Whoops

Bend it Like Bennett checks in with a report from the MySpace page of Graham Bennett, son of Clay.

With these sorts of things, you never know what the truth is, but if what we see is true, and Graham's dad did indeed ask what was up with the "black midget with a pickle in her hand," well, it can't be good.

If nothing else, it might serve as an interesting test of Charles Barkley's hypothesis that Oklahoma is "no place for black people."

Wait a Minute, Clay Bennett Owns a Bookstore?

Were one to compile a list of possible retail soups in which Clay Bennett would dabble his entrepreneurial finger, small-town bookstore owner would surely are one of the least-likely possibilities, perhaps right below running a laundromat in Ballard and above operating a GLBT Sex Shop in San Francisco.

And, yet, surprisingly, small book store owner is exactly what Mr. Bennett has listed on his resume, Owner, Town Center Bookstore in lovely Basalt, Colorado. (It's right there on the sheet, see it? next to Carpetbagging Owner of Seat ... well, let's leave that alone for one day, at least, shall we?)

Unfortunately for the employees of said store, the swinging ax of the economic downturn has finally landed upon their heads, as Mr. and Mrs. Bennett have decided to close the doors on their little operation. Naturally, as someone who has witnessed first-hand the havoc of which the Bennetts are capable and the rapidity with which they are able to yank rugs out from underneath unsuspecting victims, I'm less than enthusiastic about dancing a jig over the Bennetts failed store. After all, the dozen or so folks working there aren't exactly thrilled about it.

No, my reason for bringing this up is more pertinent to the operations of a certain basketball team in Oklahoma City.

You see, the bookstore's General Manager, Fred Durham, dropped an interesting tidbit of information while in conversation with Aspen Daily News reporter Brent Gardner-Smith. Quoting the article here:

"Durham said the Bennetts looked down the road at the challenges facing both newspapers and independent bookstores and decided to close up shop in Basalt.

“'When you have to write a check every month to make something work, you begin to say ‘Now wait a minute,’” said Durham."

Why is this relevant? Simply because Clay Bennett's fortune is tied extremely closely to two entities: Chesapeake Energy and Oklahoma Publishing, the Bennett's media conglomerate. We're all well aware of the sad state of affairs at Chesapeake (no need to document them on this site, surely), but it might surprise you to know that the Daily Oklahoman is no stranger to financial problems.

With the ongoing death watch of newspapers across North America, is it any wonder that the Bennetts decided that it might be a good time to tighten their belts when it came to their financial holdings? And is it any wonder that 99.9% of Sonic fans in Seattle are cursing the day the city caved in to Bennett's group last summer?

Because, mind you, if Clay Bennett is willing to sell a 10-man operation in Colorado to save a few bucks, don't you think he might have been the same about a basketball team in Seattle?

Attendance Report, March 3, 2009

All data through March 2, 2009. Teams are shown with their attendance on a year-over-year basis from the 2007-08 season.

. Oklahoma City 143506 . New Orleans 81083 . Philadelphia 51520 . Indiana 35765 . Portland 32819 . Atlanta 24450 . Denver 10592 . New York 7478 . Houston 1670 . Boston 0 . Cleveland 0 . LA Lakers 0 . Phoenix 0 . Utah -309 . Detroit -356 . Charlotte -1712 . Milwaukee -4791 . Dallas -5851 . Memphis -7677 . Minnesota -10728 . Toronto -10728 . San Antonio -11834 . LA Clippers -13279 . Orlando -14089 . New Jersey -14357 . Golden State -14761 . Chicago -22332 . Washington -28837 . Sacramento -40011 . Miami -50257

NBA Economic News

A couple of stories of interest to those who are curious to see how the league is handling the global economic downturn:

1) Sports Business Journal discusses how premium-seat renewals may be difficult for both the NBA and the NHL.

2) The Wall Street Journal marvels at how 80% of the teams in the league are essentially out of the running for a title, and how almost all of those clubs have given up in even trying.

Another Kemp Comeback? Not So Much

Instead of battling sweaty Italians and Croatians on the court and mingling with anti-birth control groupies in Italy off it this year, it appears Shawn Kemp will be taking on ... middle-aged Americans desperate to prove they can hang with former NBA superstars.

Yep, the Reign Man will be competing in Spike's "Pros vs Joes" this season, alongside Alonzo Mourning, Robert Horry, Glen Rice, Antoine Walker, and Steve Francis.

Rice, Walker and Kemp were previously booted from their earlier deal with "The Biggest Loser" after the trio managed to boost the weight of not only the competitors, but the cameramen, cleaning staff, producers, and these freaks.

Dear Mr. Shinn

You could really just use this article from Hornets Hype as a template for all NBA fans who are facing an uncertain future for their favorite teams.

And while the article is enjoyable in and of itself (providing a nice insight into the oft-ignored passion of Hornet fans), I found this tidbit from the comments as, if not more, interesting:

"[The Hornets] can’t [leave] because the lease is now ironclad thru 2014, with only a practice facility as a potential sticking point. As I understand it, the state of Louisiana could be stuck with giving bonuses to the Hornets in some of these upcoming years on the lease should attendance drop below thresholds (however, the early out clause no longer applies)."
-commenter chefcdb

Certainly a different take on things than what we've grown accustomed to with the Hornets and their possible relocation to other cities (such as, well, Seattle). When you take what is happening to Sacramento, add it to New Orleans, and multiply it times New Jersey, at what point do you, as a Sonic fan, start to feel just a twinge of guilt about coveting these franchises?

I hate to slit the throat of NBA basketball in Seattle, and I know this goes against the league's current franchise-go-round method of economic stability, but I'm growing less and less enamored with the idea of swiping someone else's club.

Not Sure What Stern Means

I missed this the first time reading about the NBA's new line of credit with Bank of America, but it struck me as odd the second time around. Here's the pertinent quote from Commissioner Stern, courtesy of the AP:

“They told us there’s no chance of any additional funds being raised for any sports league, and indeed, the credit facilities that had come up for other leagues were being termed out rather than renewed."

Here is what I am struggling with as I read that quote: To which league(s) is Mr. Stern referrring? Is he claiming that the NBA is more financially stable than the NFL? That the banks would rather loan money to his league than to Bud Selig's?

I don't pretend to have in-depth financial information on those leagues, but even a cursory look at the figures would tell you that's a bit odd, no? Ask yourself the question - you have unlimited funds and are looking to loan money to a professional sports league, with no emotional attachments to accompany the purchase, what league are you looking at first? Who's more likely to pay you back, the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, or the owner of the Oklahoma City Thunder? The Tampa Bay Bucs or the Orlando Magic?

Hey, if Stern is referring to the NHL, I've got no quibble with that. Or, if he's talking about the PGA Tour, or the Arena League, fine, I can accept that. NASCAR, sure, I can see it. But to throw out a blanket statement like "no chance of any additional funds being raised for any sports league," then paint yourself as the only league that's worthy of getting those funds, well, I've got to question that kind of a statement.

Maybe there's something I'm not seeing here, but it sure seems as though we're just being fed some more well-seasoned NBA BS by the King of BS himself.

Sacramento Arena Coming, Well, Sort Of

Actually, not really. Oh, yes, plans were unveiled today at a meeting at the Cal Expo, but that's all, just plans. According to the folks on hand, everything is in place, except:

1. A developer
2. A request for proposal
3. A possible tax "increment"

None of which are available at the moment. "This is not a shovel-in-the-ground project," said John Moag, an NBA consultant.

Now that's an understatement. To quote Moag once again, "This is not a project that's going to begin this year."

The reasoning for that last tidbit is the economy. Which leads this observer to wonder, if this project won't get underway until the economy turns around, and the economy is not expected to turn around for at least another year or two, just how much longer are the Maloofs willing to stick around at Arco?

Also of note, the fact that board members of Cal Expo were kept in the dark about the proposal until the very last minute, which is not altogether unsurprising considering that the NBA had its hand fully around the preparations.

Assemblyman Dave Jones (a board member himself) told KCRA in Sacramento, "I think that in most public bodies I've been a part of, actually all public bodies I've been a part of, board members have an opportunity to see a proposal before the board meeting. So it's a little strange."

Kings fans, we know how you feel. This whole plan sounds suspiciously like the detail-free plan Clay Bennett foisted upon the Washington legislature, then, after watching it fail, pointed to as his excuse for leaving.

For the sake of the good fans of Sacramento, let's hope that's not the case this time.

New Lawsuit for Aubrey McClendon

It's tough to keep up with Aubrey McClendon's legal proceedings and financial undoings, but a new case showed up today, in this case a class action suit from the firm of Izard Nobel LLP directed at whether or not Chesapeake Energy and its directors violated federal securities laws.

Call me crazy, but wouldn't it be interesting to find out how much of that $200 "It's Not a Bailout!" million David Stern has acquired for his teams is going to our friends in Oklahoma City? Of course, we all know how popular the team is there, if by popular, that is, you mean "drawing the same television numbers as MacGyver re-runs."

David Stern: Keeping the Faith

David Stern, Commissioner of the NBA, speaking after it is revealed that the league is borrowing $200 million to help teams meet their operating expenses:

“ This is the opposite of a bailout. This was a show of strength in the credit worthiness of the NBA’s teams. It’s a great sign of confidence in us and that’s wonderful that the market is opening up, so we’ll take it.”


David Stern, as Mayor of New Orleans:

“This is not a disaster. The presence of the Army Corps of Engineers is merely a show of confidence they have in our failing levee system.”

David Stern, as Captain of the Titanic:

“This is not a sinking ship. The water coming on-board this vessel is merely a demonstration of the ocean’s faith in our ability to withstand icebergs.”

David Stern, as Naval Captain at Pearl Harbor:

“This is not a bloodbath. The fact the Japanese are bombing us is only an indication of their belief in our capability of building new ships to replace the ones which are sinking.”

David Stern, as Noah’s neighbor:

“This is not a flood. The fact water is now rising above my head is merely a sign of God’s faith in my ability to breath underwater.”

Kemp is better than the Mailman

For a few years back in the late 1990s, your intrepid narrator managed to finagle a press pass for the Vancouver Grizzlies, enabling me to take in about 100 or so games at GM Place in Vancouver.

As you can imagine, these were not the Boston-Los Angeles clashes that made the NBA famous, unless by Boston-Los Angeles, you’re referring to something along the lines of Dino Radja versus Pig Miller and not Bird versus Magic.

Anyhow, it gave me a good schooling on how irrelevant certain regular season games can be, so much so that I developed a 3-point rule for determining if the players and fans are into the game at hand. If you can answer yes to all three questions, then you are watching a game that nobody cares about:

1. Can you hear the players’ sneakers squeaking?
2. Can you hear the head coach calling out plays?
3. Do the players behave in a friendly manner with one another, e.g., chatting at the free throw line, helping up opponents, laughing at turnovers?

Believe me, there were plenty of nights when I answered yes to all three of those questions at GM Place back in the day.

I tell you that to tell you this – judging players solely on statistics without taking into account the importance of the game can be misleading. Anyone who has watched more than a dozen NBA games can tell you the players bring a completely different level of intensity for playoff games than they do for Tuesday games in February against the Grizzlies.

So, with that in mind, I set about determining what were the ten most important games Shawn Kemp played against Karl Malone in their careers. Obviously, series-deciding games would have to be included, and there are four of those. Add in the Western Conference Finals of 1996 and, voila, you’ve got ten games to consider.

Yes, it’s a small sample size, and, yes, it may not be the best way to judge these two, but it is a valid point to consider: When the games mattered the most, when both players were playing their hardest, when both teams and coaches expended the most amount of energy, who fared better, Karl Malone or Shawn Kemp?

At first glance, the edge seems to go to Malone, especially if you’re relying on traditional numbers such as points, rebounds, and assists.

Player	REB	AST	PTS
Malone	114	43	262
Kemp	92	11	178

Case closed, right? Well, not so fast, Mailman fanatics. In his great book Basketball on Paper, Dean Oliver argued that there are other elements beyond the basic stats which are more indicative of player or team success. Oliver labeled them the Four Factors, and they are:

1. Shooting percentage (10)
2. Turnovers per possession (5-6)
3. Offensive rebounding percentage (4-5)
4. Getting to the foul line (2-3)

The numbers in brackets after each factor is the value Oliver places upon them. With that in mind, let’s see how Kemp and Malone stack up.

Player	FG%	TO/Poss	OREB%	FTM/FGA
Malone	47%	0.13	9%	0.27
Kemp	67%	0.25	9%	0.49

One of the four is a push, one goes to Malone (turnovers), and two go overwhelmingly to Kemp. So, right off the bat, according to one of the brightest statistical minds in the basketball universe, Kemp has an edge, and not a small one either when you consider Oliver’s belief in the importance of shooting percentage.

But it doesn’t stop there. Almost any Sonic fan more than 25 years old can tell you the enjoyment we felt in watching Malone fail at the free throw line, and the joy we had in counting down from ten while he struggled at the stripe in KeyArena. But was that just our memories, or did Malone fail as much as we remembered?

He did.

FREE THROW PERCENTAGE
Kemp 77%, Malone 62%

Thanks to Oliver, NBA number-crunchers have become obsessed with possessions, and rightfully so. While in the old days a player such as Alex English could be lauded for scoring 30 points, now we’re a little more cautious – sure, he scored 30, but how many possessions did it take? Sure, the Nuggets and Suns give up a lot of points on defense, but does that mean they’re lazy without the ball, or that they just have more possessions than most teams?

The same goes for the Kemp/Malone argument. For example:

POINTS/100 POSSESSIONS
Kemp 132, Malone 102.7

That’s a huge difference, no? Look at it this way: points are like miles driven, and possessions are the number of gallons of gas you put into the car to drive those miles. Judging players only by points scored is like judging a car’s fuel economy by the numbers of miles it traveled – it’s incomplete. Sure, Malone outscored Kemp 262-178, but it took him almost twice as many possessions to do it (255-135). It’s like the difference between a Prius and a Hummer, for crying out loud.

The ultimate illustration of the contrasting styles of the two players came in game seven of the 1996 Western Conference Finals, a game the Sonics won 90-86 in Seattle. A cursory look at the boxscore the next morning would have left the reader to think that the two men played to a draw, with Kemp getting a slight edge.

Malone – 22 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds
Kemp – 26 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist

But looking more closely, you can see that Kemp had huge advantages. Malone’s 22 points came on 31 possessions, while Kemp scored 26 points on only 18 possessions. Malone hit only 6 of 12 free throws, while Kemp hit 10 of 11. Kemp had a true shooting percentage of 77%, while Malone’s was a dismal 40%.

Yes, it was one game, and considering how well Malone played over the course of 42 matchups between the two, we shouldn’t throw all of his accomplishments in the wastebin because he came up short one time in 1996.

But, really, it’s not just one game. In the ten most important games the two men played against one another, when the stakes were as high as they could get, when both teams tried to squeeze every last ounce of talent from their players, Shawn Kemp was the better basketball player, and not by a small margin either.

One could argue that Malone’s achievements from a career standpoint would outweigh Kemp’s accomplishments in the post-season, and that’s a fair consideration. But I look at it from this vantagepoint: What is a team paying a player to do?

He is paid to do two things. First, get his team into the playoffs. Second, once the first objective is reached, he is paid to get his team a championship.

Shawn Kemp certainly took more than a few nights off during the regular season, especially when compared to Karl Malone, so you have to give the edge to the Mailman for that aspect.

But when it comes to getting his team to a championship? When the crowd is deafening and coaches have to scream their instructions even when the players are standing right next to them?

In that case, my friends, I’ll take the Reignman.

The Case for the Mailman

Yesterday, I offered up the idea of looking at two iconic members of Sonic history. One of them is the ultimate Seattle hero, the other the ultimate villain.

Seattle sports fans can argue about plenty of things. Is Dave Krieg better than Matt Hasselbeck? Would Felix Hernandez outduel Randy Johnson? Greatest Seattle sports hero: Gary Payton, Steve Largent or Ken Griffey? Does Rick Neuheisel have a soul, or rather, were you to slice open his midsection, would you find only a slimy concoction of bile, self-importance, and teeth?

We can all agree on one question, though: Karl Malone is the supreme villain in our history. Sure, you’ve got a Clemens over there, a Jabbar perhaps, the entire Oakland Raiders roster, and so on, but the Mailman is hands-down the most hated man to ever take the court against a team from Seattle. Any counterargument is nonsense.

The only great thing about Karl Malone was that he made himself so easy to hate. The flopping, the elbows, the idiotic hand-behind-the-head dunking … heck, just being a member of the Jazz was enough to make us hate him, but then he had to go and be jerkoff on top of that? Phew! We hated Karl Malone like we hated Californians who bought our real estate – because there was no conceivable reason not to.

All of which goes a long way to explaining how hard it is for me to state this: When it comes to the argument of Karl Malone or Shawn Kemp in head to head competition, it’s pretty darn hard to make a case for the Reignman. To wit:

- The two played 42 games while Kemp was a starter for the Sonics. Kemp scored 20 points or more ten times. The Mailman did it 40 times.
- Malone averaged more points, assists, rebounds, committed fewer turnovers and personal fouls, shot better from the field, and got to the line 50% more often.
- In Malone’s five best scoring efforts, he tallied 38, 35, 32, 32, 32, a total of 169 points. Kemp’s five best efforts? 29, 29, 26, 26, 26, for 136 points.
- The Mailman racked up 10+ free throws made nine times. Kemp did it thrice.
- Malone fathered one child out of wedlock, as far as we know. Kemp had at least three or four. Or five. Fine, there may have been six, but, geez, did you see the dress on that girl?

You could go on and on. Malone’s dominance was indicative of how he wound up as the second-highest scorer in league history despite a lack of 3-point shot or a dominant, Olajuwon-like post-up game. His was a battle of attrition. Malone wasn’t going to score 50 every other month, but he was going to get his 27 points, dammit, even if it took 28 shots to do it..

Still, setting aside Malone’s black-hole approach to offense, he was dominant. How dominant? Try this on for size, if you will. The Sonics battled the Jazz 25 times with Malone and Kemp as starters in the regular season. Of those 25 games, take a guess at how many times Kemp outscored the Mailman. Go on, guess.

Give up?

Zero.

That’s right, Kemp outscored Malone as often as George Karl modeled for Playgirl. 25 times the Mailman battled the Reignman in regular season play as equals, and 25 times Karl topped Kemp in the points column. I know, I know, Malone played more minutes, he took more shots (483 to 275 to be exact), yada, yada, yada.

Still, that’s incredible, right? Think back on all those clashes, all those times Malone escaped on fast breaks and threw down one of his ridiculous Kid ‘n Play dunks with his left hand behind his head … shouldn’t Kemp have prevailed at least once? He was Shawn Kemp, for crying out loud. The man child! The dunker of dunks! Only a Mormon would put up a poster of Karl Malone, but Kemp’s posters were in college dorm rooms across the country. You could get away with charging $20 for a Kemp’s Greatest Dunks DVD, but how much could you get for The Mailman’s Greatest Dunks? 37 cents? Heck, it probably came on Betamax, those moves were so played out.

Put all that aside, though. Even if you look at their playoff performances, Malone still comes out ahead in the numbers, almost absurdly so. He averaged 10 points more than Kemp did in the postseason. 10 points! C’mon, people, can you seriously consider any alternative to the notion that Karl Malone was head, shoulders, and pointy elbows above Shawn Kemp in their head-to-head play? Sure, Kemp could dunk, but what difference does that make, really? What kind of moron would dare suggest that any conclusion other than Malone’s supremacy is possible?

Raises hand meekly.

Um, this moron does. It’ll take some slight-of-hand statisticology that may qualify me for an emergency federal bailout, but I think I can make it work. Tune in tomorrow to find out.