Tonight's affair in Miami is sure to be one of the ugliest in recent memories. Two teams, one win between them, it's not exactly something that NBA TV is cuing up to record for posterity.
In Miami's lone win, they only managed to score 75 in a 3-point "win" over the hapless Knicks. In that game, the Heat shot 28% from beyond the arc, 55% from the line, and yet still came out of NYC with a victory. It will take that same kind of effort for Miami to knock off the even more hapless Sonics.
How bad are these two teams? So bad that the networks will have to run a parental advisory graphic before the game starts so that young children won't mistakenly view it. So bad that neither team is likely to crack 100 points, this despite the fact the Sonics' defense is indefensible.
Stop me, I'm starting to sound like Steve Kelley.
Really. I am.
In happier news, JA Adande of espn.com has a nice read about why the NBA should consider moving the Hornets to OKC and leave the Sonics the hell alone. It's walking on thin ice to suggest that sort of thing because of Katrina, but his argument has merit.
Pick for tonight: Heat 89-Sonics 83. Eyes gauged from Coral Gables to Puyallup.
Wednesday, November 14
Making a Fresh Start
I started thinking about the effect this 0-8 start would have on Kevin Durant. It can’t be easy starting your professional career with 8 losses, can it? Is he moping around his apartment, calling his friends back in Austin, watching NBA highlights to see what the other first-rounders are doing this year? Maybe watching old videos on YouTube of when he was on the winning team?
It all got me to thinking, though, how have the other top picks in the NBA draft fared in their first ten games? (And, yes, I am aware that Greg Oden was the top pick, but since he’s not playing, I consider Durant the top overall pick for this year). Since those folks were probably on lousy teams, hence the high draft choice, did they struggle as badly as Durant's Sonics? Well, here’s the list, from 1980 to the present.
First 10 games of top overall picks in the NBA draft:
2006: Andrea Bargnani, 2-8
2005: Andrew Bogut, 6-4
2004: Dwight Howard, 6-4
2003: LeBron James, 3-7
2002: Yao Ming, 6-4
2001: Kwame Brown, 2-8
2000: Kenyon Martin, 6-4
1999: Elton Brand, 1-9 (started year 0-5)
1998: Michael Olowokandi, 0-10 (started year 0-17!)
1997: Tim Duncan, 7-3
1996: Allen Iverson, 4-6
1995: Joe Smith, 3-7
1994: Glenn Robinson, 5-5
1993: Chris Webber, 4-6
1992: Shaquille O’Neal, 7-3
1991: Larry Johnson, 2-8
1990: Derrick Coleman, 2-8
1989: Pervis Ellison, 3-7
1988: Danny Manning, 4-6
1987: Armon Gilliam, 4-6
1986: Brad Daugherty, 3-7
1985: Patrick Ewing, 2-8
1984: Hakeem Olajuwon, 8-2
1983: Ralph Sampson, 3-7
1982: James Worthy, 7-3
1981: Mark Aguirre, 1-9
1980: Joe Barry Carroll, 6-4
The breakdown is as follows:
8 wins: 1 (Olajuwon)
7 wins: 3 (O’Neal, Duncan)
6 wins: 5
5 wins: 1
4 wins: 4
3 wins: 5
2 wins: 5
1 win: 2
0 wins: 1
Sadly, the one “no win” contender is also the biggest bust of the past two decades, Olowokandi. However, Elton Brand has fared just fine, thank you, despite the 1-9 start to his career, and Mark Aguirre was no bust, either. Of note, the three best finishes belonged to the three best players (Hakeem, Shaq, and Duncan). Unless, of course, you consider Joe Barry Carroll the best, in which case you must be a former Golden State Warriors executive, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Does it mean anything? Probably not, but just thought I’d throw it out there.
It all got me to thinking, though, how have the other top picks in the NBA draft fared in their first ten games? (And, yes, I am aware that Greg Oden was the top pick, but since he’s not playing, I consider Durant the top overall pick for this year). Since those folks were probably on lousy teams, hence the high draft choice, did they struggle as badly as Durant's Sonics? Well, here’s the list, from 1980 to the present.
First 10 games of top overall picks in the NBA draft:
2006: Andrea Bargnani, 2-8
2005: Andrew Bogut, 6-4
2004: Dwight Howard, 6-4
2003: LeBron James, 3-7
2002: Yao Ming, 6-4
2001: Kwame Brown, 2-8
2000: Kenyon Martin, 6-4
1999: Elton Brand, 1-9 (started year 0-5)
1998: Michael Olowokandi, 0-10 (started year 0-17!)
1997: Tim Duncan, 7-3
1996: Allen Iverson, 4-6
1995: Joe Smith, 3-7
1994: Glenn Robinson, 5-5
1993: Chris Webber, 4-6
1992: Shaquille O’Neal, 7-3
1991: Larry Johnson, 2-8
1990: Derrick Coleman, 2-8
1989: Pervis Ellison, 3-7
1988: Danny Manning, 4-6
1987: Armon Gilliam, 4-6
1986: Brad Daugherty, 3-7
1985: Patrick Ewing, 2-8
1984: Hakeem Olajuwon, 8-2
1983: Ralph Sampson, 3-7
1982: James Worthy, 7-3
1981: Mark Aguirre, 1-9
1980: Joe Barry Carroll, 6-4
The breakdown is as follows:
8 wins: 1 (Olajuwon)
7 wins: 3 (O’Neal, Duncan)
6 wins: 5
5 wins: 1
4 wins: 4
3 wins: 5
2 wins: 5
1 win: 2
0 wins: 1
Sadly, the one “no win” contender is also the biggest bust of the past two decades, Olowokandi. However, Elton Brand has fared just fine, thank you, despite the 1-9 start to his career, and Mark Aguirre was no bust, either. Of note, the three best finishes belonged to the three best players (Hakeem, Shaq, and Duncan). Unless, of course, you consider Joe Barry Carroll the best, in which case you must be a former Golden State Warriors executive, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Does it mean anything? Probably not, but just thought I’d throw it out there.
Did You Know?
Here's some trivia for you. PJ Carlesimo's last attempt at "guiding" an NBA team came in 1999, when the Warriors canned the bearded one after 27 games.
Did you know? The Warriors started out the year 2-16, and that woeful start included an 11-game losing streak? Which means that in the last 35 games PJ has coached he's won the grand total of six?
Yeah, I'm not too excited about the rest of the season, either. But at least when PJ tells the guys in the lockerroom, "Hey, it could be worse," he knows from which he speaks.
Did you know? The Warriors started out the year 2-16, and that woeful start included an 11-game losing streak? Which means that in the last 35 games PJ has coached he's won the grand total of six?
Yeah, I'm not too excited about the rest of the season, either. But at least when PJ tells the guys in the lockerroom, "Hey, it could be worse," he knows from which he speaks.
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