Sonics Burn Atlanta

Oh, man, that's an awful reference, and if it were disparaging to any part of the country other than the Deep South, I probably wouldn't have done it.

But, hey, the Sonics kicked some Hawk butt in what is now my all-time favorite Thursday afternoon victory in Sonic history.

James and Fort both got booted, although, to be honest, James was going to foul out in another 3 minutes anyways, so it was kind of a foregone conclusion. Nice efforts from Collison (double-double), Allen (for rebounding from a lousy first half), Ridnour (nice overall game), and Rashard (10 points in 2nd quarter).

Charlotte's up next. It'll be nice to see Bernie Bickerstaff and Co. Little known fact: Bernie's kid is an assistant for the Bobcats, as is Bob Kloppenburg's son.

Almost forgot; Ibo Kutluay got in for 4 minutes in garbage time - no points, though, so he's still o-for-the season.

Game Night # 27 : Atlanta Hawks

A couple of months ago, it was this same Atlanta team that proved to be the springboard for the Sonics' ascent to the stratosphere. Coming off an embarrassing loss to the the Clippers in the season opener, the Sonics destroyed the Hawks by 21 at Key Arena in game two.

The Hawks have been better of late, but they're still an awful team. Meanwhile, the Sonics have stumbled at the holidays, losing three of their last six after losing only three of their first 20. It remains to be seen if McMillan can find a way to keep his four guards happy, or if Flip Murray will have to be sat in order to preserve the beginning of the season flow.

Good Sign: Antoine Walker still can't find his conscience; he's hitting only 40% of his shots over the last 10 games.
Bad Sign: With the Sonics traveling across the country to play a bizarre Thursday afternoon game, I just don't like the looks of this one.

Notes: The Sonics have forced 50% more turnovers on bad passes than they've committed ... Allen is rated as the 6th-best player in the NBA by the Roland Ratings ... If Allen continues this pace, he'll be the first Sonic since Dale Ellis to average 23 ppg or more for three consecutive seasons. Of course, Ellis saved alot of energy by not playing any defense ... This is the first of five games in eight days on the road for Seattle ... According to the News-Tribune, Murray is going to see his minutes decrease as McMillan looks for ways to right the ship.

Trivia: Who was the last Atlanta Hawk to average 10 assists per game?

Vegas line: Sonics by 9 1/2
Prediction: Sonics 103 - Hawks 91
Record Against the Spread: 10-5

Money Shot

In between games, I thought this may be of interest to Sonic fans; a breakdown of this year's salaries (in millions):

Ray Allen, $14.6
Rashard, $7.8
Potato, $6.1
Fort, $5.9
James, $4.5
Radman, $2.3
Daniels, $2.2
Collison, $1.7
Ridnour, $1.5
Swift, $1.6
Kutluay, $1.6
Evans, $0.9
Murray, $0.7
Wilkins, $0.4
Cleaves, $0.4

What those numbers don't tell you is production. So, listed below is how much the Sonics paid each player for a point in the Tendex rating system (a complicated measure that incorporates almost every aspect of performance). For example, the Sonics currently pay Jerome James $16,140 dollars for each tick on the rating system he produces (note that the Tendex system is on a per game basis, hence the money paid in this chart is as well):

Swift, $97560
Potato, $82650
James, $16140
Fortson, $8560
Allen, $8240
Collison, $5450
Lewis, $4780
Cleaves, $4570
Wilkins, $3050
Radman, $2440
Murray, $2030
Daniels, $2010
Ridnour, $1390
Evans, $1020
Kutluay, incomplete

Obviously, Reggie Evans is the best deal on the Sonics, and, I would guess, one of the best deals in the NBA. I found two items surprising:

1. Rashard is a great bargain
2. Da Fort isn't as great a bargain as we would have thought

Of course, Fortson's lack of minutes is the reason here, and not his production. Still, the Sonics are paying him a full salary, not a "we'll just pay you for the 1st and 3rd quarters" salary, so Fortson must take his share of criticism for his quick fouls.

One last item. The Sonics pay Ibo Kutluay $19,512.20 every game. So far, he's played in one game, lasted two minutes, and contributed a turnover. Since the Sonics have played 26 games, Ibo has received $507,317 so far this season.

Or, put another way, $253,658 per minute.

Game Night #26: Utah Jazz

Since Nussbaum is still drunk on Holiday Cheer, it looks like I'll have to throw together another half-assed Supersonicsoul Pregame Show© :

• Opponent: Utah Jazz
• Where: Mormon-ville
• When: 6pm
• TV/Radio: FSN/KJR
• Good News: Andrei Kirilenko is out with an ankle injury!
• Bad News: The Sonics haven't won in Utah in 400 years!
• My prediction: X-man will dunk over Mark Eaton's caveman head!

Why I'm (Not) Pissed Off This Week: Christmas Wishes

Normally, I'd rant on about some perceived injustice, but I've got nothing but love this week. Here's what I'm thankful for at Christmas:

* That Kobe and Shaq have been split up, giving us a Christmas Day game that all of us can look forward to.
* That the Sonics are playing above their heads, but are doing it with a high-scoring style that makes me proud to be a fan of this team.
* That Nate McMillan is going to be considered for Coach of the Year. I don't think I'm the only one out there who would kill for this man. Mac-10 is up there with Edgar in the Seattle sports pantheon as far as I'm concerned.
* That the NBA is leaning to more points and less banging. All 3 of us came of age during the golden days of 120-114 games in the 1980s, days that seem as distant as sockhops and black and white photos now. Thank you, David Stern, for finally figuring out a way to reintroduce us to 18-2 runs and a flurry of made baskets.
* That my friend, Paul, came up with a way to let me vent my frustration about my favorite team (the Sonics) and my favorite sport (basketball). I know I could be doing more productive things with my time, but I couldn't be doing anything better.

Seatown in Nine-Tre

A wee Christmas gift to all (both?) our readers, from Supersonicsoul...

Download the song here.

Check out the dope rhymes!

Happy Holidays, you knuckleheads!

Sick Sonics blow out Nuggets, 98-83

Ray Allen wipes his runny nose on Greg Buckner.

Despite Ray Allen's nose and Antonio Daniels' tonsils, the Sonics managed to beat the even sorrier Nuggets last night, 98-83 at the Key.

Allen, battling an upper respiratory infection, still played 41 minutes and scored 20 points. Daniels missed the game because of tonsillitis.

Danny Fortson, eager to join his ailing friends on the bench, managed to foul out in only 10 minutes of play, which may be a new Supersonics record.

Seattle didn't really need any of them. The Nuggets, missing star forward Carmelo Anthony, only scored 38 points in the first half and were never really in the game.

This was the last game for the Supes before Christmas. Seattle plays the Jazz in Utah on Monday.

Game Night # 25: Denver Nuggets

In the halcyon days of my youth, the Nuggets represented the pinnacle of excess, led by scorers like Alex English, TR Dunn, Dan Issel, Calvin Natt, and Fat Lever.

To put that team in context, English attempted 1812 field goals in 1984-85, a year in which the Nuggets averaged 120 points a game. Last season, Kevin Garnett led the NBA with 1611 FGA, 200 less than English, or almost 2.5 a game. My, how times have changed.

Well, enough rambling. The current edition of the Nuggets is a woefully underperforming group, especially considering they added K-Mart to a roster that made the playoffs last season. You wouldn't have thought that Voshon Lenard was one of the most important players in the Western Conference, but, hey, that's the NBA sometimes.

Ordinarily you'd look for a high scoring affair, as the Nugs have surrendered at least 108 points in their past six games. With the flu invading the Sonics' roster, though, and with Carmelo Anthony on the bench, I think this game will be tighter than anticipated.

Good Sign: No Carmelo.
Bad Sign: The Nuggets nearly toppled Phoenix in their last game and the Sonics could have accumulated some holiday rust since their game last Friday. Ray Allen, Jerome James, and A.D. all appear to be under the weather.

Trivia: How many times did opponents hold the Nuggets to under 100 points back in 1984-85?

Vegas line: Sonics by 9 1/2
Prediction: Sonics 101 - Nuggets 95
Record Against the Spread: 10-4

Viva la Sonics!

Team France loves Supersonicsoul!

After the Steve Nash debacle, Supersonicsoul was in dire need of a feel-good story. Luckily my new best friend from France, Romain Casolari, wrote me this e-mail:

Hello,

I'm a BIG Fan of the NBA. I created a Blog which speaks about the NBA and I wanted to present it to you.

basketblogger.com (in French)

basketblogger.com (In English, through a web translator)

I like very much your Blog and I would have to like that one makes an exchange of link. Would you be ok?

Excuse my bad English
Live the NBA!

- Romain Casolari "Mr Basketblogger"

The "translator", of course, makes for some unintentionally hilarious reading, especially this article about Danny Fortson:

Danny Fortson is one of the men in form of this beginning of season NBA, however when one looks at the sheets of match of Sonics his statistics remain honest but without more!

But attention! brought back to 48 minutes of play, the evaluation of Fortson would go up to +31.72 and would place it at the 12éme row of players NBA... With its 52.1% to 2points and 86.6% with the frank throws, its stats brought back to 48 minutes of play per match would await tops: 24.4 points 17.3 rebounds!!!

The question is: Why prefer Evans to him?

"Why prefer Evans to him" indeed, my friend. The English may not be perfect (or even English for that matter), but Romain clearly understands what I've been yelling at my TV all season: Da Fort needs more minutes! (Of course, it would help if he didn't foul out every game, but I digress.)

Anyway, go check out Romain's excellent site and read about the NBA Frenchy Style!

Phoenix Phallout

Bad News: The Sonics lost to the Suns Friday night.

Good News: Thanks to Nussbaum's incensory (and quite possibly insane) rant against Steve Nash, Supersonicsoul scored career highs in comments and hits (to the website - not Nussbaum).

Just for the record, I'd like to point out that Mr. Nussbaum's views are his own, and do not necessarily reflect those of Chunkstyle, myself, or Supersonicsoul© . I'd also like to point out that I think Steve Nash is a fine young man and please don't hurt me.

Update: We finally found someone to agree with Nussbaum's opinion of Steve Nash: Steve Nash!

Game Night # 24: Phoenix Suns

Does anyone else remember that game back in the late 80s, when the Sonics took a 19-game home winning streak up against the Lakers in the Coliseum? It was a Sunday afternoon game on CBS - rarified air for the Sonics and their fans, with Dick Stockton, Magic, Kareem, Riles, et al invading the misty mundaneness of a Seattle January.

The first half looked wonderful, highlighted by a McMillan alley oop to the X-Man that still chills me to the bone. McDaniel slammed the ball through the hoop like a 16-year-old pounding a hammer at a county fair contest, as if to say in one motion that "I'm here, I'm bald, and I'm gonna kick your old asses all over this court."

The Lakers withstood the first half onslaught ... then proceeded to destroy the Sonics in the second half on their way to yet another championship.

Well, the Suns aren't the Lakers and ESPN on a Friday night isn't CBS on a Sunday in '88, but I'm looking forward to tonight with as much anticipation as I did as a 15-year-old those many years ago.


Good Sign: The Sonics are playing a meaningful game in December.
Bad Sign: None.

Questions: Nash v Ridnour? Stoudemire v Fortson? Rashard v Amare?

Vegas line: Pick 'em
Prediction: Sonics 109 - Suns 105
Record Against the Spread: 10-3

Why I'm Pissed Off This Week: Steve Nash for MVP

That's right, pretty boy: I'm calling you out!

You know, I had intended to start this column a couple of weeks ago. The fact I didn’t is the truest sign yet that the Sonics are off to a fantastic start, inasmuch as the grumpiest 32-year-old you’ll ever meet could not find a stitch to criticize in the jersey that is this season.

Well, let me commence this week’s epistle with a quote from our friend Eric Neel at espn.com: “You can be a wiry, hang-dog, thirty-something, 6-foot-3 point and be the center of the basketball world.” Neel is referring to, of course, the Suns' erstwhile guard, Steve Nash.

I assume that, like me, you’re still laughing at the absurdity of that comment. Perhaps you need a moment to collect yourself. I suggest grabbing an immovable object, such as a table, or Vitaly Potapenko.

Now that we’ve all gathered ourselves, let’s dissect this argument. Does Neel truly expect us to believe that Steve Nash, a player who isn’t even the second-best player on his team, deserves to have his name on the same award as Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan? Does he think we’re that idiotic?

Yes, he does.

Why does this tick me off? For two reasons. One, it’s a stupid assertion made by a ridiculous columnist who is either naïve enough to believe his own nonsense or so eager to draw in readers that he’ll make outrageously brainless claims.

Two, it speaks to an element of our society that I detest like a gardener detests weeds. It’s the idea of flaunting your intelligence by supporting an unheralded person or idea. Cheering for Steve Nash is akin to saying you like reading Kerouac, or listening to the Velvet Underground. Since nobody you’ll talk to will be able to call you on your arguments, you’re home scot-free, the resident insider into what’s truly “in.”

Well, in this case, Neel has gone too far.

Let me be blunt. I hate Steve Nash. No, I’ve never met the man, and I’m sure he’s a nice enough guy, but why I hate him has nothing to do with Nash the person. What I hate is white sportswriters fawning over him as if he carries the Da Vinci Code for decrypting exciting basketball. Add in the fact that he’s a Canadian and I live in Canada, and you can imagine how much Nash crap I have to hear every day.

I’ll admit that Nash is a fine player. In fact, he’s one of the five best point guards in the NBA. But that doesn’t make him any more of an MVP candidate than Gilbert Arenas.

Let’s face it. Nash went to a team with two bona-fide all-stars in residence, a shooting guard who is capable of scoring 20 points a game (Joe Johnson), and another shooting guard (Quentin Richardson) who is a rising talent. Did the Suns really need Steve Nash to make the playoffs this season?

Yes, the Suns are markedly better. But why does Nash get all of the credit and Q gets none? After all, Q plays more minutes (36 to 34). Doesn’t this mean he has had more of an impact than Nash, or at least as much?

Fine, Nash is more valuable than Q. But is he more valuable than Shawn Marion, a guy averaging 20 ppg, 12 boards, 2.2 blocks, and more than a 3 per game? Surely Nash isn’t more important than Amare Stoudemire, who’s at 26 ppg, with 9 boards and two blocks.

If you don’t believe me, listen to the stathead websites. Over at dougstats.com, the site’s author uses a complicated method he terms MyTendex to evaluate players based upon their overall contribution to the team. Where does Nash rank on the Suns?

Third, behind Stoudemire and Marion.

How about Points Above Replacement (PAR), which tracks how many points a particular player produces above and beyond what a replacement level player would contribute. In the offensive side of the equation, guess where Nash ranks in the NBA?

Ninth, behind, among others, Marion and Stoudemire.

Look, Nash is a neat player who hustles and throws cute passes and likes to flick his hair. So what? The bottom line is this: If you’re an NBA GM, and you’re allowed to sign any player in the league for this season only, with money as no object, how long before Steve Nash’s name comes up?

Exactly.

Let’s try one final example. Listed below are the stat lines from two NBA players for this season:

.....Min.....ppg.....apg....to/g...3pm...ftm...st/g...reb
A....34.0....15.6....11.0.....3.1.....29.....52....1.0....3.3
B....38.6....19.8.....8.6.....3.0.....33....103....1.5....3.0

Player A is the “MVP.”

Player B? Stephon Marbury.