New Year, New Rumors

Is it "go time" foe Wee Wilks?

Like most of us, the Seattle Supersonics woke up this morning with a hell of a holiday hangover. After the thrilling high of a one-game win streak, the Sonics face the harsh realities of the New Year:

• Who do they cut on Jan 10th (the day contracts must be guaranteed for the rest of the season)?
• Is Danny Fortson really the starting center?
• Which is worse: Oklahoma City or RENTON?

Discuss!

Make Some Resolutions

Ack.

No other way to describe that game against Minnesota. After the Dallas loss at home, I figured the next 5 games would tell the tale for the Sonics' playoff chances this year - they'd probably win two home games, lose to Denver, then Minnesota ...?

Well, that question mark can firmly be labeled an L, and the Sonics' likelihood at the playoffs is somewhere around the likelihood of an outdoor swim in Minnesota or Denver this week.

Hopefully, the Sonics will rebound against the Celtics on New Year's Eve, but I'm not exactly holding my breath. Oh, in case you're thinking the Sonics will be able to get off to a good start in '07, here's their first two weeks' worth of opponents:

Dallas, Houston, Knicks, Golden State, Phoenix, Miami, Utah

Friends, it just doesn't get easier when you're the worst or next-to-worst team in the Conference.

With all of that in mind, here's some off-the-cuff resolutions for the Sonics for 2007.

Rick Sund - Find a way to deal either Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, or both. If you haven't guessed it by now, this team is going nowhere, and Sugar Ray - new child notwithstanding - is no spring chicken.

Bob Hill - Learn how to use workopolis.com more efficiently.

Clay Bennett - Return "How to Order Coffee and Speak Seattlese in 3 Easy Steps."

Earl Watson - Buy new set of luggage - you're gonna need it.

Danny Fortson - Ask Earl if you can use his old suitcases.

Mickael Gelabale - Stay in shape - you're gonna see a lot of minutes come February.

Ray Allen - Seriously consider selling your home in Seattle while the market's still favorable.

Luke Ridnour - Resolve to buy extra thank you cards for Earl for screwing up his chance at taking your job.

Rashard Lewis - Be thankful your injury keeps you out of crappy Sonic highlights on ESPN for the next two months.

Nick Collison - Resolve to visit mystic Hindu spa where you can find yourself, or at least find Reggie Evans' self, 'cause this Nick ain't the Nick we need.

Chris Wilcox - Resolve to send thank you note to Dunleavy for allowing you to come to Seattle, where you can now make $8 mil. a year to be an underachiever.

And, finally, Johan Petro - Just keep counting the days until free agency, when some dumb GM will undoubtedly give you a six-year deal.

Happy 2007, everybody!

Rashard Lewis Out 8 Weeks

This totally sucks.

Well, Ray's back at least.

Ghosts of Supersonics Past

Does the slow death-watch of our beloved Sonics make you yearn for the glory years? Well, our pal Eric Neel of ESPN is working on a piece about the Sonics 40th Anniversary (remember that?) and he wants to know what YOUR favorite Supersonics memories are. Here are the specific questions he sent to me:

• What do the Sonics mean to you?
• What would you do if they left town -- how would you cope?
• What are your favorite memories over the years?
• Who do you blame for the position they're in now?
• How worried are you?

Leave your answers in the comments and I will make sure E-Neel gets them. My favorite Sonics memory? How about that 1987 Playoff run?

UPDATE: Thanks for all the fantastic memories &mdash keep 'em coming! But please leave your name so Eric can credit you on ESPN.com. Thanks!

It's Go Time

As I see it, the next 11 days will determine the Sonics' season.

With a miserable 10-17 record, Seattle stands six games back of the #8 seed in the playoffs. And while some might say the playoffs are not important for this team's progress, I disagree. I think the playoffs are essential to the team's development - or else this ship needs to be blown up, and quick, because Ray Allen ain't getting any younger, people, and he ain't getting any better.

In the next 11 days, the Sonics play 5 games: Toronto, New Orleans, at Denver, at Minnesota, and finishing with Boston on New Year's Eve at Key Arena.

The Sonics must win 4 of those 5 to stand any chance at moving forward this year. A 4-1 mark would put Seattle's record at the end of 2006 at 14-18, which would put them amidst the Golden States, Minnesotas, and Portlands of the world. With Allen due back on Saturday, the Toronto game is now winnable again. Likewise, New Orleans and Boston at home. That leaves Minnesota as the one tough road game the Sonics must get.

If I'm Rick Sund and Clay Bennett, I'm giving this train until January 1st to get back on track. If the Sonics manage to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory more than once in the next 11 days, I'd seriously consider unhooking some of the cars from the train and start adding some different pieces.

Iverson a Nugget

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.

Grin and Bear It

As the Sonics continue to stumble through a difficult road trip, I'm reminded of David Halberstam's book "Summer of '49," which detailed the incredible 1949 season from the perspective of the Yankees and Red Sox.

One story in particular stayed with me. The Yankees' pitching staff had a term for when a starting pitcher was forced to stay in the game in order to preserve the overall health of the staff, even though said pitcher was getting hammered and losing badly. They called it "your turn in the barrel," in that it was going to kill your ERA and you had no chance of winning, but you did it regardless.

From my perspective, the last four games have been the Sonics' "turn in the barrel." Even in a best-case scenario - a healthy Ray Allen, Robert Swift, and Earl Watson - the Sonics would have struggled on this trip. But with all 3 of those folks MIA for some or all of the trip, the Sonics really didn't have much of a chance. It kills us as fans, but it happens in the NBA. There are trips that you just have no chance in and you just have to muddle through.

That turn in the barrel ends tonight, though, when the Sonics travel to Memphis. The Grizzlies are just that - they've lost 6 straight and are a 2-point win over the Celtics from a 10-game losing skid. Memphis is a terrible rebounding team, and Pau Gasol's return from injury has yet to pay dividends.

If ever there was a team ripe for a home loss, it's the Memphis Grizzlies. The Sonics MUST take care of business tonight, regardless of it being the 2nd of a back-to-back on the troad. A loss tonight would put this club in full-fledged desparation mode, and Chris Wilcox has to be able to take advantage of the weaker Grizzlies for a bona-fide 20-10 night. Luke Ridnour has to punish Mighty Mouse and look more like the guy who went for 26 and 9 assists against the Warriors than the imposter who went for 2 and 1 against the Cavs a couple of nights ago.

Otherwise, with the Mavericks coming to the Key on Wednesday, Christmas could start to get ugly for Bob Hill.

Wha' Happened?

The whole Christopher Guest mockumentary deal is getting tired, admittedly, but Fred Willard's role in A Mighty Wind still makes me laugh. I don't know what it is about the guy, I just think he's a genius.

Anyway, I think it's fair to say that more than a few people who follow the Sonics are asking, "What Happened?" right about now.

“I just think our team is at a point right now, we’ve had so many injuries and our schedule has been so tough, they just don’t believe they can win,” Sonics coach Bob Hill said, courtesy of Frank Hughes at the TNT.

Ouch. Anytime you've got a coach saying his players don't believe they can win, you know things are in somewhat dire straits. As Gary Washburn points out in the PI, the Sonics have fallen behind by double-digits in their past three games - all losses. This was the same formula they perfected earlier in the season, and it's one we'd hoped had been lost on the last long road trip, when the Sonics seemed to be emerging from their early-season funk.

Fortunately, Ray Allen is on the mend. Not so fortunately, Pau Gasol is as well, which means the Sonics might not have the same pot of gold sitting at the end of the rainbow they were expecting when the road trip finishes in Memphis. With the next game in Detroit, the final one in Memphis, and the start of a homestand against Dallas, a 6-game losing streak suddenly doesn't look so unlikely.

Worse, if the Sonics do lose all 3 of those games, they'll be standing at 10-17 on the season. Which means that in order to win 42 games - the absolute minimum I'd guess for a playoff bid - they'd have to go 32-23 for the remainder of the season, or basically win 60% of their schedule, something they've managed to pull off once(!) in the past nine seasons.

Thursday Morning Whine

Today, with last night’s loss fresh in our minds, I thought I’d take the opportunity to use that foul taste to vent on something that’s been bothering me all season: NBA League Pass and its bastard step-child NBA Broadband.

I live in Canada, and I don’t have extended cable, but I’d like to watch the Sonics play. These are my options:

1. Get digital cable, which enables me to see the Sonics about once every other week on the various Canadian all-sports channels.
2. Buy a satellite dish, and get somebody to install an illegal satellite chip that enables me to watch Fox Sports NW.
3. Buy NBA League Pass, which enables me to watch the games on tv ... and on the internet.

But here’s the kicker. This is the option I want, but cannot get:

4. Get NBA Broadband, but not League Pass

You see, I’m not interested in paying $200 for NBA League Pass for the occasional time I’d like to watch the Sonics play. I am interested in NBA Broadband, but according to NBA policy, you can only get NBA Broadband IF you order NBA League Pass, or, as the league puts it, “NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband is not sold as a stand-alone product. You must be an active NBA LEAGUE PASS satellite or digital cable subscriber to get NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband.”

My question is: Why? Why can major league baseball – perhaps the most stodgy of all the major sports – offer all of their games on the internet for about $15 a month, but the NBA can’t? Why am I forced to subscribe to something I don’t want – NBA League Pass – in order to get something I do want – NBA Broadband?

Can someone smarter than me explain why the NBA deems it necessary for their customers to buy League Pass, when there are thousands of people like myself who only want to watch the games on the internet, and who are willing to pay for it? That it’s either pay us $199 for League Pass, or nothing?

At this moment, you can go to mlb.com and sign up for mlb.tv all winter long for $15. Now, there’s not much going on in the winter, but that’s a heckuva deal. Why is Major League Baseball able to do this, but the NBA – the self-proclaimed purveyor of all things hip and now – is not?

Maybe there’s an intelligent explanation out there. Until I hear it, though, I’m forced to use things like TVU or SopCast to watch TV on the internet, and hope the connection works when the Sonics are on.

A.I.

I think the real reason blogs were invented were to discuss possible trades. Honestly, if all the trade possibilities were deleted from the blog world, the world would shrink by about 75%.

So, let's give in to impulse and ponder the unponderable - should the Sonics deal for Allen Iverson? What would it take? Who would you give up to get one of the greatest competitors in NBA history?

Ray Allen? Rashard Lewis? Paccelis Morlende? Ibo Kutluay? They're all fair game in this world.

So go ahead, channel your inner Bob Whitsitt and put on your trading cap. Let us know who the Sonics should deal to get AI (or, for that matter, if they should deal anyone). If you're unsure of salary-cap ramifications, turn to realgm.com for help.

My opening bid: Ray Allen and Danny Fortson for Iverson.

Bucks-Sonics

Well, yours truly is stuck at work this evening for at least an hour or so later than normal, which means I can check out the Bucks-Sonics game on the web. Feel free to comment as it transpires, and I'll try to do the same.

In the immortal words of Brent Musberger, "You are LOOKING LIVE at MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN!"

I agree with the comment posted earlier - Michael Redd v Damien Wilkins (or Lewis, depending on how the Bucks line up) will be huge. I think the Omen can slow down Redd, and I like the Sonics chances tonight. Here's my guess:

Sonics 112-Bucks 105

Meet the New Ball. Same as the Old Ball.

Goodbye Orange Roundie. Hello Old Brownie. (thanks to MY DAD for the tip!)

NEW YORK (AFP) - The National Basketball Association will return to using leather balls rather than the microfibre composite version that brought numerous complaints from players, NBA commissioner David Stern announced.
ADVERTISEMENT

"Our players' response to this particular composite ball has been consistently negative and we are acting accordingly," Stern said.

Read the rest here.