supersonicsoultoon: Bye, George

I realize that this cartoon may be difficult for some of you to understand without some background. The Cliffs Notes:

• Washington State is named after the United States' first president, George Washington.
• The state government is represented here by a caricature of George.
• There's a joke being made here that may require some knowledge of the Sonics' arena situation. It may not even be a funny joke.
  
• George Washington never really played basketball, but did you know that his teeth were made out of whale bone?
  

Yes, this should have come out a week ago. Maybe I'm a bit too much like George myself.

--chunk

Silly Old Man

If a bear relieves himself in the woods, and no one is around to hear him, does he make a sound?

I wondered about that after David Stern's latest comments, disdainfully terming the Sonics' latest arena proposal a "public relations stunt."

As Tim Ceis mentions in the same article (from Greg Johns at the PI), the city has stopped listening to Stern's pronouncements. If that's the truth, and I believe it to be, then exactly who is Stern trying to bully with his words. Sonics fans? We've long stopped getting indignant about Stern's nonsense. Seattle politicians? They already can't stand him. Olympia? Please, they wouldn't give Stern a drink of water if he was perishing in the desert.

I can only conclude that Stern is trying to sway national public opinion, and that's a sorry tactic for him to take.

NBA fans, consider these the two options for the Seattle SuperSonics:

Door # 1
After 41 years in the same city, the city of Seattle and a billionaire-led ownership group contribute $300 million towards the redevelopment of one of the most crowd-pleasing arenas in the league.

Door #2
The Sonics trample over the goodwill in the only city they've ever known and move to Oklahoma City, into a new arena that is currently due to receive $100 million in refurbishments. Oh, and the ownership group is led by people with approximately 1/3 the total wealth.

Oh, there's a PR stunt all right, but it's being executed by the senile leader of the NBA, not the people in Seattle.

Five-Year Plans

When I was in college, one of my professors (and he was no young buck) told us he lived his life in a series of five-year plans. It was his way of organizing what he was doing and where he was hoping to go.

For some people, that sort of idea resonates. Personally, I'm not a fan, unless the plan is so loosely based that it is easily modifiable (e.g., "My five-year plan is to be alive in five years.").

Five years ago, 14 players suited up for the Seattle SuperSonics. Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, and Flip Murray were the three leading scorers (Murray's numbers came in Allen's extended injury absence) and the Sonics stumbled their way to a 37-45 record and a lottery appearance in the draft.

Five years later, all but one (Luke Ridnour) of the 14 players are gone, the coaching staff has vanished, the front office is completely renovated, and the ownership is long gone.

Somehow, I’m guessing this was not part of Howard Schultz’ master five-year plan.

With that in mind, where do you see this Sonics’ team in five years? Obviously, barring nuclear holocaust, Kevin Durant will be on the roster. And it’s likely that he will be joined by Jeff Green.

But who else? Will PJ Carlesimo still be donning that ridiculous long-sleeve tee with blazer combo that seems to have taken over the NBA? How about Nick Collison? Will Chris Wilcox still be tempting the Sonics’ beat writers with his “potential” five years from now?

And Sam Presti, how much rope will he be given by Clay Bennett (assuming, of course, that Bennett is still the one providing the rope in the 2013-14 season)?

Personally, I can see only Collison remaining on the roster by that time, as his combination of affordability (relative to the NBA, anyways), defense, and rebounding will endear him to the Sonics’ new “culture.”

Any other guesses? Wild speculation with ridiculous theories are always accepted.

Culture

Just throwing this out there for discussion ...

Let's say the arena situation was resolved and the Sonics were in no danger of leaving. With that in mind, would you be worried about the future of this team, strictly looking at it from an on-the-court perspective? Does Sam Presti's "culture" nonsense from the offseason outweigh the rudderless direction of this sinking ship? Do you have confidence that PJ Carlesimo is the right man to be guiding Kevin Durant's, Jeff Green's, and (possibly) Derrick Rose's collective futures? Do you have any belief that this franchise is going to win a playoff game in the next two to three years?

How many games will this team win next year, with three rookies getting the most minutes, absolutely nothing cooking in free agency, and PJ running the show? 25 wins? 20? Can we call someone from the Warriors' old front office staff to let us know how best to run a non-playoff team for a decade? Your best player, Durant, seemingly plays the same position as your second-best player, Green, you've got no help at center or point guard, and if you don't get one of the top two picks this year, you won't have any next year, either. Not exactly a recipe for success, if you ask me.

Okay, it's hard the day after a debacle like Sunday night's in Denver to have any thoughtful insights into a team's future, but, man, I am the only one thinking these thoughts?

Wow

Anybody get the license plate of the truck that ran over the Sonics on Sunday night?

I'm all aboard with what Kenyon Martin said to the AP after the game, "A lot of people are going to think it's a misprint."

Exactly my sentiments. I didn't watch the game, but I was watching Sportsnet's show at 10 pm last night ("We cram 90 minutes of hockey into 60 minutes of news!"), saw the ticker with the score at the bottom of the screen, and did a double-take.

I could go all Jayson Stark and start listing numbers upon numbers about how bad it was, but the bottom line is the Sonics gave up 168 points and lost by 52.

Enough said.

Sonics And Wolves: Lotterific

In a perverse way, tonight's game is pretty important towards the (on-court) future of the Sonics. Seattle has managed to go 3-0 against the Wolves this year, a 3-0 mark that has catapaulted Minnesota to the cellar of the Western Conference.

Looked at from another perspective, turn those three wins around, and the Sonics are staring at a 13-52 record and a seeming lock on one of the top two picks in this June's draft (and, yes, I am aware that the team with the worst record doesn't always get the top pick; I'm just going by probability here).

So, if the Sonics were to blow yet another game tonight at the Key, Minnesota and Seattle would be essentially locked up in a three-way tie for second-worst in the league (hello, Memphis!), giving each of them an equal shot at getting the rights to Derrick Rose (assuming the #1 spot goes to Michael Beasley).

In a normal situation, getting the #2 or #3 pick wouldn't be that big of a deal, but for the Sonics, getting Derrick Rose would be a dream scenario. True Earl Watson has played better as this season has progressed, but what do you lend more credence to: his 44% shooting in 535 shots this year, or the 41% he shot in the first 3,400 shots of his career? Yeah, me, too.

Rose, while a poor foul shooter, is generally considered to be the premier point guard in this year's draft, and some even have him going first overall. But, if the Sonics were lucky enough to the #2 slot, man, a 6'4" point guard with blazing speed and a commitment to playing POINT guard not combo guard is just what they need.

So, Al Jefferson, feel free to go off for another 30-12 night like you did the last time. We're counting on you.

Sene Up

According to Gary Washburn and Jayda Evans, Mo Sene is back with the big club, albeit on a temporary basis, as the nagging injuries of Francisco "World B." Elson and Nick Collison necessitated the young Senegalese center's return to Seattle.

Evans points out that Sene will likely return to Idaho from whence he came when the D-League club gets closer to the playoffs. Perhaps he can give a seminar to his green and gold teammates this summer entitled, "What It Is Like to Play After the Regular Season."

In other news, with his aborted tryst with the Northwest firmly in the rearview mirror, Clay Bennett has commenced relations with Oklahoma City. In exchange for $40,000 in rent per game, Bennett and his associates are asking for parking in the downtown area, sharing in ticket and concession revenues, naming rights to the Ford Center, and a tax rebate from the state. In exchange, the Sonics will give the city $24 in cloth and shiny buttons.

Ceis Looking For Solutions

Olympia may have passed up on the Sonics, but Seattle's Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis says the city is not throwing in the towel. With an April 10 deadline looming to take advantage of the $150 million offered by the new ownership group, Ceis told the TNT's Eric Williams that "we’re going to give it our best shot."

Ceis admitted that coming up with the missing $75 million expected from the state will be difficult, but thought something could be done.

Art Thiel has a well thought out piece discussing the situation at the PI, while Greg Johns runs down the possible next steps in this ongoing saga (and gets in more than a few digs at David Stern while he's at it).

At this point, the next move belongs to the city. It seems that the powers there are firmly in support of the Sonics, so the only moves to be made are finding ways to come up with $75 million, whether it be selling the arena to the new owners, adding more tax to the proposed admission tax, or some other machinations.

Call her out!

From Save Our Sonics:

"Dear Fellow Sonics Fan

Today the Washington State Legislature voted on their budget and, if they adjourn as scheduled will have failed to even address our issue despite the flood of calls they have received.

Last night Governor Christine Gregoire joined other politicians in commenting on our massive display of support. She provided some hope by seeming to embrace the idea of a special session and declaring "I understand how passionate Sonics fans are. I've known that all the way along. I'm a Sonics fan myself. I know how passionate taxpayers are. I've heard from them loud and clear," but I don't think you should ever think that conversations are dead until they Sine Die in Olympia. Today we have a report that calls to Gregoire are running lukewarm in support of this statement. Perhaps because many sports fans feel that they have already called and that our job is done.

Our loud message is getting through to people and there is still significant chance for success. Please continue your support and call the Governor to POLITELY tell her you appreciate her comments and are counting on her to help save the Sonics.

Governor Christine Gregoire Comment Line:
(360) 902-4111

We're in it till the end!

Brian and Steve
Save Our Sonics"

Green Not So Golden

Most seasons, the NBA draft is a gigantic game of ring toss, with each team hoping the seven-foot guy with the decent footspeed turns out to be more David Robinson than Rich King.

But some seasons, the gods smile upon the drafters and they are given a bounty of solid options from which to choose. 1998, 1995, and, of course, that hallowed year of 1984, when teams chose from Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton (and Michael Cage, lest we forget).

This past June was supposed to be one of those drafts, with all sorts of experts weighing in on the talent available. With two picks in the top five, the Sonics and their fans should have been dancing in the streets, right?

Leaving aside the arena situation, why are we, well, less than thrilled with the results? Kevin Durant’s shot selection has been mocked from coast to coast, but he is still the odds-on favorite to win Rookie of the Year, and no one disputes that his career appears bright.

But Jeff Green, that second selection, fifth overall? The guy with the college experience? The Pippen to Durant’s Jordan? What of him?

In a way, Green’s year has mirrored the opinions of him: not bad, but not good either. Green is seemingly too small to regularly play power forward, yet he doesn’t seem especially suited for small forward either. His stats bear that out.

First, let us look at the most recent #5 selections in the draft (with the notable exception of Nikoloz Tskitishvili), listed in chronological order:

player	PER
jeff green	9.4
shelden williams	12.3
ray felton	14.2
devin harris	14.7
dwyane wade	17.6
jason richardson	13.8

Obviously, Green’s numbers are lacking. Of course, PER is but one measure of a player’s worth and I am quite sure his defenders could produce a litany of reasons for why he ranks the worst.

But what if we expanded the list, to, say, the past 20 years rather than the past five, and we looked at all the numbers rather than just PER? For the purposes of this discussion, I will omit such players as Jonathan Bender, who languished on the bench their rookie seasons. Here are the numbers, from best to worst:

player	PER
vince carter	19.6
dwyane wade	17.6
mitch richmond	17.2
laphonso ellis	16.6
kevin garnett	15.8
kendall gill	15.4
juwan howard	15.0
devin harris	14.7
ray allen	14.6
ray felton	14.2
jr rider	14.2
jason richardson	13.8
tony battie	13.3
mike miller	13.2
scottie pippen	12.9
steve smith	12.5
shelden williams	12.3
jr reid	10.2
jeff green	9.4

Doesn’t look so good, does it? It is one thing to be the lowest ranked man in a list of five, but another entirely when you rank 19th out of 19. I won’t re-create the entire lists here, but Green ranked 14th in true shooting percentage, 17th in effective field goal percentage, 16th in assist percentage, last in offensive rating, 18th in win shares, and last in steal percentage.

To be fair, Green did fairly well in rebounding, ranking 8th in rebounding percentage. And to say his career is over after less than a full season would be a foolish argument to make, but I doubt that anyone could argue that Green’s season has been somewhat of a disappointment. Even David Thorpe, who constantly ranks and re-ranks the rookie class for ESPN, has Green slotted as 16th in his class, two spots below Glen Davis and nine below Carl Landry, two second-rounders the Sonics traded away.

Will it mean anything for his future, though? It is important to note Felton, Harris and Wade all dramatically improved their passing skills as their careers progressed and Williams became a much better rebounder statistically this season. People are not machines, and to say Green’s accomplishments, or rather the lack thereof, this season are the sum total of his capabilities is silly. There is plenty of upside to Green’s future, and I won’t be type of person who says that the Sonics made a big mistake in taking him. It’s just too early to tell all of that.

With that said, though, if you find yourself reading this off-season that the Sonics’ front-office attributes Green’s numbers to first-year troubles, well, I guess you know a little better, don’t you?

Limping to the Lottery

Another loss, another step closer to Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose.

There are 17 games remaining in the Sonics' schedule, and, perhaps, 17 games left for the Seattle SuperSonics. Of those 17, I would suggest the Sonics will be favored to win three, meaning the Sonics' record at the end of the year would be 19-63, easily the worst in franchise history.

Last night's debacle against the Celtics - the Sonics led in the first quarter! - put Seattle's record at 16-49, ahead of only the 3 M's - Memphis, Minnesota, and Miami.

After looking at the schedules, I figure Minnesota will likely win five games, giving them 19 wins for the season, matching the Sonics. Memphis could win three more games, giving them 18 wins, while Miami should easily finish with the worst record in the league.

Where does that leave us? It leaves Seattle and Minnesota tied for the third-worst record in the league, meaning those two would be fighting over Jerryd Bayless, Brook Lopez, O.J. Mayo, or Deandre Jordan, among others.

Sonics basketball, it's fantastic!

Losing Streak Continues

Man, it's hard to shake the "Major League" vibes with this team, isn't it?

In a battle of teams in a headlong sprint for the lottery, the Pacers topped the Sonics last night in Indianapolis to the tune of 114-107. Not unexpectedly, the two defensively inept clubs managed to combine for 175 shot attempts.

Even less unexpectedly, Chris Wilcox managed to follow up Gary Washburn's piece describing his "improved play" by turning in yet another stinker - hitting 6 of 16 shots from the field, 1 of 5 from the line, and 5 rebounds in about 30 minutes of play.

All together now - Chris Wilcox has been inconsistent, is now inconsistent, and will forever be inconsistent. Every year for the past three years, we've read stories about how he's "turned the corner" and added this or that skill to his offensive repertoire. And every year, he follows up a spate of double-double performances and monster dunks with a week's worth of 12 point-5 rebound stink jobs. The Sonics' front office and the media can talk all they want about how they want to keep him around in their future plans, but I can't imagine you'd want Kevin Durant spending any more time than is absolutely necessary around Chris Wilcox.

And, as always, there's a bunch of arena news to read about. Personally, the whole situation has got me to the point where I just don't give a damn any more.