Crunch Time

Question for a Thursday:

With training camp in full motion, there has been plenty of speculation on the Sonics’ starting lineup, but how about the finishing lineup?

We all remember the Supes’ wonderful run three years ago, when they came within a couple games of knocking off the Spurs. One huge key to that team was the effective way Nate McMillan used Antonio Daniels to spell Luke Ridnour at the end of games (a habit which drove Ridnour nuts). Many players, including Delonte West recently, have said that who starts the game doesn’t matter nearly as much as who finishes.

I agree. If the first 3 ½ quarters of an NBA game are the regular season, the final half of the fourth quarter is the playoffs. With that in mind, who should the Sonics be using to finish games this season?

To my thinking there are five key factors to making a crunch-time player:

1. Free throw shooting
2. Defense
3. Execution
4. Perimeter shooting
5. Rebounding

Obviously, it isn’t important for a shooting guard to rebound; I’m speaking more of the 5-man unit as a whole. With those five pieces in mind, if I was PJ Carlesimo, here’s who I would run out there in the final minutes of a close game:

PG: Earl Watson
SG: Kevin Durant
SF: Wally Szczerbiak
PF: Nick Collison
C: Kurt Thomas

Now, some explanations. With the exception of Watson, all five are great FT shooters, and Watson shot 74% last season, so he’s no slouch, either. While Earl’s outside shot isn’t as good as Ridnour’s, his defense is superior, and he outranks Delonte West in ball-handling and distribution.

(And, in case you felt like arguing about “crunch time stats,” bear in mind that Earl Watson’s eFG percentages in crunch time for the past five seasons were 42, 61, 43, 34, 48. If you can see a pattern there, you’re much smarter than me. Suffice it so say that I don’t anyone on the Sonics is any more “clutch” than anyone else; just than some players are better shooters than others).

Back to the lineup. You could argue that putting a rookie in a pressure situation isn’t the best idea, but this is a team trying to build for the future and Durant is that future. Add in his 81% FT mark at Texas, and it’s a no-brainer. Plus, this squad needs someone who can hit outside shots other than Wally, and Durant fits that bill.

Szczerbiak v Wilkins is a tough call, but I’m going with Wally just because he’s just such an outstanding shooter. Of course, with Szczerbiak’s proclivity to get injured Wilkins will still have plenty of opportunities (assuming, that is, that the Sonics have plenty of close games, which is a stretch).

Finally, Collison and Thomas are just so far ahead of their competition when it comes to defense and execution there really isn’t much of a contest. After all, who do you think is more likely to box out: Nick Collison or Chris Wilcox? Who is more likely to switch at the right time, Kurt Thomas or Bob Swift? It’s really not an argument.

Now, if the coaching staff wants to sabotage any chance at winning this season, Jeff Green or Swift could see more action, and I would even argue it would be smart to run those two out there at least occasionally so they can get a feel of the tenacity of late-game action. Still, I really believe the Sonics can’t afford to let Durant get a taste of losing every night, and he needs to be playing with guys who know what they’re doing at the end of games, if only to further his development.

Training Camp

Interesting quote in Eric Williams' profile on Damien Wilkins at the TNT. "If you don't defend, you don't play [in Carlesimo's system]", Williams quotes Wilkins as saying, and it makes you wonder how many minutes Damien will get this season, especially considering all the competition he'll be getting.

With Wally Szczerbiak's recovery from surgery still a work in progress, perhaps it's possible that Kevin Durant gets 30-some minutes a night at the two, Delonte West (who sprained his ankle in practice and is now day-to-day) picks up 20+ minutes at both guard spots, and Wilkins, Jeff Green, and Szczerbiak split the 48 minutes at small forward. Of course, that doesn't leave anything for Mickael Gelabale, but someone has to suffer, I suppose. (Of note, Gary Washburn indicates that Gelly has a tattoo of his home of Guadalupe on his right shoulder.)

In other news, Brandon Roy will be sitting for the entire pre-season to rest his left ankle - at least that's what Nate McMillan is contemplating, anyway. This off-season for Portland has gone from the highest high to the lowest low pretty quickly. Almost makes a guy feel sorry for Blazer fans.

Almost.

5 Questions for a Wednesday

With training camp underway, it's time to start thinking about what's going to happen to the Sonics roster in the next 30 days. With that in mind, here are

5 Questions To Be Answered at Sonic Training Camp

1. Who starts at point guard?
Ridnour, Watson, West. Three choices, no easy answer. According to Carlesimo, all three are viable options. Frodo wants to put last year behind him, Watson is the defensive player the new culture requires, and West is the X factor. I’m betting on Earl.

2. Where will Kevin Durant play?
Shooting guard seems the likely answer. Durant played there in summer league, played there for the US team, and played there the first day of training camp.

3. Who starts at center?
Kurt Thomas is the vet, Bob Swift has the tattoos, Johan Petro has nothing. Sorry, that’s mean; Johan is easily the best french-speaking center on the Sonics' roster. Swift’s long rehab process indicates to me that the logical choice is Thomas, with an outside chance that Nick Collison takes the reins.

4. Where does Wally Szczerbiak fit in?
Durant’s your SG, Green’s your SF, Wilkins needs his minutes, Gelly needs his minutes, West’s a backup SG ... how the heck does Wally get any time? It will be interesting to see where/how often Wally World plays in the next month.

5. Will Big Weezy step it up?
Chris Wilcox has more potential for success than a Redford-Newman movie circa 1974. Unfortunately, we’re in Year 6 of the Chris Wilcox Era, and he still hasn’t shed the label of underachiever. With Durant and Green on board, I’m not expecting him to take the next step this year, either.

Training Camp Underway

As you would imagine, the coverage in the local media has shifted away from the off-court news to the on-court news. And, you know, I don't care if you're Clay Bennett, Kevin Calabro, me, Les Habegger, or whoever, that's a great thing. First and foremost, we're basketball fans, and basketball fans like to talk about basketball, not arbitration, right?

The Times has a blog now (I'm a couple days late on this), with both Jayda Evans and Percy Allen contributing. Allen reports that Bob Swift is "laboring," and Gary Washburn at the PI makes a note that Nene Hilario - who had a similar fate to Swifty - is still feeling the aftereffects of the surgery, and he had his a year before Swift did. Not liking the sound of that. GW also reports that PJ Carlesimo's practices are more hard-core than Bob Hill's were, although it should be noted that my daughter's pre-school classes are also tougher than Hill's practices.

Eric Williams at the TNT has some great stuff [warning, Williams' story is adjacent to this picture, so click with care], including this wonderful quote from Earl Watson, who apparently has decided that he won't only beat out Luke Ridnour for the starting point guard spot on the court, he'll beat him out in the court of public opinion:

“When you think of the Sonics, it’s kind of like a cornerstone of the NBA,” Watson said. “For me growing up it was always the Lakers, the Sonics, the Bulls, Boston and the Knicks. That’s just the way it was. I think Seattle deserves a team. And I hope a situation works out to where they stay.”

Thanks, Earl.

Prescient Presti

First, the Sonics make a summertime swap of their $8 million trade exception for Phoenix' Kurt Thomas and the Suns' 2008 and 2010 first-round picks.

Then, Shawn Marion made noise about wanting out.

Then, today, we read that Amare Stoudamire had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, keeping him out of basketball action for two weeks (at least).

Let's say the Suns manage to deal Marion (unlikely, I know); they're not getting full value for the guy, right? And let's say Amare takes a little longer to heal, and isn't 100% when he comes back. Those two together have to cost the Phoenix, what, 10 wins this season?

And let's say Steve Nash gets hurt; he's about due for it isn't he? After all, he's not exactly A.C. Green when it comes to durability, and he's a 34-year-old point guard playing on one of the highest-paced offenses in the league. How many games off for Nash this year; 5, 10, 15?

At what point do Suns fans start to panic, and how valuable is that 2008 pick going to be, let alone the 2010 pick, when Nash has ridden off into the sunset, Marion is gone/bitter, and Amare's knees enter their Moses Malone Phase?

Nice work, Mr. Presti.

Monday Tuesday Sonics News

Here are some quick Supersonics hits to start your week (if your week starts on Tuesday):

The Seattle Supersonics are only inviting one non-roster player to training camp this year. His name? Jermaine Jackson!

Last week, the city of Seattle sued the Sonics. This week, season-ticket holders sued the Sonics. Today, the Sonics are taking the city to court. The Sonics may not have a lot of fans this season, but they are making great inroads in one demographic: Lawyers!

But enough about lawsuits, yesterday was Media Day! Where was Supersonicsoul, you ask? Reading about it in the P.I., just like you.

Did we mention Wally Szczerbiak is in the house? Did we mention we don't care?

Friday Wrap-Up

The leaves are changing, the weather is getting colder, and stories about the Sonics are starting to pop up with more frequency in the local papers. Fall is upon us, and basketball season is right behind. Like all northwesterners, seeing summer go away is always a sad time, but knowing that the Sonics are gearing up always eases the pain. (Speaking of which, did I miss summer this year? I understand it was hot everywhere else in North America, but man, those in the PNW sure got screwed in the sunshine department this year).

Back to the wrap-up; Percy Allen has a fine piece on Kevin Durant (Did You Know? Kevin Durant will be throwing out the first pitch at Saturday night's Mariner game. Let's pray that Bill Bavasi doesn't try to trade Durant for a 37-year-old left-handed reliever before KD gets out of Safeco Field).

Gary Washburn outlines the fantastic deal available to 06-07 season-ticket holders. You get to renew your seats and lock in the price for the next three season. No word if that price includes airfare to Oklahoma City, though ...

Eric Williams talks about the Sonics' plan to switch judges in their KeyArena battle. I don't know why the Sonics opted to change judges, and none of the pieces in today's papers have any quotes from the team as to why they were doing this, although Williams does have this cutting quote from the city's Tom Carr:

"This is just one more sign that the Sonics are form shopping. They wanted to arbitrate the case in Denver, and now they want a different judge."

Leave it to Tom Carr to always provide the funniest quote of the day.

Westhead

As expected, Paul Westhead was named to PJ Carlesimo's staff today. Westhead joins Scott Brooks, Mark Bryant and Ralph Lewis as assistants for the team, with only Lewis returning from last year's group. Westhead was most recently the head coach for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, who won the WNBA title on ... oh, come on, does anyone really care about the WNBA?

In other news, Gary Washburn reports that Kevin Durant has inked a deal with Gatorade. Durant joins Dwyane Wade and Kevin Garnett as NBA endorsers of the yellowish swill, which is pretty heady company for the rookie forward. Honestly, I don't know where Durant ranks in the Seattle pantheon of rookies, but he's got to be right there in the top two or three. Griffey, as famous as he was as a rookie, still didn't approach Durant's fame. Perhaps Ichiro, as a well established veteran of the Japanese leagues might merit a higher spot, but that's an apples and oranges situation.

Of course, there's always Rick Mirer ...

Catch-22

This is something I've been hesitating to say for the past few months, but thought I might as well get it off my chest before I dismiss it entirely:

If the City and/or State decides to be pro-active and build a new arena for the Sonics, and Clay Bennett remains the team's owner, would I be happy with the result?

On the one hand, my favorite team stays in Seattle, and I'm not forced to watch Kevin Durant play in the Western Conference All-Star game as a member of the Oklahoma City Sonics and all the history (Gus Williams, Downtown, Shawn Kemp, GP, JJ, Lenny, et al) stays associated with Seattle.

On the other hand, Clay Bennett and his group benefit tremendously, and their investment of $350 million gets handsomely rewarded. As wonderful as it would feel to be able to watch the Sonics in InsertCorporateSponsorHere Gardens, would that be countered by the feeling of bitterness towards Bennett for the way he blackmailed the city to getting what he wanted?

As a parent, I routinely tread this tightrope: Do you reward your child's bad behavior by giving them something, just so they'll stop crying/fighting/throwing dangerous objects? Or do you stand your ground, force them to their room, and endure 15-20 minutes of screaming? It's a difficult decision to make, and I try to go with the right one (the go to the room option) as often as I can, telling myself that I'm paying 15 minutes of screaming now for in return for future calm.

I see a strong parallel in the two situations. Bennett, like a four year old, is whining and pouting because he can't get what he wants. He's hoping that said pouting will result in getting the treat (a new arena) he wanted, but are we not equally culpable if we give him this treat?

Honestly, I don't know the answer. In a perfect world, Bennett would throw up his hands later this year, sell the team to local ownership, and a consortium of municipal, state, and private parties would work together to build a suitable arena for the team. In that world, David Stern rides in on a white horse to save the day by brokering a deal to give peace to the Northwest.

But that may not happen, and we could be faced with the first option, wherein we get to keep our team, but in the process reward the man who threatened to take it away. You've got to ask yourself: Is it worth it?

Supersonicsoul: It's Fantasy-astic!

Actual computer used for Supersonicsoul Fantasy League.

In case you missed the news, we launched the official Supersonicsoul NBA Fantasy League over the weekend. It's already half-full (or half-empty, if you're some kind of jerk), so if you want to get in on the action (I'm talking to you, Nussbaum!), just hit me with an email and I'll get you an invite.

Counterpoint

Ah, it just gets better and better. Now, according to the Seattle Times, the City of Seattle has launched a lawsuit against the Sonics' ownership in an attempt to force them to honor their lease and remain at KeyArena until 2010. The lawsuit would also try to block the team from using arbitration to settle the dispute.

It's not often that a munipality is pitted as the David in a David v Goliath situation, but this is shaping up to be a hum-dinger of a battle. On the one hand you've got Slade Gorton (whom, as Paul mentioned earlier, is known as 'Senator Skeletor' in these parts) representing the good people of King County. On the other, you've got Carpetbagger Clay and his buddies from Oklahoma, represented by a Seattle law firm (!).

To paraphrase Michael Buffer, "Let's get ready to wrangle!"

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UPDATE: I wouldn't normally provide a link to another paper's story on the same subject, but you've got to read the PI's story, written by Gene Johnson, if only for the quote from the attorney representing the City, Tom Carr. Here's Carr's quote in regard to the Sonics' profitability, or lack thereof, at KeyArena:

"The issues with the Sonics' profitability at KeyArena have less to do with KeyArena than with the Sonics' ability to defend the high pick and roll."

It's not everyday a city employee has 1) a sense of humor, 2) is a lawyer, and 3) knows basketball terminology. Looks like we're 3-for-3 with Tom Carr.

Sonics Weekend Update

The top Seattle Supersonics stories from the past week . . .

Bruce Baskin of the Seattle P.I. takes a look at the top Sonics drafts of all time.

Did I mention we had a Save Our Sonics comedy show? It was awesome, and you should really go to the next one.

Meanwhile, Big Boy Bennett is still trying to weasel out of his lease.

The Oklahoma vultures may want our Sonics, but the Storm? Not so much.

Did I mention we started an official Supersonicsoul fantasy league? Well, we did, and you should join. Send me an email and I'll hook you up.