Limping to the Lottery

Another loss, another step closer to Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose.

There are 17 games remaining in the Sonics' schedule, and, perhaps, 17 games left for the Seattle SuperSonics. Of those 17, I would suggest the Sonics will be favored to win three, meaning the Sonics' record at the end of the year would be 19-63, easily the worst in franchise history.

Last night's debacle against the Celtics - the Sonics led in the first quarter! - put Seattle's record at 16-49, ahead of only the 3 M's - Memphis, Minnesota, and Miami.

After looking at the schedules, I figure Minnesota will likely win five games, giving them 19 wins for the season, matching the Sonics. Memphis could win three more games, giving them 18 wins, while Miami should easily finish with the worst record in the league.

Where does that leave us? It leaves Seattle and Minnesota tied for the third-worst record in the league, meaning those two would be fighting over Jerryd Bayless, Brook Lopez, O.J. Mayo, or Deandre Jordan, among others.

Sonics basketball, it's fantastic!

Losing Streak Continues

Man, it's hard to shake the "Major League" vibes with this team, isn't it?

In a battle of teams in a headlong sprint for the lottery, the Pacers topped the Sonics last night in Indianapolis to the tune of 114-107. Not unexpectedly, the two defensively inept clubs managed to combine for 175 shot attempts.

Even less unexpectedly, Chris Wilcox managed to follow up Gary Washburn's piece describing his "improved play" by turning in yet another stinker - hitting 6 of 16 shots from the field, 1 of 5 from the line, and 5 rebounds in about 30 minutes of play.

All together now - Chris Wilcox has been inconsistent, is now inconsistent, and will forever be inconsistent. Every year for the past three years, we've read stories about how he's "turned the corner" and added this or that skill to his offensive repertoire. And every year, he follows up a spate of double-double performances and monster dunks with a week's worth of 12 point-5 rebound stink jobs. The Sonics' front office and the media can talk all they want about how they want to keep him around in their future plans, but I can't imagine you'd want Kevin Durant spending any more time than is absolutely necessary around Chris Wilcox.

And, as always, there's a bunch of arena news to read about. Personally, the whole situation has got me to the point where I just don't give a damn any more.

Ask David Stern

That's right, Clay Bennett's BFF is eagerly awaiting your questions, which will be printed in TIME magazine. So get off your keister, meister, and head over to the TIME website and flood them with questions. Here are some to get you started:

"Why do you hate Seattle so much?"

"Why did you collude with your pal Clay Bennett to steal the Sonics?
(follow up: "Are there dirty pictures involved?")

"Why have you systematically alienated blue collar fans of the NBA and replaced them with millionaires in luxury boxes who don't even pay attention to the game?"

"Have you ever played basketball in your life?"

"Is it true that ninety-nine percent of the perceived success you've had managing the NBA has in fact been due to the talent of players like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan?"

"With schools, roads, and emergency services scraping for money, do you think it's the responsibility of working class tax payers to bail out millionaires like yourself and Clay Bennett?"

Feel free to jump in and add your own questions!

(thanks to Denise at Save Our Sonics for the news tip!)