I thought this was a very interesting and unnerving read. Lots of different thoughts on this. If the final part that 1.5 % of players admitted to knowing someone who took money for playing poorly (and I am sure the # is higher since this is admitted) it would be 2 or 3 players in the Pac-10 alone. The structure of college basketball makes it very suspectible to point shaving and even moreso with the new rules about NBA eligibility.
Sad Suspicions About Scores in Basketball - New York Times: "It is played by young men who don't usually have a lot of money. With just five players on the court, one person can determine the outcome. And the point-spread system, in which bets are based on the margin of victory rather than wins and losses, allows players to fix a game without losing it."
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Locked on Sports: Now we'll see the real Alexander
Locked on Sports: Now we'll see the real Alexander: "What will the motivation be at this point? Will his ego put him on a quest to Canton, Ohio, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Or will the accomplishment of his primary goal, the contract, create a slippage in his performance?
Contract in hand, will he look beyond the team elements of a running back -- blitz pickup, pass routes and decoy situations -- and become even more obsessed in his quest for stats?
These are the questions that Alexander will answer in the upcoming years. The much-debated character and approach of Alexander will have shown all of its cards.
Somewhere in my gut, I believe we have seen the best of Alexander. The MVP season in which he refined many of the rough edges of his game will be the highlight."
Contract in hand, will he look beyond the team elements of a running back -- blitz pickup, pass routes and decoy situations -- and become even more obsessed in his quest for stats?
These are the questions that Alexander will answer in the upcoming years. The much-debated character and approach of Alexander will have shown all of its cards.
Somewhere in my gut, I believe we have seen the best of Alexander. The MVP season in which he refined many of the rough edges of his game will be the highlight."
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
MARQUAND MANUEL LEAVING THE HAWKS
Reports out of Green Bay have the Packers signing safety Marquand Manuel.
This is a blow to the Hawks because they are so short on depth at the safety. It puts a larger onus on whether or not Ken Hamlin is going to return. Look for the Hawks to address the safety position in their draft and off-season moves.
Manuel wasn't flashy, but his emergence after the Hamlin injury seemed to coincide with the disappearance of all the big plays the Hawks had been allowing. His fundamentals were terrific and rarely was he out of position.
Finally, this is a classic example of how making the Super Bowl puts a spotlight on all your players. Had the Hawks gone 9-7 and lost in the playoffs Manuel would not have been sought after.
Monday, March 06, 2006
MIXED EMOTIONS ON THE ALEXANDER SIGNING
THE GOOD -- THE CONTRACT
First let’s breakdown the contract. This is a great contract for the Seattle Seahawks. The contract is basically a 3 year 23 million dollar contract. If after 3 years when Alexander is 32 and in the danger zone the Hawks can cut him and he would only be a 2.75 million dollar hit on the cap for 2009. At that point it that will be less then 3% of the cap. Basically the Hawks are banking that Alexander is going to be productive for three more seasons and if he is for a 4th then they have his rights. It is a really good deal for the Hawks.
In addition, Alexander is in his correct place in the pecking order. Matt Hasselbeck and Walter Jones both are making more money, as should be the case.
In regards to re-signing Shaun this was the right move, it let him get his ego trip of being the highest paid back, which is what his ego had to have and it avoided Shaun going on the opening market and getting mad. Shaun ego is unique enough that this could have gotten interesting.
From a Hawks perspective it is the right move, they are rolling, fans are juiced, they are coming off a Super Bowl why rock the boat.
JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT
Let me say this, I don’t have a great feeling about it. Somewhere I really believe the right move was to let Shaun move on. This would have taken the biggest balls and would have defied all logic particularly when the Hawks were able to structure the deal the way they did.
But, it just doesn’t feel right. Alexander was perfect last year. Agreed. A large part of me thinks it was time for the Hawks to say we pushed ever button and we milked everything out of him and now it is someone else’s turn to deal with Shaun.
Call me crazy. And I will admit most of my pragmatic, numbers based historically based arguments of backs aging are eliminated by the structure of the deal. Nonetheless, somehow I think we will look back on this and say that it never worked the way we thought.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
HAWKS SIGN ALEXANDER
The Seattle Seahawks have signed Shaun Alexander to an 8 year 62 million dollar contract. More details to follow……. Here is the link to the FoxSports Story.
SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. JAZZ
SEATTLE WINS IN DOMINATING PERFORMANCE 113-81
Sonics 91 Jazz 68 at the end of 3 quarters.
Seattle is brilliant tonight.
Brilliant on the defensive end
Brilliant in the opening floor.
Brilliant in the half court
The Jazz are a great match-up for Seattle, but tonight Seattle hit a vibe they haven’t had all season.
AK’s foul trouble was huge he is Utah’s energy.
Sonics 75 Utah 54 with 7:07 left in the 3rd Quarter
AK got his 4th foul at the 9:33 mark of the third Quarter
Seattle is really stymieing the half court game of the Jazz
Some of this is the match-up with Utah but a lot of it is a new energy running through the Sonics that is visibly obvious
Sonics 61 Utah 47 at the half
Sonics lead the fastbreak 21-4. Watson and Ridnour make this team fast, fast, fast
Lewis and Allen have been great
Seattle has had the Jazz on their heels the entire game. Moreover, Utah is not playing their game. Instead of being in the half court slicing and dicing the Sonics the Jazz are playing an up tempo game.
Last time these teams played the Sonics never allowed Utah to get into their sets
Sonics 49 Jazz 35 with 5:08 left in the 2nd Quarter
Seattle has the Jazz number
Nick Collison is out with plantar problem in his left foot and his return is questionable. It happened when he came down after a rebound.
Two great things have happened to Luke Ridnour recently. First the acquisition of Earl Watson has ignited the fire inside of him to keep his job and the National invitation to play for the USA team give him great confidence. These two may lead him into the next sphere for his career.
Sonics 37 Jazz 27 with 8:57 left in the 2nd Quarter
Ray Allen has the range tonight. 5 for 5 from the field and 3 for 3 behind the arch
Wow Seattle looks good. They really play well against this team.
Having Earl Watson on the floor instead of Flip Murray is a remarkable difference.
Chris Wilcox on back to back to plays brought an element this team hasn’t had in sometime. Boozer beat Lewis and when he went for the dunk Wilcox meet him at the apex and effected the shot. Then he ran the floor full blast and Watson hit him with an alley-opp.
Sonics 27 Jazz 20 with :49 seconds left in the 1st Quarter.
Lewis went 1 on 1 at Kirlenko twice in the ball game and both time drew fouls. AK leaves the game at the 4:50 mark with the Sonics up by 10.
Watson and Ridnour are playing together and it brings a lot of energy to the floor.
They really push the ball. Before the game Bob Hill was talking about the team getting used to the speed Watson plays at and how remarkably fast he is with the ball.
If Watson has a weakness it is an in between game, but that has not been evident tonight as he hit a Magic Johnson running hook in the paint.
Sonics 18 Jazz 9 with 6:00 left in the 1st Quarter
Great match-up tonight Rashard v. AK 47 . The Sonics have to keep Rashard moving and occupying AK because he is a dynamite off the ball defender.
Sonics have started fantastically. Hitting 7 of 9 from the field.
The defensive rotation and intensity is terrific
The team held a pre-game meeting on the floor that had a vastly different energy then what I have seen all season. The bad energy has left this team and it is obvious.
Storylines
1) Jazz great offensive rebounding v. Sonics poor defensive rebounding
2) Jazz inability to shoot v. Sonics inability to defend
3) Turnover game. Jazz must have turns to score.
Sonics 91 Jazz 68 at the end of 3 quarters.
Seattle is brilliant tonight.
Brilliant on the defensive end
Brilliant in the opening floor.
Brilliant in the half court
The Jazz are a great match-up for Seattle, but tonight Seattle hit a vibe they haven’t had all season.
AK’s foul trouble was huge he is Utah’s energy.
Sonics 75 Utah 54 with 7:07 left in the 3rd Quarter
AK got his 4th foul at the 9:33 mark of the third Quarter
Seattle is really stymieing the half court game of the Jazz
Some of this is the match-up with Utah but a lot of it is a new energy running through the Sonics that is visibly obvious
Sonics 61 Utah 47 at the half
Sonics lead the fastbreak 21-4. Watson and Ridnour make this team fast, fast, fast
Lewis and Allen have been great
Seattle has had the Jazz on their heels the entire game. Moreover, Utah is not playing their game. Instead of being in the half court slicing and dicing the Sonics the Jazz are playing an up tempo game.
Last time these teams played the Sonics never allowed Utah to get into their sets
Sonics 49 Jazz 35 with 5:08 left in the 2nd Quarter
Seattle has the Jazz number
Nick Collison is out with plantar problem in his left foot and his return is questionable. It happened when he came down after a rebound.
Two great things have happened to Luke Ridnour recently. First the acquisition of Earl Watson has ignited the fire inside of him to keep his job and the National invitation to play for the USA team give him great confidence. These two may lead him into the next sphere for his career.
Sonics 37 Jazz 27 with 8:57 left in the 2nd Quarter
Ray Allen has the range tonight. 5 for 5 from the field and 3 for 3 behind the arch
Wow Seattle looks good. They really play well against this team.
Having Earl Watson on the floor instead of Flip Murray is a remarkable difference.
Chris Wilcox on back to back to plays brought an element this team hasn’t had in sometime. Boozer beat Lewis and when he went for the dunk Wilcox meet him at the apex and effected the shot. Then he ran the floor full blast and Watson hit him with an alley-opp.
Sonics 27 Jazz 20 with :49 seconds left in the 1st Quarter.
Lewis went 1 on 1 at Kirlenko twice in the ball game and both time drew fouls. AK leaves the game at the 4:50 mark with the Sonics up by 10.
Watson and Ridnour are playing together and it brings a lot of energy to the floor.
They really push the ball. Before the game Bob Hill was talking about the team getting used to the speed Watson plays at and how remarkably fast he is with the ball.
If Watson has a weakness it is an in between game, but that has not been evident tonight as he hit a Magic Johnson running hook in the paint.
Sonics 18 Jazz 9 with 6:00 left in the 1st Quarter
Great match-up tonight Rashard v. AK 47 . The Sonics have to keep Rashard moving and occupying AK because he is a dynamite off the ball defender.
Sonics have started fantastically. Hitting 7 of 9 from the field.
The defensive rotation and intensity is terrific
The team held a pre-game meeting on the floor that had a vastly different energy then what I have seen all season. The bad energy has left this team and it is obvious.
Storylines
1) Jazz great offensive rebounding v. Sonics poor defensive rebounding
2) Jazz inability to shoot v. Sonics inability to defend
3) Turnover game. Jazz must have turns to score.
NBA OFFENSIVE STUDS AND DUDS
For those of you who have followed Locked on Sports for a while this will look familiar. For those of you new here is a quick explanation. Stud and Dud is a formula that I use to evaluate offensive players. It takes a players pts per scoring attempt and compares it to the league average. Then it multiplies that by the ability of the player to get his shot off. If the player is above the league average in pts per scoring attempt then his rating goes up (see Rashard), but if he is below then his rating gets worse (see Flip Murray). The league average is zero. Most starters should be between 25 and 75. The best in the game are over 100.
STUDS
1) Steve Nash 151.1
2) Dirk Nowitzi 133.0
3) Kevin Martin 132.0
4) Paul Pierce 130.9
5) Chauncey Billups 128.6
6) Elton Brand 127.1
7) Richard Jefferson 118.3
8) Rashard Lewis 118.2
9) Chris Bosh 117.5
10) Kevin Garnett 115.7
DUDS (must have played 400 minutes)
1) Kris Humphires -178.6
2) Eddie Griffin -162.3
3) Ryan Bown -157.8
4) Antonio Burks -153.2
5) Jannero Pargo -128.5
6) Kareem Rush -117
7) Jason Hart -116.3
8) Flip Murray -114.5
9) Rafael Aruajo -112.4
10) Emeka Okafor -109.2
SONICS
1) Rashard Lewis 118.2
2) Ray Allen 112.9
3) Danny Forston 95.1
4) Chris Wilcox 82.2
5) Earl Watson 40.2
6) Nick Collison 23.3
7) Damien Wilkins 15.3 (this is a huge improvement)
8) Robert Swift -6.7
9) Johan Petro -27.7
10) Luke Ridnour -36.1
11) Mikki Moore -90
12) Mike Wilks -172.9
Here are the best in the NBA -- THE STUDS -- and the worst --- THE DUDS.
1) Steve Nash 151.1
2) Dirk Nowitzi 133.0
3) Kevin Martin 132.0
4) Paul Pierce 130.9
5) Chauncey Billups 128.6
6) Elton Brand 127.1
7) Richard Jefferson 118.3
8) Rashard Lewis 118.2
9) Chris Bosh 117.5
10) Kevin Garnett 115.7
DUDS (must have played 400 minutes)
1) Kris Humphires -178.6
2) Eddie Griffin -162.3
3) Ryan Bown -157.8
4) Antonio Burks -153.2
5) Jannero Pargo -128.5
6) Kareem Rush -117
7) Jason Hart -116.3
8) Flip Murray -114.5
9) Rafael Aruajo -112.4
10) Emeka Okafor -109.2
Here are the Sonics ratings.
SONICS
1) Rashard Lewis 118.2
2) Ray Allen 112.9
3) Danny Forston 95.1
4) Chris Wilcox 82.2
5) Earl Watson 40.2
6) Nick Collison 23.3
7) Damien Wilkins 15.3 (this is a huge improvement)
8) Robert Swift -6.7
9) Johan Petro -27.7
10) Luke Ridnour -36.1
11) Mikki Moore -90
12) Mike Wilks -172.9
New York Daily News - Gary Myers - Gary Myers: This doesn't make cents
I am back from vacation and catching up on my work. I will be on the air tonight at 5:20 for the Sonics v. the Jazz. However, bigger news as I found this today in the New York Daily News.
New York Daily News - Gary Myers - Gary Myers: This doesn't make cents: "The Seahawks are close to a deal to re-sign free agent Shaun Alexander, the NFL MVP and rushing champion, before he hits the open market, which right now is scheduled to be at 12:01 tonight. He's likely to get between $12 million-$15 million in guaranteed money. Seattle, by previous agreement, could not use its franchise tag on Alexander. He's an irreplaceable part for the Seahawks and they are the best fit for him. The contract could be announced tomorrow."
New York Daily News - Gary Myers - Gary Myers: This doesn't make cents: "The Seahawks are close to a deal to re-sign free agent Shaun Alexander, the NFL MVP and rushing champion, before he hits the open market, which right now is scheduled to be at 12:01 tonight. He's likely to get between $12 million-$15 million in guaranteed money. Seattle, by previous agreement, could not use its franchise tag on Alexander. He's an irreplaceable part for the Seahawks and they are the best fit for him. The contract could be announced tomorrow."
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
ON VACATION
I am on vacation until Sunday. For the latest Sonics info during games check out Kevin Pelton's live blog at supersonics.com. Be safe and have fun talk with you on Sunday.
Friday, February 24, 2006
SALARY CAP STUFF METIONED ON SHOW
During Friday night's show I mentioned an article that discussed the impacts of the collective bargaining agreement for the 2006 and 2007 season. It has major implications on Alexander's contract.
Click here for the article
Here is a summary
1) A signing bonus can only be spread over 4 years in 2006. In the past it could be longer
2) You can't increase the contract from 2006 to 2007 more then 30%.
Also, the article explains the real implication of the upcapped year in 2007.
Click here for the article
Here is a summary
1) A signing bonus can only be spread over 4 years in 2006. In the past it could be longer
2) You can't increase the contract from 2006 to 2007 more then 30%.
Also, the article explains the real implication of the upcapped year in 2007.
SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. MAGIC
Magic 102 Sonics 89 – FINAL SCORE
Sonics may have run out of energy
Poor decisions exasperated the issue
Poor transition defense before fatigue became an issue was the key to the lose
Overall a different energy in this game and the hope is that will be the result of the trades
Rashard was too quiet for a game without Ray
Magic 84 Sonics 78 with 8:18 left in the 4th Quarter
Sometimes this team isn’t very smart. Lewis abused Hill on the opening possession of the quarter drawing two fouls, including Hill’s 4th, and then hit a 3 on the next possession and Seattle was within two. On the next four possessions Lewis didn’t touch and Wilkins did his best Flip Murray impression having three straight possessions end in his hand. Wilkins has a serious turnover issue. He has 6 so far tonight.
Magic 74 Sonics 66 with 1:48 left in the 3rd Quarter
Wilkins showing some real offensive skills
Wilcox continues to play above the rim for the Sonics, He had seven dunks the other night and is on his way again tonight. His quick jumping ability is equaled rarely in this league. Should he start?
Orlando 44 Seattle 39 with 4:39 left in the 2nd Quarter
D-Wilk continues to play well. The question is will he ever be a good enough outside shooter to be a starter rather then just a bench player. If he can start to hit the outside shot with some consistency then the Sonics could consider moving either Allen or Lewis but until then he is a nice compliment.
Sonics are hot offensively in the quarter
Orlando 27 Sonics 17 at the end of 1 Quarter
Very poor first quarter
No offense at all.
I am not sure how much having only 7 players impacted how bad the Sonics were in the first quarter. It is a nice excuse but it really shouldn’t show until the later portion of the game.
Orlando 15 Seattle 13 with 5:27 left in the 1st Quarter
The Sonics have just seven players. Nick Collison has returned to Seattle for the birth of a child. Ray Allen has food poisioning. Roebrt Swift is in Seattle for the nose surgery.
Then all the other guys were traded.
It will be interesting to see Wilcox start. That is probably what he should do.
League rules say a team must have 8 players in uniform so Ray Allen was in uniform for the opening tip on the bench and then went back to the locker-room.
The Sonics transition defense is abysmal. They have allowed Grant Hill to prance down floor on three occasions and meat no resistance. Once he went all the way to the basket the other two times he hit pull-ups
Sonics may have run out of energy
Poor decisions exasperated the issue
Poor transition defense before fatigue became an issue was the key to the lose
Overall a different energy in this game and the hope is that will be the result of the trades
Rashard was too quiet for a game without Ray
Magic 84 Sonics 78 with 8:18 left in the 4th Quarter
Sometimes this team isn’t very smart. Lewis abused Hill on the opening possession of the quarter drawing two fouls, including Hill’s 4th, and then hit a 3 on the next possession and Seattle was within two. On the next four possessions Lewis didn’t touch and Wilkins did his best Flip Murray impression having three straight possessions end in his hand. Wilkins has a serious turnover issue. He has 6 so far tonight.
Magic 74 Sonics 66 with 1:48 left in the 3rd Quarter
Wilkins showing some real offensive skills
Wilcox continues to play above the rim for the Sonics, He had seven dunks the other night and is on his way again tonight. His quick jumping ability is equaled rarely in this league. Should he start?
Orlando 44 Seattle 39 with 4:39 left in the 2nd Quarter
D-Wilk continues to play well. The question is will he ever be a good enough outside shooter to be a starter rather then just a bench player. If he can start to hit the outside shot with some consistency then the Sonics could consider moving either Allen or Lewis but until then he is a nice compliment.
Sonics are hot offensively in the quarter
Orlando 27 Sonics 17 at the end of 1 Quarter
Very poor first quarter
No offense at all.
I am not sure how much having only 7 players impacted how bad the Sonics were in the first quarter. It is a nice excuse but it really shouldn’t show until the later portion of the game.
Orlando 15 Seattle 13 with 5:27 left in the 1st Quarter
The Sonics have just seven players. Nick Collison has returned to Seattle for the birth of a child. Ray Allen has food poisioning. Roebrt Swift is in Seattle for the nose surgery.
Then all the other guys were traded.
It will be interesting to see Wilcox start. That is probably what he should do.
League rules say a team must have 8 players in uniform so Ray Allen was in uniform for the opening tip on the bench and then went back to the locker-room.
The Sonics transition defense is abysmal. They have allowed Grant Hill to prance down floor on three occasions and meat no resistance. Once he went all the way to the basket the other two times he hit pull-ups
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
BOTH DEALS DONE
The Sonics completed two deals today; the first was a 4 team 9 player deal in which the Sonics received Earl Watson, Bryon Russell and a 2nd round pick. Denver received Ruben Patterson, Charles Smith and Reggie Evans, Porland recieved Voshon Lenard and Brian Skinner and the Kings get Vitaly Potpenko and Sergei Monia.
The Second deal has Flip Murray going to Cleveland for Mike Wilks.
UPDATE 10:09 AM DEAL NOT DONE--- Hold your horses. There are a lot of moving parts in the Earl Watson to Seattle deal. The players need to give approval which can be read as the agents need to give approval. There are trade kickers involved on Patterson’s contract.
This is still likely to happen, but it is not done and it still needs some items to fall into place.
The Flip Murray situation is a bit more in flux then I had thought. The Sonics are still working a deal for Flip, but none of them are done. The Sonics are looking to receive a 2nd round pick in the deal.
UPDATE 9:15 AM WATSON A SONIC--- As we suspected the deal is a three-way deal with Earl Watson coming to Seattle and Reggie Evans going to Denver with Vitaly Potapenko going to Portland. The Nuggets will also get Rueben Patterson and Voshon Lenard will be moved to Portland.
Seattle will also move Flip Murray before the deadline. His destination is currently unknown.
This is a very good move for the Sonics. They are a better team with a deal. This is basically a free agent signing for the Sonics. This is the replacement to Antonio Daniels that the Sonics didn’t fill in the off-season.
LATEST UPDATE AT 7:36 AM --- The Sonics goal today is to split Reggie Evans and Flip Watson in two different deals. At this moment it seems likely that will get done. The Earl Watson trade is still hot with Reggie Evans and Vitaly Potpaenko going to Denver. This could be part of a multiple team deal with Rueben Patterson moving from Portland to Denver and one of these pieces, likely Evans ending up in Portland.
The Sonics had discussions with the Utah Jazz this morning but that deal is no off and the Sonics have another move percolating that involves Flip Murray.
UPDATE 12:15 AM --- According to my sources the Sonics are willing to pick up the contract on Earl Watson so the Sonics Flip Murray and Vitaly for Watson deal is still a possibility. There are other combinations in that deal that have been discussed. Flip Murray did not play last night which is a clear sign the Sonics plan to move him. The Sonics plan to have more conversations with Utah on Thursday morning about a deal that they have been working on. Details are unclear, but the names Milt Palacio and Matt Harpring have been mentioned around the league. The Sonics also made final checks with Indiana about Anthony Johnson and Toronto about Jose Calderon as of late last night neither was willing to budge.
Elsewhere around the league the Carlos Boozer talk seemed to be heating up and Denver has looking for new trading partners after missing out with New York. Some of these conversations included a deal with Portland
LATEST UPDATE – 3:44 PM-- The Sonics are continuing the talks with the Nuggets amongst other teams. Through my sources I have learned that one of those teams is the Utah Jazz. The Jazz have three guards Deron Williams, Keith McLeod and Milt Palacio. The word is the conversation involves Palacio and Matt Harpring. Both of those players are free agents at the end of the season. It is unclear what the combination of players Seattle would need. Utah continues to work very hard on a Carlos Boozer deal.
11:35 AM UPDATE – The Knicks move with Orlando puts the Sonics back on the Earl Watson map. The conversations with the Nuggets were all but dead and have now recommenced. The Sonics are hoping to do the deal for Watson with by trading either Flip or Reggie with Vitaly and then moving the other piece in a separate deal.
UPDATED AT 11:15 AM --
LATEST NEWS -- According to my sources the Knicks and the Magic have completed a deal. The Knicks will receive Steve Francis and the Magic will get the contract of Penny Hardaway and Trevor Ariza. The big news here is that the particulars from the Knicks are different then anticipated. The Magic turned down Jamal Crawford because they wanted the expiring contract of Hardaway.
This makes things very interesting in regards to what the next domino will be. This eliminates the Kevin Garnett talk. This leaves Portland without the ability to clear their cap with a deal with the Knicks. It also leaves the Nuggets without an avenue to clear the out Kenyon Martin.
So what is the next move? This may put the Sonics back at the forefront of teams able to make moves.
Hee is what teams want to get done by tomorrow.
· The Nuggets want to move both Earl Watson and Kenyon Martin
· The Blazers want to clear cap to be able to sign Joel Przybilla
· The Sonics are interested in a back-up point guard
· Minnesota is looking to make waves
· Atlanta is talking about the
· Cleveland is willing to move Drew Gooden
· Golden State is looking for a big
· Houston is going to move Derek Anderson
· The Jazz are trying to move Carlos Boozer and the Lakers are interested.
Here is the latest of what I am hearing …
SONICS MOVES
· The Denver Nuggets have told the Sonics that they will do the Earl Watson deal to the Sonics for Flip Murray and Reggie Evans and a contract if everything else falls apart. The Sonics would likely have to take Bryon Russell as well. The Nuggets are in the midst of numerous conversations around the league including New York and Orlando most prominently. The Sonics may turn this down by the end of the day. The Sonics are very concerned with the contract that Watson signed, he is badly overpaid, but at the same time they are looking for someone to push Ridnour and Watson could be that guy. That is the internal debate in Sonics land
· The Sonics and the Chicago Bulls have had conversations about Chris Duhon for Reggie Evans. The Bulls are all over the map at this time and there is no deal that is imminent. The Sonics would probably rather do this deal then the Denver deal if Chicago buys in. According, to some sources the Bulls are unwilling to move Duhon.
· The Sonics have also had conversations with the Toronto Raptors for Jose Calderon and the Pacers for Anthony Johnson. The Raptors have no interest in moving Calderon and the Sonics and Pacers are having a hard time getting the numbers to add up.
· According to sources, the Wolves and the Sonics had conversations about Marko Jaric however, the Sonics went cold on the conversation.
· Ideally, the Sonics would like to hold onto Danny Fortson and Vitaly Potapenko because their contracts would be valuable pieces to trade along with their draft pick if the right deal came about.
REST OF THE NBA
· Don’t dismiss the Kevin Garnett talks with New York. KG has lost the fire that he used to play with and Minnesota is open to moving him. However, they are very concerned about taking back bad contracts. Therefore, the realgm.com rumored deal of Penny Hardaway and Channing Frye makes sense because the Wolves would be getting rid of the albatross of Garnett’s deal without taking back too much baggage.
* The Utah Jazz are actively shopping Carlos Boozer. According to most people in the league they believe that Jazz GM Kevin O’Connor is doing the leg work for a deal this summer.
· The Denver Nuggets are trying to move Kenyon Martin. Martin and Karl don’t click and the relationship in not salvageable.
· Numerous reports have the Magic and the Knicks close to culminating a deal for Steve Francis to New York that would include Rainer Beach product Jamal Crawford going to Orlando
· The Blazers deal of Ratliff and Miles to New York for Penny Hardaway is supposedly very close. However, the recent Garnett discussions have this on the back burner.
The Second deal has Flip Murray going to Cleveland for Mike Wilks.
UPDATE 10:09 AM DEAL NOT DONE--- Hold your horses. There are a lot of moving parts in the Earl Watson to Seattle deal. The players need to give approval which can be read as the agents need to give approval. There are trade kickers involved on Patterson’s contract.
This is still likely to happen, but it is not done and it still needs some items to fall into place.
The Flip Murray situation is a bit more in flux then I had thought. The Sonics are still working a deal for Flip, but none of them are done. The Sonics are looking to receive a 2nd round pick in the deal.
UPDATE 9:15 AM WATSON A SONIC--- As we suspected the deal is a three-way deal with Earl Watson coming to Seattle and Reggie Evans going to Denver with Vitaly Potapenko going to Portland. The Nuggets will also get Rueben Patterson and Voshon Lenard will be moved to Portland.
Seattle will also move Flip Murray before the deadline. His destination is currently unknown.
This is a very good move for the Sonics. They are a better team with a deal. This is basically a free agent signing for the Sonics. This is the replacement to Antonio Daniels that the Sonics didn’t fill in the off-season.
LATEST UPDATE AT 7:36 AM --- The Sonics goal today is to split Reggie Evans and Flip Watson in two different deals. At this moment it seems likely that will get done. The Earl Watson trade is still hot with Reggie Evans and Vitaly Potpaenko going to Denver. This could be part of a multiple team deal with Rueben Patterson moving from Portland to Denver and one of these pieces, likely Evans ending up in Portland.
The Sonics had discussions with the Utah Jazz this morning but that deal is no off and the Sonics have another move percolating that involves Flip Murray.
UPDATE 12:15 AM --- According to my sources the Sonics are willing to pick up the contract on Earl Watson so the Sonics Flip Murray and Vitaly for Watson deal is still a possibility. There are other combinations in that deal that have been discussed. Flip Murray did not play last night which is a clear sign the Sonics plan to move him. The Sonics plan to have more conversations with Utah on Thursday morning about a deal that they have been working on. Details are unclear, but the names Milt Palacio and Matt Harpring have been mentioned around the league. The Sonics also made final checks with Indiana about Anthony Johnson and Toronto about Jose Calderon as of late last night neither was willing to budge.
Elsewhere around the league the Carlos Boozer talk seemed to be heating up and Denver has looking for new trading partners after missing out with New York. Some of these conversations included a deal with Portland
LATEST UPDATE – 3:44 PM-- The Sonics are continuing the talks with the Nuggets amongst other teams. Through my sources I have learned that one of those teams is the Utah Jazz. The Jazz have three guards Deron Williams, Keith McLeod and Milt Palacio. The word is the conversation involves Palacio and Matt Harpring. Both of those players are free agents at the end of the season. It is unclear what the combination of players Seattle would need. Utah continues to work very hard on a Carlos Boozer deal.
11:35 AM UPDATE – The Knicks move with Orlando puts the Sonics back on the Earl Watson map. The conversations with the Nuggets were all but dead and have now recommenced. The Sonics are hoping to do the deal for Watson with by trading either Flip or Reggie with Vitaly and then moving the other piece in a separate deal.
UPDATED AT 11:15 AM --
LATEST NEWS -- According to my sources the Knicks and the Magic have completed a deal. The Knicks will receive Steve Francis and the Magic will get the contract of Penny Hardaway and Trevor Ariza. The big news here is that the particulars from the Knicks are different then anticipated. The Magic turned down Jamal Crawford because they wanted the expiring contract of Hardaway.
This makes things very interesting in regards to what the next domino will be. This eliminates the Kevin Garnett talk. This leaves Portland without the ability to clear their cap with a deal with the Knicks. It also leaves the Nuggets without an avenue to clear the out Kenyon Martin.
So what is the next move? This may put the Sonics back at the forefront of teams able to make moves.
Hee is what teams want to get done by tomorrow.
· The Nuggets want to move both Earl Watson and Kenyon Martin
· The Blazers want to clear cap to be able to sign Joel Przybilla
· The Sonics are interested in a back-up point guard
· Minnesota is looking to make waves
· Atlanta is talking about the
· Cleveland is willing to move Drew Gooden
· Golden State is looking for a big
· Houston is going to move Derek Anderson
· The Jazz are trying to move Carlos Boozer and the Lakers are interested.
Here is the latest of what I am hearing …
SONICS MOVES
· The Denver Nuggets have told the Sonics that they will do the Earl Watson deal to the Sonics for Flip Murray and Reggie Evans and a contract if everything else falls apart. The Sonics would likely have to take Bryon Russell as well. The Nuggets are in the midst of numerous conversations around the league including New York and Orlando most prominently. The Sonics may turn this down by the end of the day. The Sonics are very concerned with the contract that Watson signed, he is badly overpaid, but at the same time they are looking for someone to push Ridnour and Watson could be that guy. That is the internal debate in Sonics land
· The Sonics and the Chicago Bulls have had conversations about Chris Duhon for Reggie Evans. The Bulls are all over the map at this time and there is no deal that is imminent. The Sonics would probably rather do this deal then the Denver deal if Chicago buys in. According, to some sources the Bulls are unwilling to move Duhon.
· The Sonics have also had conversations with the Toronto Raptors for Jose Calderon and the Pacers for Anthony Johnson. The Raptors have no interest in moving Calderon and the Sonics and Pacers are having a hard time getting the numbers to add up.
· According to sources, the Wolves and the Sonics had conversations about Marko Jaric however, the Sonics went cold on the conversation.
· Ideally, the Sonics would like to hold onto Danny Fortson and Vitaly Potapenko because their contracts would be valuable pieces to trade along with their draft pick if the right deal came about.
REST OF THE NBA
· Don’t dismiss the Kevin Garnett talks with New York. KG has lost the fire that he used to play with and Minnesota is open to moving him. However, they are very concerned about taking back bad contracts. Therefore, the realgm.com rumored deal of Penny Hardaway and Channing Frye makes sense because the Wolves would be getting rid of the albatross of Garnett’s deal without taking back too much baggage.
* The Utah Jazz are actively shopping Carlos Boozer. According to most people in the league they believe that Jazz GM Kevin O’Connor is doing the leg work for a deal this summer.
· The Denver Nuggets are trying to move Kenyon Martin. Martin and Karl don’t click and the relationship in not salvageable.
· Numerous reports have the Magic and the Knicks close to culminating a deal for Steve Francis to New York that would include Rainer Beach product Jamal Crawford going to Orlando
· The Blazers deal of Ratliff and Miles to New York for Penny Hardaway is supposedly very close. However, the recent Garnett discussions have this on the back burner.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. SPURS
Spurs 103 Sonics 78 –FINAL SCORE
Here is my expert analysis
Spurs very good Sonics not very good
Spurs 78 Sonics 64 at the end of 3 Quarters
Notice how many of the Spurs 3’s all come from the corner, they believe that is a higher percentage shot and they build the offense to deliver that shot.
Sonics are without Lewis and Wilcox and Swift was sent home with an injury from shootaround.
Spurs 70 Seattle 56 with 4:04 left in 3rd Quarter
This is a really good team imposing its will on the Sonics.
It has been evident from the beginning that it was only a matter of when not if that this was going to happen.
All season Seattle has wilted under this circumstance and gotten blow out. I would be very pleased with a full night effort
Lewis is going to the locker-room. He has been silent all night.
Spurs 46 Sonics 39 at the half
The Sonics played very well defensively in the first half
Collison has to stay out of foul trouble in the 3rd Quarter
Tony Parker has been unstoppable and the Sonics have to find a way to contain him. Ginobilli doesn’t have a field goal.
Duncan continues to struggle.
Allen can’t get free from Bowen and Lewis is shockingly quiet
Sonics 31 Spurs 31 with 5:36 in the 2nd Quarter
Johan Petro is really playing well. He and Swift are tremendous finds. Huge kudos to the draft staff of the Sonics
Defensively Nick Collison is really helping Seattle a great deal
Wilcox was just ok but he sure is long
Spurs 27 Sonics 20 at the end of 1st Quarter
Rick Brunson makes his first appearance
Seattle got beat by the Spurs on the Spurs offensive glass. This shouldn’t happen the Spurs are a poor offensive rebounding team.
Chris Wilcox played and nothing stood out. He is not very active. He made a really nice pass to Lewis. It is lonely being a Sonics big
Spurs 16 Sonics 13 with 4:10 left in the 1st Quarter
Good start for the Sups
They are doing a nice job in the transition to keep the floor open
Ridnour has made a few nice plays early in the game
Spurs hit Seattle early and they answered back to get back in the game
The only thing that isn’t clear is can the Spurs put their will on the Sonics anytime they want,
Here is my expert analysis
Spurs very good Sonics not very good
Spurs 78 Sonics 64 at the end of 3 Quarters
Notice how many of the Spurs 3’s all come from the corner, they believe that is a higher percentage shot and they build the offense to deliver that shot.
Sonics are without Lewis and Wilcox and Swift was sent home with an injury from shootaround.
Spurs 70 Seattle 56 with 4:04 left in 3rd Quarter
This is a really good team imposing its will on the Sonics.
It has been evident from the beginning that it was only a matter of when not if that this was going to happen.
All season Seattle has wilted under this circumstance and gotten blow out. I would be very pleased with a full night effort
Lewis is going to the locker-room. He has been silent all night.
Spurs 46 Sonics 39 at the half
The Sonics played very well defensively in the first half
Collison has to stay out of foul trouble in the 3rd Quarter
Tony Parker has been unstoppable and the Sonics have to find a way to contain him. Ginobilli doesn’t have a field goal.
Duncan continues to struggle.
Allen can’t get free from Bowen and Lewis is shockingly quiet
Sonics 31 Spurs 31 with 5:36 in the 2nd Quarter
Johan Petro is really playing well. He and Swift are tremendous finds. Huge kudos to the draft staff of the Sonics
Defensively Nick Collison is really helping Seattle a great deal
Wilcox was just ok but he sure is long
Spurs 27 Sonics 20 at the end of 1st Quarter
Rick Brunson makes his first appearance
Seattle got beat by the Spurs on the Spurs offensive glass. This shouldn’t happen the Spurs are a poor offensive rebounding team.
Chris Wilcox played and nothing stood out. He is not very active. He made a really nice pass to Lewis. It is lonely being a Sonics big
Spurs 16 Sonics 13 with 4:10 left in the 1st Quarter
Good start for the Sups
They are doing a nice job in the transition to keep the floor open
Ridnour has made a few nice plays early in the game
Spurs hit Seattle early and they answered back to get back in the game
The only thing that isn’t clear is can the Spurs put their will on the Sonics anytime they want,
CRAZY TRADE THAT MAY NOT BE THAT CRAZY
NOTE -- FROM WHAT I AM HEARING MORE THIS IS PROBABLY EXAGERATED FORM OF ANY REAL CONVERSATION. THEREFORE, I WILL LEAVE IT ON THE BLOG FOR MORE OF A DEBATE PIECE ABOUT WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE THE SONICS GM
Take a moment and sink your teeth into this trade concept….
Take a moment and sink your teeth into this trade concept….
This is being bantered around the league today. Let be very clear – I am not saying this is pending – I have not confirmed that the conversation took place – I give this to you for food for thought
The story is that the Bulls called about Ray Allen and the conversation got to the following point. The Bulls would trade Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, the #1 pick the Bulls have from the Knicks along with cap fillers Thomas and Piatkowski.
The Bulls called back and said we can’t do it unless you include Rashard Lewis but we would be willing to include Chris Duhon.
It sounds totally nutty but …… this is what the Sonics would be left with.
New Line-Up
PG: Ridnour and Duhon
SG: Gordon and Wilkins
SF: Deng
PF: Wilcox and Collison
C: Swift and Petro
With two first round draft picks that are currently #2 pick in all likelihood Adam Morrison and the #6 pick (likely to be better) and the Sonics would also have $10 million in cap room to sign a free agent
Is this really that crazy ?
NBA TRADE DEADLINE LOOMING
Here is the latest of what I am hearing …
SONICS MOVES
· The Denver Nuggets have told the Sonics that they will do the Earl Watson deal to the Sonics for Flip Murray and Reggie Evans and a contract if everything else falls apart. The Sonics would likely have to take Bryon Russell as well. The Nuggets are in the midst of numerous conversations around the league including New York and Orlando most prominently. This is looking more and more unlikely.
· The Sonics and the Chicago Bulls have had conversations about Chris Duhon for Reggie Evans. The Bulls are all over the map at this time and there is no deal that is imminent. The Sonics would probably rather do this deal then the Denver deal if Chicago buys in. According, to some sources the Bulls are unwilling to move Duhon.
· The Sonics have also had conversations with the Toronto Raptors for Jose Calderon and the Pacers for Anthony Johnson.
· According to sources, the Wolves and the Sonics had conversations about Marko Jaric however, the Sonics went cold on the conversation.
· Ideally, the Sonics would like to hold onto Danny Fortson and Vitaly Potapenko because their contracts would be valuable pieces to trade along with their draft pick if the right deal came about.
REST OF THE NBA
· The Utah Jazz are actively shopping Carlos Boozer
· The Denver Nuggets are trying to move Kenyon Martin
· Numerous reports have the Magic and the Knicks close to culminating a deal for Steve Francis to New York that would include Rainer Beach product Jamal Crawford going to Orlando
· The Blazers deal of Ratliff and Miles to New York for Penny Hardaway is supposedly very close.
SONICS MOVES
· The Denver Nuggets have told the Sonics that they will do the Earl Watson deal to the Sonics for Flip Murray and Reggie Evans and a contract if everything else falls apart. The Sonics would likely have to take Bryon Russell as well. The Nuggets are in the midst of numerous conversations around the league including New York and Orlando most prominently. This is looking more and more unlikely.
· The Sonics and the Chicago Bulls have had conversations about Chris Duhon for Reggie Evans. The Bulls are all over the map at this time and there is no deal that is imminent. The Sonics would probably rather do this deal then the Denver deal if Chicago buys in. According, to some sources the Bulls are unwilling to move Duhon.
· The Sonics have also had conversations with the Toronto Raptors for Jose Calderon and the Pacers for Anthony Johnson.
· According to sources, the Wolves and the Sonics had conversations about Marko Jaric however, the Sonics went cold on the conversation.
· Ideally, the Sonics would like to hold onto Danny Fortson and Vitaly Potapenko because their contracts would be valuable pieces to trade along with their draft pick if the right deal came about.
REST OF THE NBA
· The Utah Jazz are actively shopping Carlos Boozer
· The Denver Nuggets are trying to move Kenyon Martin
· Numerous reports have the Magic and the Knicks close to culminating a deal for Steve Francis to New York that would include Rainer Beach product Jamal Crawford going to Orlando
· The Blazers deal of Ratliff and Miles to New York for Penny Hardaway is supposedly very close.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. WOLVES
Wolves 102 Sonics 92 – FINAL SCORE
What is left to be said?
The unnerving thing is now the offense is poor – the offense has been below its season efficiency rating for seven straight games
Lewis was totally non-existent
Wolves 86 Sonics 76 with 8:32 left in the 4th Quarter
AGRHHHH this is so ugly
I can’t tell what we are trying to run offensively
The only thing I see is Ray Allen running the Reggie Miller curls but if it doesn’t work I can’t tell what the secondary plays are.
The Sonics couldn’t play worse transition defense if they tried
Rashard Lewis has been absent.
Wolves 80 Sonics 73 at the end of 3 Quarters
Sonics looked like they were on the verge of the nightly wilt and quitting but they fought through and have stayed in the game.
The Wolves have been a terrible close game team and an awful 4th quarter scoring team
All the focus is on Swift and Petro is getting better and better. Both of them make a ton of mistakes and it may be costing us games, but they are getting better. I would like to see him have more of impact on the defensive end of the game.
Wolves 52 Sonics 50 at the half
This game really rolled into a rather non-descript game amongst two not very good teams.
Wilcox hit a nice 16 footer from the left baseline and has 7 points and 3 rebs
Turnovers are silly, Sonics with 8 and the Wolves with 11
Minnesota ranks 29th in the NBA in free throw attempts and the Sonics have put them on the line for 21 free throws in first half
Sonics 37 Wolves 32 with 8:40 left in the 2nd Quarter
Ray Allen has 7 straight points
Wilcox is in with Swift – I want to see this tandem.
Nick is getting beat athletically too many times. It concerns me that he might just be a 3 post off the bench
Sonics 28 Wolves 28 at the end of 1 Quarter
11-4 run to close the Quarter
2-3 zone has been a problem
Sonics were trying so hard to get Wilcox involved they lost the rhythm
Seattle is being sloppy defensively and putting the Wolves on the line
Sonics 18 Wolves 13 with 5:44 left in the 1st Quarter
Swift continues to show athletic signs that he could be terrific. He just slipped a pick got the pass from Lewis and made a really tough catch, collected his body to avoid the charge and went straight up with the shot. This part was amazing for a 7 footer. He missed the shot.
Then on the other side he was out of position on a Carter drive but went up with him and blocked his shot.
The game is very high paced. The Sonics are not doing very well in transition defense
Talking to a scout today he said KG is a shadow of what he once was and it is obvious he has become a jump shooter.
Storylines
1) Chris Wilcox makes his debut
2) Effort and energy
3) Minnesota is poor in three areas, offensive rebouning, getting to the line and forcing turnovers. Keep them that way and you win.
What is left to be said?
The unnerving thing is now the offense is poor – the offense has been below its season efficiency rating for seven straight games
Lewis was totally non-existent
Wolves 86 Sonics 76 with 8:32 left in the 4th Quarter
AGRHHHH this is so ugly
I can’t tell what we are trying to run offensively
The only thing I see is Ray Allen running the Reggie Miller curls but if it doesn’t work I can’t tell what the secondary plays are.
The Sonics couldn’t play worse transition defense if they tried
Rashard Lewis has been absent.
Wolves 80 Sonics 73 at the end of 3 Quarters
Sonics looked like they were on the verge of the nightly wilt and quitting but they fought through and have stayed in the game.
The Wolves have been a terrible close game team and an awful 4th quarter scoring team
All the focus is on Swift and Petro is getting better and better. Both of them make a ton of mistakes and it may be costing us games, but they are getting better. I would like to see him have more of impact on the defensive end of the game.
Wolves 52 Sonics 50 at the half
This game really rolled into a rather non-descript game amongst two not very good teams.
Wilcox hit a nice 16 footer from the left baseline and has 7 points and 3 rebs
Turnovers are silly, Sonics with 8 and the Wolves with 11
Minnesota ranks 29th in the NBA in free throw attempts and the Sonics have put them on the line for 21 free throws in first half
Sonics 37 Wolves 32 with 8:40 left in the 2nd Quarter
Ray Allen has 7 straight points
Wilcox is in with Swift – I want to see this tandem.
Nick is getting beat athletically too many times. It concerns me that he might just be a 3 post off the bench
Sonics 28 Wolves 28 at the end of 1 Quarter
11-4 run to close the Quarter
2-3 zone has been a problem
Sonics were trying so hard to get Wilcox involved they lost the rhythm
Seattle is being sloppy defensively and putting the Wolves on the line
Sonics 18 Wolves 13 with 5:44 left in the 1st Quarter
Swift continues to show athletic signs that he could be terrific. He just slipped a pick got the pass from Lewis and made a really tough catch, collected his body to avoid the charge and went straight up with the shot. This part was amazing for a 7 footer. He missed the shot.
Then on the other side he was out of position on a Carter drive but went up with him and blocked his shot.
The game is very high paced. The Sonics are not doing very well in transition defense
Talking to a scout today he said KG is a shadow of what he once was and it is obvious he has become a jump shooter.
Storylines
1) Chris Wilcox makes his debut
2) Effort and energy
3) Minnesota is poor in three areas, offensive rebouning, getting to the line and forcing turnovers. Keep them that way and you win.
Locked On Sports: Wilcox trade a crafty move
Locked On Sports: Wilcox trade a crafty move: "Three seasons ago, the Sonics' front office pinpointed Wilcox as having potential to be the next O'Neal. Yesterday, they found the package that got the Clippers to agree to move Wilcox."
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. BUCKS
Bucks 106 Sonics 91 -- FINAL SCORE
Another DOG. I guess they really missed Vlady.
Game got out of control when the Sups went to the bench in the 1st Quarter and never got back together.
Bucks 84 Sonics 64 at the end of 3rd Quarter
Can anyone find the re-set button
No field goals for the final seven minutes until Flip lays it in
Final 3:11 3 points
Bucks 72 Sonics 57 with 5:52 left in the 3rd Quarter
Nick Collison has to become a better finisher around the basket. The only question I have is whether or not he is good enough athlete to ever become that finisher. If Wilcox can develop and Nick comes off the bench and plays against predominately back-up players he will be more effective. At some point he needs to be able to beat some top line guys.
Allen was on fire to start the half
Bucks 59 Sonics 44 at the Half
A 59 point half says all you need to know about the defense
Swift is making some really terrific plays and then he mixes in a play that shows you how little he has played. That is to be expected. The really good plays are what matters.
The back up point guard issue is so enormous
Sonics had turnover issues again which is strange under Bob Hill
Bucks 42 Sonics 24 with 7:57 left in the 2nd Quarter
The Sonics have to find a back-up point guard. When Luke is off the floor they are a mess and Luke really hasn’t been that good.
They have been outscored 21 to 9 since Luke left the game,
This is a ass kicking.
The Buck are getting out and running and having fun.
Bucks 27 Sonics19 at the end of 1 Quarter
I love Andrew Bogut. I have said from day 1 he is the next closest thing to Tim Duncan and the more I see him the more I believe it.
Make TJ Ford shoot the ball please
Without Vlady the next thing will be when we don’t have to see Flip on the floor. How pleasant it could be.
Ridnour went out with 2 fouls, on a silly foul, and the score was 21-15 Bucks.
Swift lasted just two minutes and Collison was poor in the 1st Quarter
Quick thoughts on the Trade
I love the Radman for Wilcox deal.
First it is trading a fading asset for a potentially terrific asset.
The goal of any trade like this is to try to find the next Jermaine O’Neal and three years ago the Sonics pinpointed Wilcox as that guy
It makes the Sonics a more traditional basketball team. Collison and Wilcox are a nice combo for 48 minutes of power forward and Swift and Petro are 48 minutes of centers.
If you want to go small you can use any of the 4 as the center and Lewis as the power forward.
Another DOG. I guess they really missed Vlady.
Game got out of control when the Sups went to the bench in the 1st Quarter and never got back together.
Bucks 84 Sonics 64 at the end of 3rd Quarter
Can anyone find the re-set button
No field goals for the final seven minutes until Flip lays it in
Final 3:11 3 points
Bucks 72 Sonics 57 with 5:52 left in the 3rd Quarter
Nick Collison has to become a better finisher around the basket. The only question I have is whether or not he is good enough athlete to ever become that finisher. If Wilcox can develop and Nick comes off the bench and plays against predominately back-up players he will be more effective. At some point he needs to be able to beat some top line guys.
Allen was on fire to start the half
Bucks 59 Sonics 44 at the Half
A 59 point half says all you need to know about the defense
Swift is making some really terrific plays and then he mixes in a play that shows you how little he has played. That is to be expected. The really good plays are what matters.
The back up point guard issue is so enormous
Sonics had turnover issues again which is strange under Bob Hill
Bucks 42 Sonics 24 with 7:57 left in the 2nd Quarter
The Sonics have to find a back-up point guard. When Luke is off the floor they are a mess and Luke really hasn’t been that good.
They have been outscored 21 to 9 since Luke left the game,
This is a ass kicking.
The Buck are getting out and running and having fun.
Bucks 27 Sonics19 at the end of 1 Quarter
I love Andrew Bogut. I have said from day 1 he is the next closest thing to Tim Duncan and the more I see him the more I believe it.
Make TJ Ford shoot the ball please
Without Vlady the next thing will be when we don’t have to see Flip on the floor. How pleasant it could be.
Ridnour went out with 2 fouls, on a silly foul, and the score was 21-15 Bucks.
Swift lasted just two minutes and Collison was poor in the 1st Quarter
Quick thoughts on the Trade
I love the Radman for Wilcox deal.
First it is trading a fading asset for a potentially terrific asset.
The goal of any trade like this is to try to find the next Jermaine O’Neal and three years ago the Sonics pinpointed Wilcox as that guy
It makes the Sonics a more traditional basketball team. Collison and Wilcox are a nice combo for 48 minutes of power forward and Swift and Petro are 48 minutes of centers.
If you want to go small you can use any of the 4 as the center and Lewis as the power forward.
SONICS TRADE RADMANOVIC
950, KJR’s Locked on Sports has learned that the Seattle Supersonics has learned that the Seattle Supersonics have traded Vladimir Radmanovic to the Los Angeles Clippers for Chris Wilcox.
Vladimir Radmanovic’s Dave Bauman agent has approved the deal and Radmanovic has left the team hotel and is flying to Los Angeles.
This is a terrific deal for the Sonics. They have wanted to get Wilcox for sometime. Moreover, Radmanovic was finished with Seattle and had become visibly discontent with his situation. In addition, he was a free agent at the end of the season and the Sonics have now acquired a very talented young forward.
Wilcox is a 23-year-old 6’10 power forward who is a power jumper and a quick leaper. He defends the goal well, a good rebounder and is a runner. Two seasons ago he started twenty games when Elton Brand was hurt and averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds a game.
Wilcox was a member of the National Championship at Maryland and left school after his freshman year. He was the pick before Amare Stoudamire in the draft.
His contract is still his rookie deal and the Sonics have the option to extend him one more season.
Vladimir Radmanovic’s Dave Bauman agent has approved the deal and Radmanovic has left the team hotel and is flying to Los Angeles.
This is a terrific deal for the Sonics. They have wanted to get Wilcox for sometime. Moreover, Radmanovic was finished with Seattle and had become visibly discontent with his situation. In addition, he was a free agent at the end of the season and the Sonics have now acquired a very talented young forward.
Wilcox is a 23-year-old 6’10 power forward who is a power jumper and a quick leaper. He defends the goal well, a good rebounder and is a runner. Two seasons ago he started twenty games when Elton Brand was hurt and averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds a game.
Wilcox was a member of the National Championship at Maryland and left school after his freshman year. He was the pick before Amare Stoudamire in the draft.
His contract is still his rookie deal and the Sonics have the option to extend him one more season.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. NUGGETS
Nuggets 120 Sonics 112 – FINAL SCORE
Vlady threw the ball away trying to go down low with no chance of finding his man and it went right to the Nuggets and clinched the game.
Ray Allen had no field goal attempts in overtime while the outcome was in doubt.
A very poor finish by the Sonics
Nugs 110 Sonics 106 with 1:24 in overtime
Missed opportunities and poor plays so far in the ot
Vlady Radmanovic got beat back defensively twice by Najera of the Nugs. How does it happen twice, that is amazing
Luke Ridnour pulled up on a early three down 108-104 and if he is going to take that shot he has to make it and he missed. He is not a good enough shooter to take that shot with 18 on the shot clock.
Ray Allen had a chance to grab a rebound that would have given the Sonics the ball down 4 but he didn’t grabbed it securely and it went out of bounds
Sonics 102 Nugs 102 – end of regulation
Damien Wilkins buries a 16 footer with :11 seconds left out of a timeout
The Nugs were switching and doubling Ray every step on the court and forced the Sonics to find another scorer and Wilkins answered
A moment before the Sonics had turned the ball over and Anthony had a steal up two with the shot clock off and he forced the action and turned it over himself rather then letting the clock run out or get fouled
Greg Buckner missed at the buzzer for Denver
Ray Allen is super-human
Sonics 92 Nugs 90 with 4:35 left in the 4th Quarter
Awesome four play sequence.
Luke was in serious trouble on a broken play and he threw the ball to the rim and Petro grabbed it and dunked it.
Allen forces the defense to get Carmelo to switch on him and then he rose over CA to hit a three to put Seattle up 3.
Then Allen took a charge from Anthony
Then Allen ran off a curl pick from Petro, a great pick, and hit the catch and shoot jumper.
Sonics 83 Nugs 80 with 10:47 left in the 4th
Back to back to back 3's takes the lead – here we go.
Nugs 80 Sonics 74 at the end of 3 Quarters
The Nugs are forcing Luke to shoot and he is 4 of 11.
Needing to give Wilkins a break Bob Hill has gone to Mikki Moore to guard Carmelo. He couldn’t go to Vlady to guard Carmelo
The Nugs have the Sups on their heels.
Nugs 75 Sonics 67 with 2:39 left in the 3rd Quarter
The Sonics are having a really hard time getting the ball into the hands of Ray Allen
The Sonics are doing a very good job of defending Carmelo Anthony
Kenyon Martin would be the most annoying teammate
Seattle can’t score right now without Ray getting the ball. The Sups are shooting just 40%.
Bob Hill called a timeout at the 6:16 mark and then the Sonics went flat and got outscored 9-2.
Points off turnovers 21 to 4 advantage Denver
Nugs 53 Sonics 49 at the Half
Turnovers are the key here. The Sonics have committed 9 turns for 15 Nugs points and the Nugs have committed 3 turns and the Sonics have 0 points off turns
The Sonics defensive rebounding has been vastly improved and is very good again today at nearly 80% for the first half.
The Sonics are scoring in the half court when they need to.
The one stretch with Mateen at the point
Sonics dominated the offensive glass in the 2nd quarter getting 58% of the available rebounds.
Nuggets 41 Sonics 37 with 4:26 left in the Quarter
Mateen Cleaves just did an awful job running the point.
Ray Allen was off the floor and the Sonics didn’t have a chance
Ray Allen has two fouls and is getting a break.
Bob Hill is trying to control the game more then I have seen, by calling a play every possession.
Robert and Nick are back in at the timeout
Denver 25 Sonics 20 at the end of 1 Quarter
Flip is a mess tonight
Robert Swift checks out and is showing consistency that he must to be great in this league. He is really far ahead of where any one thought this year
Without Ray on the floor and no Rashard tonight it is going to be hard to find points
Radmanovic just got a post-up on Earl Boykins and didn’t score.
Sonics 12 Denver 12 with 4:59 left in the 1st Quarter
Robert Swift looks better tonight then any night I have seen. He is active, blocking shots, moving with confidence, and playing really hard.
Denver is one of the tops at forcing turns and they forced turns on the first two possessions.
Can Nick Collison stay out of foul trouble against Kenyon Martin?
Robert Swift has two new tattoos, one on the back of each arm
Anthony two fouls at the 7:07 mark of the 1st Quarter
Storylines
1) Nuggets pressure defense forcing turnovers against the Sonics
2) Sonics ability to keep the Nugs off the free throw line
3) Camby and Martin against the young Sonics bigs
Vlady threw the ball away trying to go down low with no chance of finding his man and it went right to the Nuggets and clinched the game.
Ray Allen had no field goal attempts in overtime while the outcome was in doubt.
A very poor finish by the Sonics
Nugs 110 Sonics 106 with 1:24 in overtime
Missed opportunities and poor plays so far in the ot
Vlady Radmanovic got beat back defensively twice by Najera of the Nugs. How does it happen twice, that is amazing
Luke Ridnour pulled up on a early three down 108-104 and if he is going to take that shot he has to make it and he missed. He is not a good enough shooter to take that shot with 18 on the shot clock.
Ray Allen had a chance to grab a rebound that would have given the Sonics the ball down 4 but he didn’t grabbed it securely and it went out of bounds
Sonics 102 Nugs 102 – end of regulation
Damien Wilkins buries a 16 footer with :11 seconds left out of a timeout
The Nugs were switching and doubling Ray every step on the court and forced the Sonics to find another scorer and Wilkins answered
A moment before the Sonics had turned the ball over and Anthony had a steal up two with the shot clock off and he forced the action and turned it over himself rather then letting the clock run out or get fouled
Greg Buckner missed at the buzzer for Denver
Ray Allen is super-human
Sonics 92 Nugs 90 with 4:35 left in the 4th Quarter
Awesome four play sequence.
Luke was in serious trouble on a broken play and he threw the ball to the rim and Petro grabbed it and dunked it.
Allen forces the defense to get Carmelo to switch on him and then he rose over CA to hit a three to put Seattle up 3.
Then Allen took a charge from Anthony
Then Allen ran off a curl pick from Petro, a great pick, and hit the catch and shoot jumper.
Sonics 83 Nugs 80 with 10:47 left in the 4th
Back to back to back 3's takes the lead – here we go.
Nugs 80 Sonics 74 at the end of 3 Quarters
The Nugs are forcing Luke to shoot and he is 4 of 11.
Needing to give Wilkins a break Bob Hill has gone to Mikki Moore to guard Carmelo. He couldn’t go to Vlady to guard Carmelo
The Nugs have the Sups on their heels.
Nugs 75 Sonics 67 with 2:39 left in the 3rd Quarter
The Sonics are having a really hard time getting the ball into the hands of Ray Allen
The Sonics are doing a very good job of defending Carmelo Anthony
Kenyon Martin would be the most annoying teammate
Seattle can’t score right now without Ray getting the ball. The Sups are shooting just 40%.
Bob Hill called a timeout at the 6:16 mark and then the Sonics went flat and got outscored 9-2.
Points off turnovers 21 to 4 advantage Denver
Nugs 53 Sonics 49 at the Half
Turnovers are the key here. The Sonics have committed 9 turns for 15 Nugs points and the Nugs have committed 3 turns and the Sonics have 0 points off turns
The Sonics defensive rebounding has been vastly improved and is very good again today at nearly 80% for the first half.
The Sonics are scoring in the half court when they need to.
The one stretch with Mateen at the point
Sonics dominated the offensive glass in the 2nd quarter getting 58% of the available rebounds.
Nuggets 41 Sonics 37 with 4:26 left in the Quarter
Mateen Cleaves just did an awful job running the point.
Ray Allen was off the floor and the Sonics didn’t have a chance
Ray Allen has two fouls and is getting a break.
Bob Hill is trying to control the game more then I have seen, by calling a play every possession.
Robert and Nick are back in at the timeout
Denver 25 Sonics 20 at the end of 1 Quarter
Flip is a mess tonight
Robert Swift checks out and is showing consistency that he must to be great in this league. He is really far ahead of where any one thought this year
Without Ray on the floor and no Rashard tonight it is going to be hard to find points
Radmanovic just got a post-up on Earl Boykins and didn’t score.
Sonics 12 Denver 12 with 4:59 left in the 1st Quarter
Robert Swift looks better tonight then any night I have seen. He is active, blocking shots, moving with confidence, and playing really hard.
Denver is one of the tops at forcing turns and they forced turns on the first two possessions.
Can Nick Collison stay out of foul trouble against Kenyon Martin?
Robert Swift has two new tattoos, one on the back of each arm
Anthony two fouls at the 7:07 mark of the 1st Quarter
Storylines
1) Nuggets pressure defense forcing turnovers against the Sonics
2) Sonics ability to keep the Nugs off the free throw line
3) Camby and Martin against the young Sonics bigs
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