Sene Sent Down; Sonics Go Down As Well

The Sonics have sent Mouhamed Sene to Idaho.

No, Bob Hill hasn't decided Sene is better off peeling potatoes, he's only hoping the young center will be able to improve his skills with more minutes. Of course, this was obvious in October, but then, the Sonics don't like to make quick decisions. After all, it's always better to let a guy sit around for 4 months and play 10 minutes every 3 weeks to develop his confidence, right? After all, look how well Johan Petro has played this year. Oh, wait ...

In other news, the Sonics have apparently decided the best way to lose is to lead in the first half and blow chunks in the second. After experimenting with the "fall apart in the 1st quarter and then pretend to mount a comeback" theory popularized by Bob Weiss last year and continued with Hill, they have now settled on the "look good early until the other team gets over its marijuana hangover from the night before and realizes they're losing to the Sonics" routine. It's worked well the past two nights, with equally depressing results.

Depressing, that is, until you look at the standings, where the Sonics are currently only two losses behind Memphis for the most in the league, and the odds-on spot to grab Greg Oden. The Hawks are coming on strong, though, posting a 1-9 mark in their past 10 to rival Seattle's 2-8 spot. Unfortunately, the Sonics still have five more home games coming up on this homestand, with two of them aggravatingly winnable.

Put simply, the Sonics are going to need to find new ways to lose. I suggest looking into Olden Polynice's whereabouts, or perhaps activating Danny Vranes from the taxi squad.

Sonics Lose; Nick Collison for MVP

As expected, the Sonics lost to the Suns last night in Phoenix. As expected, Steve Nash played well, Shawn Marion played well, and Ray Allen played well.

Unexpectedly, Nick Collison did an impersonation of Wes Unseld.

Collison shocked the world by scoring 29 points and grabbing 21 (!) boards against the Suns, including 10 points in the 4th quarter alone. The Sonics led for most of the first half, but failed in the second half, as they only put 42 on the board in the second after hitting 60 in the first. Most notably, Chris Wilcox (can we start calling him a bust yet?) went scoreless in the second half.

The Ridnour benching continues, with Watson getting 36 minutes to Frodo's 15. Also of note, Mickael Gelabale played a career-high 43 mintues, and scored in double figures for the third consecutive game, helped by his 65% shooting over that span. In his last five games, Gelabale has hit 20 of 30 shots from the field, an astounding number for a perimeter player. The Omen can't be too happy about that.

What happens next? The Sonics host Gary Payton and the Heat tonight at the Key (sadly, the Heat dancers have remained in Florida). Miami has lost 5 of 6, including a 28 point loss to the same Suns the Sonics played pretty well last night. Don't expect to see too much of Gary; he only played 5 minutes against the Blazers after D Wade returned to the lineup.

Shockingly, I think the Sonics might win tonight. If they weren't on the second of a back-to-back and if Miami hadn't been resting for a couple of days, I'd have even more confidence. Still, all things considered, I'll pick the Sonics to win by 7.

Red Alert!

As acting director of home team security, it is my duty to inform you that Bob Hill's head could explode tonight. Due to the intense pressure of a near-record losing streak and the apparent inability of the team to fire him, the chance of cranial explosion tonight in Phoenix is extremely high. We advise all team personnel to keep their distance from the coach and to stock up on duct tape.

Luke's Cool Hand Hurting Sonics

The big story with the Sonics right now – other than their ability to take suckiness to new and previously unseen levels – is Earl Watson usurping the starting PG role from Luke Ridnour.

Now, hey, I like a good usurping as much as the next guy, and Lord knows I’ve rattled on and on for more than anyone about how Earl is more deserving than Luke to hold the reins of this team, but with the Sonics playing the Suns tonight, I thought it might be a good idea to take a look at how Ridnour compares to Steve Nash, the White Man’s Favorite Basketball Player.

Per 40 minutes, First 3 Years

Assists (year 1, 2 and 3)
Ridnour (5.9, 7.5, 8.4)
Nash (8.1, 6.3, 6.9)
Mystery (9.4, 7.9, 6.3)

Points
Ridnour (13.7, 12.8, 13.8)
Nash (12.5, 16.6, 9.9)
Mystery (10.5, 12, 17)

TOs
Ridnour (2.9, 2.3, 2.5)
Nash (3.7, 2.4, 2.6)
Mystery (3.2, 2.7, 2.3)

Steals
Ridnour (1.9, 1.5, 1.9)
Nash (1.2, 1.5, 1.2)
Mystery (2.9, 2.3, 2.8)

FG%
Ridnour (41, 41, 42)
Nash (42, 46, 36)
Mystery (45, 45, 49)

3FG%
Ridnour (34, 38, 29)
Nash (42, 42, 37)
Mystery (8, 13, 21)

TS%
Ridnour (50, 50, 51)
Nash (54, 56, 47)
Mystery (48, 48, 53)

Assist Rate
Ridnour (26, 33, 34)
Nash (35, 27, 34)
Mystery (40, 34, 25)

PER
Ridnour (13, 15, 16)
Nash (11, 16, 11)
Mystery (13, 13, 17)

Looking at the numbers, you can see Ridnour is in Nash’s ballpark for alot of the stats – with the notable exception of 3-point shooting, ironically the same demon which has propelled him to the bench this season.

Bob Hill’s thinking is obvious: Luke Ridnour must start knocking down jump shots for him to be a starter in this league. Hill’s reasoning for benching Luke is, to me, a good one: Part of a being a good shooter is confidence, and until Ridnour figures out that he must take open shots he won’t be a starter. It’s important to know that Luke’s not being benched for missing shots, he’s being benched for not taking them. If Ridnour was shooting terribly (which he has been recently) and that caused the benching then I would disagree with Hill, inasmuch as that might destroy his confidence.

But Luke’s a grown man now, and he’s being paid a grown man’s (actually, about 358 grown men’s) salary. He needs to start acting like it.

Wild Weekend

Holy crap, what a weekend. The Seahawks utilize Tony Romo's inept ball-handling skillls for a playoff win (and Martin Grammatica's poor blocking abilities - re-watch the play folks, and you'll see Martin give the ole to Jordan Babineaux), the Oregon Ducks knock off #1 UCLA at Mac Court (and, yes, I know they lost to SC on Thursday, but still), Bob Hill benches 3/5 of his starting lineup, Ray Allen drains 7 of 11 3's ...

And the Sonics keep losing.

It's at 11 straight now on the road, and here's Seattle's next slate of road games:

Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Washington, Indiana and Sacramento. Not until they play the Hornets on Feb. 23 will the Sonics have a reasonable shot at winning a road game, which means the road skid could approach 18 games.

Hill’s desperate move of benching Ridnour, Wilkins, and Fortson/Petro helped a bit in the loss to the Warriors, but I still get the feeling Hill’s time in Seattle is growing short. Honestly, I can’t see the Sonics winning any games – road or home – until they play the Bucks 11 days from now.

The Scoop on Andre Brown

I’m guessing I wasn’t the only one who knew little or nothing about Andre Brown before the Sonics signed him yesterday. Here’s a brief bio on the newest member of the roster, the man who will turn the Sonics into a playoff contender. (Seriously, Andre, no pressure).

Spent the past couple of months with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBDL. Currently leading the league in points and second in rebounds. Fantastic field goal percentage of 66; not so fantastic FT percentage of 55.

Brown was selected as the 2nd pick in the NBDL draft in November 2006, ahead of Denham Brown, Troy Bell, Darius Washington, and a whole bunch of people even NBA geeks wouldn’t know. Still, he could’ve been picked behind those people, so he’s got that going for him.

Brown also played in Italy and the Adriatic League (where he managed to hit 7 of 23 free throws!), always having good rebounding numbers and decent scoring totals. You may not remember this, but Brown was in the Sonics’ training camp in the summer of 2005, before heading off for South Korea and the Philippines (for the Barangay Ginebra Kings!). Naturally, Brown dominated in the Philippines, inasmuch as he would have been the only person taller than 5’3” in the entire country.

Brown’s most well known experience was for DePaul, averaging close to a double-double during for his four years in school. As could be expected, he shot poorly from the line and great from the field, culminating in a 57% FG/48% FT mark his senior year. He also averaged a couple of turnovers per game, which is another knock on his game (worth noting he’s averaged 3.1 TOs per game at Sioux Falls). He also set a Conference USA record with 27 rebounds in a single game back in the day.

At 6’9” and 245 pounds, Brown isn’t going to destroy anyone inside, but he is a presence. I also doubt that he’s going to block any shots at the NBA level, since he never did in college. According to various internet sources, Brown is very fast for a big man, and has been likened to Kenyon Martin in his ability to run the break and play down low. Ironically, Brown was the second-best player at a pre-draft camp in Norfolk, VA. The best player? Desmond Farmer, the guy the Sonics just released to get Brown.

Basically, I can see Brown playing a few minutes off the bench when the Sonics need a warm body – worthwhile for the team in that it will enable the Sonics to send Sene to the NBDL where he can get some minutes. Does this mean, though, that more moves are to come, like, perhaps, a Fortson trade?

I don’t know. Unless the Sonics can get a big man in return, it doesn’t really make sense to trade Fortson, unless Bob Hill plans on starting Petro and giving up on the season (which, considering who’s available in the draft this year, may not be such a bad idea).

It’s sad, though, that what could turn out to be one of the Sonics’ final seasons in Seattle will be such a lousy year. Sad, but not entirely surprising.

Bye to Desmon, Greek, Hello to Penny Brown?

Couple of truly minor pieces of news; minor, that is, unless you happen to be related to Desmon Farmer or Andreas Glyniadakis.

Both guys were waived by Seattle on Thursday, ensuring their contracts would not be guaranteed for the remainder of the season. I for one am thankful they released Glyniadakis, simply because his skills aren't good enough to justify a last name that difficult to spell. Elsewhere, Gary Washburn reports in the PI that Penny Hardaway may make his debut for the Sonics tonight against the Knicks (Motto: "You think your team sucks? Hah! We know from suck!")

Bob Hill continues to moan for a center like an alcoholic at closing time, but none seems to be forthcoming, unless you consider the NBDL names being tossed around, which would be near-beer in my convulted metaphor.

However, there is a silver lining to the dark clouds hovering over the Pacific Northwest. That's right, the Knicks are in town, and a win tonight means the Sonics would emerge from the gloomy cellar of the NW Division into the bright lights of fourth place. I know, I know, heady stuff, but January in this part of the world requires a special amount of optimism.

UPDATE: The Sonics signed Andre "NBDL" Brown today. Hello playoffs!

How Long till Lenny?

After the Seattle Sonics 10th straight road loss last night, the Bob Hill death watch has officially begun.

Whether it's today or a week from now, Bob Hill is going to be fired. Despite repeated denials, Sonics vice-chairman (?) Lenny Wilkens (who happens to have the most wins in NBA history and coached the beloved '79 champs) is likely to replace him.

As much as I love Lenny, I will miss Hill. He's a throwback to the angry, profanity-spewing, beer-swilling coaches of old, like Doug Moe and George Karl. And those kind of coaches don't cut it in the NBA anymore.

Will Lenny the Legend make a difference? Probably not.

For better or worse, authority figures today are largely ignored or mocked by anyone under 30. And unless you're a living legend like Pat Riley, it's near impossible to motivate young players by yelling at them. That's probably a good thing, but a makes for a damn boring coach.

A new coach might light a fire under these Sleepy Sonics, and hiring Lenny or even assistant coach Jack Sikma would a be a nice touch for the 40th Anniversary, but whether it makes any difference down the road will remain to be seen.

Mavs Maul Sonics

What's the opposite of a halftime pep talk? Because that's what we need to call what Bob Hill did last night - the Sonics were outscored by 6 points in the 3rd quarter and by 18 points in the 4th.

With Chris Wilcox continuing to do his best to prove that I was right when I said the Sonics should avoid signing him, Hill is likely one more 3 point-4 rebound night away from dumping the $8 million man in Puget Sound with Andreas Glyniadakis tied around his ankle.

To make things worse, the Sonics are in Houston tonight, where they will undoubtedly fall behind by 12 points in the first quarter, rally in the second, then put on a Mike Wilks Show in the fourth. Seriously, can anyone think of a reason why you would want to watch the Sonics tonight?

The rumors are swirling that the Sonics are looking at NBDL players to fill a void at center, which has got to make you cringe, in that the Sonics have drafted big men with their #1 picks for the past three seasons yet don't have anyone ready to play the position right now.

Oh, right, I forgot, Robert Swift was going to average 20 points and 11 boards this year. My bad.

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.