Locked on Sports

Has anyone seen ....

2007-08-30T22:54:00.000-07:00

Status check on the Mariners

2007-08-29T22:45:00.000-07:00

What I saw the last two days out of the Mariners is concerning. This is a good baseball team. However, it is a baseball team that has been winning games because they believe they are good. In fact, they believe they are better than they actually are and that is half the battle. Yet, today I thought I saw a team that doubted if they really were good enough to compete with the elite. A team that wonders if it really belongs as a playoff team. The M's have had an amazing ability to win close games this year. They won these games because they believed. If they have lost that belief they are about to become very average.

This is a scary scenario. The good news is if the Yankees falter and now jumps on the wild card lead in the next week, the Mariners can right themselves. On the other hand, if they fall out of the lead they may never regain the confidence to believe they should win.

Why do they let this happen

2007-08-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

I am at a total loss. The Mariners just let Vlady beat them to take a 6-5 lead and then the Ichiro beat them to make it 6-6. What ever happened to the rule that you don't let the best guy beat you.

Reaction to Sonics Owner Comments

2007-08-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

A lot of people have emailed me wanted me to react to the comments by the Sonics owner. I haven't done so since I think it is very well covered and moreover, as someone who was recently fired by them I think my comments seem skewed either way. If I blast you think I am bitter, if I don't you think I being political.

The comments stand on their own along with the released statements for each fan to react to on their own. It doesn't seem like their needs to be a lot of analysis.

On a sidenote, the Sonics yesterday hired Matt Pinto to be the radio play by play announcer. Matt is a really good guy and a very strong announcer. You will like his work. Matt has now worked for 4 different NBA teams so he is very experienced and understands the NBA well.

Mariners should extend Bavasi

2007-08-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

Today the Seattle Mariners sit in the playoffs. That would seem to be enough to give General Manager Bill Bavasi a passing grade. However, for a great deal of the Mariners fans the three straight 90 loss season's are more than they can overcome.

Their is no question in my mind the Mariners should extend Bill Bavasi. The truth here is the Mariners got what they hired. The problem is they tried to turn Bavasi into something else in the first few years of his stewardship. Bavasi is a system developer not a free agent signer.

Bavasi's track record with the Angels and the Dodgers is on of the best in baseball in regards to building a franchise from the bottom up. If a major league team can add one position player and one pitcher a year from the system they are well ahead of the game. While in Anaheim, Bavasi regularly superseded that standard. He developed two to three position players a year and numerous pitchers. It was this core that became the World Champions.

This is exactly what he is doing in Seattle. Adam Jones is the newest of a collection of players and mostly pitchers that have been developed in Bavasi's system. A system that was completely dead when he took over. The drought of development in the Mariners system is what lead to the back to back to back 90 loss season not the actions of Bavasi.

Great franchises are defined by their ability to evaluate their own talent not the evaluation of the rest of the league. The ability to know what talent is going to progress and which are going to hit a wall and flounder is the basis by which all deals are made and franchises develop. In the past the Mariners have been one of the worst in baseball at this. Today they are reaching the upper echelon.

If Bavasi has a weakness he is inconsistent in the success of his free agent signings. That is as much a reality of free agency as it is a Bavasi's fault. Free agency is inconsistent. Moreover, Bavasi was forced to play the free agent market with a team that had enormous gaps and no talent coming up the system. The Mariners put Bavasi in a position to fail in an area that was not his strength.

He has now rectified that with the fantastic development of talent throughout the minor leagues. This means that in the upcoming years he will be able to deal from a position of strength when fixing the club rather than a position of weakness.

That is why Bavasi needs an extension.

The moves of the Boston Celtics

2007-08-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

I was talking with a buddy about the Celtics today and it finally struck me what I like so much about what Danny Ainge and the Celtics did this off-season acquiring both Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

Too often teams over value their own talent. The Celtics did the opposite. Some of their players were nice but none of them were anything special. Al Jefferson is currently overvalued because he put up good numbers on a bad team. He is a nice player, but not a star player and to win you must get a star player.

Teams do the young re-building thing all the time. It doesn't work unless you get a star. The NBA is a star's league. The Celtics didn't have a star so they moved a bunch of acquired assets and got established players. The day the Blazers and the Sonics won the lottery the Celtics made the correct decision to move all their assets. Had they got Durant or Oden they would have seemingly had their star.

I can't tell you how many times talking to a GM I have heard how one of his players is really going to be fantastic in a few years so we can't move him now. Every now and again a Rashard Lewis comes around who actually develops, but more often than not it never happens. Which means teams hold onto potential that never develops.

It is refreshing to see someone do the opposite. A tip of the hat to Danny Ainge and the Celtics.

Pacers and Sonics face truth on the cycle

2007-08-07T17:32:00.000-07:00

It is obvious that the Pacers are looking to trade Jermaine O'Neal and start a rebuilding process. What jumps out at me is that the Pacers and the Sonics are at the same point. Both of these franchises were at the top of their games in the mid 90's. Each got one trip to the NBA Finals.

However, after their single trip to the NBA Finals parts of their roster started tpo fall apart. For the Sonics, Shawn Kemp went off the deep end simultaneously the core of Det, Perkins (thanks for the correction) the Hawk, etc all started aging. For the Pacers Rik Smits called it quits and the rest of their crew namely Reggie Miller started to age.

Neither team was willing to un-load and rebuild at that moment. Instead, they both tried to re-gain the magic and avoid the inevitable cycle that is the NBA. We all know the Sonics path trying everything from Patrick Ewing to resurrecting Vin to trading GP for Ray. The Pacers gambled with Ron Artest, ran out the string with Reggie and gambled on Peja.

The point is that neither franchise was willing to coincide that the NBA goes in cycles and your time on the top is limited and the fall is unceremonious. The Spurs are the only team to avoid the fall and that is because they hit the jackpot with Duncan. Had they not gotten Duncan when David Robinson retired they would have the same place that the Knicks, Boston, Houston, Chicago and the rest ended up.

It is inevitable in the NBA.

And then their is today

2007-08-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

After feeling so good last night -- today's Mariners performance has to make you shake your head. However, big picture they have won 3 of the last 4 series against very good teams.

Another sign of a good baseball team

2007-08-04T22:20:00.000-07:00

I know they left 11 on the bags tonight and had numerous chances that didn't come together tonight, but my sign of a good team is when you leave a one run lose and still like the way your team approached the game. That is how I look at tonight.

Who is the bigger loser?

2007-08-04T21:53:00.000-07:00

Vote on the pool question -- Bud Selig or Barry Bonds?

Selig's reaction tonight on sitting on his hands and then not be available for interviews tells me he thinks he is the show. He decided to turn this whole thing into being about him. If that was going to be his reaction then be a no-show. This man actually believes he is bigger than the game. As I have said before, Selig knew about the steroids (he has lied about this) and he decided that he would let it go because the game needed it. This is what you get for letting it happen and then to shun it --- you Mr. Selig are the biggest loser.

My vote is Selig.

Betting Scandal in Tennis

2007-08-03T13:01:00.000-07:00

This from the AP in London

In an unprecedented move, British online gambling company Betfair voided all bets Friday placed on Thursday's second-round match at the Prokom Open in Sopot between the defending champion and No. 4-ranked Davydenko and No. 87-ranked Martin Vassallo Arguello of Argentina.
Betfair said it received about $7 million in bets on the match — 10 times the usual amount — and most of the money was on Arguello to win, even after Davydenko won the first set 6-2.

Baseball hypocrisy on Bonds

2007-08-03T11:59:00.000-07:00

I don't disagree with anyone who talks about Bonds as petulant ass.

However, I find the way baseball is treating his quest for the home run record despicable. The fact is Bonds has never failed a test for steroids by Major League Baseball. Why, because baseball didn't test. Why, because baseball had no steroid policy. Why, because Bud Selig and baseball conscientiously put their head in the sand about an obvious steroid issue. Why, because baseball was in such desperate need of a pulse that it was willing to allow performance enhancing drugs to bring the fans back.

Therefore, for Bud Selig and the baseball world to stand on some ethical plateau on the issue of Bonds breaking the home run record is one of the greatest acts of hypocrisy that the game has even seen.

Remember when .....

2007-08-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

Yuniskey Betancourt was an all defensive too weak to hit shortstop and Jeremy Reed was going to be the all everything offensive player. Sometimes numbers aren't the answer. Instead what mattered was that no matter how bad his pitch selection was when Betancourt hits the ball the bat wins the battle and when Reed hits the ball the ball beats the bat.

Bonds road to 755

2007-07-30T23:32:00.000-07:00

My guess is this takes forever. Considering how terrible Bonds has been in every pressure situation his entire career I assume it is going to take him a while to hit the next two home runs.

Wouldn't it be a pity if the nation lost the last little bit of its waning interest because he can't connect over the next 10 days.

Passing of the First Genius

2007-07-30T21:21:00.000-07:00

Everyone remembers their first team. They recall the first player they loved. They remember the first jersey they ever had. I vividly remember my first coach.

Bill Walsh was my first coach. He walked the sidelines with silver hair of a fox and the smarts to match. When Walsh walked your sideline you knew you were ahead before the game started.

As a seven year old I watched him when he lead the Stanford Cardinal to back to back bowl games. First it was the Bluebonnet Bowl and next the Sun Bowl. He was magical. He had the answer to every situation and was a step ahead of the game.

My memory tells me he used to bring Darin Nelson out of the backfield in motion to the sideline and then send him on a streak down the sideline. At that stage defenses weren't ready for those type of moves and mismatches were exposed all over the field. After playing for Walsh, Nelson left Stanford as the all time NCAA total yardage gainer. Walsh believed that a 5 yard gain on a pass to the running back was as important as the 5 yard run by the back and Nelson was the recipient.

He took his magic to the sidelines of the despondent San Fransisco 49ers. He quickly took a culture less franchise that was 2-14 and brought them to life. He gave them the edge. Where some coaches have brought a toughness with their persona, Walsh brought a genius. Roger Craig was his piece that he figured out how to use better than anyone before him. Craig a powerful fullback/running back from Nebraska, would play the fullback for Walsh and one year lead the NFL in receptions.

Walsh made you believe the guy on your sideline was truly smarter than their guy.

To understand what Walsh did to the game of football simply look into Seattle. Mike Holmgren is a disciple of Walsh. Tyrone Willingham is a product of the minority coaching program that Walsh built and Willingham learned under Walsh and Dennis Green, another Walsh disciple.

Walsh's influence changed how the game was played, how coaches were taught, how coaches were viewed and what people expected.

My first coach was the best that ever coached.

Fans love the kids but .....

2007-07-30T21:15:00.000-07:00

Tonight's performance by Miguel Batista is why you sign a veteran. Tonight's game sets the tone for the entire marquee series against the Angels. Batista has the rings around the tree to understand the importance of tonight's game. He brought his best performance of the year to the table.

With John Lackey against Jeff Weaver tomorrow Batista had a huge burden of carrying the Mariners into the series. He needed to keep the bullpen fresh and most of all he needed to get this team in a position to win.

Fans always love the guy in AAA. They always want the youngster to come up. However, young kids don't have the experience to have the appearance that Batista did tonight.

Key stat and a huge sign of experience by Batista was 0 walks.

When you plead not guilty .....

2007-07-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

You better hope your co-defendant do the same. It is not a good day to be Mike Vick when your co-defendant pleads guilty and decides to "fully cooperate" with the auhtorities.

I guess when he decided to change his name to Mike from Michael so he wouldn't be like Jordan, he knew what he was doing.

Next stage in Donaghy scandal

2007-07-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

The next stage of the Donaghy scandal has begun. We moved from the story itself, to the view of odds makers and now we have arrived at each city looking at specific games. In today's paper the Houston Chronicle and the Indianapolis's Star breakdown games that Donaghy officiated.

Whenever you go micro in this fashion the result seems a bit more intense.

From the Chronicle ....

"The big trend with him in particular is that the first 15 games last season he refereed where we saw line movement of at least 1 1/2 points were a perfect 15-of-15 for the big-money people betting," said Matty O'Shea, general manager of content at pregame.com and a handicapper. "The odds of that happening randomly are only 33,000-to-1."

"He led the NBA in calling fouls, in free-throw attempts the last two seasons. That's kind of a red flag. He's a whistle-happy ref. There's a game (between) Miami and New York, the free-throw differential was 39-8. A four-point favorite won by six, and the total went over by a half-point.

"Last season, 13 games he did fell within a single point of the point spread. We found in the last two seasons, 14 games were decided by two points or less."

However, when you really get into the specific game it is hard to find the play or plays that convince you the game was on the take.

with 1:50 left and the Suns leading 96-89, Donaghy called John Lucas III for a blocking foul while official Gary Zielinski called a charge against Leandro Barbosa of the Suns.
"This could tell us a lot," Whitworth said.

Instead, it seemed to indicate Donaghy was not trying to influence the result. With the score close to pregame lines, he quickly deferred to Zielinski, who changed the call to favor the Rockets.

"If Donaghy was trying to keep the Rockets under the spread, he likely would not have made the call against Lucas. If he was trying to favor the Suns, he would seem unlikely to so quickly defer to another official, particularly given Donaghy's very assertive officiating style.
"Even knowing what we know, I see zero, absolutely zero (suspicious). There were a couple ticky-tack calls, but we have those in every game. There was one play, with the wrong number (called), but there was no pattern. If I said we're looking at these referees being corrupt, you would have no idea which one it would be. And if I told you which one, you could not say which (team) he was favoring."

From the Star ......

Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 12, 2006.
The Pacers had just taken an 86-81 lead on Stephen Jackson's 3-pointer in the final 90 seconds. With the fans at Conseco Fieldhouse buzzing in anticipation of an upset, a shrill, staccato whistle stopped the proceedings. Donaghy had called a defensive three seconds violation on Anthony Johnson.

The spread for that game was five points. The Spurs failed to cover, winning by four, but was Donaghy trying to aid their cause? Replays show the defensive three seconds call on Johnson was a quick whistle, and it was questionable whether he had both feet in the foul lane.

I think we are at a point where we can convince ourselves of anything. The intergrity is comprimised without question. How much we may never know and that is what is terrible. It forever allows us and anyone else to believe whatever they would like.

Sonics building their staff

2007-07-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

According to the Denver Post, the Sonics are hiring Bill Branch from the Denver Nuggets. Inside the circle of basketball Branch is very highly respected. His work ethic is marvelous and his eye for the game is fantastic.

Branch will be the Director of Pro Personnel. Branch is recognized as one of the best advanced scouts in the NBA. This is a strong move by the Sonics.

See the Mariners were right

2007-07-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

Randy Johnson is out for the season needing back surgery. See the Mariners were right this whole time. Johnson's back was never an going to hold up long term. Their is no way you can pay that guy big money with a back like that.

Mariners were right again.

Point Shaving in College

2007-07-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

I wrote earlier that if this can happen to an NBA ref than what about a college player.

Here is a study out of Wharton that breaks down statistical evidence of point shaving in college.

Point Shaving and Game Fixing

2007-07-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

Here is what I believe should terrify the sports fan about the Tim Donaghy gambling scandal.
Donaghy makes somewhere near $200,000 a year. He has been in the league for 13 years. He has two homes. He is living the life with a house on a Florida golf course.

And he got caught upside down. Think about this. He has it all. He is risking everything and he got caught upside down. What does it take for a guy with that many assets to get caught into the hands of the seedy side of the gambling world?

In contrast, think about your college athlete. He and few buddies are watching games on a Saturday and he lays down a few bucks on a few games. What does it take for a college kid to get upside down? If you are a college kid and you fall back $200 to $400 it is going to be hard to make that back. Moreso, if you are a college athlete and restricted on how much you can work even just became impossible. Maybe you go for one lucky game where you are sure you will be right. Opps now you are done $400 to $800 and the only way out is to alter a game for your booky.

That scenario is much more likely than I guy with it all going for him risking his life and $200,000 a year job.

That is what terrifies me. If an official making a good living is willing to risk it all what is taking place elsewhere.

Wild what if .....

2007-07-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

This is way out of the box and I get that but just in the food for thought category.

Bill Simmons of ESPN writes about how badly officiated Game 3 of the Spurs v. Suns was in the Western Conference Playoffs.

We now know that Tim Donaghy was one of the officials of that mysteriously officiated game.

So what if .......
What if Donaghy did alter the outcome of the game and thus altered the outcome of the series.
What if the Suns would have defeated the Spurs, thus meaning the Spurs were not the World Champions instead the Suns or the Jazz would have gone to the Finals.

Would have ....
Would the Sonics still have followed the Spurs model or would the Suns have been the more in vogue team to follow
Would the Sonics hired David Griffin from Phoenix instead of Sam Presti.
Would the Sonics still hired PJ or would they have been hotter for Ivaranoi?

Is it possible Tim Donaghy influenced things all the way into the Sonics re-structuring of their organization.

Yes, this is a stretch and the Sonics hired good people to turn the organization around but I thought it was an interesting exercise.

Poll Results

2007-07-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

Where will the Mariners finish?

52% said second place
46% said first place

the other 2% disappeared into the HoZone. (Does anyone else recall Snigglets?)

Choking

2007-07-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

Choking is the most evil of phrases for an athlete. Yet, it is undeniable. In the simplest form when the ones body no longer functions as precisely as one wants to due to the pressure of the moment it is choking. It can be physical or it can be mental decision making. It is real. The mind body connection makes it is close to inevitable.

Sunday's British Open final round glorified choking. It was in abundance. Sergio Garcia suddenly couldn't make the same putts he had made all week. Pradig Harrington' display on 18 in regulation was a complete melt down.

Honestly, I watch golf for the choke. How will the pressure impact these athletes as they attempt to avoid the slightest imperfections. It is like watching Nascar for a car crash. Almost without fail every Sunday on the golf course showcases the choke.

The isolation of a golfer makes it easily visible. The PGA Tour slogan is "these guys are good" and then all of a sudden they look like us spraying it everywhere.

Golfers aren't weaker mentally than another athlete. Hitting a golf ball is no more difficult than what a hitter in baseball is doing or a quarterback in football. Therefore, the choking we see on Sunday on a golf course must be happening everywhere else in sports, but isn't as isolated and thus a bit harder to see.

Go back to the 2001 Seattle Mariners. A team that was flawless all season until they suddenly lost their ability to function against the New York Yankees in the ALCS. At the time guys talk about leaving sawdust at the plate from holding the bats so tight. They choked. Collectively or individually that group changed due to the pressure of the moment.

Barry Bonds has been a terrible playoff player his entire career. Is it a coincidence, was he really pitched that much tougher or are the playoffs his Sunday round of golf?

In hoops it is harder to see because 5 guys are working together. However, go back to the 1996 NBA Western Conference Series between the Sonics and the Jazz. On the biggest play of the game the Jazz defenders Karl Malone and Greg Foster switched leaving Foster on Shawn Kemp despite the fact the Jazz hadn't switched defensively all game. Was this the equivalent of thew wrong club selection on a Sunday?

What took place at the British Open highlighted how fragile the mental psyche is for the greatest of the world's golfers. The same is taking place in every high pressure sporting event, some times it is not as obvious.

Cool the Jets on Felix

2007-07-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

The old saying in talk radio is that it is never as good as it seems and never as bad as it seems. Though in recent times with the NBA fixing scandal, Mike Vick, Barry Bonds and the Sonics possible move it is hard to believe that saying to be true.

However, in the case of Felix it is most defintely the case. The crew at USSMariners have once again done fantastic work.

the following is a list of performances by the 10 best pitchers in baseball
today, as determined by me, during their age 21 seasons:

Johan Santana, Minnesota - 86 IP, 6.49 ERA 102 H, 54 BB, 64 K, 11 HR
Brandon Webb, U. Of Kentucky - 112 IP, 4.58 ERA, 123 H, 41 BB, 123 K, 14 HR
Roy Halladay, Syracuse (AAA) - 116 IP, 3.79 ERA, 107 H, 53 BB, 71 K, 11 HR
Jake Peavy, San Diego - 98 IP, 4.52 ERA, 106 H, 33 BB, 90 K, 11 HR
Ben Sheets, Stockton (A+) - 28 IP, 3.58 ERA, 23 HH, 14 BB, 28 K, 1 HR
Erik Bedard, Delmarva (A-) - 111 IP, 3.57 ERA, 98 H, 35 BB, 131 K, 2 HR
CC Sabathia, Cleveland - 180 IP, 4.39 ERA, 149 H, 95 BB, 171 K, 19 HR
Josh Beckett, Portland (AA) - 74 IP, 1.82 ERA, 50 H, 19 BB, 102 K, 8 HR
John Lackey, Lake Elsinore (A+) - 101 IP, 3.40 ERA, 94 H, 42 BB, 74 K, 9 HR
John Smoltz, Atlanta - 64 IP, 5.48 ERA, 74 H, 33 BB, 37 K, 10 HR
So Felix is not going to have the Dwight Gooden MVP year and win the Cy Young, but maybe that will be a long term good thing.

Sonics get 2 first rounders from the Suns and Thomas

2007-07-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

Today the Sonics acquired Kurt Thomas and 2 first round picks from the Suns.

This really just makes the Rashard Lewis deal a three way trade with Phoenix.

The Sonics needed to get something in exchange for Lewis and the trade exception has allowed this. However, the value sounds and feels better than the likely reality.

As we have already talked about on the blog today, the lower first round picks are very unlikely to amount to anything formative in your line-up. Yet, more kicks at the can is always a good thing. In other words, while the chances are limited the more attempts the better chance you have of hitting and the Sonics just got two more shots.

Bottom line, the Sonics got something for Lewis and used the trade exception correctly. The likely scenario has these as late first round picks, but there is always the chance that Nash or Amare gets hurt and then the Sonics pulled off a coup.

Kurt Thomas is a nice veteran and plays the game correctly. His best value is an expiring contract at the end of the season.

From a Suns perspective it is about money and staying away from the luxury tax. However, Thomas was one of their few defensive players. Thomas inability to stay healthy may have prevented the Suns from winning a championship.

Really this was a necessary evil for both teams and they both did the best considering the circumstances.

Why the Mariners will win the West.

2007-07-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

The poll question to the right is will the Mariner's win the west? Watching them the last few nights I am beginning to believe they will. Here are a few reasons.

1) They are able to wait games out. In other words the longer the game goes the better the team gets with its bullpen and its clutch hitting. This is the sign of a good team.

2) Depth. John McLaren is using the bench far better than Hargrove and the team should stay fresh unlike a year ago when Hargrove emptied the tanks to get into contention briefly.

3) The saying in baseball is guys will do what is on the back of their baseball card. In other words, over a season players will get to their yearly average. This means the middle of the Mariners line-up should pick up.

4) Starting pitching has to be more consistent.

Sonics Draft History

2007-07-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

I didn't feel the work done by the hoopsvibe had enough depth so I thought I would look into two teams, the Sonics and the Jazz, that I have very closely.

SONICS
2006 -- #10 - Sene - looks like he will be a roster player - looks to be a bad pick but still very few players in that draft making an impact). Call it a D in a really tough course.
2005 -- #25 -- Johan Petro (he is a rotation/roster player which is a good pick at #25 of the first round. If he improves and becomes a rotation player this is an A pick, if he doesn't and is on the roster then it is in the B range). Call it B+
2005 (Second Round) - Bonus points for Mickael Gelabale.
2004 -- #12 Robert Swift -- Hard to evaluate. If he becomes a middle of the road starting center it is an A+ pick to get a center at #12. If he is a rotation center that gives you 25 minutes it is a B+ pick at 12. That is the most likely scenario. Give it a B based on conservative projection really an Inc.
2003 -- #12 Nick Collison -- This is an B+ pick. Collison will be a 12 year pro and play 25 minutes a night either as a starter or a rotation player. This is a perfect example of what I am talking about. If you pick #12 it is not a guarantee. Mike Sweetney went before Nick and is a roster player.
2003 -- #14 Luke Ridnour -- Perspective is key here. Luke is a disappointment in the minds of most Sonics fans. However, he was the #14 pick. That is more than likely a player that is on the cusp of starter v. rotation and that is exactly what Luke is. Call it a B+ pick.
2002 -- No pick
2001 -- #12 Vladimir Radmanovic -- This is a C. He never was more than a rotation player and at #12 a player should be knocking on the door of starting rather than being a specialist.
2000 -- #17 Desmond Mason -- This is a A pick. Mason has started and been a consistent rotation player his entire career. Moreover, the Sonics used him as an asset to get a Franchise player, Ray Allen.

Overall Report Card: D, B+,B,B+,B+,C,A and one set of bonus points
GPA: 3.2 with the bonus points added.

That really is very strong drafting for the Sonics considering where they were picking.

I will do the Jazz in a later update.

Rating the GM's - Via the Draft

2007-07-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

Hoopsvibe has written a piece that evaluates the GM's on their drafts.

I think a much larger analysis needs to go into this. For example, he gives Atlanta's Billy Knight a b+ and Danny Ferry a C+ and Donnie Nelson a C. Also, too many picks are made by one team officially, but really are coming from another and the author doesn't differentiate. (Example: Seattle not Boston took Jeff Green)

The problem is that Knight has been drafting every year in a position to make a difference to his team whereas Ferry and Nelson have been drafting in the 20's and most of those players are non-impact players.

When scouting college players you need to break them into 5 categories: Franchise Changer, All-Star, Starter, Rotation, Roster.

The last draft was one of the best we have had in a long time and I would argue that it had the following breakdown. (Note the this means 14 starters).

2- Franchise Changers
2 - All-Stars
10 - starters (which is incredibly high for a draft)
8 to 10 - rotation (again very high)
? - roster

The point is this is one of the best and deepest drafts because of all the kids that had to go to college for a year and this is how the draft projected. Therefore, if you are picking in the 20's and get a player who plays you should be getting an A. If you are drafting in the high impact zone and you get a starter or a rotation player instead of an all-star you should get a C.

Any player who is taken in the second round and becomes a rotation player should be huge bonus points.

Off Topic -- A children's mind

2007-07-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

Last night my son looked outside and saw a rainbow. He promptly asked, "what could we take to the top of the rainbow so we could slide down." I asked which color he wanted to slide down and he said, "It looks like yellow might be the bumpiest."

I just thought it was a wonderful moment to take us out of our daily routine of being an adult.

Evaluating the NBA Off-Season Moves - Part 1

2007-07-18T22:30:00.000-07:00

Using a four step methodology I will give you an evaluation of the off-season NBA movement.

Step 1: The Locke offensive rating. The league average is 10.8. The top 40 players in the NBA rate over 20. A little over 150 players or an average of 5 per team rate as above average offensive players.

Step 2: Was the players team better with the them on the floor than when he was off the floor. Credit www.82games.com for these numbers. Two things are hard to evaluate on traditional numbers, if a player helps his team win and if he plays defense. I believe this is a start. However, it has some flaws. It is best at recognizing a high profile player who has flaws and thus hurts his team or at finding bench players who really give a boost.

Step 3: Whose minutes is he taking.

Step 4: The eye test. We all have an eye for a player that goes beyond numbers.

Using this 4 part test. Here are the evaluations of some of the NBA’s off-season moves.

Rashard Lewis to the Orlando Magic

Step 1: Lewis ranks 20th in the NBA offensively. He is #2 as a small forward. He rates as a 22.7.

Step 2: Lewis had the best on floor/off floo +/- on the Sonics last season.

Step 3: Lewis will take the 31 minutes a night that Grant Hill played and cut into the minutes of Hedo Turkoglu. Hill had a terrible on floor/off floor last year for the Magic (-4.8) whereas Turkoglu seemed to be the opposite for the Magic. Hill was a very effective offensive player at 17.9 and Turkoglu was slightly below average at 9.4. Lewis will be a huge up grade for both.

Step 4: Lewis dramatically changes the Magic at the 3 position. His outside presence will compliment Howard perfectly. He will fulfill the primary scorer allowing Howard to play with less pressure and the other Magic players to be the compliments they are.

Steve Blake to Portland
Step 1: Blake is a dreadful offensive player. He rates at 2.1. A zero rating is designed to be equal to a D-League player entering the NBA. Blake only goes to the free throw line 4.2% of the possessions that end in his hand one of the worst rates in the NBA.

Step 2: Denver was a better team when Blake was on the floor than when he was off the floor. This credits Blake for doing somethings the correct way to help his team.

Step 3: He will take minutes from Jarrett Jack who rates as a 12.7 offensively. However, the Blazers were considerably less good when Jack was on the floor than they were when he was on the bench (nearly 4 points per 48 minutes).

Step 4: Blake plays hard and plays the game correctly. The Blazers aren't sold on Jack so you can see why they signed Blake. However on a team without Zach Randolph they will need some offense out of Blake and he is not capable.

Matt Carroll re-signs with Charlotte

Step 1: Carroll rates a 17.5 one of the better guards in the NBA. The top 40 in the NBA are over 20 and then he is in the next tier.

Step 2: Charlotte was a better team with Carroll on the floor.

Step 3: This is the key because the Bobcats went and acquired Jason Richardson from the Warriors in a bizarre draft day trade. Richardson rates as a 7.9 offensively player, below league average. He is high volume to get his results and Carroll is the opposite. Why the Bobcats would take Carroll's minutes with the acquisition of Richardson is surprising.

Step 4: Carroll plays the game the correct way and would be a brilliant complimentary on a good team.

Grant Hill to the Phoenix Suns
Step 1: Hill rates offensively as a 17.9 and I can only imagine what will happen when he plays with Steve Nash

Step 2: For Orlando Hill didn't work. The Magic were far better when he was on the bench. This is a disturbing trend for an aging player.

Step 3: James Jones played 18 minutes a night for Phoenix last year and had a terrible season. Also, the Suns struggled badly when Boris Diaw was on the floor last season.

Step 4: Hill is a signing that might help the Suns win a championship.

Morris Peterson to the New Orleans Hornets
Step 1: Mo Pet rates as a 12.8 offensively which is nice for a player coming off the bench

Step 2: Mo was an awful fit for Toronto. The Raptors were 8 points better per 48 minutes with Mo on the bench than on the floor. This should be worrisome for the Hornets.

Step 3: Rasual Butler and Desmond Mason played these minutes for the Hornets and both were very poor offensively and the team struggled with both on the floor.

Step 4: This might be a subtle move but it may make a considerable difference for the Hornets.

Darko Millic to Memphis
Step 1: Darko rates as a 3.0 offensively which puts him near the D-League offensively.

Step 2: Orlando was a less good team with Millic on the floor than on the bench.

Step 3: Who does he replace? Memphis had no big man. If Darko takes the minutes of Stromile Swift or rookie Alexander Johnson he can only help but be an upgrade.

Step 4: Seeing Darko last year at times he impacted the game, but in other sequences he was the worst player on the floor.

More to come .........

This I have never understood

2007-07-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

I just don't get it. If you are earning in the range of $12 million a year why do you need the following. These are some the clauses in Ichiro's new contract.

In addition, he gets a housing allowance of $32,000 next year, an increase
of $1,000 from this season, and the amount will rise by $1,000 each year. He
also will be provided with either a new jeep or Mercedes SUV by the team, which
also gives him four first-class round trip tickets from Japan each year for his
family. Provisions for the Mariners to give him a personal trainer and an
interpreter were continued.

At least he doesn't have the absurd all-star bonus that A-Rod had in his
contract. Because let me say this one more time, if you are earning $25
million you shouldn't be getting an all-star bonus, instead you should be paying
people if you aren't an All-Star.

Willingham paid more than Weis at ND

2007-07-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

This has to make you chuckle. If you agree with me that Willingham got screwed by Notre Dame this has to make you buckle over in laughter. If you have a general disdain for anything Notre Dame like I do (just because it is fun) then you might have just laughed so hard you peed. Of course, if you are a Notre Dame fan then you are really pissed off at me right now and this is why it is so fun to root against Notre Dame. By the way, Golden Domer how have you been doing in those bowl games recently?

Journal Gazette | 06/17/2007 | Weis is No. 3 on Irish payroll: "Weis was one of three coaches among Notre Dame’s top five highest-paid employees in 2005-06, but he’s not the highest-paid coach.

That distinction goes to Tyrone Willingham. The school paid the former football coach $650,000 as part of his contract settlement after firing him on Nov. 30, 2004. He also received $64 in other expenses. Willingham, who will enter his third season at the University of Washington in 2007, was the highest-paid employee – or former employee – at Notre Dame."

San Antonio Model -- Is really the ......

2007-07-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

Obviously we are hearing a lot about the San Antonio model. What if ....... Jason Kidd had accepted the offer to be the point guard and they had moved Tony Parker ...... would they still have won the titles (i think yes) ..... would the model be thought of differently? Would the model be get two max players and then surround them which is no different than what it was during the mid 90's?

Not to over simplify I think the San Antonio model is Tim Duncan. The way the Chicago model was MJ and the Celtics model was Bird. Duncan truly may be one of the top 5 to 10 players to ever play in the NBA. The guy has been all league 10 straight years and all defense 10 straight years and has won over 70% of the games he has played. He ranks awfully high.

The model most impressive to me has never won a championship. Utah was able to re-load after Stockton-Malone era with only one bad season and that was crippled by injuries. Every other franchise that was winning in the mid 90's is still in recovery or yet to win more than one playoff series. (see Boston, Houston, Seattle, Indiana, New York, Chicago, etc)

Thoughts?

Ranking the Small Forwards in the NBA

2007-07-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

This is totally objective and can be argued. However, the point of this is where does Rashard Lewis rank in small forwards in the NBA. In other words, how did Orlando decide to offer this guy the Max Contract. When we (Kevin Pelton and Francis Williams) did our Top 100 players in the NBA Rashard was in the 30's.

Update: Shawn Marion has been added to the list. I orginally had him as a power forward in Phoenix system.

Rank (Pts, Rebs, Ass) (EFG% - Locke Off Ranking)
1) LeBron James (27/7/6) (55% - 19.9)
2) Paul Pierce (25/6/4 ) (57% - 23.9)
3) Shaun Marion (18/10/2) (59% - 19.4)
4) Carmelo Anthony (29/6/4) (55% - 22.6)
5) Josh Howard (19/7/2) (55% - 15.4)
6) Rashard Lewis (22/7/2) (59% - 22.7)
7) Andre Iguodala (18/6/6) (56% - 14.8)
8) Luol Deng (19/7/3) (56% - 16.0)
9) Gerald Wallace (18/7/3) (57% - 17.0)
10) Richard Jefferson (16/4/3) (55% - 14.0)
11) Ron Artest (19/7/3) (54% - 12.6)
12) Caron Butler (19/7/3) (54% - 12.0)
13) Tayshawn Prince (14/5/3) (53% - 9.7)

I placed Rashard 6th and maybe he could be 4th, (Howard wins) but he also could be very easily somewhere around 9th depending how you weigh defense in the equation. I think Iguodala will be #4 on this list at this time next year he averaged 20/6/6 for the second half of the season plus two steals. After Feb 1st Wallace average 21/8/3 shooting over 50%. Finally, Deng averaged 22/9/2 in the playoffs. In many people's analysis these three could be ahead of Rashard making him 9th. For that matter, unless Lewis takes another step he could easily be somewhere from 7th to 9th at this position.

Does that mean Orlando made a mistake or does that mean the NBA model is such that a Top 5 player at his position gets Max money?

Reaction to Ichiro - The Comment Zone

2007-07-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

I wrote that I didn't like the Ichiro signing. In response there have been some great comments in the comment zone.

From Brian ..... You make a good argument Locke, but I think the M's are almost forced to bring back Ichiro and overpay. The fan backlash if he were allowed to walk away would be astronomical. He puts fans in the seats. As bad as attendance has been the last couple of years, imagine what it would have been had Ichiro not been here.

Ichiro does keep himself in tremendous shape so hopefully any dropoff in production towards the end of the contract would be minimal.

I agree on twofold. The city that has lost Randy, A-Rod and Griffey needs to have a superstar retire in Seattle. In addition, the organization needs to show commitment that has been lacking over the past seasons. Ichiro does keep himself in great shape, however so much of his game is speed and when he losses that step or two this is going to be an ugly contract.

From Courtsense ...... the occasional double or triple is nice, but pitchers have adjusted to Ichiro since 2001 - they know he'll swing at pitches in the dirt and way out of the zone, so they constantly feed him garbage. If he really wanted to impact the team, he'd walk more, steal more, and score more! I always have the feeling Ichiro is playing a mind game of trying to prove that "his" way of playing is somehow better - when what the team needs is less slap hits, more line drives, more runs, and more overall impact.

Bottom line: If I'm paying $20 million/year, I want a guy who I can count on for .325+, 40+ HR, 140 RBI, 100+ runs, and an OPS out of this world...Pujols, A-Rod, Griffey in his prime, etc.

Ahem. For 20 million a year I want more production. Again, I am nervous on production based on speed as a player ages. Ichiro has not always been the best team player and has not always done what the team needs to win so those are valid complaints.

From Peter ..... i think signing ichiro is only a bad move if you don't sign another stud to go with him. ichiro just got "superstar, carry the team on my back" money. i'm not sure he is that type of guy. but. he is definitely a phenomenial "i'll support the top guy" kind of guy.

so the money is justified to me IF Ichiro becomes the Manny Ramirez to the David Ortiz. However, if Ichiro is supposed to be THE GUY, then it is a bad move.

But my issue from a baseball sense is I don't believe Ichiro impacts a game the way a Manny Ramirez does. Ichiro might be a table setter to the big boys. Unless the clearance of steriods is bringing the game back to another era power is the name of the game not speed. Also, ro $20 million doesn't he have to be that guy.

From John S .... Very valid points David, but I have to disagree, I like the move. Who takes over the leadoff spot for the M's? Adam Jones is not a leadoff hitter of any sort. He strikes out too much to leadoff, plus you want his power in the middle of the order. You need someone defensively who can cover Safeco. How many more balls would have been outs in Safeco if Raul Ibanez was not in left field. Ichiro leads the outfield in putouts by a wide margin.

Ahem again .... this time going against me but I agree half the game is played on defense and if Ichiro makes 5 plays a game on offense how many does he make on defense. Yes, value the defense it is a great point. Under my philosophy you would use the money you save on Ichiro to fill the gap of a leadoff hitter.

Jeremy says ..... Dave over at USS Mariner has a very good defense of the trade. I happen to agree with his reasoning on this one.

I love USS Mariner. I think Dave Cameron and the guys do an amazing job. I give them the nod on their baseball knowledge over mine. I had one point of view they have another. If you are a baseball fan that is a site you should visit.

Anonymous (read: Gutless) says .... Geez Locked you've been spewing the same "garbage" about Ichiro for like the last 3 years, the M's are in the playoff hunt, Ichiro is a serious MVP candidate and he is peaking interest and putting fans in the seats, by that definition he is worth it, I'm wondering if you're worth it.............

Why is it no one has the balls to rip me with a name attached. All solid points even the one about me being garbage but it losses its umphf when you won't put a name on it.

Great work everyone. This is what this site is all about.

A Little (though just a little) Love for the Mariners

2007-07-13T13:45:00.001-07:00

ESPN's Scout Inc has a little love for the M's.
Click here.

Some of the highlights ..

The Mariners' bullpen has been outstanding this year, posting the second-best ERA in the American League, thanks to an incredible record of keeping the ball in the park. Despite throwing 270 innings, fourth-most of any AL bullpen, Seattle relievers have allowed a league-low 14 homers.

They're last in the AL in both strikeouts (fine) and walks (not fine), and are just one single behind the league leaders in that category, the Angels. On the strength of the league's third-best batting average, the Mariners are currently eighth in the AL in runs scored, despite playing the majority of their games in pitcher's parks

Then the not so loving .....

The Mariners have been extremely lucky this year, and they're almost certainly not a "true" .581/94-win ballclub. That said, there are several factors working in their favor for the second half: The Mariners probably won't make the playoffs as currently constructed -- they're a .500 team that's played over its head.

In San Diego

2007-07-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

I am with my family in San Diego doing the Legoland and Sea World thing. I will try to drop in some this afternoon. Sorry but I have some free time on my hands and we are taking advantage of it. :-)

Have you ever wondered if?

2007-07-11T20:37:00.001-07:00

This is an amazing story. Have you ever wondered if you had enough balloons if you could fly.
Check this out it is amazing.

Talk about passion or .....

Why Re-Signing Ichiro is Wrong - Reason #1

2007-07-10T21:14:00.001-07:00

According to various reports the Mariners are about to sign Ichiro to a 5 year 100 million dollar extension. I don't like this move at all.

Purely from a philosophical standpoint I have a problem with this signing. In any sport, I believe the goal is to have a player give you the best years of his career in his prime. Then when he goes for his last pay day have a high level player ready to replace him at a lesser salary. Then use the saved money to pay a new player that fulfills much of the lost players production.

The key here is that someone else gives your player their last big contract for the deeds they have just achieved and more often than not they receive less value as the player ages.

Specifically to the Mariners, Ichiro is age 33 (born October of 1973) and will finish this contract at 39 years old. This is paying someone for their past and getting far less production. Moreover, the Mariners have the heir apparent waiting in Adam Jones.

Jones is a first round draft pick and this is precisely why you have first round picks in your system to replace a player like Ichiro and then you use the money to make a play on the free agent market with another player.

I think we will look back upon this as a real mistake.

Sidenote -- The only way to have this make sense is if you just view what the Mariners did as letting go Ichiro the centerfielder and re-signed Ichiro the right fielder with Jones playing Center next year.

However, that leaves us with the $20 million issue. That will be the next installment.

Where are the Sonics today?

2007-07-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

I believe the word is transformation. The upheaval of the roster and the movement to the new era of Sonics basketball is nothing short of spectacular.

The hard part is to evaluate the moves. Nothing with this franchise is happening inside of a basketball bubble other than maybe the moves of Sam Presti. Therefore, for all of us who are desperate for basketball to stay in Seattle (Count me in) it adds a different tint to the glasses by which we view the moves.

One issue can't be forgotten. The team won 31 games last year and its best player was a shooting guard who if history follows its usual course should be on his downward trend.

When the previous basketball front office built the team the hope was that as Ray began to fade, Rashard would be at his apex and be able to pick up the burden of being the man. It could be argued that was close to taking place. Unfortunately, the cast around those two didn't develop into the championship supporting cast in enough time.

My feeling last season was that throughout the year, somewhat due to injuries, somewhat due to the roster make-up, players were out of their rightful spot in the basketball universe. Players will only succeed if they are in a position where they are being asked to do things they are capable of and too often they were being asked to do more. In any sport, when asked to do more a player usually slips behind what they are capable of. That is the essence of sport. That is the essence of roster building.

Would Kevin Durant put everyone back into their basketball universe? That had to be the debate and clearly the belief of this ownership and Sam Presti is no.

Therefore, we start the new era. The team has been turned over, by choice (trading Ray) and by circumstance (Rashard free agency) and is being built entirely around Kevin Durant.

Has this ever worked? Has anyone in NBA history drafted a player and immediately replaced the core of the team. Did it work? Yes, I am in the midst of researching this. Suggestions are welcome.

Wins will be hard to come by in the opening years of the Durant era if the roster stays the same. That is the reality of the NBA. In LeBron's first year the Cavs won just 35 games and the team had Ilgauskas and Boozer. Patrick Ewing won just 23 his first year. Jordan won 38 and Iverson won just 22.

At the same time a culture and a method of how to play and how to build the team will be installed rather than trying to create a quick fix that is fools gold and that is a step in the correct direction.

Specifically to the Ray Allen deal. Ray is one of my most favorite players to watch so I am totally biased. I understand the decision. It is not the move of idiocy in any manner, rather the opposite is true, it makes sense. In addition, Ray is a dominant locker-room personality and if you don't believe he matches the culture then you have to move him. On the flip side, I am not sure he will age the same way other guards have in the past. He is meticulous in his training and professionalism and it will pay off.

Losing Rashard hits me in the gut more because he was Seattle's than because of basketball. We watched him grow and develop. He told me last year, "I feel like Seattle is my mother and I am her son." Again, the turnover of the roster makes sense considering the season last year. If Rashard is going to get max money you have to believe unequivocally that he is capable of being the #1 guy on a team that goes to the Conference Semi-Finals. I love his development, I like the person a ton and I am not sure how I answer that question.

With all that said, the issue is how long will it take? Has it worked before and can it work this time? Most importantly, what does it mean for basketball in Seattle long term?

And that is the issue that blurs all thinking.

Share your thoughts in the comment zone.

M's Very Legit

2007-07-07T18:37:00.001-07:00

The last two games told me a lot about the Mariners. These were two different wins and both were equally impressive.

Today they just blasted the A's in every sense. They had the 3-run home run early coupled with a dominant performance from Felix. The M's got the three runs early and the A's knew their day was done. That is really very impressive. Their is a level of intimidation to this team.

Friday night was more telling to me. Really good teams know that if the game is played the full nine innings their superiority will eventually prevail. The M's were locked in a 1-1 tie and blew a few chances on the base paths. Watching their was a feeling they would put it together at some point.

McLaren pulled Weaver after 5 almost saying my pen is better than yours and we will outlast you. Sure enough the A's crumbled. Complete teams can outlast people and the Mariners have shown that ability a ton.

Let me voice on concern. McLaren seems obsessed with getting the game in motion and forcing the action. I like aggressiveness, but this team may not need that. They are pretty solid top to bottom and with the proliferation of offense the running game doesn't always ad up.

Free Agents -- Morris Peterson

2007-07-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

With Rashard off the board and Billiups and Carter re-signing with the their respective teams we have fallen to the mid-level free agents. This is where most of the mistakes are made by teams. For some reason over the past years, teams have felt obligated to pay players the entire mid-level exception regardless if they are worth it.

Morris Peterson of Toronto is one of those players that is being courted. According to my offensive numbers he comes out very well. However, he has become a purely spot up three point shooter. 47% of the possessions that ended in his hand were three point attempts. He goes to the free throw line very rarely. For Toronto he was a bad match. The Raptors were far better when he was off the floor than on the floor.

However, for another team that wants a spot up shooter he is a nice fit. His offensive rating has him a productive bench player with a similar rating to a Matt Barnes or James Posey.

The Utah Jazz will be hosting Peterson on Monday and may be able to finalize a deal.

How to Evaluate Summer League

2007-07-06T23:32:00.000-07:00

I think more mistakes are made by teams in Summer League than any other time of the year. Every team wants to love their own prospects, because it makes them look smart. So when teams get to summer league and one of the players they drafted or found as a free agent, plays well they see it as validation of their brilliance and foolishly sign the player to contracts or plan on that player in the upcoming season. It is guaranteed to happen. It is just about guaranteed to fail.

The reality is the summer league is a big man absent league that includes rookies and the 9th to 14th man on NBA rosters at best. In other words, rarely is there more than one player on the floor that is going to make a huge contribution in the upcoming season.

Remember last year Steve Novack of the Rockets was a summer league star and never saw the floor in the season.

Here is what you should look for.
1) The top players should be dominant. For Durant and other high picks their should be no question when you watch the game that they are the best player on the floor. How they shoot and what numbers they put up is not as important that they are obviously the best players on the floor.

2) Look for rebounders. Rebounding is the combination of a skill, athleticism and desire. Some guys run out of the skill or the athleticism and they can't rebound at the next level. Others don't have the desire and when it gets more difficult they fall off on the boards.

3) Keep an eye on shot attempts. If a player who should be shooting isn't it might be a red flag that they are struggling to get their shot off when the game speeds up.

Finally -- DO NOT FORGET --- these are at best the 9th man on a team. There is not a veteran anywhere to play a veteran trick or lay a big hit or bury a kid on a pick to see how he reacts. DO NOT OVERPLAY SUMMER LEAGUE. Keep an eye out some team will make a mistake because of Summer League.

Reaction to comments

2007-07-06T08:01:00.000-07:00

Super job on the comments. Here is some reaction.

1) It will be hard for PJ to have a long tenure because that is the reality of the NBA

2) The Spurs have been as good offensively as they have been defensively over the past years. I love the Spurs and think they should be the model but the Spurs aren't the Spurs because of a model they are the Spurs because of Duncan.

3) It is going to be a huge challenge to get this team to play well defensively. They are so young and very fun young players are good defenders.

4) The real issue defensively will be Robert Swift. No team is good defensively unless they have a 7 foot anchor.

Sonics Hire PJ - We talked about this in April

2007-07-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

Today the Sonics continued the remodeling of their franchise in the ilk of the San Antonio Spurs. Last April I sat down with PJ and talked about what he has learned in San Antonio and what he can implement if he gets a head coaching job.
You should have a link to the interview. If not check you blockers on the web page.

Quick Thought on the Hire: I like PJ. He is a very personable individual who will bring some energy to the franchise. In his last previous coaching stints at Seton Hall and in the NBA he was known as a yeller. That will not work with this team as it is currently built. However, I think it is short sighted to assume PJ has not grown or evolved from his past experiences and knowledge he gained at San Antonio. The key moments of his tenure will be when the pressure mounts does he revert back or in fact has he evolved. PJ is bright and bright people usually evolve.

On a personal note if I was an NBA team anywhere Dwane Casey would be on the top of my list. He is going to be a terrific head coach when he gets his next shot.

Why is NJ cool and Boston bad?

2007-07-03T22:29:00.001-07:00

Over the past week the Boston Celtics have gotten ripped for trading for a 32 year old (opening day 2007 age) shooting guard Ray Allen. New Jersey has been praised for re-signing Vince Carter.

Let me ask you this. Who would you rather have - Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson or Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Al Jefferson?

I would rather have Boston's threesome. So why is New Jersey cool and Boston getting ripped for a bad deal.

Sidenote -- Ray Allen as the third option offensively on a team with a post presence in Jefferson and a good driver in Pierce, who can penetrate and kick. If their is a scenario where an aging shooting guard can survive and thrive this is the one.

Rashard to the Magic -- For the Max

2007-07-03T22:14:00.000-07:00

Rashard Lewis gets the max. Is that right? Would you pay him the max? Is he worth it?

The issue is not always how good the player is but rather how the team's salary structure is and where the player fits. I believe if you have two max contract players you better be ready to be in the conference semi-finals each and every year. The Magic will have Howard and Lewis as their max contract players. I am not convinced that makes them a Conference semi-finalist. from that standpoint I wonder if this was the right move by the Magic.

On the other hand, Lewis will be a great help to Howard. The Magic offense last season was putrid, ranking 23rd in the NBA. This was largely because everything revolved around Howard and he isn't ready for that burden yet. Lewis will assist him greatly. His ability to handle to ball allows him to do everything offensively from running the pick and roll, to isolation or creating his own shot.

Howard struggled badly last year when he was double teamed. Lewis will help with that a good deal.

From a Sonics standpoint maybe Rashard was worth the max. With Allen out of the picture, Rashard would have been your one max player and with the collective bargaining agreement you wouldn't have to max out Durant for another four seasons. Therefore, inside the salary structure it might have been feasible.

How Lewis, Durant and Green would have all coexisted will never be answered. It is imperative for the future of the Sonics that nothing impedes the progress of Durant.

The other issue is whether or not Rashard is a max player talentwise. Rashard can get you 20 every night and most importantly gets you 20 every night rather than 14 one night and 28 the next. His consistency is what has elevated his game to the elite of the NBA. According to my offensive numbers he is the best offensive small forward in the NBA. That seems like a stretch, but let's see what happens when he is a number 1 option.

On a personal note, I have covered Rashard longer than any athlete I have ever covered in my career. It has been fantastic to watch him grow from the Houston teenager into a man. He will have his first child this off-season and embark upon a new challenge in Orlando. Rashard is a good guy who deserves good things. From day 1 with Dwane Casey and Nate he worked very hard at the craft and it allowed him to reach this day as a max player.

Regardless of whether or not everyone thinks he is a max player.

Hello Friends

2007-07-02T11:41:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have ventured back here to see if I am blogging I am warming to the idea. I am not entirely sure what I have planned for this site but check back and see how it evolves.

I know this. The decision by the Sonics is obviously disappointing. What disappoints me the most is not being able to communicate with the sports fans of the region. Therefore, this will have to be the place.

I also know this.
1) It will not be NBA only
2) It will facilitate conversation
3) It should be fun and informative.
4) Without an editor it will be an embarrassment to the English language.

Glad to be talking with you,

David Locke

Locked On Sports: Satisfying those basketball Joneses

2006-05-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

Locked On Sports: Satisfying those basketball Joneses: "The Association has been desperate for someone to step onto Michael's stage since he ended his career with the Bulls. Litanies of failures have washed by our eyes. Most of them cursed with the disease of 'me.'

Now the progression to that stage is filled with successors and instead of one man like Jordan, it will be a constant battle among numerous for the title of king of the moment."

Did someone forget to tell Zach Randolph it was photo day?

2006-05-04T17:34:00.001-07:00

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 15: The Portland Trail Blazers pose for their team pho... - NBA - Yahoo! Sports

Did someone forget to tell Zach Randolph it was photo day?

2006-05-04T17:34:00.000-07:00

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 15: The Portland Trail Blazers pose for their team pho... - NBA - Yahoo! Sports

The Seattle Times: Sonics: Sonics' move to the 'burbs: Would it be a bust or a boon?

2006-05-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

This is one of the best articles written about the arena situations. It talks about the possibility of a move to the burbs and the options. More importantly, it talks about what would happen to Key Arena without the Sonics.

The Seattle Times: Sonics: Sonics' move to the 'burbs: Would it be a bust or a boon?: "Eastside business leaders say a privately funded arena in Bellevue could work, at least in theory.

The facility would have to keep busy with trade shows, concerts and other sports teams besides the Sonics and the WNBA's Seattle Storm, said Kemper Freeman, the owner of Bellevue Square and Lincoln Square. And it would need to offer lots of parking and good vehicle access, both of which are hard to find at KeyArena and other local sports facilities, he said."

DRAFT MULLIGANS

2006-04-27T21:19:00.000-07:00

1982: Picked Jeff Bryant DE Clemson 6th overall: solid player for 10 years in Seattle. Passed on: Marcus Allen (10) Raiders

1983: Picked Curt Warner (3) RB Penn State: Solid career, cut short by injuries. Passed on Dan Marino (27) Dolphins. Holds many NFL records, Hall of Famer.

1983: Picked Matt Hernandez OT Purdue in 8th round, pick 210. 13 picks later, # 223, Miami picked WR Mark Clayton WR Louisville, Marino's #1 WR in Miami. Clayton and Marino are one of the top QB-WR combos in NFL history based on yds and TD's. (I think only behind Manning-Harrison in QB-WR TD catch combos)---So in 1983, instead of Warner and Hernandez the Hawks could have had Marino to Clayton.

1990: Cortez Kennedy DT (3) Miami---Emmitt Smith RB (17) Dallas----Kennedy NFL defensive player of the year in 1992, Smith, NFL's all-time leading rusher. Seahawks got Chris Warren in the 4th round of the 1990 draft, pick 89.

1990: Hawks pick Bob Kula OT Michigan State with pick #175 in 7th round. 17 picks later in 7th rd. (# 192) Denver selects Shannon Sharpe TE Savanah State.

1991: Dan McGwire QB San Diego St. (16): Mark's brother sucked. Ted Washington (25) 49ers DT Louisville. Washington is still in the NFL today stuffing the run.

1993: Rick Mirer QB Notre Dame (2): Solid first year, bust. Although Seattle did get # 1 for Mirer when they finally traded him to Bears. Passed on: Wille Roaf OT Saints (8), Jerome Bettis Steelers (10),

1993: 2nd round almost as bad. Sea. took CB Carlton Gray from UCLA with the first pick of the 2nd round, #30 overall. Gray was a solid but inconsistent player in Seattle for a few seasons. Michael Strahan DE Texas Southern 10 picks later at # 40, still sacking QB's for Giants, is NFL single season sack record holder. Former Hawks LB Chad Brown (Colorado) went @ # 44 to Pittsburgh,

1993: 4th RD: Seattle took Terrence Warren WR Hampton w/ the 2nd pick of the 4th rd, #114 overall. UW QB Mark Brunell was taken 4 picks later by GB at #118.

1994: Seattle took C Kevin Mawae LSU (36) in 2nd round. . Mawae was a Pro Bowl center for the Jets for years and now plays in Tenn. However Larry Allen, possibly the best guard in NFL history was taken by Dallas out of Sanoma State 10 picks later at # 46.

1995: Joey Galloway, solid speedy WR who forced his way out of Seattle to Dallas (8) Ohio State. Passed on: Warren Sapp (12) (Miami-Fla) Tampa, Ty Law CB Michigan (Pursuing right now), (23) Patriots, Derrick Brooks (FSU) OLB Tampa (28).

1995: Round 6: Seattle took DT Florida Henry McMillan pick # 180. 16 picks later @ # 196 Denver took RB Georgia, Terrell Davis. If for nothing else, to keep him away from Broncos and inflicting so much pain on Hawks.

1996: Seahawks originally held 14th overall pick. Traded down and allowed Houston to select Ediie George RB Ohio State. Traded again down from 19, where Colts slected Marvin Harrison WR Syracuse. Finally selected Pete Kendall G, Boston College at #21. Kendall was solid. Ray Lewis MLB (Miami-Fla.) was taken by Ravens at #26. Recap: Hawks ended up w/ Kendall and passed on Eddie George, Marvin Harrison and Ray Lewis, trading down 2x in the round.

1996: 2nd round: Picked Fred Thomas CB Tenn-Martin w/ # 47 overall pick. Thomas was a solid player before signing w/ Saints. Passed up WR Bobby Engram Penn State WR 5 picks later at # 52. (Also former Hawks Derrick Mayes WR Notre Dame (56), and Reggie Tongue (58) S Oregon State) were passed over for Thomas.

1996: Round 3: Hawks selected Robert Barr OT Rutgers w/ pick # 77. 9 picks later at # 86 Patriots took Teddy Bruschi LB Arizona. Super bowl hero and lynchpin of Pats defenses in Super Bowl winning years.

1998: Hawks played it safe by grabbing Anthony Simmons LB Clemson @ # 15 in first round. Simmons was solid, but never made a pro bowl and fught injuries. 6 Picks later at # 21 Vikings took Randy Moss.

1998 3rd round: Hawks took Ahman Green with 76th overall pick Green was later traded to GB for CB Fred Vinson in one of Hawks worst moves ever. Vinson blew his knee after the trade and never played a down in Seattle. To compound the issue, Pittsburgh took Hines Ward, WR Georgia 16 picks after Green with pick # 92 in 3rd round. If Seattle takes Ward, the Super Bowl 40 MVP, do they the Super Bowl? (Out of 1998 draft could have had Randy Moss and Hines Ward)

1998: 6th round. Pick # 162 Hawks take Carl Hansen, DE Stanford and with pick 169 in 6th round, take Bobby Shaw WR Cal. Packers select Matt Hasselbeck, QB Boston College with pick # 187 in 6th round. Seattle passed on him twice in 6th round in 1998.

1999: Lamar King DE Saginaw Valley State. Buffalo at pick # 23 takes CB Oho State Antione Winfield, Pro Bowl CB w/ Vikings, drafted by BUffalo.

2000: 6th round. Seattle selects James Williams WR Marshall w/ pick # 175. Williams hung around for a few uneventful seasons in Seattle. 24 picks later in 6th round w/ pick # 199 New England selects some QB named Tom Brady, Michigan.

2001: Koren Robinson # 9 overall. Santana Moss # 16 to Jets, Casey Hampton DT Texas to Steelers at # 19, Reggie Wayne to Indy @ # 30, Todd Heap to Ravens at # 31.

2001: Ken Lucas 2nd round # 40. Lucas was great, but he's gone. Kris Jenkins DT Carolina #44, Chris Chambers WR Miami (Wisconsin) # 52, Shaun Rogers DT Lions (Texas) # 61. Pro Bowler Rogers is what Marcus Tubbs was supposed to be.

2002 2nd round. With the 2nd of their two #2 picks, Seattle selected DE Anton Palepoi from UNLV at pick # 60. Antwaan Randle-El was taken by Steelers 2 picks later at # 62. That makes Steelers WR's Randle-El and Ward who could have been Hawks. Randle-El thru a TD in the Super Bowl after the Hasselbeck phantom blocking call on a tackle. Palepoi was a bust. New England took WR and Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch (Hawaii) 5 picks after Palepoi at #65.

2002: Round 3: Seattle selected CB Kris Richard from USC w/ 85th pick. Philly took RB Brian Westbrook @ # 91, Steelers took S Chris Hope, who started in Super Bowl, 9 picks later at # 94. Richard is gone and never was more than a nickel back in Seattle.

2003: Seattle selected Marcus Trufant # 11. As solid as Trufant has been, Steelers selected Troy Polamalu S USC w/ 16th pick of first round. I'd take Troy.

2003: Seahawks took Ken Hamlin in the 2nd round, # 42 overall. Hamlin has been solid, but is a question mark now. Arizona slected Pro Bowl WR Anquan Boldin (FSU) 12 picks later at # 54. Polamalu and Boldin or Trufant and Hamlin???

2004: Marcus Tubbs #23. Steven Jackson #24, (Could have let Alexander go and use money elsewhere) RB , Oregon State.

NEWS, NEWS AND MORE NEWS OUT OF THE HAWKS

2006-04-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

Tim Ruskell held his pre-draft press conference today at Seahawks head quarters. At 8:30 tonight we will bring you a copulation of his audio from the presser. In addition, we will talk with Hawks linebacker Julian Peterson.

Here are some of the newsworthy items out of the presser and on the Hawks front.

There are no positions that are off the board for the Hawks on Saturday and Sunday.

Ruskell has created a hot list and all of the players they will draft are expected to be on the hot list. The list is made based on round and has 4 to 5 players at each round that he anticipates will be available. He will trade down if none of those players are available at that point.

The Hawks will not talk to Ty Law before the draft as has been the plan since he left Seattle.

The Hawks have re-signed Seneca Wallace.

Ken Hamlin has been cleared by the Hawks doctors to participate in non contact drills.

Pass dropping tied end Jerramy Stevens will not participate in mini camps as he had knee surgery is in recovery from that injury.

More from Ruskell tonight at 8:30 on 950, KJR’s Locked on Sports.

Locked On Sports: Sonics lead NBA in offseason flexibility

2006-04-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

Locked On Sports: Sonics lead NBA in offseason flexibility: "If the 2005-06 Sonics were a stock, we never would have owned it long enough to reach the final night of the season. We all would have dumped the stock and taken our losses when a season of high expectations spiraled into an abyss of a dysfunctional roster circus.

However, analysts today would place a 'buy' on the team despite its dismal campaign"

BOB HILL YOUR SONICS COACH FOR 2006-07

2006-04-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

The Seattle Supersonics just announced that they will pick up the option for Bob Hill for next season. Hill has given the Sonics a personality and a style. In addition, while being a precarious situation Hill committed to developing the young talent and advancing the franchise regardless of the pain the team endured at time.

Hill brings a confidence to the Sonics that was desperately needed. He believes in his systems. He believes in his ability to convey his message and he believes that he can turn this team into a winning franchise.

What Hill was able to accomplish without a training camp and limited practice days was very impressive. The offense changed dramatically the way it approached the game and has continued to execute at an insanely high level. Defensively, the team showed noticeable improvement both in effort and approach from earlier in the season.

With a complete training camp next season and the failure of this season to use as a constant reminder Hill could really turn this franchise quickly. Most importantly, for the young players, there is no mystery in what will be expected from them in there development.

This is another good day in a season of recovery from a dreadful beginning.

Bob Hill is scheduled to join Locked on Sports tonight at 8:10 pm.

PREVIEW OF THE DB's IN THE NFL DRAFT

2006-04-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

With the Hawks #1 focus in the upcoming draft being the defensive backfield I thought everyone should be aware of this article previewing DB's in the NFL Draft.

I will continue to post the best articles about the draft I can find at www.lockedonsports.com and the blog.

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. CLIPPERS

2006-04-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

Sonics 67 Clippers 57 with 10:11 left in the 3rd Quarter
Clippers come out of the halftime with a 8-0 run
The Sonics are going to make it tough for the Clippers to lose if they keep playing like this.
The Sonics aren’t running the floor defensively at all
What is worth watching is who gives effort and who doesn’t. It tells you who is mentally tough .
Also, the Brand v. Wilcox match-up is worth watching.

Sonics 55 Clippers 38 with 5:12 left in the 2nd Quarter
Let’s be honest this is ridiculous.
The Clippers are playing guys that are barely NBA players.
The NBA has a problem with the way things are seeded if it benefits a team to lose and tonight we are the victum of watching this
To the Sonics credit they are playing hard enough to take advantage of this.
There is no much worth blogging or commenting on so be aware.

Sonics 38 Clippers 27 – at the end of 1 Quarter
Vin Baker yes Vin Baker is in the game
Vlady hits a three
Sonics is shooting 70%
Ray does not have a three

Sonics 31 Clippers 20 with 2:50 left in the 1st Quarter
The Clippers need to lose this game for playoff reasons. If they loss two more times they get the 6th seed and home court advantage v. Denver rather then going to Dallas.
The Sonics rested Cutino Mobley and Chris Kaman.
Luke is 5 for 5 with 11 points
There is not much intensity on the floor right now.
Wilcox is trying to make his statement
The best part of the game is that KC called the Suns v. Lakers earlier today for ESPN and you can tell he is gitty and going to be fun to listen to all night if not a bit wacky,

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. CLIPPERS

2006-04-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

Clippers 101 Sonics 97 – FINAL SCORE
Ray Allen misses a three to win it
Rashard Lewis didn’t score in the 4th and was never able to take advantage of the mismatch. Ironically what the Sonics really missed today was a Vlady Radmanovic type player
Elton Brand has really changed his game and is much better player late in games then he ever was in the past.
Sam Cassell is a winning point guard
Tough night for Luke Ridnour and Vlady Radmanovic
Make sure you check out supersonics.com for the Ray Allen offer
The Clippers are really a terrific half court defensive team
Kaman and Brand are a dynamic tandem. Can Swift become Kaman?

Sonics 88 Clippers 88 with 5:28 left in the 4th Quarter
This game is going to come down to if Lewis can beat Mobley.
The Clippers have their small forward on Allen leaving the smaller Mobley on Lewis
Between Kaman and Brand the Clippers can really pound it inside
Livingston is playing down the stretch rather then Cassell.
Sonics aren’t getting any points out of their half court offense. They have to get out and run and again.

Sonics 85 Clippers 84 with 9:12 left in the 4th Quarter
Hill rests Allen by playing Wilkins at the 2 with Lewis
Swift turns his ankle and is out, plus no Wilcox tonight
When does it become Ray time?
Can Watson contain Cassell

Clippers 82 Sonics 81 at the end of 3 Quarter
Sonics go cold – 24% in the Quarter. --- you had to assume you couldn’t shoot 60%
A brutal start and then the Sonics never got going in rhythm
Chris Kaman is a really nice player
Ray Allen was quiet for most of the Quarter
The game slowed down considerably in the third quarter

Sonics 66 Clippers 63 with 9:37 left in the 3rd quarter
Brutal start for the Sonics
Cassell has hit a few.
Luke Ridnour tonight on the floor is -10 and Watson is +18

Sonics 66 Clippers 55 at the half
Sonics are crazy hot. Ray Allen has 5 threes. Ray has 24
Sups are shooting 60% for the half.
The only concern is you really can’t stay this hot.

Sonics 58 Clippers 48 with 2:38 left in the 2nd Quarter
Sonics run was 48-24.
Earl Watson was +18 on the floor tonight
Swift and Petro are playing together

Sonics 54 Clippers 36 with 6:43 left in the 2nd Quarter
17-0 run
Oh my goodness !!!! Ray is on fire. A different planet
He hit a three had a smirk on his face and turned and said something to the people behind hill, but the look was dam am i good.
He has 4 threes in the last 3 minutes
It is an awesome display.

Sonics 46 Clippers 36 with 8:52 left in the 2nd Quarter
Wow !! What a barrage. Allen hits back to back threes and then feeds to a wide open Watson for the next one. Five trips up and down the floor, 3 for Seattle and 2 for LA and the Sonics go on a 9-0 run. That is hard to make up .
The Sonics are pushing the ball and getting good looks before the Clippers defense gets set.
When the defense gets set it is impressive but they haven’t been set all game. Sonics are shooting 61.5% and 6 of 10 from 3.
Radmanovic was not very good and he was booed (surprises me) He went 1 for 7 in 8 minutes and got 1 rebound and the Sonics killed him defensively.

Sonics 33 Clippers 30 – at the end of 1 Quarter
The Sonics are going right at Vlady and exposes his defense.
Lewis killed him on the last possession of the quarter driving by him from the top of the key and leaving him standing still like a statue.
Bob Hill called a “:20 timeout and went off on his club when they were down 16 to 8 and they responded well.
The Sonics are playing very well offensively against a good defensive team
Earl Watson was the spark. Unreal performance.

Clippers 11 Sonics 3 with 8:13 left in the 1st Quarter
Terrible start
The Clippers are wearing the old Buffalo Braves uniforms and I find it hard to believe anyone ever wore these god awful things. They are a truly ugly orange with a diagonal stripe of brown and white. Bad, very bad.
Robert Swift picks up two fouls in the first 1:50. He is really going to need to improve the quickness of his reactions.
The Sonics are having a hard time getting Lewis post opportunities with two bigs on the floor with Lewis.
On the other, Lewis is being guarded by Mobley and an opponent should never be able to get away with putting a 6’4 guard on Lewis.

The prop bet tonight is Ray Allen's threes or Mariners hits off Curt Shilling.

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. HORNETS

2006-04-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

Hornets 104 Sonics 99 -- Final Score
The Sonics made a nice flurry late in the game but they lost the necessary focus to win this game in the third and fourth quarters
It seemed to me this game changed to open the 2nd half when it was clear the Hornets were playing for their playoff lives and the Sonics were just playing, playing hard but not with the same tenacity.
The rebounding told the story the Sonics got crushed on the defensive glass. At the half the Sonics had allowed 50% of the defensive rebounds to go the Hornets and that didn’t really change throughout the game they finished with 51% defensive rebounding rate. That is terrible --- truly terrible.
Only appropriately the Sonics got a miss that would have given them a chance to tie down three but the Sonics couldn’t garner the defensive rebound and the Hornets preserved their win.
By the end of the night the Sonics defensive rating was not awful but they allowed too many free throws along with the rebounding woes. The Hornets are one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA and the Sonics took advantage of that but couldn’t finsh the deal.
Chris Wilcox left with a sprained ankle but before that was quiet for the second straight night. If Wilcox is going to be great he needs to expand his game so that it can translate to all match-ups.
Mark Jackson can’t beat you.

Hornets 73 Sonics 69 with 5:13 left in the 3rd
Seattle is getting crushed on the boards
Robert Swift must get stronger and he must gain stamina tonight was a night that really showed all of his weaknesses. For a young player he is not good on the back end of back to backs; strength and fatigue are an issue for his future.
Petro doesn’t have a great feel for space on the floor and is letting his man get too much room around the hoop.
The Sonics are just hitting threes to stay in the game. If you believe in the game will reward you theory the Sonics are in trouble.

Sonics 45 Hornets 45 with 4:50 left in the 2nd Quarter
Bad sign for Seattle they are shooting 60% from the field and are tied
The Hornets are on a 15-4 run
Lewis missed back to back threes in a mysterious fashion as both skimmed the bottom of the front of rim and went straight down.
No Petro in the second quarter as Hill went to Mikki Moore. Moore is playing well.
Wilcox is a 7 pts and 5 rebs

Sonics 29 Hornets 24 – end of 1 Quarter
Game gained some pace finally at the end of the Q
KC talked about Chris Paul as Tim Hardaway what about Kevin Johnson
Sonics shoot 55% from the field in the 1st Quarter
Rashard has been very good with 9 points
Speedy Claxton is one of the leagues most underrated players

Sonics 18 Hornets 12 with 5:22 in the 1st Quarter
Hornets leading scorer and reboudner David West is not playing tonight
I love Desmond Mason but he really is one of the worst offensive players in the NBA
The Sonics have started well.
It is impressive on the back end of a back to back that they aren’t jogging through this with nothing on the line.
Swift needs to get stronger and when he does he will start finishing down low and be quicker with his jumps.

USATODAY.com - Kacyvenski tackles forgiveness

2006-04-12T15:37:00.000-07:00

USA Today did a feature story on the life of Isaiah Kaxyvenski. Many of you have heard it before but it is still worth the read. USATODAY.com - Kacyvenski tackles forgiveness: "The father was a dishwasher and a nursery home fix-it man. The mother was a missionary. They had six children. The first, Suzie, died at 5½ months because of previously undetected pneumonia.

The last went to Harvard and played in Super Bowl XL.

This is the story about that youngest child, Isaiah Kacyvenski, a 6-1, 252-pound reserve linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks."

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. SPURS

2006-04-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

SPURS 106 SONICS 95 -- FINAL SCORE
Sonice were unable to match the level of the game the Spurs played
It was a good reminder of high on the sclae the great teams are.
Chirs Wilcox and Earl Watson both had their weaknesses exposed.
That is what a great team does it exploits all of the weaknesses of their opponent and that is the difference between Phoenix and San Antonio
Tony Parker killed Seattle.

Spurs 81 Sonics 68 – at the end of 3 Quarters
The Spurs have buried the Sonics a few times tonight but the Sonics keep removing the dirt and fighting for air.
Watson hit back to back threes to close the Quarter
The Spurs are hitting the Sonics with too many weapons and are able to expose all defensive weaknesses.
The Spurs look playoff sharp.
Ray is 3 of 9 and Rashard is 3 of 10 they have to get hot for the Sonics to get in this game.

Spurs 70 Sonics 54 with 6:48 left in the 3rd
Whap !!!!
The Spurs just put it down on the Sonics
Seattle didn’t match the intensity of the Spurs
Seattle got sloppy with the ball on a few plays but everything Seattle was doing was a little soft and the Spurs were playing at a different level.
Wilcox got caught three or four times where his lane got cut off or he went for his jump hook and a guy was there before he realized it or on a fast break he got sloppy with the ball.
Parker continues to dominate.

Spurs 55 Sonics 48 at the half
Watson and Wilcox have been absent
This is a big test for Wilcox since he lite up some lesser teams recently and in the case of Phoenix a non-defensive team.
The Sonics are shooting just 36%
Tony Parker is great. Really great. He is close to unguardable.
Seattle has played hard and fairly well. This game is closer then the score.
The 13-0 run has been the only time SA outplayed Seattle.

Spurs 39 Sonics 31 with 5:43 left in the 2nd Quarter
Spurs extended there run to 13-0 and that has been the difference
Watson is having a hard time in transition because the Spurs get back so well that he isn’t finding the lanes to basket and get caught in traffic. Watson is 0 for 6.
Another big man having too good a day. Nestorivic is 5 for 5.

Spurs 25 Sonics 22 –at the end of 1 Quarter
Spurs close on a 7-0 run.
Numerous highlights in the quarter
Swift hit a sick post move fadeaway to the baseline
Petro had a gorgeous floater
Collison had a fantastic post jumper
Ridnour finished a fantastic fast break.
Sonics were tied at 12-12 when Allen went out and Watson went in.

SEAHAWKS ADD SAFETY DEPTH

2006-04-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

Seahawks.NET has learned that former Jets safety Oliver Celestin has signed with the Seattle Seahawks. Celestin was used primarily in nickel and dime packages with New York. Playing in 12 games last season, the second-year pro from Texas Southern amassed 21 tackles and one pass defensed. The 6'0", 207-pound safety is regarded as a tough player with marginal ball skills - he could be a special teams option for Seattle in 2006.

Locke's Breakdown -This is a typical Ruskell signing. A guy that helos solidify the special teams, but has also shown enough ability to play down after down if necessary. I am making the assumption that Ruskell and his staff have watched this guy since he was drafted out of Texas Southern and they see something they liked. This fits to mold of the guys that were very valuable last year.

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. SUNS

2006-04-09T18:13:00.000-07:00

TONIGHT I WILL GIVE YOU A "GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE" TO REMEMBER AND THEN TOMMOROW ON 950, KJR'S LOCKED ON SPORTS I WILL ASK FOR THE "GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE" AT 7:30, 8:30 AND 9:30.

SONICS 116 SUNS 114 -- FINAL SCORE
Great defense -- Nash misses and the Suns get the rebound --- Diaw drives great help defense and the Sonics are were going to win
Ray Allen 11 fourth quarter points
Chris Wilcox has another double double and for the first time we have seen him pick his game up late in the game when it was most important. He really rebounded very strongly.
But the Sonics had 6 men on the floor and barely got one of them off the floor in time
The Sonics actually played good defense for the night despite the score

Sonics 116 Suns 114 with :16.5 left
RAY ALLEN DOES IT AGAIN !!!!!
Watson drives and Allen drops to the level of the ball and hits a three.

Suns 114 Seattle 113 with 2:33 left in the 4th Quarter
An insane game -- this is great fun
Ray Allen is carrying Seattle – he is more amazing then words can say
Allen has hit 4 of his last 5 shots on the last 6 possessions for 9 points all in the last 2:30.
He bumped backed in the post and faded to the baseline for two
He pulled up on a three
He went one on one at Raja Bell and drove by him for a powerful lay-up.

Suns 99 Sonics 93 with 8:48 left in the 4th Quarter
Chris Wilcox is having another big day 19 pts and 8 rebounds
He is active slicing without the ball and he has shown some post moves tonight
Bad line-up out of the shoot by Seattle – Ridnour, Watson, Wilkins, Wilcox and Petro.
Wilkins and Ridnour have missed the last two shots

Glimpse of the Future Moment #3 – The Sonics opened the Q on a Watson to Wilcox alley-opp and then two possessions later the Watson hit a slicing Wilcox for a silky two, coming down the baseline. The Watson to Wilcox combo is a glimpse of the future. Tune in Monday night at 9:30 for a chance to win tickets to the final home game of the year..

Suns 91 Sonics 87 at the start of the 4th Quarter
This game is maintaining a very high tempo.
Seattle must take advantage of Nash being out of the game. Di’Antoni is very conscience about his Nash and Marion minutes at this point of the season so their will be the opportunity to go on a run.
Ray Allen has not been special tonight – it is 4th quarter time now
Allen is 6 of 14 heading into the 4th.

Suns 85 Sonics 81 with 2:57 left in the 3rd Quarter
Watson enters for Ridnour – The Sonics are -9 when Luke is on the floor tonight and +5 when he is off the floor.
This is usually when Allen gets a rest but he just got hot on what has been a cold night.
Petro’s activity is terrific. He can play in this tempo a game. Swift is a much better rebounder, but Petro will learn that.

Sonics 70 Suns 70 with 7:01 in the 3rd Quarter
Seattle is matching the Suns in a bombing contest right now
The Suns keep making their move and the Sonics Rashard Lewis buries a 3 to bring Seattle back. He has three in the Quarter

Glimpse to the future #2 – Wilcox and Swift combined to grab the Sonics first 6 rebounds of the third quarter. Tune into 950, KJR’s Locked on Sports at 8:30 to win tickets the final Sonics home game

Sonics 57 Suns 56 at the half
Sonics are actually playing good defense. The pace is really fast and the Sonics are keeping the Suns below their offensive average.
The Suns don’t have their penetration and kick game going as well as they did last time they were in Seattle.
They have attempted 16 threes.

Suns 50 Sonics 48 with 2:58 left in the 2nd Quarter
Johan Petro makes his return with a mask
Nash returns and Phoenix gets its juice back
Watson and Collison are both out with 2 fouls. Hill believes in sitting guys with 2 fouls rather then let them get there third

Sonics 39 Suns 36 with 8:30 left in the 2nd Quarter
Seattle is out and running. Swift is clearing the glass and getting the Sonics out
9-0 run
The Sonics are taking advantage of the Suns poor +/- players.
Earl Watson the Sonics best +/- player is on the floor for the run.
Watson has 6 points, 3 reb and 3 asssists

Glimpse into the future #1- Swift pulled down a nice board then outleted the pass to Watson and Watson gave it back to Swift for a dunk and the foul – he hit the free throw.
Tune into 950, KJR’s Locked on Sports tomorrow at 7:30for Sonics tickets when I call for the glimpse of the future. More to come ……

Suns 31 Sonics 28 at the end of 1 Quarter
The game is exactly what you would anticipate
Wilcox finishes the quarter with 9 points and 2 rebounds
It may be as simple as how gets hot along the way
Seattle is pounding the post tonight trying to take advantage of the Suns lack of size.
Ray Allen is scoreless
Suns shooting 58% and the Sonics at 50%

Suns 23 Sonics 17 with 4:23 left in the 1st Quarter
The Suns have scored on 9 straight possessions.
The Suns are getting easy fast break looks and too many second chance opportunities
The Suns are the worst offensive rebounding team in the NBA so the Sonics can’t give up those chances.

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. BLAZERS

2006-04-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

Sonics 121 Blazers 108 – FINAL SCORE
Seattle just outscored the Blazers tonight. The Blazers didn’t have the offensive fire power to match the Sonics
Sonics move to 11-6 with Watson and Wilcox in the line-up.
Ray Allen was the best player on the floor and dominated the game
Wilcox gets his third straight double and added a career high assists.
Collison return was positive.
Overall I find this game impossible to evaluate. The Sonics were up 10 for most of the second half and knew they could score at will, therefore had no need to defend at any point. You would like them to but really they didn’t need to any point. It also is why Portland is screwed. It is impossible to evaluate your talent in a game of this nature.

Sonics 88 Blazers 73 at the end of 3 Quarters
Ray Allen dominates the third with 14 points and now has 26 on 10 of 15 shooting.
Chris Wilcox has 16 points 8 rebounds and 6 assists in another terrific game.
The highlight of the game is how well Nick Collison has played
Honestly, I am not sure if the Sonics defense got better or if Portland’s terrible offense just showed up.

Sonics 66 Blazers 54 with 9:15 left in the 3rd Quarter
A good 3rd quarter start
Swift with some nice boards
Wilcox another follow shot, he doesn’t rebound like Reggie but he finishes just about every time he gets an offensive board

Sonics 58 Blazers 52 – at the half
No defense in this game
Collison hit back to back shots after my last comment
He and Wilcox look very good together
Blazers hoot 58% and they are the worst offensive team in the NBA

Sonics 49 Blazers 45 with 2:38 left in the 2nd Quarter
Ray Allen moves into #2 all time on the 3 pointer list
Wilcox and Collison are playing together and it is neat tandem that will have success.
Collison is rusty and having a hard time with his shots but is in the right place to get garbage.
The Wilcox dunk show is on
Juna Dixon is keeping Portland in the game

Blazers 29 Sonics 26 at the end of 1
Not much defense being played
Ridnour bounced back
It is great to see Nick back on the floor he understands where to be on the court terrifically
Telfair, whose game I don’t like at all, made two nice plays to get points for the Blazers

Blazers 23 Sonics 14 with 2:55 left in the 1st Quarter
Ridnour is in the midst of a really poor stretch.
Blazers on a 9-0 run
Sonics don’t have a defensive stop in the last 7 possessions
Collison has made his first appearance playing the center.
Swift had two turnaround jumpers that looked great expect for the end result. Both missed, but both look terrific and he will always be able to get those shots off

Sonics 14 Blazers 14 with 6:15 left in the 1st Quarter
Luke really has to be able to beat Steve Blake. He has done that so far.
Zach Randolph doesn’t have an offensive touch until the 8th possession.
I find that interesting since Wilcox is not a good defender.
Nice move by Swift early and Wilcox has 4 points

STORYLINES
1) Will the Soncis take the Blazers too lightly?
2) What does Chris Wilcox have in store tonight?
3) Get up early and make the Blazers wilt like they want to.

RUN EXPECTANCY CHART

2006-04-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

OUTS

RUNNERS    0        1          2
-------------------------------
---    0.5165    0.2796  0.1075
1--    0.8968   0.5487   0.2370
-2-    1.1385    0.6911    0.3502
12-   1.4693    0.9143   0.4433
--3    1.5120    0.9795   0.3718
1-3   1.8228     1.1830   0.4931
-23    2.0363   1.4144    0.6073
123    2.3109   1.5279    0.7485

MARINERS WINS ITS THIRD STRAIGHT

2006-04-06T22:08:00.000-07:00

MARINERS 6
OAKLAND 2
WP: Gil Meche (1-0)
LP: Esteban Loazia (0-1)
SV: JJ Putz (1)
HR: Carl Everett (1)

This was flat out impressive. In control from the first moment of the game and stayed in control the entire game. Solid pitching, good work from the starter and into the bullpen. Then the defense and the offense was solid throughout the game.

This is a game that makes you believe a little bit.

Lots of different feelings throughout the game on Meche. But the bottom line is he got the job done and he really pitched well. His movement was terrific and he did a better and better job of pitching to contact throughout the game. The 5th inning was particularly impressive. His pitch count was very high and with a 4-1 lead he really went at hitters to prolong the outing. This was smart pitching. He needs to get the pitch count down so he can go longer then 5 innings.

Any frustration about Meche was in the bottom of the 2nd when he was given a 3-1 and then got into a huge jam. It was typical Meche not closing the door but on this night he was able to get out of the jam.

Some of his specific pitches tonight were terrific. He threw a great 1-1 change-up to Chavez, a terrific 2 seam fastball that drifted away from left hander Kotsay.

Meche did an amazing job of wasting the A’s big hits.

This team continues looking like they are going to be able to score. Carl Everett went deep and all of the Mariners RBI’s came from 6-9 in the line-up.

Jo-Jo is the real deal.

The defense is stealing outs each night. If you rob two or three plays a night it costs the other team an inning.

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. ROCKETS

2006-04-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

Sonics 92 Rockets 80 with 4:52 left in the 4th Quarter
Seattle is not great right now but Houston is not good enough offensively to make a run at the Sonics
Wilcox has 20 points and 20 rebounds tonight – 9th Sonics player to accomplish this

Sonics 83 Rockets 70 with 8:17 left in the 4th Quarter
Ming fouls out on the first possession of the quarter
This is one of those games where we have Ray Allen and you don’t. Allen is making a play every time the Rockets make a run he makes a play
Wilcox has 21 rebounds
Stomile Swift is awful

Sonics 78 Rockets 66 -- at the end of 3 Quarters
Sonics offense slumped but the defense held it together.
Van Gundy is going to gamble and play Ming with 5 fouls to open the quarter
Wilcox has 20 rebounds
Allen has been burying the 3 and is now the #2 all time 3 point shooter in NBA history

Sonics 67 Rockets 51 with 5:58 left in the 3rd Quarter
Yao Ming picks up his 5th foul at the 6:28 mark of the game
Ray Allen has 8 straight for the Sonics.
Rockets are forced to try to go small against the Sonics
Wilcox now has 17 points and 19 rebounds
Ray Allen is bombing the 3 he is 1 short of Dale Ellis for all time #2 spot.

Sonics 56 Rockets 41 - - at the half
Very good performance by the Sups
Defensively the Sonics have been very solid – the halftime defensive rating is 90
11 fast break points is really good in a relatively slow game’
Great work on the defensive glass today as let Seattle get out and run
Wilcox has been just unreal.

Sonics 47 Rockets 35 – with 3:08 left in the 2nd Quarter
Chris Wilcox is amazing tonight. He has 15 points and 13 rebounds. If it is possible he has been better then the numbers. His shots have been in the post and not all dunks. His rebounds have been tough in traffic boards with Yao Ming around. In addition, he has two blocks which not usually a part of his game. He has defended well also. He is unquestionably the best player on the floor.
Ray Allen has been great as well. 10 points.
The Sonics are not hitting the 3

Sonics 32 Rockets 21 – at the end of 1 Quarter
Watson closes the quarter hitting a buzzer beating three
Sonics hit 60% for the quarter
Lead by Wilcox who had 12 points and 8 rebounds

Sonics 24 Rockets 13 with 2:39 left in the 1st Quarter
Official Tommy Nunez is having a really tough night. At one point both Hill and Van Gundy were yelling at him so much that Dick Bavetta had to ask both coaches to stop. The next trip he blew another call and it was as though Hill felt sorry for him rather then yelled at him.
Ridnour has three turnovers in the first quarter
Sups are 11 of 18 from the field, the Rockets really are struggling at 4 of 15
Juwan Howard tore up Seattle last time and tonight he is 0 for 5.
Seattle is in serious foul trouble with Swift and Moore both with 2 and no Collison, Fortson or Petro.

Sonics 18 Rockets 11 with 5:26 left in the 1st Quarter
Swift with the assignment on Yao Ming committed two fouls by the 9:14 mark
Great start for the Sonics offensively. The Rockets are not a good offensive team therefore they will not be able to keep up with a good offensive night
Chris Wilcox has been very active –6 points and 6 rebounds

Storylines
1) Houston's putrid offense against the Sonics defense
2) Yao Ming
3) Sonics lack of player to guard Ming
4) Allen 3 point shooting

New York Daily News - Sports - Nate nearly shut down

2006-04-04T16:05:00.000-07:00

More stuggles for Nate Robinson in his relationahip with Larry Brown and his adaptation to the NBA. The Stry says that Nate was shooting spitballs on the team bus of all things.

New York Daily News - Sports - Nate nearly shut down: "Nate Robinson had become such a nuisance for Larry Brown that the coach considered sending him to the Developmental League last month to work on his game and improve his attitude.

According to a source close to Robinson, Brown wanted to demote Robinson to the NBA's minor league rather than keep him on the inactive list. Brown broached the idea with Isiah Thomas, but Thomas felt that Robinson would benefit from practicing with veteran teammates."

HUSKY PRACTICE 4/03

2006-04-03T18:40:00.000-07:00

950, kjr's and Locked on Sports Matt Gaschk attended Huskies practice today. Here is his report.

Tyrone Willingham gave his assessment of the first padded practice on Saturday, saying that he was not happy with the overall execution. “Intensity, at some points, wasn’t bad. We still have too many breakdowns, but that’s coachable and that’s something we can work on and continue to get better and better with,” Willingham said.

EJ Savannah should benefit from the spring drills in getting back into the mix because it will naturally limit the amount of contact drills he will participate in

WR Sonny Shackleford will not be available for spring practice in the immediate future after he sprained his ankle in Saturday’s practice. No timetable has been set on his return

Though Wilson Afoa has had some back troubles that have limited his work in the past, Willingham touted his perseverance last year in keying his leadership role on the team this season. With Jordan White-Frisbee still on the shelf with his foot injury, the competition at Defensive Tackle is heating up in spring. In addition to Afoa, UW has Erick Lobos, Jordan Reffett and Jovon O’Connor competing for playing time alongside mainstays Dan Milsten and Donny Mateaki.

MARINERS OPENING DAY

2006-04-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Mariners opening day. This season lockedonsports.com and the Locked on Sports Blog will keep a running commentary about what is happening during the Mariners games. It will be somewhat similar to the Simulblog of the Sonics season. Obviously with 162 games it will be impossible to cover all of the games but we will do the best we can. Enjoy the season and please give us any thoughts on what would improve the coverage or bring you to lockedonsports.com more often.

ANGLES 5 MARINERS 4
WP: Scott Shields (1-0)
LP: JJ Putz (1-0)
HR: Guerrero (1), Johjima (1), Petagine (1)

THOUGHTS FROM THE GAME

A lot of the talk out of spring training is that hitting coach Jeff Petland has changed the approach of the Mariners hitters. In addition, the Mariners said they were going to push the limit on the baselines. The rally in the 6th inning showed a lot of signs of this being true. Both Johjima and Reed took the ball the other way. Betencourt battled with a solid at-bat and a short swing for a hit and Jose Lopez hit a flair to right by simply battling.

Great sign that Johjima has enough power to take it out to right field. Johjima also made a great play to cut off a runner at second when Reed’s weak throw had no chance to get the runner at home.

A good sign that the bottom of the line-up started the rally because last year the Mariners gave away every third inning with the bottom of the line-up.

Jamie Moyer was vintage. A slow start but then he got his game on. The issue for Jamie over the past few years has been how the home plate umpire calls the game. Today he was given a really wide plate.

First guy out of the pen was Rafael Soriano. If he can be anywhere close to what he was before Tommy John surgery it will significantly change the Mariners staff. He hit 94 MPH on back to back fastballs to Vlady Guerrero. He is consistently at 94. Then he threw a great breaking ball to Vlady at 83 MPH. That is a great differential.

The gun at Safeco must have been fast George Sherill was at 93MPH which is hard to believe or he got a hold of Ryan Franklin’s illegal stuff :-o

If Soriano is solid he can control the 7th inning, JJ Putz, who should improve again, can take the eight and Eddie the 9th. That could be a very solid group and if the Mariners can shorten games in that fashion they could be much better.

JJ is still a big circle pitcher. In other words, he is throwing to a big circle rather then specific spots on the plate. Until he shows the ability to find specific locations he will be an average pitcher with great stuff. It cost him today.

Maybe it is just opening day, but I am optimistic that both Lopez and Betancourt will be able to hit. Lopez has shown some signs of being special. Time will tell if that all comes together, but I assume he will have a good year and could have some stretches where he is really on fire. Betancourt has been talked about as a defensive only player, but his swing looks and his contact is solid. He is really inexperienced, but my bet is he gains an idea of what he is trying to do and hits for decent average.

Bases loaded in the 6th and nobody out and the Mariners can’t score. That is brutal. You simply have to score a run. Last year, the Mariners were the worst in baseball in hits per run. It simply took too much energy to score a run. This has to change if the Mariners are going to have success.

In the 9th inning the Angels had runners on 1st and 3rd with two outs. The Angels runner stole second without a throw. It was on a pitch that would have been nearly impossible to throw anyone out on. However, so often teams allow that steal uncontested and in this game that run was the difference when the Mariners added a run in the ninth inning.

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. BLAZERS

2006-04-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

Soncis 107 Blazers 65 with 6:02 left in the 4th Quarter
Top 10 things to do during a 40 point blow out at the Key Arena instead of watching this disaster …….

10) Count the tattoos on the floor.
9) wonder if New York basketball is any good if Sebastian Telfair was really a school yard legend
8) think that the blazers broadcaster who just got up and left maybe the smartest man in the building
7) Wonder if you could drink the entire Pepsi 8 pack in one sitting
6) Eavesdrop on all the conversations around you and see what you can learn
5) Come up with another geeky stat that Groz can’t understand
4) scan nba.com’s dance team bracket and really analyze what was an upset.
3) nap
2) check out all the talent in the building
And
1) read my junk mail.

Sonics 91 Blazers 55 at the end of 3 Quarter
I am currently working on top 10 things to do during a 40 point white wash.

Sonics 74 Blazers 38 with 9:02 left in the 3rd Quarter
THIS IS A JOKE !!! NOT MUCH TO SAY
If I was starting a franchise, and I could have every player on the blazers I would only take blake as a practice point guard on my inactive roster and I might take Przybilla as a 3rd center but maybe not.
Nate doesn't start Zach Randolph in the third quarter

Sonics 67 Blazers 35 at the half
It is one thing to be as bad as the blazers but what is even worse is they don’t have a single player who they can build around for the future.
This is the bleakest of the bleak
This reminds me of a college game around finals when the big program plays a division III team so they can just get out and sweat.
Ray Allen did a ton of damage in the first half 20 points on 10 shot attempts
The Sonics put down the hammer and the Blazer crumbled.

Sonics 47 Blazers 27 with 5:52 left in the 2nd Quarter
Back to back threes by Ray Allen over the top of Jarrett Jack.
Sebastian Telfair is unimpressive. I think at best he is Earl Watson
The Blazers are really awful. It is hard to tell if they are not trying or if they are not good.
Great low post power move by Johan Petro
Allen has 9 in the Q
Not much to say about this one sided affair.

Sonics 34 Blazers 19 at the end of the 1st Quarter
Wow – I am not sure how Nate watches this every night his team is brutal.
Robert Swift is playing without the mask and his rebounding has been very strong in the game so far.
Earl Watson has been able to pick up the tempo and give the Sonics a ton of easy looks.
Sonics hit 14 of 19 in the quarter with only 4 fast break points but that is misleading they had numerous early chances
Good defensive rebounding by both teams.

Sonics 14 Blazers 7 with 7:00 left in the 1st Quarter
Damien Wilkins starting in place of Rashard Lewis who is not playing tonight with the ankle injury. Wilkins has come out on fire scoring 10 of the Sonics first 12 points on 4 of 4 shooting.
Seattle has hit 7 of 8 shots to open the game.

RE-CAPING DECEMBER'S STORY ABOUT SONICS DEFENSE

2006-03-31T23:13:00.000-08:00

UPDATE -- I wrote this in December. A similiar story was just written on ESPN. The part of the story John Hollinger didn't include is how amazing it is that the Sonics have won any games at all with a defense this bad. Check out what the rest of the teams that have been at this nadir did in the win total.

Here is what I found.
First, since 1988, year the Minnesota Timberwolves entered the NBA no team has had a defensive rating as bad as the Sonics current rating of 114.6. Defensive rating is figured as points allowed per 100 possessions.
The only teams that were anywhere close are as follows …..

Year Team Def Rating Wins
05-06 Sonics 114.6 ??
92-93 Mavericks 114.3 11
90-91 Nuggets 113.2 20
95-96 76ers 111.6 18
94-95 Pistons 111.6 28
89-90 Magic 111.6 18
97-98 Grizzlies 111.3 19
97-98 Nuggets 111.1 11
94-95 Wolves 111.1 21

30 teams since 1988 have had a defensive rating worse then 110. Three of those teams managed to get to 41 wins but none were above .500

The only real way to judge a defensive team from one year to the next is to judge them in relation to the league average. This accounts for increases and decreases in scoring trends. The Sonics defensive rating is 114.6 and the league average is 102.6. Therefore the Sonics are a –12.

Again this is the worst of any team in the NBA since the 1988 season and maybe longer.
Here are the other terrible teams and their success rate …..

Year Team Def to Avg Wins
05-06 Sonics -12 ???
99-00 Clippers -10.46 15
99-00 Warriors -9.22 19
92-93 Mavericks -9.21 11
97-98 Grizzlies -8.63 19
99-00 Grizzlies -8.63 22
03-04 Magic -8.59 21
99-00 Bucks -8.49 42
90-91 Nuggets -8.49 20
97-98 Nuggets -8.39 11

The only team that won more then 22 games was Ray Allen’s Milwaukee Bucks.

None of this accounts for how good the Sonics are offensively. Therefore, I looked at efficiency differential, offensive efficiency minus defensive efficiency and charted 16 years of efficiency differential and its correlation to wins. The Sonics currently have an efficiency differential of –7.2, 4th worst in the league. History says that over the past 16 years teams with a –7.2 win between 21 and 28 games.

The most alarming findings were the following over the last 16 years …
No team with an efficiency differential of –7 or worse has ever won 30 games.
No team with an efficiency differential of –6 or worse has ever won 35 games.
No team with an efficiency differential of –5 or worse has ever won 37 games.
No team with an efficiency differential of –4 or worse has ever won 39 games.

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. LAKERS

2006-03-31T19:50:00.000-08:00

Lakers 92 Sonics 83 with 5:20 left in the 4th Quarter
Here is this for weird – Mikki Moore gets tied up on a jump ball and has his finger dislocated. He sprints straight to the locker-room. At this point Moore looks like he can’t make the jump ball so he is going to be DQ’d and the Lakers choose who is jumping. After much consternation Hill tries to send out Wilcox but the Lakers choose Ridnour as they are about to tip Moore comes running out of the locker-room and onto the floor. Now what …. Sonics have to take a time out to make it legal that Moore went to the locker-room. It was mass confusion.
Other notes – Luke is 0 for 8
18 turnovers for the Sonics
Sups got hot from three hitting two in a row to get the game to 6 but it is a false run because you can't live that way.

Kobes 81 Sonics 73 at the end of 3 Quarters
Kobe scored 10 of the final 14 points of the Quarter including a sick bucket at the buzzer
When Kobe gets hot he stops defending and the Sonics didn’t have anyone in the game who could take advantage of it.
Another poor third quarter for the Sonics 29-17 they were outscored
Sonics turnover issue is officially an issue – 15 turnovers in the game and 6 in the quarter

Lakers 73 Sonics 70 2:00 left in the 3rd Quarter
Kobe time. He has scored on the last 3 possessions and has 10 in the quarter
Sonics feel like they are on the verge of getting blown out but it has felt that way most of the night and they have made the plays.
Hill moves Wilkins to the 2 and brings Lewis is at the 3 with Allen resting and the Sups down by 3

Lakers 63 Sonics 61 with 6:57 left in the 3rd Quarter
Can the Sonics get rid of the 3rd Quarter and call it something else.
They have been terrible in the 3rd Q all year
9-0 Lakers run
22-9 run since 2nd Quarter
Lewis and Petro are out – Swift and Wilkins in
Chris Wilcox has missed three in a row.
Lakers got there 1st fast break point at the 9:05 mark of the 3rd Quarter
Kobe in the Quarter is 2 of 3 --- 1 was a fast break dunk.

Sonics 56 Lakers 52 at the half
Lakers 11-4 to the end the half
Sonics offense disappeared in the final moments of the half
Kobe is 4 of 15 when he is guarded by Ray Allen
Kobe is noticeable better tonight when he does not dribble when he has put the ball on the floor he has miss

Sonics 50 Lakers 38 with 3:59 in the 2nd Quarter
Sonics on a 13-2 run
Kobe is just 4 of 14 when being guarded by Ray today
Kobe has 17 on 18 shots and Ray has 16 on 11 shots
Seattle continues to get very good looks on the offensive end
Mikki Moore took a charge from Kobe and it resulted in a Kobe tech

Sonics 37 Lakers 33 with 8:03 left in the 2nd Quarter
Earl is boom or bust tonight. He is going full speed and making great plays and then on the next possession throwing it all over the gym
Swift made a terrible play and then looked very fearful about what he had just done. That is not the correct reaction.
Game feels like it is swinging toward the Lakers

Sonics 28 Lakers 23 at the end of 1 Quarter
The Sonics are pushing the ball and the getting really good looks.
The Lakers are a poor defensive team rotating out to the three point line.
They are pretty good when it comes to covering the paint and the rollers but they are really slow getting out on shooters. If the Sonics stay focused they will get good looks all game.
The Sonics defensive rebounding has not be as good as it needs to be. On the final play Kwame Brown stole a rebound from Robert Swift that the youngster should have never let get away, he was either weak or miss jumped.

Sonics 19 Lakers 15 with 4:31 left in the 1st Quarter
Kobe misses his first three shots and is 2 of 6.
Lakers are going at Rashard with Lamar Odom
Lewis has made two great hustle plays for the Sonics
Wilcox has made two buckets out of isolation plays in the post on Brian Cook
High paced game early on.

LOCKE'S BREAKDOWN OF THE M'S STARTING STAFF

2006-03-31T08:53:00.000-08:00

I am not sure how you are supposed to equate spring training numbers to regular season performance, but if there is any relation at all the Mariners are in serious trouble.
The Mariners left Arizona with a 8.18 ERA. Sure they pitched a ton of guys that aren’t going to be in the big leagues this season, but on the other hand in the last two nights Moyer allowed 8 runs in 2 innings and Pineiro allowed seven in six innings.

All of this will look at a lot better when the pitchers get to throw in the Northwest cold of April and May in Safeco Field. However, what happens when they hit the road.
<-p> The optimism of this starting staff starts and ends with one man, Felix. There is no reason to believe he will be anything, but terrific. However, the Mariners are still managing him with kid gloves and would like to keep his season total innings pitched, including spring training, under 200.

From there it will be a crap shoot. In reverse order, nothing new pitching coach Rafael Chaves has done has changed Gil Meche and his performance. Dr. Phil is the only hope. My best guess is we get 5 starts from Meche before everyone throws there hands in the air and says I quit. There is nothing in his make-up that makes me believe he will be able to translate into a top line pitcher.

Joel Pineiro, despite his last outing, give the opening day optimists some room. Pineiro’s arm was never right last year and on occasion he showed signs that when it is right he can be terrific again. Truly the Mariners need a #3 quality season out of Pineiro because it is somewhat inevitable that either Washburn or Moyer will fade.

Speaking of Washburn, let’s forget about the contract for a moment. Yes, we all know it was bad, but the Mariners believe that since they paid for the hitters they had to follow the next season paying for pitching. I might not pass debate class if I had to defend it, but that is what they believe. Anyway, Washburn is a terrific inning eater who when blessed with a really good offense will keep you in enough games to win. He might be Aaron Sele before he got old. That is the best I can imagine out of Washburn. I doubt there will be many days when we say, “Washburn controlled that game.”

Lastly, we have Moyer. Can he only pitch at home? My concern with this staff is when Moyer throws up a stinker on the road, like he did every time last year, who is going to be able to stop the bleeding of the bullpen on a road trip.

Final thought. The reality and cruelty of injuries is that the Mariners will need two more starters this year to combine for almost 30 starts. Think about the Yankees last year. That is where this all falls apart. Who is getting those starts? Can they keep the M’s in games? The 30 extra starts is what separates staffs in baseball.

HUSKIES HAVE A SET-BACK ON THEIR OFFENSIVE LINE

2006-03-30T16:40:00.000-08:00

Day 1 for the Huskies had a unusual and unfortunate twist. Tyrone Willingham announced that offensive line coach Mike Denbrock has left the team due to an "unspecified illness." They hope he will be able to return by the end of the spring. In the meantime, former Husky and former GA Kyle Benn has been hired to replace Denbrock.

The offensive line is the #1 concern this Spring and losing the position coach is a tremendous blow. Moreover, the entire spring relies on the offensive line coming through. If the offensive line is in shambles then it become impossible to evaluate both the other offensive players and the opposing defensive players.

On a more positive note, Willingham had a nice quote about JR Hasty on Dawgman.com "J.R. makes yardage," Willingham said. "Talk about not being a sprint champion or this or that, and we take up so much time talking about what they aren't we lose focus on what they do. He gains yardage and understands how to do that, and that's a great quality to have."

CAPTION CONTEST

2006-03-30T11:20:00.000-08:00

Put your best caption in the comment zone. Please keep it respectful. I wll post the best ones as they come in.

LOCKE BREAKDOWN OF HUSKIES SPRING FOOTBALL

2006-03-30T11:16:00.000-08:00

Huskies start their spring practice. As Dick Baird alterly pointed out last year was about getting acquainted this year is about getting something done. Both the Times and the PI have put together their questions to be answered in the spring pieces.

Here is a the Locked on Sports breakdown of this three week run. Of course, Willingham continues his fan unfriendly approach of closing the practices therefore, we will not be able to relay any insight from the practices to you.

Question #1 is at QB – What I think gets interesting here is that Stanback had no growth for most of last year. Now as a senior that becomes a huge drawback for him in the competition. If he doesn’t show amazing growth and blow DuRocher out then I think he losses this job. On the other hand, it is undeniable he is the best playmaker on the offense and you can have that sitting on the bench. Tim Lappano said on dawgman.com the other day we need to have the ball in #4 hands more often. Yet, as a QB being a senior is going to work against him.

Injuries could cripple the spring, particularly to the offensive line. The numbers are so small that if they lose one or two guys it is going to become impossible to make progress for the offense as a whole. This happened a few years ago and really stunted the growth of Gilbertson’s team.

Position changes. There are gaps all across this roster. Most of the players who played last year were inadequate. The real task of this coaching staff is going to find ways to maximize what may be insufficient talent by placing them in the correct positions.

Someone on the defensive line better step up or have an attitude change. Greyson Gunheim hasn’t shown the balls to be a great pass rusher. Donny Mateaki hasn’t been able to stay healthy or be influential when he is on the field. These guys have to change their make-up or the Huskies need to find guys to replace them.

Here is the scariest thing. There are only 3 newcomers that have any chance of making an impact on this roster. Therefore, there better be a huge surge from last year’s freshman who are now physically ready to make a mark. The guy on the top of that list is JR Hasty

SIMULBLOG SONICS V. ROCKETS

2006-03-29T17:10:00.000-08:00

Rockets 115 Sonics 87 – FINAL SCORE
Not much to say
Defensively this was joke. The Rockets are the worst offensive team in the NBA without McGrady and the Sups allowed 60+ in the first half.
Finally at the end of the night the Sonics had more field goals then turnovers.

Rockets 76 Sonics not very many with 6:39 left in the 3rd Quarter
Is it a bad sign if you are down 30 and your opponent goes on a 10-0 run.
Watson hits back to back three’s to bring Seattle within 34 – look out here we come

Rockets 64 Sonics 32 at the half
When you have more turnovers then field goals you are in trouble. Particularly if you have played 24 minutes.
Rockets shot 66% and the Sonics have shot 22% in the first half
Allen is 1 for 12.

Rockets 56 Sonics 25 with 2:56 left in the 2nd Quarter
Is there ever a point where you can just go home. Just hit he re-set button and say forget.
This would be the night.
The Sonics have no energy, no flow, no interest.
This is really tough to watch.
The idea of the Rockets scoring 56 points in a half is inconceivable. To do it with 2:56 left is even worse.

Rockets 37 Seattle 18 with 7:59 left in the 2nd Quarter
Seattle missed 14 straight shots
This is absurd. The Rockets are a terrible offensive team. I mean really really terrible and Seattle can’t stop them tonight.
Rockets are shooting 60% and the Sonics are shooting 20%
Ray Allen is 0 for 7
Seattle has 8 turnovers and 6 field goals.

Rockets 29 Sonics 10 at the end of 1 Quarter
This one has gotten away in a hurry
Juwan Howard crushed Chris Wilcox early in the game.
Wilcox really is a poor post defender.
Seattle can’t hit a shot tonight
Neither big has been able to handle Yao Ming

Rashard Lewis is out for tonight's game. Damien Wilkins will start in his place. Over the past two years Wilkins has thrived in this circumstances.

Spring Training - Morse, Dobbs sent down; Petagine, Borchard make roster

2006-03-29T10:25:00.000-08:00

John Hickkey of the PI is reporting that the roster moves have been made.Spring Training - Morse, Dobbs sent down; Petagine, Borchard make roster: "As a result, two players who were not in camp when spring training started, first baseman Roberto Petagine and outfielder Joe Borchard, will make the team. But even they can't afford to be too comfortable -- one of them probably will be the odd man out when Matt Lawton's 10-day steroids supension to start the season has run its course.

Two players who reasonably could be expected to make the team, infielder/outfielder Mike Morse and first baseman/third baseman Greg Dobbs, won't. Morse will be asked to play in left and right and at third, short and first for the Rainiers."

ANALYSIS -- I am surprised that Dobbs couldn't make the roster. He has such a good swing and seemed to have the knack to pinch hit. In addition, I like Morse being sent down. This is what they should have done last year so he could learn the outfield. His natural knack at the plate is something you have to find a spot for once he gets comfortable on the big league level.

In addition on the pitching front the Mariners optioned Nagotte and reassigned Kevin Appier.

Locked on Sports: To foul or not: The answer is simple

2006-03-29T10:08:00.000-08:00

Locked on Sports: To foul or not: The answer is simple: "When a basketball team is up by three points in the final seconds of a game, it has the option to foul the other team. This puts the opponent at the free-throw line, eliminating the chance of hitting a game-tying 3-pointer.

Numerous variables go into this decision: how much time is left, rebounding, inbounds plays and more.

However, no matter how you crunch the numbers, the correct move is to foul.

Yet coaches make their decisions based on fear of the worst-case scenario and blow this call almost every time.

Friday night, Washington had a three-point lead with seven seconds to play and decided not to foul a Connecticut player. Instead, Rashad Anderson, a 41-percent shooter from 3-point range, tied the game with 1.8 seconds left.

I can comfortably say had the Huskies fouled instead of trying to prevent the shot, they would have played another game and possibly would be on their way to Indianapolis for the Final Four."

SIMULBLOG SONICS V. GRIZZZ

2006-03-28T17:19:00.000-08:00

SONICS 98 GRIZZ 97 – FINAL SCORE
Are you kidding me !!!! Ray Allen does it again. A buzzer beater on an impossible angle. Allen goes 1 on 1 on Eddie Jones one of the best in the game and hits the game winner.
The game changed when down 86-82 the Sups switched Petro onto Gasol. He forced Gasol off the box and Gasol who was brilliant all night finished the night going 1 for 5 with 2 FT over the final 8 minutes of the game.
Not only did Petro play d but he hit two 15 foot jumpers in the final 3 minutes.
Petro in back to back nights guarded Duncan and Gasol. His athleticism could allow him to be a very special defensive player.
Rashard Lewis got hurt with 2:45 left and Sonics to survive

Grizz 93 Soncis 89 with 3:12 left in the 4th Quarter
Huge play – Lewis missed his signature running hook and when he missed he hurt his ankle and the Grizz went the other direction with a 5 on 4 and Miller hit a three.
Miller has back to back buckets
Gasol got his first shot on Petro
We are back into the halfcourt game and Memphis is putting the clamps down defensively.
Earl Waston is finishing

Sonics 89 Grizz 86 with 5:00 left in the 4th Quarter
Gasol scored on the first threee possession while being guarded by Moore
Since they switched Petro onto Gasol he is 0 for 2 with a turnover.
Allen another nasty three

Memphis 80 Soncis 76 at the end of 3 Quarters
Gasol has 38 points
When will the Sonic double him in the 4th?

Sonics 76 Memphis 75 with 1:30 left in the 3rd Quarter
Gasol scored on three straight possessions on Wilcox he has 36
The game is in the half court for Seattle offensively
Eddie Jones has gotten hot
Seattle is dribbling way to much right now.
Swift’s lack of upper body strength has been evident tonight

Sonics 71 Grizz 64 with 5:37 left in the 3rd Quarter
Wilcox three dunks in the Quarter
Grizz scored on the first 5 possessions, but Seattle has recovered.
Sonics need to keep the pace up.

Sonics 59 Grizz 49 at the halftime
Wow !!!
Rebounding edge 26-12
Bench play has been terrific. Mikki Moore came in for Wilcox and played great.
The game changed when Allen was on the bench and Seattle started there run.

Sonics 59 Grizz 49 at the halftime
Wow !!!
Rebounding edge 26-17
Bench play has been terrific. Mikki Moore came in for Wilcox and played great.
The game changed when Allen was on the bench and Seattle started there run.

Sonics 44 Grizz 37 with 5:55 left in the 2nd Quarter
This is remarkable.
The Soncis have been stymied by the Grizz all year and tonight they are taking it to Memphis.
Earl Watson has changed this team moreso then any player
Swift showed his talent with a great rebound and then sprinted the floor and was there for the put-back. Which he missed and then missed the free throws. So he is not there yet.

Sonics 28 Grizz 27 at the end of 1 Quarter
28 points against the Grizz in a Q is remarkable.
Great comeback.
Gasol has been great and the Sonics have been single teamed. The instinct is to not stay with the single team. I would stay with it. He won’t score 20 every quarter and his teammates are getting stale

Sonics 24 Grizz 24 with 2:51 left in the 2:36 left in the 1st Quarter
Holy smokes Sonics have hit 7 of their last 8 and Ridnour has been the offensive punch.
Most amazingly they have done this with Allen on the bench.
Allen has the biggest discrepancy of any player in the NBA in how his team performs when he is on the floor v. off the floor. This is very rare to make a run with Allen on the bench. Suddenly, if you can make a run with Ray on the bench you can win this game.
If the Sonics score on Memphis after scoring on San Antonio then they are for real offensively.
Earl Watson has been terrific

Memphis 14 Gasol 12 Sonics 2 with 8:00 left in the 1st Quarter
Gasol is dominating !!!!!
Gasol really has developed an awesome all around game.
First possession he put it on the floor at Wilcox and hit a 10 footer
Next possession he got doubled on the dribble and hit Akins for a three.
Then later he put it on the floor and went for the reverse lay-up.
The next possession they re-set him in the post and he hit a turnaround.
Then he got it again on the left block and straightened up on Petro and he dribbled on step to the baseline and then hit a step back from behind the backboard.
He has directly contributed 12 of the 14 points.
Lewis who has been terrible all year against the Grizz has not been very good today

HOW DO THE SONICS BIG COMPARE !!!!

2006-03-28T14:51:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be interesting to see how the Sonics two young bigs were performing at a per 40 minute rate compared to the other young bigs in the NBA. Also, I have included Yao Ming as the All-Star.

These numbers for Swift and Petro are since Hill took over.

YOUNG BIGS PER 40 MINUTES:

Player          Points Rebounds Blocks
--------------------------------------
Yao Ming         25.4    11.9     1.9
Robert Swift     12.8    11.1     2.6
Johan Petro      12.0    10.0     1.5
Channing Frye    20.4     9.5     1.2
Dwight Howard    17.0    13.3     1.6
Emeka Okafor     15.8    11.9     2.3
Andrew Bogut     12.4    10.1     1.3
Tyson Chandler    7.8    13.5     1.9
Chris Kaman      14.1    11.5     1.8
Andris Biedrins  10.3    10.4     2.0
Rafael Aruajo     7.3    10.0     0.4
Andrew Bynum      9.4     9.7     2.5

GREAT NEWS ON MARINERS FRONT

2006-03-28T11:19:00.000-08:00

According to the Seattle P-I Spring Training Blog Jeremy Reed wrist is not broken. According to the story the wrist problem is an old fracture not a break. While opening day may be a long shot it is not out of the question that he could avoid going on the DL.

MORE MORRIS IN SEATTLE

2006-03-28T10:20:00.000-08:00

After visting numerous teams Maurice Morris found a soft market and has returned to Seattle signing a three year contract to be Alexander's back-up. The Hawks had hoped that Morris would return the entire time, but allowed him to test the market and see if he had other opportunites. The market has been soft for all running backs, starters and back-ups alike.

This is good news for the Hawks. Morris knows the system and the role. Moreover, he is gaining experience each year and is a valuable asset to the Hawks. He will likely recieve more and more time as Alexander ages.

KELVIN SAMPSON NOT MARK FEW AT INDIANA

2006-03-28T10:15:00.000-08:00

According to today's Indianapolis Star ... A source close to Mark Few said Monday the Gonzaga coach has been contacted and told he is not considered a candidate at Indiana.

That would tell me that Indiana is very close to making their hire. UPDATE --- In fact they are and the Hoosiers have hired former Cougar Head Coach Kelvin Sampson from Oklahome. Nothing like losing in the first round in back to back years and picking up a new gig.

Felix Hernandez forced to sit by pain from shin splints

2006-03-26T19:42:00.000-08:00

A minor set-back for Felix. Here is the Seattle-PI report.
Felix Hernandez forced to sit by pain from shin splints: "Prized Seattle prospect Felix Hernandez, who has been experiencing some right leg pain, has been scratched from his Wednesday start.

Hernandez has developed a mild case of shin splints, and the Mariners want to make sure their 19-year-old No. 5 starter doesn't get any worse. He's been scratched from all running exercises for the time being, although he can do regular arm and upper-body work."

LOCKE'S NUMBERS DEFEAT MITCH THE GURU

2006-03-26T18:14:00.000-08:00

UPDATED -- 6:49 PM ON SUNDAY

It is over !!! Locke's numbers and Mitch the guru both should get an award for inadequacy. Nonetheless, neither bracket has any more chance to score points. That means that the NUMBERS HAVE DEFEATED THE GURU. Certainly, it wasn't a win of elegance but nonetheless it was a win.

Therefore, after making fun. mocking and general disrespect to the concept of picking a bracket via history and the numbers, Mitch Levy will be writing a $200 check to the scholarship fund of Four Winds Westward Ho Summer Camp located on Orcas Island.

FINAL 4
Mitch's Final 4 - ~~West Virginia, Memphis, UConn, Boston College~~
Locke's Final 4 - ~~Texas, Kansas, UConn~~, Florida

TEAMS TO ROOT AGAINST
Team's Mitch has in the Elite 8 that Locke's numbers don't -- ~~West Virginia~~, Memphis, ~~Indiana~~, ~~Michigan St.~~, ~~Boston College.~~

Team's Mitch has in the Sweet 16 that Locke's numbers don't -- LSU, ~~Indiana~~, ~~Pittsburgh~~, ~~Michigan St.~~, ~~Tennessee~~,Georgetown

Current Standings
Mitch's Teams left as of the Sweet 16 = 11
Locke's Teams left as of the Sweet 16 = 10

Mitch's Teams left as of the Elite 8 = 3
Locke's Teams left as of the Elite 8 = 5

Big Games in the Sweet 16
Texas (Locke) v. West Virginia (Mitch) --- Locke wins
Villanova (Locke) v. Boston College (Mitch) -- Locke wins
Memphis (Mitch) v. Bradley (none) -- Mitch wins
UCLA (Locke) v. Gonzaga (none) -- Locke wins

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. SPURS

2006-03-26T17:56:00.000-08:00

SONICS 106 SPURS 102 --- FINAL SCORE
The game of the year other then in Phoenix
The Sonics play toe for toe with the World Champions and avoid a collapse with a big three by Allen down the stretch.
Petro made a huge defensive play knocking the ball away from Duncan on an inbound to prevent the Spurs from getting a final shot
The Sonics were on the verge of a collapse. Luke Ridnour had four turnovers in the final 2 minutes and it lead to the Spurs getting the lead.
Allen then went one on one on Bowen and nailed a three to win it.
Controversial call a moment before when Horry intercepted a pass but either fell or was knocked out of bounds and the officials ruled him out of bounds to give the Sonics another shot.
An amazing win.
The Sonics offense was better then the Spurs defense and the Sonics showed a defensive approach that they hadn’t had all season.
Does this make you believe?

Sonics 100 Spurs 93 with 2:37 left in the 4th Quarter
Oh my oh my oh my
Luke hits Wilcox on his way to the basket but he misses and JOHAN PETRO FINISHES IT OFF WITH AUTHORITY ---- WOW!!!
A few plays before the Sonics defense forces a turnover and the Sups get a fast break Ridnour leads the break, he wants to go to Wilcox on the left but the spacing is bad and somehow some way he sees Lewis trailing and leaves it behind in traffic for LEWIS WHO FINISHES IT OFF WITH AUTHORITY
Sonics 9 of 13 in the Quarter

Sonics 98 Spurs 93 with 3:26 left in the 4th Q
This is night that makes you believe
This is a night that makes you renew season tickets
This is a night that makes all of the struggles seem distant
The Sonics are outplaying the Spurs on both ends of the floor

Sonics 90 Spurs 85 with 6:43 left in the 4th Quarter
This the game of the year. The intensity is great. The Spurs are the best and Seattle is playing right with the,
Official Jimmy Clark has a good sense of humor, Horry was disputing a foul call and Clark says to the scorers table -- “he bumped and he hit hit him and then he blocked the shot but that was too late.”

Sonics 84 Spurs 78 with 9:25 in the 4th Quarter
What a start to the 4th
Petro gets back to back baskets
Allen buries a transition three. 6 already in the 4th quarter – 30 for the game.
DON’T PISS OFF THE GENTLEMEN HE WILL GET YOU. HE WILL BRING THE FIGHT.
Great defense on Parker has highlighted the 4th quarter.

Sonics 74 Spurs 74 at the end of 3 Quarters
Great atmosphere here at Key Arena tonight.
Luke Ridnour is playing very well tonight. He is getting around screens with the ball very quickly. He is aggressive into the lane. He is playing even with Tony Parker right now.
Plus, he has hit some big outside shots.
However, he just made a huge brain cramp trying to catch a pass that was going out of bounds and he stepped on the endline – the Sonics would have got the ball underneath their own basket – it didn’t cost the Sonics
The Sonics defensive game plan on Manu Ginobili is very very strong. They are doubling him and getting ball out of his hand to discontinue his ability to probe the defense.
Seattle is playing hard enough to get the Spurs frustrated.

Spurs 65 Sonics 62 with 4:35 left in the 3rd Quarter
Ray Allen back to back threes.
Seattle is really playing well tonight. Mainly on the defensive end.
Allen hit a three a moment ago and it was the first foul called on the Spurs in the entire quarter. Seattle has 7.

Spurs 61 Sonics 55 with 5:50 left in the 3rd Quarter
Spurs have come out of the half and run every play to Duncan in the post trying to go at Chris Wilcox.
The other play the Spurs are living on is a pick n roll with Parker and the non-Duncan big. This forces the Sonics to leave Duncan and to help on rotation. That is a tough quandary. It is great coaching moves to make a player like Nazr Mohhamed have value.
Swift just got three fouls on two possessions and they were tickty tact. They will go away in a few years.

Spurs 46 Sonics 42 at the half
Robert Swift is going to be really good if he wants to be.
I am watching him and I can’t find anything that he physically can’t do.
He has great hoops, good hands, he needs better balance but his balance is very good.
He is slowing down in the post offensively. He has very defensive instincts to block shots.
What he needs is time on the floor, he needs to understand the game and he needs to get the respect of everyone around him.
The Sonics have responded well to the Bowen incident and are playing right with the Spurs. This has been impressive over the last 4 minutes of the first half.
Parker has been quiet.

Spurs 39 Sonics 28 with 5:45 left in the 2nd Quarter
Bruce Bowen is a thug
Ray Allen was working one on one on Bowen and when he went they made contact and Allen got an offensive foul. But being the dirtiest player in the NBA Bowen always gets underneath his man and they fell to the ground. On the ground Bowen then kicked Allen in the back. Allen got up and was pissed. A tech was called on Allen and that was the correct call. A tech was called on Bowen.
The issue for me is that Bowen gets underneath guys and puts the shooters legs and ankles in jeopardy.
Someone should pop him.

Spurs 28 Sonics 20 at the end of 1 Quarter
Great shooting on both sides – Spurs at 55% Sonics 53%
Sonics commit 6 turns
Game is at Seattle’s pace.
Wilcox 7 leads the Sups – Duncan 10 leads the Spurs.

Spurs 28 Sonics 18 with 2:04 left in the 1st Quarter
Tony Parker is unguardable
The Spurs scored on 9 straight possessions
Lewis picks up two offensive fouls in the first quarter – 4:46 left in the Q he has to leave
Now the question is will he ever get back into the game mentally. He spent most of the next time-out lobbing with the officials.
When Lewis leaves and the Sonics have Watson, Ridnour and Wilkins on the floor the Sonics can’t shoot.
Wilcox is playing against Duncan and he seems fearless.

Spurs 17 Sonics 13 with 6:46 left in the 1st Quarter
Spurs are up 4 and Pop takes the time-out becomes he is furious.
The Spurs live on a different planet then the rest of the league
The Sonics hit 5 of their first 7 before turning it over on the next three possessions.
The Sups are struggling with their rotations. They are leaving too many guys wide open in their sweet spot.

Storylines
1) The best in the world are in town
2) Sonics pace v. Spurs pace
3) Best defense in the league and one of the best of all time against the worst in the league and maybe the worst of all time.

REVIEW OF THE HUSKIES CRUSHING LOSS

2006-03-24T22:46:00.000-08:00

I just finished re-watching the game. Sports fans in the State of Washington are the Job of Sports Fans. This is absurd, when does are day come. Here is the breakdown.

You have to foul. We have talked about this one thousand times on Locked on Sports. It is a mathmatical no brainer. If you lead by three with less then 7 seconds you have to foul. It is criminal not to and it cost Washington the game. This is a classic example of coaches coaching scared. Coaches don't foul because they are scared of the worst case scenario no matter how rare it might be. Coaches need to be smarter. In this case Lorenzo cost Washington a trip to the Elite 8 because he coached out of fear from a past experience.

The amount of mistakes down the stretch by Washington were unreal. Again we have talked all year on the coaches show about how do you maintain aggressiveness and be smart. The Huskies failed this balance and it cost them the game. Here is the sequence.

Up 6 with 1:28 left the Huskies have the ball on a rebound but in traffic Mike Jensen can't get the ball out and throws a bad pass to Dentmon out of bounds. The next play leads to Bobby Jones fouling out.
Up 5 with :35 seconds left after a Jensen miss UConn pushes it up and Jensen sags into the lane leaving UConn's best three point shooter open for a bomb.
Up 4 with :11 seconds left Jensen fouls Williams on a drive and gives up and three point play to make it a one point game. The extra point becomes the difference on the final possession. Jensen fouls out.
Up 3 the Huskies decided not to foul and we head to overtime.

In overtime, the Officials miss a goaltending, but down 2 the Huskies panicked when they got gift and threw the ball away.

The Huskies coaches did a great job with their defensive game plan. They doubled the pick n roll and forced the ball out of the hands of UConn's primary ball handlers. It was fantastic. It forced 26 turnovers and for all intent and purpose it won the game.

Jamal Williams was fantastic. His one on one game was unstoppable. He kept the Dawgs in the game when Roy was on the bench.

The real killer is that Washington played great and matched UConn every step of the way. It proves Washington was good enough go to the Final Four and they may have been good enough to win it.

UConn really struggled on the offensive end. I said on 950,KJR today that if the Dawgs controlled the defensive glass they could stop UConn and for the most part they did that.

On NBA Draft day when someone drafts Rudy Gay over Brandon Roy because of potential it will be a crime. Roy showed what a night in and night out stud he is again in this game. Gay showed how he rarely turns on the switch.

Ryan Appelby made a great steal and there was a defender in his way that forced him to curl out. It is a minor deal, but that is a great play by the UConn player. He threw the pass away and instead of sulking he quickly stepped out on the floor and cut off Appleby's path. It kept the play alive and forced the turnover. Little Things.

One of the key times of the game was early in the second half when Washington had a real chance to blow it out and they got greedy shooting long threes and missed all of them. With 17:00 left Washington forced four straight turnovers up 8 and weren't able to convert any of the four. Roy missed a drive,Jones missed a three, Williams missed a fade away and Dentom missed a deep quick three. All bad shots. Two of those and Washington would have been up 12 or more and rolling. Then two possessions later up 10 Roy missed a lay-up off a turnover that would have put them up 12. Then another turnvoer and the Huskies threw it away on an in-bound pass which lead to a Roy foul that would be costly. This was the key to the whole game.

The double techinical that knocked Roy out of the game for 6 minutes was on the upcoming sequence. The officials didn't have to call it, but it was a mistake by Roy to be in that situation.

Finally, this is another great season for Romar and Washington. To make the Sweet Sixteen in back to back years is really special. The pain comes because last year if Washington had played Louisville 10 times they would have lost 9 of them, if this year's team played UConn 10 times I think they would win 6 of them.

SIMULBLOG SONICS V. NUGGETS

2006-03-24T18:21:00.000-08:00

NUGS 117 SONICS 104 -- FINAL SCORE
Really bad sequence when the Sonics got within 8 with 5 minutes left ended the game.
Lewis took a quick 3 and then the defense didn't get back on the next possession the Sonics missed three threes.
Turnovers killed the Sups in the third
Good night for Swift and Ridnour
Reggie Evans has to be smiling ear to ear

Sonics 105 Nugs 95 with 5:23 left in the 4th Quarter
Ray and Rashard are still not rolling.
Another strong game for Robert Swift
Sonics cut it to 8 but can't make the plays to get closer
The bad Earl has been present for most of the night, 4 of 12 and 5 turns
The Soncis have been brutal at the line.

'Nugs 89 Sonics 79 at the end of 3 quarters
The defense looks bad becaus they allowed another 30 point quarter but it was the offensive that was killing Seattle with the turnover and giving the easy looks.
If anyone has seen Ray and Rashard can you let them know the 4th quarter has started.

Nuggets 69 Sonics 63 with 7:14 left in the 3rd Quarter
Lewis and Allen are combined for 3 of 18
The Sonics have been terrible with the ball in the Quarter. I mean amazingly bad. They have thrown balls around the floor without any pressure and the Nuggets are getting the easy baskets they didn't get in the first half.
Another bad third quarter for the Sonics.

Nuggets 57 Sonics 55 == at the half
Sonics in the game despite Ray not having a good game.
Where is Rashard Lewis -- 0 for in teh first half.
Ray and Rashard are
Sonics defense has been respectable.
Reggie Evans is tearing the Sonics up. He has 16. You knew this would happen when they met for the first time.
Damien Wilkins is having a very nice night.

Sonics 40 Nugs 35 wiht 6:42 left in the 2nd Quarter
Ray Allen gets his first field goal with 7:37 left in the 2nd Quarter
Nugs are trying to post Patterson on Allen in the post. Not sure this is bad because it takes the ball out of the hands of Anthony.
Chris Wilcox has three fouls. Ouch.
Ridnour with 10 points

Sonics 27 Nuggets 27 at the end of 1 Quarter
Ray and Rashard are 0 for the quarter. This again is a sign of how much better the Sonics are. If this had happened earlier in the season they would be down 20. Then again they may be if those guys don't get going in the near future.
Wilcox has 9 to lead the Sonics.
Anthony has 10 but 3 of 8 shooting. He must be kept off the free throw line and he has 4 free throws so far.

Sonics 22 Nuggets 16 with 3:05 left in the 1st Quarter
The Ridnour and Watson line-up leading teh Soncis to the lead
Robert Swift is playing well tonight. He seems to be better on the road.
Sonics are doing a nice job of protecting the rim

Nuggets 16 Sonics 15 with 5:34 left in the 1st Quarter
Chris Wilcox is at it again. He runs the floor so well that other teams power forwards can't keep up. They meekily are seen pointing at Wilcox as though someone has to pick him up.
For a player that Clipper people said was a low basketball IQ player he has a terrific knack for getting open.

HOW ARE THE NUMBERS DOING?

2006-03-23T22:36:00.000-08:00

In the meantime, how are the numbers doing. The numbers really are about picking the Sweet 16, the Elite 8 and the Final 4. Therefore, I will update based on who is alive in those.

Sweet 16 (11 of 16)-- Duke, ~~Texas A&M~~, West Virginia, Texas, Memphis, ~~Kansas, SDSU~~, UCLA, UConn, ~~Illinois, UNC~~, Withita St, Villanova, Boston College, Florida and ~~Ohio State~~.

Elite 8 (5 of the 8) -- ~~Duke~~, Texas, ~~Kansas~~, UCLA, UConn, ~~UNC~~, Villanova and Florida

Final (2 still alive) -- ~~Texas,Kansas~~, UConn, Florida

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. BUCKS

2006-03-22T19:00:00.001-08:00

Sonics 114 Bucks 105 --- FINAL SCORE
This is a totally different team. They played with strong energy all night. They have great depth even with the injuries and the guys understand how to play together,
Chris Wilcox had a career high 30 points and a double-double. He was magnificent. Teams really are going to have to game plan to his high wire act. You can’t leave him for a moment when the Sonics get into the paint.
The defense was very good all game. The Sonics guarded the rim very well. Their were two back to back plays late in the game when the Bucks drove the left baseline and beat their man but then had their shot altered by the long help defense of the Sonics big men.
Earl Watson finished the game and did it with a flash.
Ridnour played well today. I would rather have him then TJ Ford.
This is a good team win and a sign that there are positive days ahead

Sonics 94 Bucks 90 with 5:56 left in the 4th Quarter
With 8:44 left Allen was 3 of 13 since then he is 1 for 1
With 8:44 left Redd was 8 of 19 since he is 0 for 2
Redd and Allen both have 5 fouls with 5:56 left in the 4th
Eli Roe, one of the officials is a zoo. He may be the worst in the NBA. He is having a miserable night.
So much of the Sonics offense is free lance open floor that when they game gets tight they go to half court sets and that means that Wilcox and the bigs don’t get those penetration opportunities or open floor easy looks. Instead, the Sonics work hard to get Allen and Lewis there looks.
Dan Gadzuric is dominating the Sonics game tonight.

Sonics 83 Bucks 75 at the end of 3rd Quarter
Rashard Lewis welcome back. 15 points in the quarter for Lewis
Sonics are much more aggressive and have lived at the line – 36 attempts
Chris Wilcox has a career high 28 points and 12 rebounds. What a find.
Sonics defense has been solid all night long.
Defensive rating through three quarters is 101. That is great.

Seattle 69 Bucks 68 with 5:13 left in the 3rd Quarter
I think I would rather have Luke Ridnour more then TJ Ford. Ford is a bit player and Ridnour could be a many year starter.
Michael Redd is seriously outplaying Ray Allen. Ray is 2 for 11. Reed has 17.
Wilcox has not been as dominant but they don’t run plays for him so they have to materialize in the game.

Sonics 55 Bucks 54 at the half
Chris Wilcox has 20 points in the first half tonight and he has 7 rebounds.
He reminds me of a young Antonio McDyess. McDyess averaged 21-11 one year in Phoenix and I don’t think it is crazy to think Wilcox could head in that direction.
The Sonics are up by 1 with Lewis and Allen just 4 of 14.
Toni Kukoc beat Rashard off the dribble tonight. That is a crime

Bucks 38 Sonics 33 with 8:22 left in the 2nd Quarter
The Bucks just jumped on the Sonics with a line-up that should never beat you.
Ford and Bell were the guards with Kukoc, Joe Smith and Gadzuric. This team can’t score. They can’t shoot and they just kicked the Sonics butt.
Those are things that have to change if this team is going to correct itself.

Sonics 28 Bucks 24 at the end of 1 Quarter
The Sonics defense was terrific to close the quarter. The shots were contested and moreover the drive to the hoop were altered. The Sonics are showing signs of having the instincts of a good defensive basketball team. The area around the basket is clogged.
The rebounding was very good as well on the defensive end.
9-0 run by the Sonics to end the quarter
Chris Wilcox played a fantastic first quarter
Earl Watson came into the game and brought an immediate energy to the team.
I am not sure you can win with TJ Ford as your point guard. He was very unimpressive and he really can’t shoot.

Bucks 17 Sonics 13 with 5:09 left in the 1st Quarter
Johan Petro hit a jump hook from the post that was awesome. Petro has a skill pac
kage that makes you wonder what he might be able to accomplish. At other times he looks like a raw 19 year old.
Andrew Bogut looks like he has tired legs. However, his movement and instincts are terrific. He is enormous and will be a terrific player.
The post defense is lacking tonight by the Sonics.
Chris Wilcox continues to be impressive.

Storylines
1) Watson returns who finishes
2) Chris Wilcox hot play
3) The #1 pick of the draft, Andrew Bogut, is in the house
4) Ray Allen v. Michael Redd

SWEET SIXTEEN BY THE NUMBERS

2006-03-22T15:16:00.000-08:00

Let’s take a look at Washington v. Connecticut through the numbers. Breaking the game into 4 phases, taking care of the ball, shooting the ball, rebounding the ball and getting to the free throw line. This game should be played a blistering pace as these are the 2 of the top 6 pace of play teams in the NCAA tournament.

A few definitions for you. Trip Efficiency is your offensive rating for every time you cross half court, in other words it doesn’t count an offensive rebound as a new possession. Possession efficiency does the opposite it counts every shot or turnover as a possession and if you get an offensive rebound you have a new possession. Effective Field Goal% weighs three point shots.

Here is the Washington v. Connecticut breakdown.

When UConn has the ball …..

Stat Conn’s Offense Huskies Defense
Trip Efficiency 114.2 95.3
Possession Efficiency 92.9 79.2
Turnovers per possession 16.2% 21.3%
Effective Field Goal % 51.1% 48.2%
Rebounding 44.4% 68.2%
Free Throws per game 25.5

Connecticut is not a particularly good offensive team. They are a very average tournament team in efficiency and scoring. The way they score is on the offensive glass and the free throw line, both cases they are the #1 team in the tournament. Washington’s defense is predicated on forcing the turnover. They have the highest rated defensive turnover % of any team left in the tournament.

When Washington has the ball ….

Stat Washington’s Off Conn’s Def
Trip Efficiency 113.1 91.8
Possession Efficiency 94.0 74.8
Turnovers per Possession 17.1% 16.2%
Effective Field Goal% 52.6% 42%
Reboudning % 42.5% 67.1%
Free Throws per game 20.9

When Washington has the ball it is going to be a battle of two great squads. Washington is the 8th best offense in the tournament and UConn is #4 defensively. Connecticut is the best in the NCAA against the shot.

Washington’s ability to keep control of their defensive glass will be the difference in this game. That is significant because last year Washington would never of had a chance in this matchup.

HAWKS SPREAD THEIR WINGS

2006-03-20T21:16:00.000-08:00

The NFL Network is reporting that the Seattle Seahawks have signed linebacker Julian Peterson to a huge 7 year contract with as much as 18 million in guarantees.

This is a big time signing and gives the Hawks a defensive player that teams have to game plan for. The Hawks were solid defensive last season, but they have not had a player that teams need to alter their plan to deal with since Tez was at his best.

Peterson is that type of player. A consummate professional who makes yearly trips to the Pro-Bowl Peterson is a game changer. Moreover, he is the perfect compliment to the Hawks Lofa Tatupu and LeRoy Hill. The advantageous part of having two youngsters at the other linebacker spots means the Hawks can spend the type of money they are spending on Peterson.

Moreover, this alleviates some of the pressure on Tatupu and Hill. DD Lewis will be replaced in the starting line-up and he has shown no ability to change games or stay in games. This is a dramatic upgrade for the Hawks defensively.

According to the NFL Network, the Hawks are still pursuing John Abraham who is another serious game changer on the defensive end.

The Hawks are still without a second corner back or safety depth in the secondary.

HAWKS DECLINE ON HUTCH

2006-03-20T21:10:00.000-08:00

Priority #1 for the Seattle Seahawks this off season has left the building. Steve Hutchinson is a Minnesota Viking.

There is no debate left on whether or not the Hawks made a mistake not franchising Hutchinson. They made a terrible mistake. They may have done it as a good faith gesture, but it has backfired terribly and the complexion of this team is terribly altered.

The offensive line has been the core of this football team. Last year, it became obvious they had an advantage going into every game in the battle of their offensive line against their defensive line.

Moreover, the dynamic tandem of Hutchinson and Walter Jones covered up the other Hawks weaknesses. The reason Robbie Toebeck was a pro-bowler was because the Hawks were able to cover for the veteran with the play of Hutchinson. Chris Gray is also closer to 40 then 30 and his game is slipping. However, that was covered up by what the Hawks could do with Hutch in the interior of the line.

This team has been built to win right now. However, they just lost their #1 advantage going into each and every game. Shaun Alexander was the MVP and Matt Hasselbeck seems on the verge of being an MVP, but both are going to have bring their games to a new pinnacle without the mauler Steve Hutchinson on the line.

NUMBERS SHOW A LOT BUT GETTING THE DIVIDENDS

2006-03-17T17:26:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: 7:55 pm Sunday
We have reached the Sweet Sixteen and in a crazy year we have 10 of the 16 sweet sixteen teams. I am not pleased with this, but maybe I should run the numbers on Bradley and George Mason.
I am on vacation and when I return I will update any trends that may have developed.
What is surprising is while the overall results are not as good as I would like many of the indicators are holding very true

Did last year's trends continue .....

Update is in green.

· 9 of the top 13 offensive teams made the Sweet Sixteen and all Final Four Teams were in the Top 8. This makes Memphis a questionable pick since they are 32nd offensively. Memphis makes the Sweet 16. The UNC loss is one of the better offensive teams falling out. Without all my data I am not sure, but I believe this trend is going to hold with the Zags, the Huskies and West Virginia all making the 16.

· 0 of the bottom 10 offensive teams made the Sweet Sixteen. This eliminates Iowa, Arizona, Syracuse, Oklahoma, Southern Illinois, Seton Hall, UNC-Wilmington, UW-Milwaukee, Wisconsin and LSU. Check this out. The only teams to survive to the second round other then LSU beat another team on this list. This is a great indicator to upsets. LSU maintains and makes the Sweet 16 despite the offensive ineffectiveness.

· Nine of the Top 11 and 10 of the top 14 efficiency differential teams were Sweet Sixteen and the top 4 were Final Four. The top 4 are Texas, UConn, Florida and Kansas. The next are Memphis, Duke, Illinois, Bucknell, Washington, Villanova, George Washington, Ohio State, UNC and UCLA. Kansas was knocked out in the first round. Illinois lost to Washington who is aslo in the top 14 and GW lost to Duke who is in the top 14. Kansas loss is the only one to break the trend. Ohio State loss on Sunday is a surprise by this indiciator. Not as good an indicator this year but still strong as 7 of the top 10 made the Sweet 16, while only 8 of the top 14 (three lost to teams in the top 8).

· Only 2 of the bottom 15 effective field goal % teams made the Sweet Sixteen. Of teams seeded to go to the Sweet Sixteen this includes, Iowa, Villanova and 5 seeds Pittsburg, Nevada and Syracuse . This holds very true. Only Villanova got through to the Sweet 16. Last year was 2 of the bottom 15 to the Sweet 16 and I believe this year it is only 1 of 15.

· 12 of the top 16 defensive turnover % teams made the Sweet Sixteen. These are UAB, Texas A&M, Southern Illinois, Arizona, Bucknell, Tennessee, G Washington, Washington, West Virginia, UNC-Wilmington, Memphis, Arkansas, Kansas, Villanova, Florida and UCLA. Surprisingly 10 of this group are out of the tourny. This indicator is a failure in 2006.

· Only 1 of the bottom 13 defensive turnover % teams and 2 of the bottom 22 made the sweet Sixteen – Of the teams seeded to go to the Sweet Sixteen this includes, UConn, Gonzaga, Boston College, Ohio State, and UNC. The reverse of last year shows again on the turnovers.

LOCKE'S NUMBERS V. THE GURU OF THE NCAA MITCH LEVY

2006-03-16T15:35:00.000-08:00

UPDATED -- 7:57 PM ON SUNDAY
The real issue is if the numbers beat NCAA guru Mitch Levy. If you haven't heard Mitch mocked the numbers with some real venom. Therefore, I proposed a $200 bet for the charity of our choice on who wins. We will keep you up to date.
Here are Mitch's teams (the guys to root against)

NOTE -- We told you Iowa was prime for the upset since they couldn't score.

FINAL 4
Mitch's Final 4 - West Virginia, Memphis, UConn, Boston College
Locke's Final 4 - Texas, ~~Kansas~~, UConn, Florida

TEAMS TO ROOT AGAINST
Teams's Mitch has in the Elite 8 that Locke's numbers don't -- West Virginia, Memphis, ~~Indiana~~, ~~Michigan St.~~, Boston College.

Teams's Mitch has in the Sweet 16 that Locke's numbers don't -- LSU, ~~Indiana~~, ~~Pittsburgh~~, ~~Michigan St.~~, ~~Tennessee~~,Georgetown

Current Standings
Mitch's Teams left as of the Sweet 16 = 11
Locke's Teams left as of the Sweet 16 = 10

Big Games in the Sweet 16
Texas (Locke) v. West Virginia (Mitch)
Villanova (Locke) v. Boston College (Mitch)
Memphis (Mitch) v. Bradley (none)
UCLA (Locke) v. Gonzaga (none)