If a bear relieves himself in the woods, and no one is around to hear him, does he make a sound?
I wondered about that after David Stern's latest comments, disdainfully terming the Sonics' latest arena proposal a "public relations stunt."
As Tim Ceis mentions in the same article (from Greg Johns at the PI), the city has stopped listening to Stern's pronouncements. If that's the truth, and I believe it to be, then exactly who is Stern trying to bully with his words. Sonics fans? We've long stopped getting indignant about Stern's nonsense. Seattle politicians? They already can't stand him. Olympia? Please, they wouldn't give Stern a drink of water if he was perishing in the desert.
I can only conclude that Stern is trying to sway national public opinion, and that's a sorry tactic for him to take.
NBA fans, consider these the two options for the Seattle SuperSonics:
Door # 1
After 41 years in the same city, the city of Seattle and a billionaire-led ownership group contribute $300 million towards the redevelopment of one of the most crowd-pleasing arenas in the league.
Door #2
The Sonics trample over the goodwill in the only city they've ever known and move to Oklahoma City, into a new arena that is currently due to receive $100 million in refurbishments. Oh, and the ownership group is led by people with approximately 1/3 the total wealth.
Oh, there's a PR stunt all right, but it's being executed by the senile leader of the NBA, not the people in Seattle.
Wednesday, March 19
Tuesday, March 18
Five-Year Plans
When I was in college, one of my professors (and he was no young buck) told us he lived his life in a series of five-year plans. It was his way of organizing what he was doing and where he was hoping to go.
For some people, that sort of idea resonates. Personally, I'm not a fan, unless the plan is so loosely based that it is easily modifiable (e.g., "My five-year plan is to be alive in five years.").
Five years ago, 14 players suited up for the Seattle SuperSonics. Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, and Flip Murray were the three leading scorers (Murray's numbers came in Allen's extended injury absence) and the Sonics stumbled their way to a 37-45 record and a lottery appearance in the draft.
Five years later, all but one (Luke Ridnour) of the 14 players are gone, the coaching staff has vanished, the front office is completely renovated, and the ownership is long gone.
Somehow, I’m guessing this was not part of Howard Schultz’ master five-year plan.
With that in mind, where do you see this Sonics’ team in five years? Obviously, barring nuclear holocaust, Kevin Durant will be on the roster. And it’s likely that he will be joined by Jeff Green.
But who else? Will PJ Carlesimo still be donning that ridiculous long-sleeve tee with blazer combo that seems to have taken over the NBA? How about Nick Collison? Will Chris Wilcox still be tempting the Sonics’ beat writers with his “potential” five years from now?
And Sam Presti, how much rope will he be given by Clay Bennett (assuming, of course, that Bennett is still the one providing the rope in the 2013-14 season)?
Personally, I can see only Collison remaining on the roster by that time, as his combination of affordability (relative to the NBA, anyways), defense, and rebounding will endear him to the Sonics’ new “culture.”
Any other guesses? Wild speculation with ridiculous theories are always accepted.
For some people, that sort of idea resonates. Personally, I'm not a fan, unless the plan is so loosely based that it is easily modifiable (e.g., "My five-year plan is to be alive in five years.").
Five years ago, 14 players suited up for the Seattle SuperSonics. Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, and Flip Murray were the three leading scorers (Murray's numbers came in Allen's extended injury absence) and the Sonics stumbled their way to a 37-45 record and a lottery appearance in the draft.
Five years later, all but one (Luke Ridnour) of the 14 players are gone, the coaching staff has vanished, the front office is completely renovated, and the ownership is long gone.
Somehow, I’m guessing this was not part of Howard Schultz’ master five-year plan.
With that in mind, where do you see this Sonics’ team in five years? Obviously, barring nuclear holocaust, Kevin Durant will be on the roster. And it’s likely that he will be joined by Jeff Green.
But who else? Will PJ Carlesimo still be donning that ridiculous long-sleeve tee with blazer combo that seems to have taken over the NBA? How about Nick Collison? Will Chris Wilcox still be tempting the Sonics’ beat writers with his “potential” five years from now?
And Sam Presti, how much rope will he be given by Clay Bennett (assuming, of course, that Bennett is still the one providing the rope in the 2013-14 season)?
Personally, I can see only Collison remaining on the roster by that time, as his combination of affordability (relative to the NBA, anyways), defense, and rebounding will endear him to the Sonics’ new “culture.”
Any other guesses? Wild speculation with ridiculous theories are always accepted.
Monday, March 17
Culture
Just throwing this out there for discussion ...
Let's say the arena situation was resolved and the Sonics were in no danger of leaving. With that in mind, would you be worried about the future of this team, strictly looking at it from an on-the-court perspective? Does Sam Presti's "culture" nonsense from the offseason outweigh the rudderless direction of this sinking ship? Do you have confidence that PJ Carlesimo is the right man to be guiding Kevin Durant's, Jeff Green's, and (possibly) Derrick Rose's collective futures? Do you have any belief that this franchise is going to win a playoff game in the next two to three years?
How many games will this team win next year, with three rookies getting the most minutes, absolutely nothing cooking in free agency, and PJ running the show? 25 wins? 20? Can we call someone from the Warriors' old front office staff to let us know how best to run a non-playoff team for a decade? Your best player, Durant, seemingly plays the same position as your second-best player, Green, you've got no help at center or point guard, and if you don't get one of the top two picks this year, you won't have any next year, either. Not exactly a recipe for success, if you ask me.
Okay, it's hard the day after a debacle like Sunday night's in Denver to have any thoughtful insights into a team's future, but, man, I am the only one thinking these thoughts?
Let's say the arena situation was resolved and the Sonics were in no danger of leaving. With that in mind, would you be worried about the future of this team, strictly looking at it from an on-the-court perspective? Does Sam Presti's "culture" nonsense from the offseason outweigh the rudderless direction of this sinking ship? Do you have confidence that PJ Carlesimo is the right man to be guiding Kevin Durant's, Jeff Green's, and (possibly) Derrick Rose's collective futures? Do you have any belief that this franchise is going to win a playoff game in the next two to three years?
How many games will this team win next year, with three rookies getting the most minutes, absolutely nothing cooking in free agency, and PJ running the show? 25 wins? 20? Can we call someone from the Warriors' old front office staff to let us know how best to run a non-playoff team for a decade? Your best player, Durant, seemingly plays the same position as your second-best player, Green, you've got no help at center or point guard, and if you don't get one of the top two picks this year, you won't have any next year, either. Not exactly a recipe for success, if you ask me.
Okay, it's hard the day after a debacle like Sunday night's in Denver to have any thoughtful insights into a team's future, but, man, I am the only one thinking these thoughts?
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