From Ian Thomsen's column on SI:
Sam Presti: The Spurs' young hotshot assistant GM is already being rumored as a candidate to run the Sonics, should new owner Clay Bennett decide to clean house in Seattle.
Here's his bio from the Spurs' web site. I'm not sure if I read it correctly; was he 29 years old when they hired him in 2000 (making him 35 now), or is he 29 now, meaning he was 23 when they hired six years ago?
Either way, he's young, he's been trained by the Spurs, and he's not Rick Sund. Win, win, win.
Friday, March 30
Player A and Player B
I haven’t read a Rob Neyer column at espn.com in at least two years, simply because I’m too cheap to shell out a monthly fee for ESPN Insider. But regardless, his Player A and Player B technique is one of the best methods of analysis I’ve seen on the internet or elsewhere. So, being a total fraud of a researcher, and with apologies to Mr. Neyer, here’s a Player A and Player B comparison for the Sonics.
Player A: 15.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 12.4 FGA, 4.9 FTA, 50% FG, 65% FT
Player B: 12.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 9.1 FGA, 4.0 FTA, 54% FG, 68% FT
Here’s the rub: It’s the same guy.
Player A is Chris Wilcox when Ray Allen is out, Player B is Chris Wilcox when Ray Allen suits up.
It’s a significant difference. On one hand, you’ve got a guy who’s underpaid at $6.5 million a year, pulling down close to 16 points and 9 boards. On the other, you have Vlade Radmanovic without the 3’s or funky accent.
The crazy part is the rebounds. It makes sense Wilcox gets more
touches when Allen’s out (see Lewis, Rashard). What doesn’t make sense is why Wilcox turns into Mailman-lite when Sugar Ray is in streetclothes. Even if you throw out his crazy 22-rebound game a week ago, he’s still averaging close to 8 boards a game, which is light years ahead of his pace when Allen’s in the lineup.
Some of it can be traced to Nick Collison. The more minutes Collison plays, the fewer boards Wilcox gets, and recently, Collison has been occasionally seeing fewer minutes. This isn’t always true, but in the four most recent games where Nick played fewer than 30 minutes, Wilcox nabbed 22, 12, 9, and 9 boards.
Some of it is minutes. Wilcox is averaging an extra 3 minutes a game when Allen’s out, which helps.
But that doesn’t explain all of it. In spite of all the numbers, I think it boils down to the same reason why the Sonics have run off three wins in four games despite not having their best player in the lineup:
The Sonics are a different team when Ray Allen is out of the lineup. First and foremost, Allen is a jump-shooter, and because he is so good at what he does, the rest of the team has a tendency to stand and wait for Ray to bail them out. It’s not a criticism; it’s a logical way to approach things.
We all do the same thing in our daily lives. My wife’s family is huge; it seems that they have weddings on a monthly basis each summer. With a big family, that means tons of preparation for each wedding. I’ve noticed, though, that it’s the same four or five people who always wind up doing the work, while the rest of the family stands around asking, “How can I help?”
I think the same disease has infected the Sonics. Rather than being assertive, the rest of the roster has become passive, asking Ray, “How can we help?”
Well, with Allen no longer around, they’re forced to do it themselves and, so far, it looks like they’re doing just fine without him. Perhaps I’m treading i
n sacrilegious territory here, but maybe the Sonics ought to consider parting ways with their superstar shooting guard. Considering he’s on the downside of his career and needs to win immediately, is it possible the needs of Ray Allen (go for broke in the next two years) are opposite to the needs of the Seattle Supersonics (build around a nucleus of Swift/Petro and Lewis)? Isn’t it just a tiny bit curious that everyone on the team seems to play better when he’s not around?
It’s a bit sad, because Allen has been nothing but a pro in his time in Seattle, someone who has given his all on the court, and who has given his time in the community. But I hope whoever inherits Rick Sund’s chair this summer gives serious consideration to moving Jesus Shuttlesworth somewhere else this offseason.
Player A: 15.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 12.4 FGA, 4.9 FTA, 50% FG, 65% FT
Player B: 12.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 9.1 FGA, 4.0 FTA, 54% FG, 68% FT
Here’s the rub: It’s the same guy.
Player A is Chris Wilcox when Ray Allen is out, Player B is Chris Wilcox when Ray Allen suits up.
It’s a significant difference. On one hand, you’ve got a guy who’s underpaid at $6.5 million a year, pulling down close to 16 points and 9 boards. On the other, you have Vlade Radmanovic without the 3’s or funky accent.
The crazy part is the rebounds. It makes sense Wilcox gets more
touches when Allen’s out (see Lewis, Rashard). What doesn’t make sense is why Wilcox turns into Mailman-lite when Sugar Ray is in streetclothes. Even if you throw out his crazy 22-rebound game a week ago, he’s still averaging close to 8 boards a game, which is light years ahead of his pace when Allen’s in the lineup.Some of it can be traced to Nick Collison. The more minutes Collison plays, the fewer boards Wilcox gets, and recently, Collison has been occasionally seeing fewer minutes. This isn’t always true, but in the four most recent games where Nick played fewer than 30 minutes, Wilcox nabbed 22, 12, 9, and 9 boards.
Some of it is minutes. Wilcox is averaging an extra 3 minutes a game when Allen’s out, which helps.
But that doesn’t explain all of it. In spite of all the numbers, I think it boils down to the same reason why the Sonics have run off three wins in four games despite not having their best player in the lineup:
The Sonics are a different team when Ray Allen is out of the lineup. First and foremost, Allen is a jump-shooter, and because he is so good at what he does, the rest of the team has a tendency to stand and wait for Ray to bail them out. It’s not a criticism; it’s a logical way to approach things.
We all do the same thing in our daily lives. My wife’s family is huge; it seems that they have weddings on a monthly basis each summer. With a big family, that means tons of preparation for each wedding. I’ve noticed, though, that it’s the same four or five people who always wind up doing the work, while the rest of the family stands around asking, “How can I help?”
I think the same disease has infected the Sonics. Rather than being assertive, the rest of the roster has become passive, asking Ray, “How can we help?”
Well, with Allen no longer around, they’re forced to do it themselves and, so far, it looks like they’re doing just fine without him. Perhaps I’m treading i
n sacrilegious territory here, but maybe the Sonics ought to consider parting ways with their superstar shooting guard. Considering he’s on the downside of his career and needs to win immediately, is it possible the needs of Ray Allen (go for broke in the next two years) are opposite to the needs of the Seattle Supersonics (build around a nucleus of Swift/Petro and Lewis)? Isn’t it just a tiny bit curious that everyone on the team seems to play better when he’s not around?It’s a bit sad, because Allen has been nothing but a pro in his time in Seattle, someone who has given his all on the court, and who has given his time in the community. But I hope whoever inherits Rick Sund’s chair this summer gives serious consideration to moving Jesus Shuttlesworth somewhere else this offseason.
The Seattle Supersonics on Public Radio?
Sports on public radio? What's this world coming to?As hard as it is to believe, I will be on KUOW this weekend taking about the Seattle Supersonics &mdash and it won't be about the stadium!
The always funny John Moe from "Weekend America" is doing a story on fans who root for their teams to lose, and we talk about the conflicted emotions of watching the Sonics come back from 25 down to win a meaningless game.
The piece will air during "Weekend America", this Saturday at noon locally on KUOW, or you can download the podcast. And, no, I don't know what a podcast is.
Thursday, March 29
Sonics Win Back-to-Back on Road; Hill Wants More
Got to take issue with this from an otherwise fine article from Jayda Evans at the Times:
Hill and his staff have drastically improved five players — Chris Wilcox, Nick Collison, Earl Watson, Johan Petro and Damien Wilkins, and Allen was averaging a career-best 26.4 points on two bum ankles.
I don't know that any of those guys - other than Collison and possibly Petro have "drastically improved." Watson's play has been erratic, Wilkins seems to have flatlined, and Wilcox has put up inferior numbers to the ones he had during his spring fling with the Sonics last year. And, if you think about it, shouldn't Petro be improving regardless? Wouldn't he get better just standing in a gym by himself taking free throws, considering his relatively sparse experience in competitive basketball?
I also enjoyed this bit from Hill, culled from Frank Hughes' piece at the TNT:
I am not the kind of person who runs in his office and starts pointing fingers at other people.
Oh, please, Bob. Hey, I wanted you to get the job and I thought you got unfairly tossed in San Antonio, but if you're going to stand there and say that you haven't thrown players under the bus this year, well, you're flat out lying.
Enough of that. The more pressing news is the Sonics' second consecutive win on the road, a 3-point triumph over the Answer, Melo, Nene, and the Ball-grabber. Once again, the story was Rashard Lewis, who dominated the end of the fourth quarter and carried the Sonics to the win. Once again, Luke Ridnour proved he and Bob Hill are not even in the same book, let alone on the same page.
It's puzzling, you know, how Hill is able to get these guys to play so hard when they have so little for which to play. In fact, it's given me an idea: Maybe the Sonics ought to try an innovative strategy next year: Hire Rick Adelman to coach the team from November until March, fire Adelman, and let Hill guide them the rest of the way. This way, the Sonics get Adelman's regular season brilliance, none of his craptacular playoff failures, and they get Hill's obvious ability to win in spring-time with none of the fall weather doldrums.
Hill and his staff have drastically improved five players — Chris Wilcox, Nick Collison, Earl Watson, Johan Petro and Damien Wilkins, and Allen was averaging a career-best 26.4 points on two bum ankles.
I don't know that any of those guys - other than Collison and possibly Petro have "drastically improved." Watson's play has been erratic, Wilkins seems to have flatlined, and Wilcox has put up inferior numbers to the ones he had during his spring fling with the Sonics last year. And, if you think about it, shouldn't Petro be improving regardless? Wouldn't he get better just standing in a gym by himself taking free throws, considering his relatively sparse experience in competitive basketball?
I also enjoyed this bit from Hill, culled from Frank Hughes' piece at the TNT:
I am not the kind of person who runs in his office and starts pointing fingers at other people.
Oh, please, Bob. Hey, I wanted you to get the job and I thought you got unfairly tossed in San Antonio, but if you're going to stand there and say that you haven't thrown players under the bus this year, well, you're flat out lying.
Enough of that. The more pressing news is the Sonics' second consecutive win on the road, a 3-point triumph over the Answer, Melo, Nene, and the Ball-grabber. Once again, the story was Rashard Lewis, who dominated the end of the fourth quarter and carried the Sonics to the win. Once again, Luke Ridnour proved he and Bob Hill are not even in the same book, let alone on the same page.
It's puzzling, you know, how Hill is able to get these guys to play so hard when they have so little for which to play. In fact, it's given me an idea: Maybe the Sonics ought to try an innovative strategy next year: Hire Rick Adelman to coach the team from November until March, fire Adelman, and let Hill guide them the rest of the way. This way, the Sonics get Adelman's regular season brilliance, none of his craptacular playoff failures, and they get Hill's obvious ability to win in spring-time with none of the fall weather doldrums.
Wednesday, March 28
Sonics to fire Bob Hill, hire Lenny Wilkens?
From the Chicago Tribune (via Yahoo!):Seattle SuperSonics coach Bob Hill continues to throw players under the bus, which would seem to eliminate him from future NBA coaching consideration. In recent losses, he blamed Earl Watson and Chris Wilcox for costing games by blowing plays and said the Sonics should give up if they lose Rashard Lewis in free agency. The word around the NBA is Lenny Wilkens will return to coach in a transition season as the team considers a move next season.
Read the rest here.
Tuesday, March 27
Sonics Dominate in 4th Quarter; Pope Announces Conversion to Judaism
Yes, you read that box score correctly. The Sonics dominated a 4th quarter and THEY were the team that rallied from behind.
Earl Watson and Rashard Lewis were the keys to victory, especially EW's 24 points off the bench. And who would have guessed that Mike Wilks would get nearly as many minutes (17) as Luke Ridnour (24)?
Add it all up, and the Sonics seem bound and determined to get the 7th pick in the draft this year. For one night, though, it all seems oddly worthwhile.
Earl Watson and Rashard Lewis were the keys to victory, especially EW's 24 points off the bench. And who would have guessed that Mike Wilks would get nearly as many minutes (17) as Luke Ridnour (24)?
Add it all up, and the Sonics seem bound and determined to get the 7th pick in the draft this year. For one night, though, it all seems oddly worthwhile.
Do Your Part
Supersonics.com has been running a bracket for the past month or so, with various aspects of Sonic history involved in the "games." At the moment, the battle is between Bob Blackburn and Squatch.
Now, I'm not going to tell you how to vote, that would be, well, Republican. Instead, I'm going to tell you that if someone were to vote for Squatch, I would be severely disappointed in them.
Severely.
So, do your part, honor the past, and go to supersonics.com and vote for Bob Blackburn. Remember, a vote for Bob is a vote for greatness. A vote for Squatch is a vote for a Halloween costume.
Now, I'm not going to tell you how to vote, that would be, well, Republican. Instead, I'm going to tell you that if someone were to vote for Squatch, I would be severely disappointed in them.
Severely.
So, do your part, honor the past, and go to supersonics.com and vote for Bob Blackburn. Remember, a vote for Bob is a vote for greatness. A vote for Squatch is a vote for a Halloween costume.
Bill the Beerman, RIP
From the Seattle P.I.:Bill Scott, better known to his many fans as "Bill the Beerman," died Sunday night from complications of colon cancer originally diagnosed in 2001. He was 58.Listen to Bill the Beerman in action (from my old "Sonic Boom LP").
For more than 20 years, Scott led cheers in the Kingdome, starting in 1976 as a beer vendor who spontaneously encouraged fans to shout at Seahawks and Mariners games.
If you lived here then and went to the Kingdome, you knew him, the big barrel-chested guy with the beard and booming voice who sold you beer and gave you permission to cheer.
Read the rest here.
Loserville Update
Couple of games that affected the Sonics' drive for Oden last night. Boston beat the Raptors (yay), but Portland and Milwaukee got their L's on, meaning the Sonics now hold the 6th-worst record in the league (going by percentages). With a road game in Minny tonight, a loss would move Seattle a step further away from Philly and a little closer to the Hawks.
With that in mind, here's how some of the draft "experts" see the Sonics going:
Draft Express: Spencer Hawes (um, no thanks)
NBA Draft.net: Jeff Green, Georgetown (author makes mental note to pay extra attention during Final Four)
Hoops Hype: Julian Wright, Kansas (again, no thanks)
MyNBA Draft.com: Joakim Noah, Florida (I cannot think of a player I would less like to have on the Sonics, and I'm including junior college guys with one leg)
Fantapedia.net: Yi Jianlian, China ("his face up game would fit in with the Sonics' up-tempo offense"; right, because what the Sonics desperately need is a center who doesn't like to play down low).
Should be an interesting game tonight. I was shocked by how the Sonics handled Garnett in the last meeting since you would assume he'd be able to get whatever he wants in the paint. I'd have to expect the Wolves to get something tonight, though.
With that in mind, here's how some of the draft "experts" see the Sonics going:
Draft Express: Spencer Hawes (um, no thanks)
NBA Draft.net: Jeff Green, Georgetown (author makes mental note to pay extra attention during Final Four)
Hoops Hype: Julian Wright, Kansas (again, no thanks)
MyNBA Draft.com: Joakim Noah, Florida (I cannot think of a player I would less like to have on the Sonics, and I'm including junior college guys with one leg)
Fantapedia.net: Yi Jianlian, China ("his face up game would fit in with the Sonics' up-tempo offense"; right, because what the Sonics desperately need is a center who doesn't like to play down low).
Should be an interesting game tonight. I was shocked by how the Sonics handled Garnett in the last meeting since you would assume he'd be able to get whatever he wants in the paint. I'd have to expect the Wolves to get something tonight, though.
Sunday, March 25
Goodbye Ray, Hello Oden?
The bad news is that Ray Allen is out for the rest of the season. The good news? The Sonics just got a step closer to landing Greg Oden!Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - Seattle SuperSonics guard Ray Allen will miss the rest of the season with bone spurs in his left ankle.
Allen, the NBA's eighth-leading scorer (26.4 ppg), will require surgery but a specific date has yet to be determined.
"It makes sense for Ray to go forward and have the surgery," Sonics general manager Rick Sund said. "He's been playing with pain for some time now, and all parties involved agree that this is what is best for Ray in the long run."
(from the Seattle P.I.)
Friday, March 23
No Ray Tonight
According to David Locke at supersonics.com, Ray Allen will not be playing tonight against the T-Wolves.
Allen's headed for LA to meet with the same surgeon who operated on his ankle a couple of years ago. The Sonics expect to know this weekend, or possibly Monday, if he'll go ahead with the surgery and bag the rest of the season.
Allen's headed for LA to meet with the same surgeon who operated on his ankle a couple of years ago. The Sonics expect to know this weekend, or possibly Monday, if he'll go ahead with the surgery and bag the rest of the season.
Whoa, There, Weezy
What would you say about a power forward who scored 46 points and grabbed 33 boards in two games in March? Sounds a lot like Chris Wilcox and his recent performance, right?
Um, yeah, it's Wilcox alright, but it's Wilcox from last year, when he went off against Milwaukee and Sacto in back-to-back games on March 21 and 22. Of course, he followed that up by grabbing 33 boards in the next five games, then going for double-doubles in four straight, then single-singles in three straight.
In other words, if anybody thinks Chris Wilcox has suddenly turned the corner and is entering the realm of a consistent scorer/rebounder, I'd suggest downing a nice glass of warm milk and settling down. Call him Weezy, call him Wilco, call him whatever, but the man has proven one thing in his five years in the league: He is just as capable of scoring 6 points as he is 26.
Is it circumstances? Is it lack of PT? I have no flippin' idea, but the fact remains that Wilcox has gone for big nights in LA and now in Seattle, yet for some reason he has yet to elevate his game to the next level. His flukish 79% free throw percentage for the Sonics last season was a total aberration from his career marks, and Coach Hill admitted in Kevin Pelton's article today at supersonics.com that he's reluctant to throw the ball to Wilcox down the stretch due to Weezy's inability to hit shots from the stripe.
Detractors will point to Karl Malone's improved FT% as evidence that players can change from the stripe, but they should also point out that Malone's percentage went up each year at the start of his career, until he reached a point where teams could not longer count on fouling him. Wilcox' numbers, however, have been as inconsistent as his overall play: 50, 70, 61, 64, 78, 65.
I'm not saying Wilcox isn't a decent player, and it's possible he's worth the six and a half mil a season the Sonics are paying him. But to say that he's "figured it out" after five years of inconsistent play based on a week and a half of above-average performances ... well, I guess I'm just a little more skeptical.
Um, yeah, it's Wilcox alright, but it's Wilcox from last year, when he went off against Milwaukee and Sacto in back-to-back games on March 21 and 22. Of course, he followed that up by grabbing 33 boards in the next five games, then going for double-doubles in four straight, then single-singles in three straight.
In other words, if anybody thinks Chris Wilcox has suddenly turned the corner and is entering the realm of a consistent scorer/rebounder, I'd suggest downing a nice glass of warm milk and settling down. Call him Weezy, call him Wilco, call him whatever, but the man has proven one thing in his five years in the league: He is just as capable of scoring 6 points as he is 26.
Is it circumstances? Is it lack of PT? I have no flippin' idea, but the fact remains that Wilcox has gone for big nights in LA and now in Seattle, yet for some reason he has yet to elevate his game to the next level. His flukish 79% free throw percentage for the Sonics last season was a total aberration from his career marks, and Coach Hill admitted in Kevin Pelton's article today at supersonics.com that he's reluctant to throw the ball to Wilcox down the stretch due to Weezy's inability to hit shots from the stripe.
Detractors will point to Karl Malone's improved FT% as evidence that players can change from the stripe, but they should also point out that Malone's percentage went up each year at the start of his career, until he reached a point where teams could not longer count on fouling him. Wilcox' numbers, however, have been as inconsistent as his overall play: 50, 70, 61, 64, 78, 65.
I'm not saying Wilcox isn't a decent player, and it's possible he's worth the six and a half mil a season the Sonics are paying him. But to say that he's "figured it out" after five years of inconsistent play based on a week and a half of above-average performances ... well, I guess I'm just a little more skeptical.
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