Weekend Reading Assignment

Author and Sonics fan Sherman Alexie has a great piece about the team in (of all places) this week's Stranger. It completely sums up how I feel about the Sonics and the whole stadium fiasco. Read it and weep.

Oh, and I'm going to be in the New York Times this weekend. More details to follow.

Go Stay Sonics!

Sports Execs Love their Hoops

In an otherwise relatively interesting piece in the PI regarding the passage of Tuesday's sports-financing ballot measure, I came across this nugget from UW AD Todd Turner.

"And Turner, in an interview, said losing the Sonics could hurt Washington's recruiting efforts of elite basketball players, who like being in an NBA town."

So having the Sonics will make the difference for the Huskies, huh? Maybe if Turner would take a look at the top 10 teams in the pre-season AP poll, he might re-evaluate that position. Of the top 10 schools, guess how many play in cities with an NBA team?

Two. That's right, 8 of the top 10 teams are in cities sans NBA. Shocking, I know, that a "sports executive" would use a flat-out false statement to make a point. It's a pretty good rule of thumb that when people make up ridiculous arguments to back up their points, their points aren't worth making.

Sonics Looking for Magic

Sorry about the headline, I'm running low on creative juices today. If last night's game was somewhat winnable going in, tonight's is definitely so. The Magic have gone 2-2 thus far, with wins against the Bulls and Wizards, and losses to Philly and Atlanta.

The surprise story to me about Orlando is the strong start of Carlos Arroyo. The King of Puerto Rico has been dazzling for the Magic, easily compiling the best +/- numbers on the team and piling up 17 points in only 23 minutes. Conversely, Jameer Nelson has struggled, which means a change a the point could be coming.

It'll be interesting to see how Ridnour handles Arroyo in their matchups, or if Coach Hill opts to go with more minutes for Earl Watson in an attempt to contain the quick Arroyo.

Want a weird stat? Nobody on the Magic is averaging more than 3.5 assists a game. I don't know what it means, but it's weird, man.

Want another one? Carlos Arroyo is shooting 80% from 3-point range. Yeah, that's right, 80 per cent. I'm guessing that number may slide a little as the year progresses.

The Sonics will struggle a little in the second of a back-to-back, but I can see this being a winnable game. With the Magic favored by 7 points, it's a good bet.

Spread: Orlando -7
Pete's Pick: Seattle 105-Orlando 102
Record ATS: 1-2