Sonics Lose; Nick Collison for MVP

As expected, the Sonics lost to the Suns last night in Phoenix. As expected, Steve Nash played well, Shawn Marion played well, and Ray Allen played well.

Unexpectedly, Nick Collison did an impersonation of Wes Unseld.

Collison shocked the world by scoring 29 points and grabbing 21 (!) boards against the Suns, including 10 points in the 4th quarter alone. The Sonics led for most of the first half, but failed in the second half, as they only put 42 on the board in the second after hitting 60 in the first. Most notably, Chris Wilcox (can we start calling him a bust yet?) went scoreless in the second half.

The Ridnour benching continues, with Watson getting 36 minutes to Frodo's 15. Also of note, Mickael Gelabale played a career-high 43 mintues, and scored in double figures for the third consecutive game, helped by his 65% shooting over that span. In his last five games, Gelabale has hit 20 of 30 shots from the field, an astounding number for a perimeter player. The Omen can't be too happy about that.

What happens next? The Sonics host Gary Payton and the Heat tonight at the Key (sadly, the Heat dancers have remained in Florida). Miami has lost 5 of 6, including a 28 point loss to the same Suns the Sonics played pretty well last night. Don't expect to see too much of Gary; he only played 5 minutes against the Blazers after D Wade returned to the lineup.

Shockingly, I think the Sonics might win tonight. If they weren't on the second of a back-to-back and if Miami hadn't been resting for a couple of days, I'd have even more confidence. Still, all things considered, I'll pick the Sonics to win by 7.

Red Alert!

As acting director of home team security, it is my duty to inform you that Bob Hill's head could explode tonight. Due to the intense pressure of a near-record losing streak and the apparent inability of the team to fire him, the chance of cranial explosion tonight in Phoenix is extremely high. We advise all team personnel to keep their distance from the coach and to stock up on duct tape.

Luke's Cool Hand Hurting Sonics

The big story with the Sonics right now – other than their ability to take suckiness to new and previously unseen levels – is Earl Watson usurping the starting PG role from Luke Ridnour.

Now, hey, I like a good usurping as much as the next guy, and Lord knows I’ve rattled on and on for more than anyone about how Earl is more deserving than Luke to hold the reins of this team, but with the Sonics playing the Suns tonight, I thought it might be a good idea to take a look at how Ridnour compares to Steve Nash, the White Man’s Favorite Basketball Player.

Per 40 minutes, First 3 Years

Assists (year 1, 2 and 3)
Ridnour (5.9, 7.5, 8.4)
Nash (8.1, 6.3, 6.9)
Mystery (9.4, 7.9, 6.3)

Points
Ridnour (13.7, 12.8, 13.8)
Nash (12.5, 16.6, 9.9)
Mystery (10.5, 12, 17)

TOs
Ridnour (2.9, 2.3, 2.5)
Nash (3.7, 2.4, 2.6)
Mystery (3.2, 2.7, 2.3)

Steals
Ridnour (1.9, 1.5, 1.9)
Nash (1.2, 1.5, 1.2)
Mystery (2.9, 2.3, 2.8)

FG%
Ridnour (41, 41, 42)
Nash (42, 46, 36)
Mystery (45, 45, 49)

3FG%
Ridnour (34, 38, 29)
Nash (42, 42, 37)
Mystery (8, 13, 21)

TS%
Ridnour (50, 50, 51)
Nash (54, 56, 47)
Mystery (48, 48, 53)

Assist Rate
Ridnour (26, 33, 34)
Nash (35, 27, 34)
Mystery (40, 34, 25)

PER
Ridnour (13, 15, 16)
Nash (11, 16, 11)
Mystery (13, 13, 17)

Looking at the numbers, you can see Ridnour is in Nash’s ballpark for alot of the stats – with the notable exception of 3-point shooting, ironically the same demon which has propelled him to the bench this season.

Bob Hill’s thinking is obvious: Luke Ridnour must start knocking down jump shots for him to be a starter in this league. Hill’s reasoning for benching Luke is, to me, a good one: Part of a being a good shooter is confidence, and until Ridnour figures out that he must take open shots he won’t be a starter. It’s important to know that Luke’s not being benched for missing shots, he’s being benched for not taking them. If Ridnour was shooting terribly (which he has been recently) and that caused the benching then I would disagree with Hill, inasmuch as that might destroy his confidence.

But Luke’s a grown man now, and he’s being paid a grown man’s (actually, about 358 grown men’s) salary. He needs to start acting like it.