The Hornets come to town, and the living is easy. After getting slapped by Jim Jackson, the Hornets are so banged up that Dan Dickau is probably their best offensive weapon. Among the missing: Baron Davis, Jamal Magloire, Jamal Mashburn, and Lee Nailon. Something called a Bostjan Nachbar led them in scoring off the bench against Utah the other night, and while I love what he's done for NBA-Scrabble, I'm guessing he's not the answer N.O.'s been looking for.
The Sonics are a week or so away from the trade deadline. Aside from Ray Allen's departure, the lid has been sealed on this cookie jar. No talk about Radman (FA to be), Daniels (FA to be), Jerome (FA to be), etc., etc. While it's possible the trade rumors may be a distraction, I don't buy it. As professional athletes, the Sonics are accustomed to all sorts of nonsense in the press, and they can deal with it without any trouble.
Good Sign: Ray-Ray is healthy and Mac-10 is back in town.
Bad Sign: The Hornets may show up, causing the Sonics to have to break a sweat.
On this date: 1980 - Behind the 22 points of Gus Williams and Jack Sikma's 12 rebounds, the Sonics improved to 41-16 on the season with a 109-94 win over the Sixers in Philly.
Vegas line: Sonics by 13 1/2
Prediction: Sonics 105 - Hornets 95
Record Against the Spread: 14-8
Friday, January 28
Thursday, January 27
Hey, I know that dude!
George Karl is back. And this time IT'S PERSONAL!
From the Denver Post:
George Karl was expected to be named head coach of the Denver Nuggets at this hour at a news conference in Milwaukee.
ESPN.com reported that the longtime NBA coach, with 708 wins in 16 seasons, confirmed to ESPN that he would be the Nuggets' new coach.
Karl and the Nuggets worked out most of the details of a contract Wednesday night, a source close to the team said on condition of anonymity.
Karl could be back on the bench tonight for the Nuggets’ game against the Bucks.
Wednesday, January 26
Game Night: Welcome to Mormonville
Looks like the prediction-o-meter is back on track after last night's win in LA (Ed. Note: one win does not exactly make you Jimmy the Greek).
As noted on this fine blog, the Jazz have proven to be rather inept at drawing calls, something Danny Fortson knows a little something about. In the previous meeting a few days ago between these clubs, the Sonics were whistled for 32 fouls, while the Jazz were tabbed for 38, the highest cumulative total for a Sonic game this season. The Sonics wound up with 10 more foul shots than the Jazz, and ran away with the victory.
The Jazz are a turnover-prone offense, especially when it comes to bad passes. Thus far, Utah has thrown it away 287 times to their opponents 183, while the Sonics are at 187-245. That's a bad sign for Jazz fans, and a great sign for those of us who still aren't sure about that Joseph Smith guy.
I've wavered in both directions with this game, which is probably why the oddsmakers have put it as a pick 'em. On the pro side, the Sonics are statistically better than Utah, are coming off a nice win in LA, and they haven't lost in 3 tries against Utah this season. However, the Jazz have won a couple of nice ones lately, the Sonics are on the second of a back-to-back, and the law of averages is on Utah's side. On the other hand ...
Good Sign: AK-47 is not at 100%.
Bad Sign: AK-47 will still be playing, and at 85% he's better than most players in the league, anyway. Plus, the Jazz have knocked off the Suns and Spurs in SLC in the past two weeks.
Vegas line: Pick 'em
Prediction: Jazz 102 - Sonics 98
Record Against the Spread: 13-7
As noted on this fine blog, the Jazz have proven to be rather inept at drawing calls, something Danny Fortson knows a little something about. In the previous meeting a few days ago between these clubs, the Sonics were whistled for 32 fouls, while the Jazz were tabbed for 38, the highest cumulative total for a Sonic game this season. The Sonics wound up with 10 more foul shots than the Jazz, and ran away with the victory.
The Jazz are a turnover-prone offense, especially when it comes to bad passes. Thus far, Utah has thrown it away 287 times to their opponents 183, while the Sonics are at 187-245. That's a bad sign for Jazz fans, and a great sign for those of us who still aren't sure about that Joseph Smith guy.
I've wavered in both directions with this game, which is probably why the oddsmakers have put it as a pick 'em. On the pro side, the Sonics are statistically better than Utah, are coming off a nice win in LA, and they haven't lost in 3 tries against Utah this season. However, the Jazz have won a couple of nice ones lately, the Sonics are on the second of a back-to-back, and the law of averages is on Utah's side. On the other hand ...
Good Sign: AK-47 is not at 100%.
Bad Sign: AK-47 will still be playing, and at 85% he's better than most players in the league, anyway. Plus, the Jazz have knocked off the Suns and Spurs in SLC in the past two weeks.
Vegas line: Pick 'em
Prediction: Jazz 102 - Sonics 98
Record Against the Spread: 13-7
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