sonics closed out their last game of their 41st season, and possibly last in Seattle, in the Bay Area against the Warriors—just as they began their very first season, in October of 1967, when the expansion crew was predictably trounced 144-116 by the then-San Francisco Warriors at the Cow Palace. Betcha David Stern was behind this sinister touch, the little bastard.
ReplyDeleteDon’t bother thanking me for pointing this out. Just figured I’d make things seem a little more ominous.
Well done, jas. Any reference to the Cow Palace is a good reference in my book.
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