Whenever I read articles such as this one by Susan Slusser on Fanhouse, this single thought always comes to mind:
Do we Sonic diehards sound this ridiculous to non-basketball fans?
Slusser makes the argument that since the Sonics have packed up and left Seattle, it's a great time for the NHL to lay down a sheet of ice and get to work. Of course:
1. There is no arena
2. There is no youth hockey
3. There is no arena
4. There is no arena
Of course, there's nothing that a new arena couldn't solve. And, hey, we know how willing Seattle is to build new arenas for pro sports teams, right? Sure, they said no to a franchise that had been in the city longer than any other pro sports team in the city's history, but what makes you think they would say no to hockey? I mean, geez, Seattle has such a long and storied history with hockey, right?
Oh, and, hey, Seattle loves the Sounders, and since they love the Sounders they'll love anything we throw at them! Okay, sure, pro soccer has been in Seattle for three decades, and everybody in the city played soccer from the age of 6 to 11, and there's a large Latino population that helps to augment that soccer fandom.
But, you know what? I saw a guy in a Canadiens cap yesterday, and he said he'd go to the games, and his buddy, Gord, said he's down for whenever the Oilers are in town, so that's like two guys right there!
Please.
You know, I get the distinct impressions that as Slusser was writing the article, the prevailing thought floating through her head had to have been: "How the heck am I going to fill my column today?"
Tuesday, October 6
Friday, October 2
Wednesday, September 30
Mo Sene: Vive le difference
Mo Sene, part of a triumvirate of miserable picks by former Sonic GM Rick Sund, has inked a deal with Toulon of the French basketball league, the team announced by press release on Monday.Which leads me to posit something: In Sene’s mind, has he failed?
It’s an interesting question to roll around in your mind. Viewed from a North American perspective, he most certainly has failed. Drafted as a lottery pick, Sene has never provided anything remotely resembling a productive NBA career, despite his prodigious wingspan and agility.
Whether due to injury, lack of ability, or poor work ethic, Mo Sene has seen his entire NBA career produce, in three seasons, a total of 47 games played and 103 points.
Three season. 103 points, or three more than Wilt Chamberlain scored in one game 50 years ago.
To return to my point, then, I suppose the majority of basketball fans in this country would most assuredly agree that Mo Sene has had a crappy career.
But look at it from his perspective. Sene has earned in excess of $5 million in three seasons and is, quite likely, set for the rest of his life. He has undoubtedly funneled a great deal of money back to his family in Senegal, a country whose per capita income (roughly $1,000 US) is the equivalent of a week’s worth of per diem for the typical NBA player.
During those three years, Sene spent the majority of his time in two cities – Seattle and Oklahoma City – where he bumped into fellow Senegaleses about as often as he started basketball games. I remember reading a story about Sene after his rookie season, wherein it was told that he spent the majority of that year just wandering around Seattle, eating poorly and lacking any semblance of friends.
Now, after playing poorly for three seasons, he is “punished” by being sent to Toulon, where the African population is quite high, where he’ll have no trouble finding food that he is used to, where he can speak a language – French – which is already part of his lexicon, and where the weather is, let’s face it, pretty damned good.
Toulon, for the curious, is about halfway between Cassis and St. Tropez on the French Riviera.
As opposed to Oklahoma City, which is halfway between Edmond and Midwest City.
Somehow, I suppose Mo will find a way to endure.
It’s an interesting question to roll around in your mind. Viewed from a North American perspective, he most certainly has failed. Drafted as a lottery pick, Sene has never provided anything remotely resembling a productive NBA career, despite his prodigious wingspan and agility.
Whether due to injury, lack of ability, or poor work ethic, Mo Sene has seen his entire NBA career produce, in three seasons, a total of 47 games played and 103 points.
Three season. 103 points, or three more than Wilt Chamberlain scored in one game 50 years ago.
To return to my point, then, I suppose the majority of basketball fans in this country would most assuredly agree that Mo Sene has had a crappy career.
But look at it from his perspective. Sene has earned in excess of $5 million in three seasons and is, quite likely, set for the rest of his life. He has undoubtedly funneled a great deal of money back to his family in Senegal, a country whose per capita income (roughly $1,000 US) is the equivalent of a week’s worth of per diem for the typical NBA player.
During those three years, Sene spent the majority of his time in two cities – Seattle and Oklahoma City – where he bumped into fellow Senegaleses about as often as he started basketball games. I remember reading a story about Sene after his rookie season, wherein it was told that he spent the majority of that year just wandering around Seattle, eating poorly and lacking any semblance of friends.
Now, after playing poorly for three seasons, he is “punished” by being sent to Toulon, where the African population is quite high, where he’ll have no trouble finding food that he is used to, where he can speak a language – French – which is already part of his lexicon, and where the weather is, let’s face it, pretty damned good.
Toulon, for the curious, is about halfway between Cassis and St. Tropez on the French Riviera.
As opposed to Oklahoma City, which is halfway between Edmond and Midwest City.
Somehow, I suppose Mo will find a way to endure.
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