Nertz! Sonics get Knicked, 104-101

From Yahoo!

SEATTLE (AP) -- Jamal Crawford has learned the secret to homecomings: Don't rush.

Back in his hometown, Crawford scored all of his season-high 31 points in the second half, and the New York Knicks rallied for a 104-101 win over the Seattle SuperSonics on Tuesday night.

Read the rest here.

Game Night: Knicks

In a way, statistics are to writers as voters are to politicians. So long as they are needed, they receive attention. But when they aren’t needed, well, you know the story.

The reason I bring this up is the utter disappearance from Seattle newspapers of the “Sonic defense stinks” story during the course of the recent 3-game winning streak. You would think from reading the pieces in the paper that – after about a week of stories regarding the woeful state of Seattle’s defense this year – that Weiss & Co. had resolved that irritating problem.

Well, yes and no. Prior to the win streak, I wrote a piece claiming that by allowing opponents to shoot 49% the Sonics had no chance at winning. Want to know what the Sonics have allowed during the past 3 games?

48.4%.

And now the yes. What I also noticed was how the Sonics have improved their perimeter defense. In the 3 losses before the win streak, opponents shot 20 for 41 from 3-point range, nearly 50%, a ridiculously high number. In the 3 wins, that has dropped to 20 for 61, a more normal 33%. Is it luck? Is it the law of averages? Is it improved defense? I have no idea, but it makes a heck of a big difference when the other team hits only 33% beyond the arc. 50% of 20 3’s is 30 points, a nine-point difference over 33%. That nine points is the difference – as Pacino’s character says in Any Given Sunday – between winning and losing, between living and dying.

Anyway, the Sonics play the Knicks tonight. In addition to being Retro Night, it’s also Hefty Bag night, so bring your garbage ban and waive it in support of Jerome James. The Knicks are also rumored to be in the Kevin Garnett sweepstakes, prompting one “ESPN Insider” to bet that he’d be in MSG by February. An interesting thought, especially considering the glut of bad moves that Isaiah Thomas has made in his career.

In any event, the Knicks have rebounded from their atrocious 2-7 start, going 3-4 in their past 7 games. Still, New York is all of 2-8 on the road this year, and I can’t expect they’ll add to that win column tonight.

The Knicks play a slow-down type game, as indicated by their 93 points a game and opponent FG% of less than 45. They also like to pound the ball inside (59% of their shots come off of jumpers, compared to 72% for Seattle), which could pose a problem with Seattle’s poor interior defenders. Take special note of rookie Channing Frye, the guy I said the Sonics should stay a country mile away from, who is now a candidate for Rookie of the Year (do I know my draft picks or what?). Frye’s +/- on the season is an astounding +23.5 and he has proven to be adept scorer and, surprise, rebounder.

However, with Seattle’s recent run of improved energy, I like the Sonics’ chances. Best of all, Da Fort is apparently healthy enough to go, which means there’s gonna be some rumblin’ going on.

Here’s my guess: Sonics 98 – Knicks 87.

Following A Little Too Closely in Ellis' Footsteps

...Or should we say, "Ellis' Tiretracks?" Photo cribbed from the Seattle Times.

Less than two weeks after he passed Dale Ellis on the all-time Sonics 3-pointers list, Rashard Lewis seems poised to mimic his predecessor's spotty legal history as well.

Late Monday came the news that Shard was charged for driving under the influence, two months (?) after getting pulled over on I-90 and hitting 0.132 on the Breathalyzer.

Longtime Sonics fans will be forgiven for feeling some deja vu. The Quiet Man's incident no doubt stirred up echoes of the original Silent Assassin wrecking his Benz and breaking some ribs while driving drunk way back in 1990. This is before Dale further sullied his image with, among other things, a much-publicized domestic dispute with his wife and an ugly legal battle with his neighbors. Dale Ellis, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come? Let's hope not...

Cynical types might now wonder if Lewis' recent charity event was a pre-emptive public relations move. If that's the case, hey, so what. At least he's done one smart thing since doing a very, very dumb and potentially life-threatening thing.

We tend to focus on the non-serious around here at the 'Soul, but I truly, sincerely hope to God that Number 7 takes a much different path from Ol' Number 3. Thankfully he's still young and has time to make up for such a boneheaded stunt.

Nothing but 'Net

Last week, when I should have been doing some “more important” work, I thought I’d take a look to see what the Sonic players have done as far as the web is concerned. With images of Craig “Mint” Ehlo fresh in mind, I set out in search of the best the Sonics’ web presences have to offer. Here’s what I discovered.

Ray Allen – In a word, frightening. Many things come to mind when I think of the Sonics’ shooting guard, but K-9 defense is not one of them.

Bob Weiss – Apparently, Mr. Weiss is even more qualified to deal with Danny Fortson than we previously believed.

Robert Swift – I’m not entirely sure, but I’m guessing this could be young Bobby’s dad’s site. That, or Bob has made the best of his (considerable) time on the bench the past two years.

Surprisingly, no one else on the roster has anything affiliated to their names. Even such luminaries as Luke Ridnour and Rashard Lewis are shut out. What the heck are the agents for these guys doing? After all, if this guy can have a site, why can’t Ray Allen? And why the heck does this loser get a site, when Danny Fortson doesn’t?

I tell ya, it just don’t make no sense.

Sonics Punk Pacers, 107-102

The Seattle SuperSonics beat the Indiana Pacers 107-102 Sunday night without the benefit of a center.

Petro and the Potty-Man never left the bench as forwards Nick "Caveman" Collison and Danny "DaFunk" Fortson manned the middle. Flip Murray had another strong game, scoring 18 points off the bench to help the Sonics win their third in a row.

Could this mean the team we know and love from last season is finally back? Stay tuned.

Get Your Daily Recommended Dosage of Alley-Oops

Not much to say here. Shawn Kemp dunks, all in an extended 12" Dance Remix.

The ending will absolutely make you soil your drawers. I'm talking to you, Paul.

Warning: May contain filthy dunks and sick blocks unsuitable for young children, the frail, and the terminally un-funky. I'm talking to you, Vin Baker.

Thanks to K-Chung for the heads up.

Shard's Truckload of Love!

From Northwest Harvest:

Dec. 3, 2-4 p.m.: Truck Load Of Love. Join Sonics All-Star forward Rashard Lewis at Bill Pierre Ford as he attempts to fill three F-150 trucks with canned goods and monetary donations benefiting Northwest Harvest. With each donation of $10 or 10 food items, fans will receive an autographed photo of Lewis. A $20 donation or 20 food items will also receive Seattle Sonics game tickets while supplies last.

An autographed photo of Shard and two tickets to a game for twenty bucks? That's a bargain, my friends, and it's for a good cause as well. Of course, whenever I see a big celebrity doing an event like this, I can't help but think of the Mr. Show skit where Bob explains to David that "charity is giving while other people are watching". Yes folks, even Christmas© can't dampen my cynicism!

The Results Are In ...

... and Bob Weiss should perhaps avert his eyes. According to espn.com, Bob Weiss is the least-popular coach in the league, and it ain't all that close. Put it this way, if Weiss was running for President, he'd be looking at Ross Perot's behind.

The nasty numbers? Fully 83% of the people who bothered to click on their mouse (mice?) claimed they disapproved of Weiss' job so far. Goodness, if he keeps this up, he'll have to declare war on Bellevue in order to stay in power.

Sonics Skin Cats, 104-94

Holy crap—the Sonics won! No, really!

SEATTLE (AP) -- Ray Allen scored 32 points and Rashard Lewis had 27 points and 10 rebounds to help the Seattle SuperSonics break a three-game losing streak with a 104-94 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night.

Lewis was strong in the first half, scoring 18 points, and then turned it over to Allen, who had 20 in the second half.

Statistically the worst defensive team in the league -- Seattle was allowing 105.4 points per game -- the SuperSonics spent the last two practices focusing on defense. It showed, as Seattle held the Bobcats to 44 percent shooting and forced 19 turnovers. Teams were shooting 48.6 percent against Seattle, next to last in the league.

from Yahoo!

Game Night: Bobcats

Finally, a chance for the Sonics to get healthy. After all the immense amount of ink spilled in the past four days regarding Seattle's horrific defense, poor intensity, etc., etc., tonight the Sonics have an opportunity to show why they were one of the better teams in the Western Conference last year.

Of note for Charlotte, both Melvin Ely and Primoz Brezec have played well in their last two outings, which should strike fear into the hearts of Sonic fans, as both guys will need to be stopped by big defenders - something MIA in Seattle this season.

Oh, and this is worth a laugh: According to the Bobcats' website, tonight's game "will be a battle between two teams known for their hustle on the defensive end." Um, yeah, if by "hustle" you mean "complete inability to stop the fellow with the ball."

INJURY REPORT - Rick Brunson (OUT), Danny Fortson (QUESTIONABLE), Jumaine Jones (DOUBTFUL), Sean May (QUESTIONABLE), Sonic Defense (GAME-TIME DECISION).

SPREAD - Sonics by 6

NOTES - Gerald Wallace, a guy that more than one of our readers pointed out as a viable Sonic free agent target, is having the best year of his career. After a few seasons in Sacto, Wallace has exploded for nearly 18 points a game, as well as 2.5 steals. Wallace, however, is having trouble hitting 3's on the road. He's at 43% at home, only 17% away.

Help

The only area of consistency in Seattle’s season thus far has been its inconsistency, from 32-point losses and three-game losing streaks one week, to turning around and looking like a legitimate playoff contender the next; then turning around 180 degrees in the opposite direction the next. Frustration, thy name is Sonic.

Like most of you, I have been puzzled as to what has caused the drop-off from last year’s glorious springtime dash to this year’s plodding jog. I won’t go into all of them at this point, but here’s the first of a few-part series on Why The Sonics Are Struggling.

1. Opposition FG%/Defense. You simply cannot let opponents shoot 49% and expect to win. Only the Raptors have a greater FG% disparity than the Sonics’ 5.5% (compare to last season’s -1.5% difference). Obviously, when you get outscored by more than seven points a game you won’t win very often, yet that’s exactly where the Sonics stand, a full 10 points behind last year’s +2.5 ppg advantage.

The question jumps out at you, why are opponents so successful against Seattle’s defense this year? After all, the offense is scoring only a point below last year’s pace, so it’s not as though Seattle is running a Phoenix-style offense that generates more opposition points merely via increased possessions.

Of course, the first item of business is one Antonio Daniels. AD averaged 27 minutes per game last year, 27 minutes of strong defense and ball-control offense. AD’s minutes have been divided up, as best as I can figure, among Ridnour, Murray, Cleaves, and Wilkins.

Obviously, it’s more complicated than that, with different rotations and so forth, but the reality is that those three guys are replacing AD on the court. What does that mean, though? For one, none of those three can shoot worth a damn, or at least they have yet to this year. Both Ridnour and Wilkins have been horrific this year, shooting below 35%, which means more fast break opportunities for opponents since the majority of their shots come from the outside. Murray’s deficiencies have been outlined all over the web, but the Omen can’t be spared the rod, either, as his stats look almost as bad. Add in Ridnour’s long-bemoaned inadequacies at defense, and you’ve got three guys with horrible defensive stats and one guy, Cleaves, who will always need help on switches. Add in the usefulness of AD in this very area (he can guard PGs, SGs and SFs) and you’ve got a hidden area that is continually hurting Seattle.

And, yet, the departure of Daniels masks another area – the poor performance of the big men. A quick look at this site reveals that the position that is killing the Sonics is center. In fact, to make things easier, here is how the scoring differential breaks down by position.

PG – (-1.5) 2004-05 (-4.4) 2005-06 Difference: -2.9
SG – (+6.5) 2004-05 (+8.5) 2005-06 Difference: +2
SF – (+2.5) 2004-05 (-0.2) 2005-06 Difference: -2.7
PF – (-4.2) 2004-05 (-4.9) 2005-06 Difference: -0.7
C – (-0.9) 2004-05 (-6.5) 2005-06 Difference: -5.6

If you look at the PER (a complicated rating formula devised by John Hollinger), it becomes even more obvious that power forward and center are the twin Achilles’ heels of the Sonics this year on defense. To further illustrate, here are the worst offenders when we compute how many points the Sonics’ defense allows per 48 minutes with them or without them.

Danny Fortson, 124 on-court, 116 off
Mikki Moore, 148 on-court, 116 off
Damien Wilkins, 123 on-court, 115 off
Flip Murray, 133 on-court, 113 off

Moore’s stats are skewed by the fact he’s only played a few minutes, but the other three are all culpable. It’s surprising, though, that Wilkins makes the list, in that he’s supposed to be some kind of defensive stopper. Looking deeper into the stats, you can see it doesn’t matter if Wilkins is at the 2 or 3, he’s getting beat either way. Likewise, Murray stinks at PG and SG, although he stinks less at SG, for whatever that’s worth.

The bottom line is the Sonics are getting killed at center and their point guard can’t defend a team of girl scouts. Ridnour is a fixture and we’re going to have to live with him. At center, though, it seems to me the best alternative is to start the Potato. His offense has been spotty at best this year, but I’m convinced that if the Sonics get him a solid 25-30 minutes a night, he can help offensively while providing more than adequate help on defense. As Weiss alludes to in a great article on supersonics.com, guard penetration is hurting the Sonics, and one Jerome James would be a welcome addition. Weiss’ hope is that Petro and Swift can keep guys from scoring in the paint, and that an improved attention to team defense will be a tonic. My concern is that if these guys haven’t figured it out a fifth of the way through the season, exactly how much time do they need?

Breather

Sometimes, the schedule-maker-man is on your side. Just when the Sonics need a breath, they have three days off, followed by a winnable game at home against Charlotte. Of course, "winnable" games for the Sonics are like Dick Cheney: oft-discussed but seldom seen.

Unfortunately for Sonic fans, the month of December beckons, with a schedule from hell. Among Seattle's opponents at holiday time: Dallas, San Antonio, Denver, Phoenix, Philly, and Utah (twice). Think 5-8 looks bad? Try imagining what the record will look like after Christmas.

At least this recent spate of miserable losses (culminating with Saturday's defeat to the Homeless Hornets) has provided us with the first nomination for Quote of the Year, coming from the unlikely Mikki Moore. To wit:

"We need to stop [freaking] babying some of these [guys] and start being real with them."

Thanks, Mik. Of course, it would mean a heckuva lot more coming from a guy whose season-high in points was more than 3.