Not that it's the biggest deal; the Sonics are not exactly chasing down any playoff aspirations. If anything, it helps the team's goal of losing as many games as possible down the stretch.
In any event, Chris Wilcox' right pinkie is hurt enough that both he and the team decided to shut operations down for the remaining ten games.
In other news, Gary Washburn details how Earl Watson is not into "moral victories" and misses the playoffs, David Stern also kept talking, but, well, I think you know where we stand on that sort of thing, and Art Thiel says that the city is - again - talking to the state legislature about funding the missing $75 million from the KeyArena deal, having realized that all other options are not going to play out.
Thiel quotes Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis as saying, ""The city can't do this on its own. We need a partnership with the state if we're going to [get a stadium deal done]."
Oh, and the Sonics play the Bobcats tonight at the Key.
You know, if you like watching basketball or something.
Friday, March 28
Thursday, March 27
Naievete
Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.
Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black
-Johnny Cash
Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth didn’t have to care. Nobody asked Whizzer White or Sammy Baugh if they had an opinion.
In 1936, in Berlin, the Olympics were Nazi Germany’s crowning achievement, a chance to show the world how wonderful Deutschland could be. Even more, it was an opportunity for Adolf Hitler to demonstrate to his populace the magnificence of the Third Reich, how he had thrown off the shackles of the ignominy of World War I and restored the Fatherland to its rightful place among the elite of the world’s nations.
Nobody asked Gehrig, Ruth, Baugh or White because they had nothing to do with the Olympics, because no one had yet figured out that bastardizing every principle the Olympics stood for could be financially rewarding. So amateurs toddled off to Berlin – despite evidence showing that almost 50% of the populace wanted a boycott – and Hitler had another moment in the sun before the devil summoned him back home.
2008 is not 1936, though, not by a long shot. It is plainly evident that China – a nation that kills monks for speaking out, that detains dissenters for decades in work gangs when it’s not killing them, that executes thousands of people every year in stadiums, that backs the hideous government of Sudan in the brutal murders of hundreds of thousands of Africans in Darfur – is well aware that the Olympics is a stage from which the host country can advertise its magnificence to the rest of the world.
Even Steven Spielberg, never shy about making a buck, pulled out of orchestrating the opening ceremonies. “At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies,” Spielberg said, “but on doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that continue to be committed in Darfur."
Not everyone gets it, though.
"We believe, however, naively, ... that sports has something enormous to offer the world," David Stern said recently to the Associated Press. "And we also believe that the Olympics is a sporting event, and indeed, has a history in ancient times of being a time when war stopped so that people could play together."
The “naive” Stern is not alone. Dwyane Wade has spent the better part of this season resting up from injury in order to be better prepared for the Olympics. He echoed his commissioner right down the line.
“My job is to play basketball, to worry about the game. We'll let the Olympic Committee worry about everything else,” Wade told the AP.
I wonder, would Stern, a Jew, feel comfortable about sending his athletes to compete in Nazi Germany, knowing that the profits from the Olympics were being used to build gas chambers? Would he continue to spout inanities about the Olympics being a “sporting event”?
Or, rather, in this hypothetical world of 1936, would he grow a conscience and take a stance on the side of humanity rather than money? Decide that the large amounts of money to be made by the NBA in expanding to the lucrative German market were not worth the bloodshed?
Part of me hopes that people are capable of seeing depravity and evil in their own time, rather than only with the hindsight gained from history books. Part of me hopes that Dwyane Wade and LeBron James would say, no, we don’t want any part of a two-week festival honoring a country that forces women to abort their children and sells the organs of executed political prisoners.
But most of me knows that a blindfold sewn from a billion Chinese Yuan covers David Stern’s eyes.
Naive? Not me.
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.
Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black
-Johnny Cash
Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth didn’t have to care. Nobody asked Whizzer White or Sammy Baugh if they had an opinion.
In 1936, in Berlin, the Olympics were Nazi Germany’s crowning achievement, a chance to show the world how wonderful Deutschland could be. Even more, it was an opportunity for Adolf Hitler to demonstrate to his populace the magnificence of the Third Reich, how he had thrown off the shackles of the ignominy of World War I and restored the Fatherland to its rightful place among the elite of the world’s nations.
Nobody asked Gehrig, Ruth, Baugh or White because they had nothing to do with the Olympics, because no one had yet figured out that bastardizing every principle the Olympics stood for could be financially rewarding. So amateurs toddled off to Berlin – despite evidence showing that almost 50% of the populace wanted a boycott – and Hitler had another moment in the sun before the devil summoned him back home.
2008 is not 1936, though, not by a long shot. It is plainly evident that China – a nation that kills monks for speaking out, that detains dissenters for decades in work gangs when it’s not killing them, that executes thousands of people every year in stadiums, that backs the hideous government of Sudan in the brutal murders of hundreds of thousands of Africans in Darfur – is well aware that the Olympics is a stage from which the host country can advertise its magnificence to the rest of the world.
Even Steven Spielberg, never shy about making a buck, pulled out of orchestrating the opening ceremonies. “At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies,” Spielberg said, “but on doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that continue to be committed in Darfur."
Not everyone gets it, though.
"We believe, however, naively, ... that sports has something enormous to offer the world," David Stern said recently to the Associated Press. "And we also believe that the Olympics is a sporting event, and indeed, has a history in ancient times of being a time when war stopped so that people could play together."
The “naive” Stern is not alone. Dwyane Wade has spent the better part of this season resting up from injury in order to be better prepared for the Olympics. He echoed his commissioner right down the line.
“My job is to play basketball, to worry about the game. We'll let the Olympic Committee worry about everything else,” Wade told the AP.
I wonder, would Stern, a Jew, feel comfortable about sending his athletes to compete in Nazi Germany, knowing that the profits from the Olympics were being used to build gas chambers? Would he continue to spout inanities about the Olympics being a “sporting event”?
Or, rather, in this hypothetical world of 1936, would he grow a conscience and take a stance on the side of humanity rather than money? Decide that the large amounts of money to be made by the NBA in expanding to the lucrative German market were not worth the bloodshed?
Part of me hopes that people are capable of seeing depravity and evil in their own time, rather than only with the hindsight gained from history books. Part of me hopes that Dwyane Wade and LeBron James would say, no, we don’t want any part of a two-week festival honoring a country that forces women to abort their children and sells the organs of executed political prisoners.
But most of me knows that a blindfold sewn from a billion Chinese Yuan covers David Stern’s eyes.
Naive? Not me.
Wednesday, March 26
Do Over
As you've probably heard, Clay Bennett has generously offered to leave our history, team name, and old jock straps behind when he steals our basketball team. David Stern (busy getting "wowed" in Oklahomie) seemed to back down yesterday from his previous hard-line stance against the NBA "ever returning to Seattle", hinting that we might someday get a new team if we play nice with Clayface.It's an interesting scenario. If we "own" our history, does that mean we could erase the Bennett Tragedy, granting Sonics fans a "do-over" for the past three horrible years? Hey, it worked for Spider-Man (sorta).
As tempting as it might be to forget that Mo Sene or Wally Szczerbiak ever wore a Sonics uniform, we would also be forfeiting the future legacy of Kevin Durant, and the struggles it took to get him would have all been in vain. Imagine the '85 Bulls moving to Butte, Montana (The Butte Bulls!) with Chicago receiving the Clippers as a consolation prize. Do you think Chicagoans would enjoy watching Jordan and Pippen hoist those six banners in another city, while they got stuck with Michael Cage and Benoit Benjamin?
Maybe, a long time from now, these three years of hell will only be a blip on the radar (or a "just a comma" in history as GW likes to say). Perhaps someday, after a brief hiatus from basketball in Seattle, we'll raise a new championship banner into the rafters of Microsoft Arena next to the hallowed '79 version, while the Bennett Boys are relegated to the dustbin of history, along with fellow carpetbaggers Ken Behring, Jeff Smulyan other long-forgotten villains of Seattle sports past.
This isn't a horrible fate. Brooklyn never got a second chance at the Dodgers. After all the bad blood between the uppity city council and the ego maniacal commissioner of the NBA, it's somewhat of a miracle that the possibility still exists.
And yet, I'm still not eager to embrace this offer. We're still being robbed. If someone steals your beloved family dog, but gives you a new puppy two years later, does that excuse the crime?
I want Bennett and Stern to come out and admit collusion. I want Stern to tell the world that there was never any real opportunity to keep the Sonics in Seattle--that this was a back room deal of the sleaziest variety to get his pal Bennett a team by any means necessary and to scare other cities into giving owners whatever they want in the future. I want Stern to step down from the office which he has disgraced.
I want justice.
Tuesday, March 25
Sonics Rock
The chants were ringing from the rafters, and, for one night at least, it was fun to be at KeyArena.The Sonics managed to pull one out, knocking off the Blazers to snap an atrocious 11-game losing streak. More importantly, a number of players commented on the "Save Our Sonics" chants that echoed throughout the not-close-to-a-sellout arena, with some attributing the success of the team to the vocals from the fans.
Not surprisingly, PJ Carlesimo is still holding the reigns on Mo Sene. For some ridiculous reason, Carlesimo has decided that it makes more sense to give 16 minutes to Francisco Elson than to the former first-round draft pick who was summoned from Idaho earlier this month.
Elson - who figures in no way, shape or form into the Sonics future - is taking minutes away from Sene, who dominated the D-League and absolutely deserves a shot at some minutes.
But let's focus on the positive. The Sonics mustered up a well balanced attack, Johan Petro scored 10 points in one quarter, Luke Ridnour nearly finished with a double-double, Seattle shot 50% from beyond the arc, and Jeff Green and Kevin Durant were solid contributors, scoring nearly 40 points between.
For one night, being a Sonic fan was something to be proud of again.
Monday, March 24
The Great Depression
I try not to take sports too personally. It's not a healthy way to live. Why invest emotionally in something that A) is bound to disappoint and B) has no emotional investment in you?And yet, I continue on, like some kind of battered house wife who repeats over and over again "He's a good man!".
After 11 eleven losses in a row, the Sonics are almost assured of finishing with the worst record in franchise history. With the league in cahoots with Bennett to steal the team away, what's a Sonics fan to do? Pray for a post-Easter miracle? Be content with re-watching tapes of the 1996 playoffs?
(To top things off, my fantasy basketball league team didn't even make the consolation bracket this year--and it's MY league!)
How are you dealing with this Super sub-Sonic season? Watching other teams? Getting outside more? Booze? Supersonicsoul wants to know . . . and know quick, before we jump into the Sound.
Thursday, March 20
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?
--chunk
Wednesday, March 19
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 18
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.
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.
Monday, March 17
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?
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.
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.
Friday, March 14
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.
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.
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.
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