Long Time Gone

Game 7.

June 2, 1996.

It may have been twelve years ago today, but it seems like one hundred. Can it really have only been a little more than a decade since a Utah-Seattle matchup meant so much?

Is it really possible that Greg Gumble mused that Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp were about to take the mantle from John Stockton and Karl Malone as the pre-eminent inside-outside tandem of the next decade?

If you haven’t already, go ahead and click that youtube link above. Okay, have you watched the entire thing? Now, roll up your sleeve and check: Are the goosebumps there?

No, how about now?

Of course they are.

That series had everything a Sonic fan could want, everything a basketball fan could want. The key to any classic series – to any classic event – is a hero and a villain. For a Sonic fan of the mid-90s, there was no greater hero than Shawn Kemp and no greater villain than Karl Malone.

While Stockton and Hornacek were certainly despised in Seattle, they weren’t on the same level as Malone, a 250-pound behemoth of a power forward who flopped on defense like a corn stalk in a gentle breeze. Lord, we hated that man. We hated his 18-foot jump shot, which he took while standing in a perfectly straight line, angled slightly backwards, as if his feet were tied to the floor and he was wavering around that axis.

We hated the way he whined the referees for (pick one) not getting calls or getting too many.

But, more than anything else, we hated the way he seemed to take 17 minutes to take a foul shot. The deliberate way he bounced the ball while adjusting his feet, the excruciating muttering while he spun the ball in his hands. While I always wondered what the heck Malone was saying to himself while he readied his shot, I can say with certainty what thousands of Sonic fans across the northwest were saying:

“I hope you miss this shot and tear your achilles while backpedaling down the court, you no-good SOB.”

It was the time he took, though, that came to be his undoing in that 1996 series. That season, Malone shot 72% from the line, but that success vanished in the playoffs. While Malone struggled even before reaching KeyArena (he shot just shy of 60% in the first two rounds), he bottomed out in Seattle, managing only 1 of 6 in Game 1.

That failure was exacerbated by the taunts of 17,072 fans, who began counting down an imaginary 10-second clock every time Malone approached the foul line. Did that countdown impact Malone’s success at the line? It’s difficult to say, but while he rebounded to hit 12 of 16 in Game 2, the big man sputtered in Game 7, hitting only 6 of 12, and, considering the Sonics won by only four (90-86), it’s not out of the realm of possibility to say that the fans had a direct impact on who would play the Bulls for the title that season.

It was one of the biggest moments in Sonic history – not only did the Sonics qualify for the NBA finals for the first time since the 1970s, but they did so by knocking off their arch nemesis, with that nemesis’ greatest weapon being forced into embarrassment.

Quantifying the value of a sports franchise on a city is exceedingly difficult. Financially, the numbers are never really there, and the justification for outlays of millions of dollars for stadia falls apart.

Sometimes, though, you can throw the logical arguments out the window and embrace the emotional ones. Sometimes, you ignore the rational reasoning.

Sometimes, you get the Sonics beating the Jazz in 1996.

Former Sonics Factor

One month ago, we introduced a new statistical analysis for predicting outcomes of playoff series. It was dubbed the Former Sonic Factor (FSF for short), and did extremely well in the first round of this year's series.

How well? How about nailing 6 of the 8 series well? How you like that, smartypants? Now, some might argue that a brain-dead monkey could have picked the first round of this year's NBA playoffs, and I suppose there would be some legitimacy to that argument, if one gave credence to the notion that monkeys fully grasp the fundamentals of basketball statistical analysis. As we all know, monkeys are still woefully unstudied in the finer aspects of PER, TS%, and the like.

Ah, you ask, but how about the following rounds, did your super-duper predictor fare so well?

Yes and no. I used Henry Abbott's point-scoring system to keep track and, well, it's doing better than Henry's mom and the equal to Jeff Ma, who apparently is really smart. So we've got that going for us.

Thus far, through 2 1/2 rounds of the playoffs, the FSF has accumulated 45 points (I've thrown out the points Abbott rewards for guessing game totals correctly), and with a Boston win over the Pistons in their series and a Laker win over the Celtics in the Finals, that would vault us to 55.

Granted, three guys already are checking in with 60, so bragging rights are already off the table, but shouldn't we get some credit for doing as well as some MIT brainiac?

Yes, I thought so, too.

Tough Call

I've got myself in the horns of a dilemma, and I can't for the life of me figure out how to resolve it.

Who do I want to lose more - the Spurs or the Lakers?

With tonight's crucial Game 5 looming, there's a chance Pop's Gang of Less-Than-Merry Men will be headed for the sunset in a few hours, and they will take with them a cadre of people Sonics fans, well, any NBA fans despise.

Tony Parker. (Ick).
Manu Ginobili. (Yeech).
Brent Barry. (Well, if you've read the site, you'd understand).
Robert "Big Foul" Horry.
Gregg Popovich.
The whole "personality-free" culture.

As you can see, there are a myriad of reasons to root for the Lakers tonight. Except, well, it's the Lakers, right? How in the world can you make yourself root for Kobe Bryant? Even in a perfect situation, if Bryant played for, say, the Bucks, he'd be difficult to cheer for. You know, what with the rape trial, the kicking Shaq out the door nonsense, demands for trades, etc., etc.

But add in the whole celebrity bandwagon crapola with games in LA come playoff time and the way the league practically Gilloolies Laker opponents when the Finals draw closer, it's even tougher still to cheer for Kobe.

On the other hand, the Lakers have Turiaf, and he's a fun guy to cheer for. Phil Jackson ... he might be annoying, but you have to respect the success, his occasional self-deprecating ways, and the fact he actually enjoys the limelight, unlike Pop who just does not seem interested one bit in promoting the league.

But outweighing that is the fact that if the Lakers make the finals there's a distinct possibility of a Celtic-Laker championship, and seeing David Stern be rewarded with a ratings bonanza after the way he's given Seattle such a shafting would not be very karmaic, now would it?

So there you have it: My dilemma. Do I root for the Spurs and hope the Pistons prevail, setting up a horrifically boring Finals series that draws a 2.3 rating? Or do I root for Kobe and the Big Ticket, and simultaneously line Clay Bennett and David Stern's pockets?

Tough call, tough call.

Sund

Lots of folks are chiming in about Atlanta's decision to tab Rick Sund as their general manager.

But look at this from another perspective: Sund's greatest crime in the eyes of Sonic fans was selecting Robert Swift, Johan Petro, and Mo Sene with successive first-round draft choices.

Well, inasmuch as the Hawks are without draft choices this year (that's right, they're absent from the first and second rounds), isn't this a perfect situation for Sund?

To convolute an oft-repeated cliche, if Rick Sund makes a bad draft choice and there is no draft, does that draft choice make a sound?

Flop Off

My favorite headline of the off-season was supposed to be "City Wins Lawsuit Against Sonics" or, possibly, "Photos Emerge of Bennett and Stern," but until those come rolling off the presses, I'll settle for this one, courtesy of espn.com:

"Fines will be imposed for clear cases of flopping"

Of all the problems with the NBA on the court - the complaining to the officials, the special treatment for superstars, the dubious officiating whenever the Lakers are playing, the 'swing the ball around the perimeter for a 3-pointer' offense - to this viewer, flopping is the worst.

Flopping is not basketball. Nobody flops in pick-up basketball, because it is the antithesis of competition. Competing means pushing back, not falling down. Competing means focusing your efforts on defeating your man, not playing to an official.

And yet the NBA has allowed this spectacle to rob the game of its excitement. 15 years ago, a man drove into the lane, threw down a dunk and the crowd cheered. Now, a man drives into the lane, Manu Ginobili slides over, allows himself to be grazed on the elbow, and falls down as if he had been shot from someone on a grassy knoll.

It's a disgusting practice, and it has had the same affect on the game as the European introduction of smallpox to Native Americans. Sure, flopping existing before the Euros came over, but it reached new heights under the teachings of Professor Vlade Divac and his bizarrely bearded disciples.

Kudos to the NBA for making an effort to put an end to this. If they do nothing else right this off-season, I'll applaud them for this.

Levy, Alexie Testimony Challenged

The Sonics have made a motion to suppress the testimony of KJR's Mitch Levy and The Stranger's Sherman Alexie in the upcoming suit between the team and the city of Seattle.

In other news, the team also wishes to suspend the printing presses of the Seattle Times, Seattle PI, and Tacoma News Tribune, as well as the broadcasting capabilities of all AM and FM stations (except, as the statement makes clear, "those who broadcast that easy listening stuff, because nobody with a pulse listens to that stuff anyways.") As Clay Bennett makes clear in the statement:

I have grown tired with the inquisitive nature of the Seattle media, and its ability to point out my shortcomings, and therefore wish to silence any possible future embarrassments which may be discovered by the press. While I understand some may take this as an impingement upon the First Amendment, I believe it is completely in line with my belief that the local media should always be under the thumb of the wealthiest person(s) in its respective municipality.

Expert Picks

Here are how others see the Sonics leaning with the first round:

CHAD FORD, espn.com
#4: "[Jerryd] Bayless is an excellent athlete who can really shoot. Of all the combo guards in the draft, he also has shown the most ability, so far, to run the point. Luke Ridnour and Earl Watson have not taken excelled at the position in Seattle. So, of the first four picks in the draft, this one looks like the closest to a lock."
#24: Serge Ibaka

DRAFT EXPRESS
#4: Bayless
#24: Alexis Ajinca

NBA DRAFT.NET
#4: Bayless
#24: Kosta Koufos

Also, DraftExpress notes that the Sonics are appearing to "lock in" on Bayless (making me wonder - who was first with the "lock," Chad Ford or DraftExpress?). Apparently, Sam Presti thinks Bayless would be a good fit alongside either Earl Watson or Luke Ridnour "until he's ready to man the position full-time."

Which makes me think: Who cares? Ridnour is expected to be traded very soon, and Watson is probably on the trading block as well. Five years from now, will it have been a good decision to have selected Jerryd Bayless to play alongside Watson or Ridnour when neither of them are on the roster?

Of course not. By that point, the two existing PGs on this roster will have as much relevance to Seattle's fortunes as Danny Vranes or Gus Williams - none. I'm not saying that Presti is thinking this way - in fact, I doubt he is - but it always frustrates me when "experts" make decisions for a team's future based upon players who will be gone from the roster in the near future.

It's not that I think Bayless is a bad choice, although I wonder about his ability to function as a combo guard in the NBA with his lack of point guard experience, it's that making a choice based on soon-to-be-irrelevant players is rather foolish. Add to the fact that the Sonics would be expecting a guy who has never played full-time at point guard to be their point guard of the future and, well, is that really a smart move?

Bennett Joins the Chorus

"Please stay WAY AWAY from talking about our investment in the building."

Clay Bennett, to PR Consultant Brent Gooden, via email

That quote comes courtesy of Greg Johns' article in the PI today. You'll also read about Bennett's empathy towards the players' desire to remain in Seattle ("Boo hoo") as well as Aubrey McClendon yet again showing why he was so sincere about keeping the team in Seattle ("The truth is we did buy it with the hope of moving to Oklahoma City.")

It just never ends, does it?

Bennett was referring specifically to getting caught making a financial commitment towards building a new arena in Renton, the same arena which would cost $500 million, and which he would contribute only the amount of money he could raise via naming rights. In other words, nothing.

Nothing, as in Bennett's chances of playing a game in Oklahoma City before the end of the decade.

CDR

Great write-up from Jonathan Givony at draftexpress.com about Chris Douglas-Roberts, who is quickly becoming a SuperSonicSoul Offically Endorsed #24 Pick Selection.

CDR makes all the right comments, but Givony does a good job at eliciting quotes that are not out of the Cliche 101 Handbook. Definitely worth a read.

More McClendon Tidbits

Hope you're enjoying your Memorial Day barbecue while yours truly is suffering through a Monday at work in Canada.

In Sonic news, you'll have to read the entire article for the full story, but take at least one quote, taken from Greg Johns' piece at the PI regarding Aubrey McClendon's recently revealed testimony.

McClendon is speaking in regards to his conversation with the NBA's Joel Litvin, who questioned why Aubrey would make such a foolhardy comment as "we didn't buy the team to keep it in Seattle."

"I said, 'You know, Joel, I don't know. It's like me saying the sky is green, you know, sometimes you say things that you don't know why you say it.' "

Somewhere, somebody needs to be making a tie-dyed t-shirt of Aubrey McClendon standing beneath a green sky. You just can't make this stuff up.

McLendon Speaks

In court, anyways, Aubrey McClendon is as candid as he can be in explaining the salacious emails between himself and Clay Bennett.

In that vein, Eric Williams of the TNT links to a story from the Daily Oklahoman wherein McClendon explains that when he said to a Oklahoma reporter that "We didn't buy the team to keep it in Seattle; we hoped to come here," what he meant to say was that "we hoped to come here" if an arena deal couldn't be worked out.

Oh, brother.

As I said before, I'm beyond getting angry at these fools and their comments. At this point, the whole Clay Bennett-David Stern-Aubrey McClendon love triangle has reached farcical levels previously reached only by Donald Rumsfield.

Thinking Big

For three consecutive seasons, the Seattle brain trust put their faith in a succession of centers who came loaded with promise.

The names of those three players roll off the tongues of Sonic fans like a movie executive recalling failed blockbusters:

Robert Swift. Johan Petro. Mo Sene.

None of the three lived up to the expectations thrust upon them, and the bitter aftertaste of those picks cost Rick Sund his job and left fans here ready to fire a shotgun at the next “promising big man” who walked through the door.

With six picks in this year’s draft, I’ve heard quite a few people comment that they absolutely DO NOT want the Sonics to take a project at center this year, despite the team’s utter lack of talent at the 5 spot. I can understand the sentiment.

I can understand it, but it’s wrong. Yes, Sund’s Follies marched this organization in the wrong direction, and possibly cost fans a shot at seeing a repeat playoff performance (especially when you look at the people Seattle could have drafted with those picks).

But swearing off drafting raw big men because of three failed experiments is a bit like swearing off driving because your first car was a Ford Festiva. Sure, it wasn’t the best car, but why forgo the future possibility of driving a Ferrari because of a couple negative experiences?

The fact is that the NBA is rife with players who came into the league as projects. Just as a quick example, take a look at where these power forwards and centers went in the draft:

Mehmet Okur, 37th
Samuel Dalembert, 26th
Andrei Kirilenko, 24th
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, 20th
Sean Williams, 17th

Do you think Jazz fans were throwing their temple undergarments in the air when they drafted Kirilenko eight years ago? I think not.

But that’s how it works in this league. Sure, it’s easy to find a Tim Duncan or Shaquille O’Neal when you have first crack at the draft, but if you don’t, you have to take a risk and hope that when the cards are turned over you’re looking at Samuel Dalembert rather than Rich King.

And considering that the Sonics aren’t going to be printing playoff tickets for the next couple of seasons, exactly what do we have to lose here?.