JAMAL CRAWFORD RULES THE DAY -- KNICKS WIN
Knicks 87 Sonics 86 with 3:39 left in the 4th Quarter
Reggie Evans is trying to guard Eddy Curry in the post. This is a problem.
Ray Allen can’t hit anything. This is as bad a shooting night as I have ever seen from Ray.
He was wide open a moment ago. The Knicks had a major breakdown and he missed a wide opn three for the lead.
Knicks 82 Sonics 78 with 6:45 left in the 4th Quarter
Interesting that when it gets to crunch time Larry Brown goes to his best offensive line-up.
Crawford is the best player on the floor right now.
Ray Allen is having a tough night. I thought this would have been a match-up he would dominate. Let’s see what he does down the stretch.
Ridnour in for Murray who had a tough night
Channing Frye is going to be an outstanding pro.
Both teams in the bonus at 6:45 left.
Sonics 72 Knicks 71 at the end of the 3rd Quarter
The reason Seattle looks like they have no rhythm tonight is the bench is not playing well. The Sonics starters played well and got a lead and then the bench didn’t perform tonight and it has been a struggle since.
This game feels like it is slipping the wrong direction.
Jamal Crawford is one of the offensive players I aforementioned and he is hot.
Flip is not letting the game come to him tonight at all.
The Sonics eliminated the Knicks pick and roll with a great defensive game plan, but the Knicks have gone away from it and the Sonics can’t stop what the Knicks are running.
Sonics 66 Knicks 60 with 2:39 left in the 3rd Quarter
Jamal Crawford is a very poor defensive player
Weiss is gambling and trying to get as many minutes he can out of Swift. Evans must be injured. The others are all in foul trouble. Weiss pulled him at 4:43. That is a good run.
Robert doesn’t look like he has any idea how to rebound.
The Sonics are not playing well. I can’t tell if it is the match-up or if is the Sonics lacking.
The Knicks have some offensive players that will make this tough if the Sonics let the Knicks stay in the game.
The Knicks bench is far better then their starters so this becomes time.
Sonics 61 Knicks 48 with 6:54 left in the 3rd Quarter
Robert Swft is starting the second half of action.
This may be the ultimate jinx but Ridnour is doing a really nice job on Marbury
Ray Allen is being guarded by Marbury. He should kill him.
Nate Robinson does not start the second half.
Eddy Curry enters the game at the 9:30 mark because they believe he can go at Swift.
Two possessions later Curry is replaced by Jackie Butler. Larry Brown is all over the place.
This is why the Knicks commit so many turnovers
Sonics 50 Knicks 41 at the half.
Robert Swift enters when Nick Collison gets his 3rd foul.
This is most excitement of the night in a dead arena
Jerome James took it to Swift on two possessions.
Swift missed a tip-jam with two hands. He visibly has too much energy.
You want a jacked up rotation Larry Brown is all over the place
Sonics 47 Knicks 36 with 2:39 left in the 2nd Quarter
Nate Robinson just took a charge (awful call) from Danny Fortson
It was Fortson’s 3rd foul.
Larry Brown is beside himself on the sidelines.
Nate is guarding Luke. Seattle is in a zone
Marbury just pulled up from 20 breaking off a play and missed. Brown was pissed but when he looked down his bench he had no one to go to.
Marbury’s body language is just awful.
This game has no flow the Sonics aren’t playing particularly well.
Sonics 35 Knicks 25 with 7:04 left in the 2nd Quarter
Larry Brown just called a timeout when Jamal Crawford pulled up and took a jumper with 18 seconds on the shot clock without running the set play or making a pass.
Sonics 33 Knicks 23 with 7:50 left in the 2nd Quarter
Curry’s size is a problem for the Sonics down low
The minute Antonio Davis left the game the Knicks became dramatically better.
Vitaly couldn’t handle Curry and got 3 fouls. Why not go Swift at this point?
Knicks in the penalty at 8:05 left in the Q. That is bad because the Knicks can’t shoot so this is the only way they can score.
The Knicks have been brutal at the line 7 of 16.
Sonics are in the penalty at 7:50
Sonics 27 Knicks 17 at the end of the 1st Quarter
Looking at Penny Hardaway reminds me of all the hype around Lil’ Penny. He is barely hanging on.
Eddy Curry is fat.
Nate’s opening quarter was very quiet.
The Sonics played a very strong first half. Their transition was terrific.
Ridnour had 5 assists in the quarter.
Sonics 15 Knicks 8 with 6:06 left in the 1st Quarter
Huge ovation for Nate Robinson. Mixed reaction to Jerome James in the pre-game.
Nick Collison leaves the game with two fouls 2 possessions into the game.
This has always been my concern with him starting. Moreover, with him starting at center.
Luke Ridnour is seeing the floor as well as I have seen him all year.
He has initiated a few fast breaks and is finding the open man with precision.
Keep an eye on Antonio Davis of the Knicks. He is the worst +/- player in the NBA. He starts for the Knicks. Obviously, he is -7
Storylines
1) Sonics improving their defense
2) Nate Robinson back home
3) Sonics bench play from Radman, Flip and Danny
4) How will the Knicks guard Ray Allen?
Larry Brown Effect on the New York Knicks
1) Defensive rating from #27 in the NBA at (108.3) to (102.6) #14th in the NBA
2) Not taking care of the ball. The Knicks are #30 in the NBA in turnovers per possession and they were just #18 last year.
3) They went from the #19 offensive rebounding team to the #1 offensive rebounding team
4) They went from the #14 team in the NBA at forcing turnovers to the #2 team in the NBA
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Monday, December 05, 2005
HUSKIES 99 ZAGS 95
I just finished watching the Huskies beat the Zags on my Tivo. This is a brief breakdown of my thoughts. I will have more details and more thoughts tomorrow on the blog as well as when I host for the Gasman starting at 4 pm.
What a terrific game. Important win for the Huskies. For the Zags to play with the Dawgs considering the plethora of injuries is a statement to how good a basketball team Mark Few has this year.
Adam Morrison reminds me of Danny Manning when he was at Kansas. He is imply unguardable. The Dawgs sent Brandon Roy, Bobby Jones and Joel Smith at him. None of them did a bad job and Morrison torched all of them. He is amazing. He is a delight to watch. He is the best basketball player in the country and he may be the best offensive player in decades.
My big picture analysis is neither of these teams are final four 4 contenders until they commit to playing some defense. Thus Huskies defense in the second half was a disaster. A complete and utter disaster. I will build the number and add them tomorrow. Last year, the Zags defense wasn’t high enough quality to win a lot in the tournament and this year is the same. There is a threshold of what level your defense has to perform or you will not be able to win consistently in the NCAA tournament. Both of these teams are on the wrong side of the threshold.The Zags win this game if Ravolio is not hurt. Pargo made three if not four critical turnovers late in the second half that were freshman errors.
I was very impressed with Justin Dentmon. For the most part he made good decisions. He was fearless late. My favorite play was when he pumped fake the open three to move into a shorter higher percentage three. It showed a high basketball IQ. He is legit and the Huskies are in very good hands with him at the helm.My biggest concern about the Huskies was how many mistakes would they make late in games without Nate, Will and Tre. Impressively they avoided big disastrous errors. They had a few possessions where they could have been smarter, but you can’t button down the hatches the whole way.
Brandon Roy has to be much better then that if he wants to carry this team. Bobby Jones is the best player on this team until Roy shows me otherwise.Lorenzo Romar has an amazing feel for this team considering how young they are. He let them play through some tough times. Late in the game he left them keep the flow and then when he had to he called the timeout to get everything controlled and collected.
The Huskies interior defensive rebounding was invisible for huge portions of the game.Final thought for now. Great game. Super outcome for both sets of fans. The Dawgs needed the win. The Zags have to still believe that they have something special and when healthy they win that game. Adam Morrison is playing a different game. It was a pleasure to see him and he will make every Zag game this year a Tivo event.
Sunday, December 04, 2005
SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. PACERS
SONICS 107 PACERS 102 FINAL SCORE
Sonics win their third in a row
Top to bottom everyone on the roster played well.
Great job on the boards again, 81% on the defensive glass and 32% on the offensive glass.
Flip Murray was terrific and in control.
Danny Fortson changed the game.
Sonics 98 Pacers 89 with 3:46 left in the 4th Quarter
The rout has been temporarily interrupted. This is why the early burst was so important.
For anyone who has been complaining about Weiss activity on the sideline they aren’t paying attention. He is currently across half court. He has been calling every defensive play tonight for the Sonics.
Danny Forston makes me chuckle. He just fouled out with 4:24 left. He changed the game.
Sonics 98 Pacers 82 with 6:11 left in the 4th Quarter
The rout is on.
Sonics 90 Pacers 77 with 8:29 left in the 4th Quarter
Seattle is forcing the pick and roll to the baseline and it is causing the Pacers huge problems. Indiana wants to take their pick and roll to the middle of the floor and the Sonics have a great game plan for it.
On the last possession Murray forced Johnson to the baseline and he threw a bad pass intercepted by Lewis and it was finished on with an alley-opp to Radman.
Artest gets his first rebound at the 8:29 mark
Sonics 82 Pacers 73 at the end of 3 quarters
Both teams in the penalty at the 3:22 mark. Sonics up 3. This may decide the game. Whichever team takes advantage of the bonus.
Bob Weiss is yelling at his team on each defensive possession “no fouls, no fouls.”
Sonics got 4 free throws in that span and the Pacers got none.
This is where Flip can be a very valuable player with his ability to break guys down and get to the line.
O’Neal is killing Seattle in the post.
Sonics 68 Pacers 64 with 5:09 left in the 3rd Quarter
Sonics scored on 8 of 10 possessions to open the 2nd half. That is unreal against the Pacers defense.
Pacers are on a 7-0 run. They have scored on 6 straight possessions. Defense from Seattle needs to return.
For the most part this game is entirely in the half court.
Reggie Evans is playing well tonight. He has stopped pressing and forcing his offensive game and is setting picks, rebounding and doing the things Reggie does. His defensive assignment is Ron Artest and that fits his skills better then a read and react player
Sonics 59 Pacers 48 with 8:52 left in the 3rd Quarter.
I said the Sonics needed to have a whap, whap, whap sequence early in the 3rd Quarter to get a little wiggle room in this game.
In a close game Indiana will just pound the post and get Seattle in foul trouble.
The opening 3+ minutes has been that whap, whap, whap. Allen hit a 3 in transition, Luke feed to Lewis for a 3 and Lewis alley-opped to Ridnour for two.
10-2 start to the half.
Sonics 49 Pacers 46 at the half.
Special hello to the those joining us on the blog from Italy and Greece.
Very good half of basketball from Seattle.
The bench was great again tonight.
Ray Allen looks great. He has super elevation. He has 16 points.
Jermaine O’Neal might be the toughest match this side of Shaq for the Sonics. He is one of the few bigs that really wants to play the game with his back to the basket 7 feet and in.
Watching Luke shoot a three from straight away and I wonder if the distance isn’t too much. The corner three looks like a much better stroke. AD was one of those guys last year. He had the biggest difference between the top of the key 3 and the the sideline 3.
Sonics 41 Pacers 36 with 4:12 left in the 2nd Quarter
Sonics 37 Pacers 35 with 5:45 left in the 2nd Quarter
Sonics have both Lewis and Allen back in. During the period that one of them was resting the Sonics bench gave the Sonics a +5. That is huge.
Danny Fortson gets his 3rd foul at the 6:02 mark. He gave the Sonics a +7.
Sonics 33 Pacers 33 with 7:32 left in the 2nd Quarter
My favorite play in the NBA is the re-post. The Sonics have re-posted both of the last two possessions and had great results.
Flip Murray has to have the lowest dunk % of any player in the NBA
Sonics go with Flip, Allen, Wilkins, Vlady and Fortson.
Fortson is still wrecking havoc.
Artest and Wilkins are really battling.
This game is getting very physical.
Pacers 28 Sonics 27 end of the 1st Quarter
Rashard Lewis is unquestionably in the elite offensive players in the NBA
Artest is guarding Lewis tight. I mean tight. Lewis has an answer to it and has buried two shots with Artest all over him.
Danny Fortson is impacting the game again tonight. He got two fouls on Jeff Foster in about a minute.
It is amazing how much a positive Fortson changes everything involving the Sonics.
It is equally as scary to be dependent on Fortson
Offensive Ratings in the 1st Quarter: Sonics 126 Pacers 128
Pacers 14 Sonics 10 with 5:08 left in the 1st Quarter
Interesting match-ups – Evans is guarding Artest. Collison is guarding O’Neal in the post.
Seattle’s offense looks great early against one of the best defensive team’s in the NBA.
Over the past 10 games the Sonics are the #1 offensive team in the NBA and the Pacers are the #1 defensive team in the NBA.
Sonics coaching staff charted Artest and found he is much better when he is playing off the dribble then when he is a catch and shoot or rise and fire jumper.
Sonics picks off the ball are much better the last few games
Storylines
1) Sonics great offense against the Pacers great defense
2) Can Artest contain Lewis
3) Will the Sonics bench have another great game
4) Pacers are turnover prone can the Sonics take advantage.
Sonics Inactives: Petro, Brunson and Moore
Sonics win their third in a row
Top to bottom everyone on the roster played well.
Great job on the boards again, 81% on the defensive glass and 32% on the offensive glass.
Flip Murray was terrific and in control.
Danny Fortson changed the game.
Sonics 98 Pacers 89 with 3:46 left in the 4th Quarter
The rout has been temporarily interrupted. This is why the early burst was so important.
For anyone who has been complaining about Weiss activity on the sideline they aren’t paying attention. He is currently across half court. He has been calling every defensive play tonight for the Sonics.
Danny Forston makes me chuckle. He just fouled out with 4:24 left. He changed the game.
Sonics 98 Pacers 82 with 6:11 left in the 4th Quarter
The rout is on.
Sonics 90 Pacers 77 with 8:29 left in the 4th Quarter
Seattle is forcing the pick and roll to the baseline and it is causing the Pacers huge problems. Indiana wants to take their pick and roll to the middle of the floor and the Sonics have a great game plan for it.
On the last possession Murray forced Johnson to the baseline and he threw a bad pass intercepted by Lewis and it was finished on with an alley-opp to Radman.
Artest gets his first rebound at the 8:29 mark
Sonics 82 Pacers 73 at the end of 3 quarters
Both teams in the penalty at the 3:22 mark. Sonics up 3. This may decide the game. Whichever team takes advantage of the bonus.
Bob Weiss is yelling at his team on each defensive possession “no fouls, no fouls.”
Sonics got 4 free throws in that span and the Pacers got none.
This is where Flip can be a very valuable player with his ability to break guys down and get to the line.
O’Neal is killing Seattle in the post.
Sonics 68 Pacers 64 with 5:09 left in the 3rd Quarter
Sonics scored on 8 of 10 possessions to open the 2nd half. That is unreal against the Pacers defense.
Pacers are on a 7-0 run. They have scored on 6 straight possessions. Defense from Seattle needs to return.
For the most part this game is entirely in the half court.
Reggie Evans is playing well tonight. He has stopped pressing and forcing his offensive game and is setting picks, rebounding and doing the things Reggie does. His defensive assignment is Ron Artest and that fits his skills better then a read and react player
Sonics 59 Pacers 48 with 8:52 left in the 3rd Quarter.
I said the Sonics needed to have a whap, whap, whap sequence early in the 3rd Quarter to get a little wiggle room in this game.
In a close game Indiana will just pound the post and get Seattle in foul trouble.
The opening 3+ minutes has been that whap, whap, whap. Allen hit a 3 in transition, Luke feed to Lewis for a 3 and Lewis alley-opped to Ridnour for two.
10-2 start to the half.
Sonics 49 Pacers 46 at the half.
Special hello to the those joining us on the blog from Italy and Greece.
Very good half of basketball from Seattle.
The bench was great again tonight.
Ray Allen looks great. He has super elevation. He has 16 points.
Jermaine O’Neal might be the toughest match this side of Shaq for the Sonics. He is one of the few bigs that really wants to play the game with his back to the basket 7 feet and in.
Watching Luke shoot a three from straight away and I wonder if the distance isn’t too much. The corner three looks like a much better stroke. AD was one of those guys last year. He had the biggest difference between the top of the key 3 and the the sideline 3.
Sonics 41 Pacers 36 with 4:12 left in the 2nd Quarter
Sonics 37 Pacers 35 with 5:45 left in the 2nd Quarter
Sonics have both Lewis and Allen back in. During the period that one of them was resting the Sonics bench gave the Sonics a +5. That is huge.
Danny Fortson gets his 3rd foul at the 6:02 mark. He gave the Sonics a +7.
Sonics 33 Pacers 33 with 7:32 left in the 2nd Quarter
My favorite play in the NBA is the re-post. The Sonics have re-posted both of the last two possessions and had great results.
Flip Murray has to have the lowest dunk % of any player in the NBA
Sonics go with Flip, Allen, Wilkins, Vlady and Fortson.
Fortson is still wrecking havoc.
Artest and Wilkins are really battling.
This game is getting very physical.
Pacers 28 Sonics 27 end of the 1st Quarter
Rashard Lewis is unquestionably in the elite offensive players in the NBA
Artest is guarding Lewis tight. I mean tight. Lewis has an answer to it and has buried two shots with Artest all over him.
Danny Fortson is impacting the game again tonight. He got two fouls on Jeff Foster in about a minute.
It is amazing how much a positive Fortson changes everything involving the Sonics.
It is equally as scary to be dependent on Fortson
Offensive Ratings in the 1st Quarter: Sonics 126 Pacers 128
Pacers 14 Sonics 10 with 5:08 left in the 1st Quarter
Interesting match-ups – Evans is guarding Artest. Collison is guarding O’Neal in the post.
Seattle’s offense looks great early against one of the best defensive team’s in the NBA.
Over the past 10 games the Sonics are the #1 offensive team in the NBA and the Pacers are the #1 defensive team in the NBA.
Sonics coaching staff charted Artest and found he is much better when he is playing off the dribble then when he is a catch and shoot or rise and fire jumper.
Sonics picks off the ball are much better the last few games
Storylines
1) Sonics great offense against the Pacers great defense
2) Can Artest contain Lewis
3) Will the Sonics bench have another great game
4) Pacers are turnover prone can the Sonics take advantage.
Sonics Inactives: Petro, Brunson and Moore
Saturday, December 03, 2005
CHAMBERS LEAVING WASHINGTON
As he first reported on Thrusday 950, KJR’s Dave Mahler has confirmed that Craig Chambers is leaving the University of Washington. Mahler reports that Chambers meet with Head Coach Tyrone Willingham today and has asked for his release.
Chambers has mentioned the University of Montana as a possible next stop. That makes sense since Bobby Hauck, former Washington assistant and now head coach of the Grizzlies, recruited Chambers.
Chambers lack of work ethic at practice and attention to detail has been a sticking point during his tenure at Washington with both head coach Keith Gilbertson and Tyrone Willingham.
In other Huskies news, 950,KJR Dave Mahler also reported that Willingham decided against playing a 13th game in Hawaii.
Both of these stories show that Willingham is working hard to install a culture to the University of Washington. The largest surprise for Willingham in his first year was the amount he had to coach effort and desire. It is clear that continues to be his focus.
Friday, December 02, 2005
SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. CAVS
SONICS 115 CAVS 108 FINAL SCORE
Great win all the way around for the Sonics.
Defense was good when you consider how good the Cavs offense is.
Rebounding was the key. Sonics get 77% of the defensive rebounds and 33% of the offensive boards.
Flip Murray finished the game and was terrific. He played within himself and didn't commit a turnover.
The Sonics played solid defense on LeBron all night despite his 34.
THIS IS THE CHART I KEPT ON LEBRON'S SHOOTING OPS
Sonics 102 Cavs 98 with 3:14 left in the 4th Quarter
The Sonics kept the Cavs out of transition for most of the game until now. The Cavs are getting free in transition here in the 4th Q
The Sonics have Murray, Allen, Lewis, Radman and Wilkins on the floor.
Wilkins has the assignment on LBJ.
Sonics 94 Cavs 93 with 5:47 left in the 4th Quarter
Nick Collison has five fouls. When will Weiss go back to him?
The Sonics are getting most of the hustle plays.
This game could go a long way to defining the season.
Sonics 89 Cavs 85 with 8:00 left in the 4th Quarter
Here is the amazing thing. I think the Sonics have defended LBJ very well.
He still has 32 points on 11 of 23 shooting. The dude is the whole deal.
Ray Allen is just 5 of 16. Last year against Hughes he was 13 of 40.
Sonics 81 Cavs 79 at the end of the 3rd Quarter
On the final play of the quarter Flip Murray didn’t impede Larry Hughes progress at all and allowed him to get the ball to Marshall for a three at the buzzer.
The Cavs are living at the line
Cavs hit three straight threes to close the quarter and we have a ball game
Sonics 77 Cavs 64 with 2:16 left in the 3rd Quarter
Sonics have taken LBJ out of the game with the zone defense and their double teaming.
Great job from the coaching staff on their game plan.
If the Sonics get anything close from their bench that they got in the first half this is their game.
Sonics 71 Cavs 61 with 3:55 left in the 3rd Quarter
Danny Fortson just got ejected from the game. He pushed Z out of bounds with a harsh elbow and then the confrontation continued and as always Danny couldn’t let it go and got ejected.
Sonics 68 Cavs 57 with 5:49 left in the 3rd Quarter
Cavs in the bonus at the 6:13 mark
The Sonics have been very physical with the Cavs tonight. Let’s see how that plays later in the game.
The Sonics half court offense has been ignited by great screens
The Cavs last 5 points have come at the free throw line.
Sonics 65 Cavs 53 with 6:59 left in the 3rd Quarter
LBJ is 1 for his last 7 on jumpers
The Sonics have only allowed LBJ to drive into the paint three times out of the half court all night.
LBJ’s only misses are on jumpers. Otherwise he has scored every time.
Sonics shooting in this game has been out of the world
The Sonics are very poor at the free throw line 6 of 12.
Seattle 58 Cavs 48 at the half
Seattle is 7 of 11 from 3
LBJ is 1 for 5 on jumpers in the 2nd Quarter
The best half of basketball this season by the Sonics.
Lewis and Allen were great, but the story was the bench
Wilkins was great on LBJ.
Every guy on the team was on top of their game.
Brilliant play call to close the half with Allen and Lewis picking for each other and getting Lewis a mismatch in the post.
Sonics 50 Cavs 41 with 2:17 left in the quarter
Flip checks out with 10 points. He has been brutal in the +/- all year. Tonight he was +11 in his span on the floor.
The bench has been great. Without question the Sonics are getting their best night of the year from the bench. Murray, Wilkins and Fortson have all been excellent.
Sonics have a 21 to 5 bench advantage.
LBJ is just 1 of 4 on his jumpers in the Quarter. That is the game plan.
Cleveland’s offensive rebounding is causing problems.
Sonics 42 Cavs 36 with 6:04 left in the 2nd Quarter
Danny Fortson has brought a ton tonight.
Wilkins has the match-up on LBJ
Cavs only have one stop in the quarter as of the 7:00 mark.
The Sonics are being very physical with the Cavs. This will wear on them later in the game.
Flip Murray is bringing a ton. He has buried two open jumpers off the pick and roll when the Cavs have gone under. In addition, he has been great in transition.
Sonics 35 Cavs 32 with 8:36 left in the 2nd Quarter
Sonics are getting a really good outing from Danny Fortson.
Fortson got their first offensive rebound around the 9:30 mark of the 2nd Quarter
Fortson just got Zydrunas Illgauskas to get a T with his antics
Flip Murray playing well also.
The Sonics are riddling the Cavs defense or lack their of.
Cavs 30 Sonics 26 at the end of the 1st Quarter
The Sonics first bucket was from Collison. The next 22 points came from Lewis and Allen.
Lewis is doing his best to match LBJ in his quiet fashion. Lewis has 14 to match LBJ.
Fortson makes his first appearance in some time.
Cavs lead 28 to 24 when Allen goes to the bench.
Cavs 23 Sonics 20 LeBron 14 with 3:47 left in the 1st Quarter
LBJ is the whole show right now. He is burying the J, hit the drives and finishing the fast break. He has 14 points already.
LBJ has hit 6 in a row
Sonics have answered the LBJ run with 4 straight 3 point shots
This is an offensive extravaganza.
Storylines
1) Cavs are amazing rebounding the basketball.
2) Force LeBron into the jumper.
3) Defensively can the Sonics handle the #1 offense in the NBA. Anything under a rating of 110 is acceptable.
Sonics inactives: Mikki Moore, Rick Brunson and Johan Petro
Great win all the way around for the Sonics.
Defense was good when you consider how good the Cavs offense is.
Rebounding was the key. Sonics get 77% of the defensive rebounds and 33% of the offensive boards.
Flip Murray finished the game and was terrific. He played within himself and didn't commit a turnover.
The Sonics played solid defense on LeBron all night despite his 34.
THIS IS THE CHART I KEPT ON LEBRON'S SHOOTING OPS
1st Q 2nd Q 3rd 4th Q
Jumper 3 for 4 1 for 5 1 for 4 2 for 5
FB 2 for 2 1 for 1 1 for 1 0 for 0
Contained 1 for 1 0 for 0 1 for 2 0 for 0
Penetration1 for 1 1 for 1 2 for 2 1 for 1
Sonics 102 Cavs 98 with 3:14 left in the 4th Quarter
The Sonics kept the Cavs out of transition for most of the game until now. The Cavs are getting free in transition here in the 4th Q
The Sonics have Murray, Allen, Lewis, Radman and Wilkins on the floor.
Wilkins has the assignment on LBJ.
Sonics 94 Cavs 93 with 5:47 left in the 4th Quarter
Nick Collison has five fouls. When will Weiss go back to him?
The Sonics are getting most of the hustle plays.
This game could go a long way to defining the season.
Sonics 89 Cavs 85 with 8:00 left in the 4th Quarter
Here is the amazing thing. I think the Sonics have defended LBJ very well.
He still has 32 points on 11 of 23 shooting. The dude is the whole deal.
Ray Allen is just 5 of 16. Last year against Hughes he was 13 of 40.
Sonics 81 Cavs 79 at the end of the 3rd Quarter
On the final play of the quarter Flip Murray didn’t impede Larry Hughes progress at all and allowed him to get the ball to Marshall for a three at the buzzer.
The Cavs are living at the line
Cavs hit three straight threes to close the quarter and we have a ball game
Sonics 77 Cavs 64 with 2:16 left in the 3rd Quarter
Sonics have taken LBJ out of the game with the zone defense and their double teaming.
Great job from the coaching staff on their game plan.
If the Sonics get anything close from their bench that they got in the first half this is their game.
Sonics 71 Cavs 61 with 3:55 left in the 3rd Quarter
Danny Fortson just got ejected from the game. He pushed Z out of bounds with a harsh elbow and then the confrontation continued and as always Danny couldn’t let it go and got ejected.
Sonics 68 Cavs 57 with 5:49 left in the 3rd Quarter
Cavs in the bonus at the 6:13 mark
The Sonics have been very physical with the Cavs tonight. Let’s see how that plays later in the game.
The Sonics half court offense has been ignited by great screens
The Cavs last 5 points have come at the free throw line.
Sonics 65 Cavs 53 with 6:59 left in the 3rd Quarter
LBJ is 1 for his last 7 on jumpers
The Sonics have only allowed LBJ to drive into the paint three times out of the half court all night.
LBJ’s only misses are on jumpers. Otherwise he has scored every time.
Sonics shooting in this game has been out of the world
The Sonics are very poor at the free throw line 6 of 12.
Seattle 58 Cavs 48 at the half
Seattle is 7 of 11 from 3
LBJ is 1 for 5 on jumpers in the 2nd Quarter
The best half of basketball this season by the Sonics.
Lewis and Allen were great, but the story was the bench
Wilkins was great on LBJ.
Every guy on the team was on top of their game.
Brilliant play call to close the half with Allen and Lewis picking for each other and getting Lewis a mismatch in the post.
Sonics 50 Cavs 41 with 2:17 left in the quarter
Flip checks out with 10 points. He has been brutal in the +/- all year. Tonight he was +11 in his span on the floor.
The bench has been great. Without question the Sonics are getting their best night of the year from the bench. Murray, Wilkins and Fortson have all been excellent.
Sonics have a 21 to 5 bench advantage.
LBJ is just 1 of 4 on his jumpers in the Quarter. That is the game plan.
Cleveland’s offensive rebounding is causing problems.
Sonics 42 Cavs 36 with 6:04 left in the 2nd Quarter
Danny Fortson has brought a ton tonight.
Wilkins has the match-up on LBJ
Cavs only have one stop in the quarter as of the 7:00 mark.
The Sonics are being very physical with the Cavs. This will wear on them later in the game.
Flip Murray is bringing a ton. He has buried two open jumpers off the pick and roll when the Cavs have gone under. In addition, he has been great in transition.
Sonics 35 Cavs 32 with 8:36 left in the 2nd Quarter
Sonics are getting a really good outing from Danny Fortson.
Fortson got their first offensive rebound around the 9:30 mark of the 2nd Quarter
Fortson just got Zydrunas Illgauskas to get a T with his antics
Flip Murray playing well also.
The Sonics are riddling the Cavs defense or lack their of.
Cavs 30 Sonics 26 at the end of the 1st Quarter
The Sonics first bucket was from Collison. The next 22 points came from Lewis and Allen.
Lewis is doing his best to match LBJ in his quiet fashion. Lewis has 14 to match LBJ.
Fortson makes his first appearance in some time.
Cavs lead 28 to 24 when Allen goes to the bench.
Cavs 23 Sonics 20 LeBron 14 with 3:47 left in the 1st Quarter
LBJ is the whole show right now. He is burying the J, hit the drives and finishing the fast break. He has 14 points already.
LBJ has hit 6 in a row
Sonics have answered the LBJ run with 4 straight 3 point shots
This is an offensive extravaganza.
Storylines
1) Cavs are amazing rebounding the basketball.
2) Force LeBron into the jumper.
3) Defensively can the Sonics handle the #1 offense in the NBA. Anything under a rating of 110 is acceptable.
Sonics inactives: Mikki Moore, Rick Brunson and Johan Petro
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. BOBCATS
Sonics 97 Bobcats 87 with 2:46 left in the 4th Quarter
Ray Allen just hit one of those special threes and it puts Seattle back up 12 just when you began to get nervous.
Charlotte can only score at the line and the Sonics are in the penalty and fouling.
Sonics 90 Bobcats 79 with 6:02 left in the 4th Quarter
Seattle in the penalty at the 8:06 mark
Seattle has done a great job of taking care of the ball.
The Bobcats don’t have a single player with a game that translate to the half court game.
The only one is Melvin Ely
Weiss has had a solid night with his rotation.
Sonics 90 Bobcats 74 with 8:30 left in the 4th Quarter.
Sonics have 4 team fouls with 9:15 left in the 4th Quarter
Flip Murray is having a solid night which is really important because without Brunson Murray is going to have to be the guy.
Murray moved the ball well tonight and was not so one dimensional.
Great steal by Vlady put together a large 4 point swing and kept the Sonics in control
Sonics 83 Bobcats 70 at the end of 3 Quarters.
Vlady is not right still and this is the guy that this team must have to be unique.
Ridnour hits two nice shots late in quarter
The Bobcats status as an expansion team is really evident when they go to the bench.
More so when they are without their first round pick Sean May
Sonics 76 Bobcats 65 with 3:18 left in the 3rd Quarter
Fantastic run by the Sonics – 9-0
The Sonics got back to back fast break buckets.
The offensive execution has been very good. Mainly when Lewis has been in the post.
The key to the game is upcoming. When Allen goes to the bench how do the Sonics react.
Lewis is unguardable tonight.
Sonics 63 Bobcats 58 with 7:27 left in the 3rd Quarter
Luke has take 4 of the Sonics 6 shots in the Quarter and he has missed all of them
Official Tony Brothers is having a bad night. Weiss has been working on him every time down the floor for the last 4 minutes. Then Brothers missed a call and got the wrath of the Bobcats.
This was a big play. The Sonics lead 59 to 56 and Knight ran into Ridnour and no foul was called and the Sonics went the other way for a lay-up to go up 61-56. Then a Tech followed but the Sonics missed the free throw.
The Bobcats have all the momentum.
Sonics 56 Bobcats 46 at the half
Sonics go on an 8-0 run with 6 of those points coming on the fast break
Sups force 7 turnovers in the 2nd Quarter for a good defensive quarter.
Rashard Lewis has 19 points and looks awesome.
Very good shot distrubution by the Sups in the first half, Lewis 13, Allen 11, Radman 5.
Sonics 48 Bobcats 44 with 3:01 left in the 2nd Quarter
Off the Topic – Nate Robinson started tonight for the Knicks and played 35 minutes.
Nate had 14-3-2.
The Bobcats are great in transition. When they get out they get 2. They are brutal in the half court
Ray Allen’s strength is not dribbling and he is getting the ball too much early in the shot clock and it allows the defense to put all of its focus on Allen and it is resulting in some turnovers.
The Bobcats are shooting 56% they might not be able to do that in a gym by themselves.
Sonics 44 Bobcats 36 with 5:16 left in the 2nd Quarter
Melvin Ely has a really good low post game for the Bobcats
The Sonics offensive ball movement has been very good
Seattle has gone to a zone and it is causing the Bobcats a ton of trouble.
The Bobcats are committing a ton of turnovers and the Sonics are getting out and going.
The Soncis have done a great job of keeping the Bobcats out of transition
Luke Ridnour left with a slightly sprained ankle
Sonics 30 Bobcats 24 at the end of 1 Quarter
Lewis carries the load with 5 of 6 shooting and 11 points
For the most part the Sonics have done a very good job of keeping the game in the half court and the Bobcats can’t score in the halfcourt.
Okeafor has no jump shot. He is amazingly limited for a guy who won rookie of the year.
Ray Allen went to the bench with the Sonics up 4. One of our storylines is how they do with Allen on the bench.
Sonics 18 Bobcats 9 with 5:53 left in the 1st Quarter
Sonics come out on fire. Hitting their first 6 shots.
Nick Collison gets two fouls by the 8:00 mark. That has always been my concern with Collison is whether or not he can avoid foul trouble as a starting power forward.
Petro replaces Collison.
Sonics are working on containment defensively. Trying to avoid the penetration.
Gerald Wallace and Kareem Rush may have a tough time guarding Lewis and Allen.
STORYLINES
1) The Bobcats can't score the Sonics can't defend
2) Sonics turnovers. The bobcats average forcing 20% of opponents possesions as turnovers.
3) Can the Sonics survive without Ray Allen on the floor.
Some numbers that make you saw wow
In the last 5 losses the Sonics have allowed 187 free throws
In the last 6 games opponents have shot 38 of 78 from 3.
In the last 3 games the Sonics have allowed 105 free throws.
The average defensive efficiency in the NBA is 102. If you allow more then 109 you are in a lot of trouble. In all but 3 games the Sonics have had a defensive efficiency that was over 109. That makes it just about impossible to win.
INACTIVES
Sonics inactives: Mikki Moore, Rick Brunson and Danny Fortson.
Bobcats inactives: Sean May
Ray Allen just hit one of those special threes and it puts Seattle back up 12 just when you began to get nervous.
Charlotte can only score at the line and the Sonics are in the penalty and fouling.
Sonics 90 Bobcats 79 with 6:02 left in the 4th Quarter
Seattle in the penalty at the 8:06 mark
Seattle has done a great job of taking care of the ball.
The Bobcats don’t have a single player with a game that translate to the half court game.
The only one is Melvin Ely
Weiss has had a solid night with his rotation.
Sonics 90 Bobcats 74 with 8:30 left in the 4th Quarter.
Sonics have 4 team fouls with 9:15 left in the 4th Quarter
Flip Murray is having a solid night which is really important because without Brunson Murray is going to have to be the guy.
Murray moved the ball well tonight and was not so one dimensional.
Great steal by Vlady put together a large 4 point swing and kept the Sonics in control
Sonics 83 Bobcats 70 at the end of 3 Quarters.
Vlady is not right still and this is the guy that this team must have to be unique.
Ridnour hits two nice shots late in quarter
The Bobcats status as an expansion team is really evident when they go to the bench.
More so when they are without their first round pick Sean May
Sonics 76 Bobcats 65 with 3:18 left in the 3rd Quarter
Fantastic run by the Sonics – 9-0
The Sonics got back to back fast break buckets.
The offensive execution has been very good. Mainly when Lewis has been in the post.
The key to the game is upcoming. When Allen goes to the bench how do the Sonics react.
Lewis is unguardable tonight.
Sonics 63 Bobcats 58 with 7:27 left in the 3rd Quarter
Luke has take 4 of the Sonics 6 shots in the Quarter and he has missed all of them
Official Tony Brothers is having a bad night. Weiss has been working on him every time down the floor for the last 4 minutes. Then Brothers missed a call and got the wrath of the Bobcats.
This was a big play. The Sonics lead 59 to 56 and Knight ran into Ridnour and no foul was called and the Sonics went the other way for a lay-up to go up 61-56. Then a Tech followed but the Sonics missed the free throw.
The Bobcats have all the momentum.
Sonics 56 Bobcats 46 at the half
Sonics go on an 8-0 run with 6 of those points coming on the fast break
Sups force 7 turnovers in the 2nd Quarter for a good defensive quarter.
Rashard Lewis has 19 points and looks awesome.
Very good shot distrubution by the Sups in the first half, Lewis 13, Allen 11, Radman 5.
Sonics 48 Bobcats 44 with 3:01 left in the 2nd Quarter
Off the Topic – Nate Robinson started tonight for the Knicks and played 35 minutes.
Nate had 14-3-2.
The Bobcats are great in transition. When they get out they get 2. They are brutal in the half court
Ray Allen’s strength is not dribbling and he is getting the ball too much early in the shot clock and it allows the defense to put all of its focus on Allen and it is resulting in some turnovers.
The Bobcats are shooting 56% they might not be able to do that in a gym by themselves.
Sonics 44 Bobcats 36 with 5:16 left in the 2nd Quarter
Melvin Ely has a really good low post game for the Bobcats
The Sonics offensive ball movement has been very good
Seattle has gone to a zone and it is causing the Bobcats a ton of trouble.
The Bobcats are committing a ton of turnovers and the Sonics are getting out and going.
The Soncis have done a great job of keeping the Bobcats out of transition
Luke Ridnour left with a slightly sprained ankle
Sonics 30 Bobcats 24 at the end of 1 Quarter
Lewis carries the load with 5 of 6 shooting and 11 points
For the most part the Sonics have done a very good job of keeping the game in the half court and the Bobcats can’t score in the halfcourt.
Okeafor has no jump shot. He is amazingly limited for a guy who won rookie of the year.
Ray Allen went to the bench with the Sonics up 4. One of our storylines is how they do with Allen on the bench.
Sonics 18 Bobcats 9 with 5:53 left in the 1st Quarter
Sonics come out on fire. Hitting their first 6 shots.
Nick Collison gets two fouls by the 8:00 mark. That has always been my concern with Collison is whether or not he can avoid foul trouble as a starting power forward.
Petro replaces Collison.
Sonics are working on containment defensively. Trying to avoid the penetration.
Gerald Wallace and Kareem Rush may have a tough time guarding Lewis and Allen.
STORYLINES
1) The Bobcats can't score the Sonics can't defend
2) Sonics turnovers. The bobcats average forcing 20% of opponents possesions as turnovers.
3) Can the Sonics survive without Ray Allen on the floor.
Some numbers that make you saw wow
In the last 5 losses the Sonics have allowed 187 free throws
In the last 6 games opponents have shot 38 of 78 from 3.
In the last 3 games the Sonics have allowed 105 free throws.
The average defensive efficiency in the NBA is 102. If you allow more then 109 you are in a lot of trouble. In all but 3 games the Sonics have had a defensive efficiency that was over 109. That makes it just about impossible to win.
INACTIVES
Sonics inactives: Mikki Moore, Rick Brunson and Danny Fortson.
Bobcats inactives: Sean May
Locked on Sports: Hawk fans: Loud and proud
Locked on Sports: Hawk fans: Loud and proud: "With each yellow flag fluttering to the ground the energy increased. The vigor of the crowd grabbed you like an avalanche sweeping down the mountainside. It was inescapable.
On the field, players chest-bump and high-five each other after great plays. In the crowd it was no different.
After each false-start penalty, complete strangers exchanged high fives. Buddies punched each other with excitement, screaming, 'We are changing the game!' And we were."
On the field, players chest-bump and high-five each other after great plays. In the crowd it was no different.
After each false-start penalty, complete strangers exchanged high fives. Buddies punched each other with excitement, screaming, 'We are changing the game!' And we were."
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
SONICS THE WORST DEFENSIVE TEAM EVER?
The problem with the Sonics defense is not that are bad it is that they are not close. This team is nowhere close to where they need to be defensively. The only way I can explain this is through defensive efficiency numbers. Those are numbers that equate for pts allowed per 100 possessions.
The bottom line is the Seattle Supersonics are the worst defensive team since at least 1994 and it would be a fair argument that they are the worst defensive team in the history of the NBA.
Here is the breakdown.
The Sonics are last in the NBA in defense by a lot. They allow 114.7 points per 100 possessions. Compare the Sonics 114.7 to the league average and the league average is 102.3, that is a 12.5 point difference. That is a larger difference then the 28th team in the NBA and the best team in the league. Let me say this again. The Sonics difference from the average defense in the NBA is more then the difference between the best defensive team and the 3rd worst defensive team.
But here is the real killer. Since 1994-95 which is the last year that I broke down the numbers. So over the past 11 seasons of the NBA no team in the NBA has ever had a defensive rating worse then 111.6. The Sonics are currently 114.7. They are the worst defensive team in over 11 seasons.
Their has only been one team since the lock-out to have a defensive efficiency rating over 110 for a season and that was the Atlanta Hawks last season at 110.3 and they lost 69 games.
Monday, November 28, 2005
BRUNSON INJURED AT PRACTICE
Sonics point guard Rick Brunson re-injured his foot in practice today. This is bad news for the Sonics. Brunson has had problems with the foot all pre-season and early season. Everyone thought he had made great strides until today when he made a cut and the foot “exploded “ on him. He is seeing the doctors today, but this injury could put Brunson out for months.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE --- November 26TH
Knicks 105 Philly 102 --- Nate Robinson hits the game winner over Iverson. Brown put Nate in the third quarter to shut down Iverson and did a really solid job. Nate played 33 minutes. I have said all year that Philly is a façade and that is showing up …. The Knicks need to bench Antonio Davis. He has the worst +/- of any player in the NBA. The Knicks are -134 when he is on the floor….. Channing Frye is the real deal. All the NBA scouts are talking about him. Look for the Knicks to get much better when Frye gets all of Davis’s minutes.
Orlando 80 Miami 77 --- Has anyone noticed that Miami is just 7-6 without Shaq. All the off-seasons were to make this team survive a Shaq injury and it is not working …. Dwight Howard is developing every game and maybe really big time before
Minnesota 89 Cleveland 85 – Great road win for Coach Casey … Minnesota outscored Cleveland 24-26 in the 4th quarter. Minnesota is playing great D they are just having a tough time scoring … Marko Jaric gave Minnesota 41 minutes at the point. If he starts playing well they will be much improved, he was +10 ….
Charlotte 100 Washington 82 – Washington is suddenly in trouble … Charlotte is a totally different team when Gerald Wallace plays. He has become the real deal. He had 26-14 and 5 blocks. The Bobccats have a winning record when he plays ….
AD has suddenly fallen out of favor with the Wizards. AD was -13 in 15 minutes.
Memphis 112 Dallas 92 -- Great win for Memphis. They may be legit. Gasol gives it to them every night and then they find a way to get enough from other guys … You have to wonder where the Dallas guard defense was when Bobby Jackson and Damon Stoudamire light them up. Jason Terry is that why you only played 23 minutes.
Chicago 94 Houston 89 – The Rockets slide without Tracy McGrady contiues. The Bobby Sura injury is big here as well. They are simply without wing players. The Rockets have been forced to go to Luther Head for 40 minutes a game. .. Juwan Howard was -17. He may have totally lost it.
Detroit 85 Milwaukee 76 – The Pistons went back to their old ways …. The scouting report is out on TJ Ford and the Bucks are no longer nearly as dangerous … Bobby Simmons has yet to get comfortable with the Bucks.
Golden State 117 Toronto 91 – The Sam Mitchell death march continues … Jalen Rose the coach killer is a -120 for the season, the second worst of any player in the NBA,…. The Warriors are 9-6 … When Baron Davis decided to distribute not score the Warriors are really tough … Jason Richardson is becoming an elite two guard in the NBA…. Ike Diogu has been great in his first three game.
Orlando 80 Miami 77 --- Has anyone noticed that Miami is just 7-6 without Shaq. All the off-seasons were to make this team survive a Shaq injury and it is not working …. Dwight Howard is developing every game and maybe really big time before
Minnesota 89 Cleveland 85 – Great road win for Coach Casey … Minnesota outscored Cleveland 24-26 in the 4th quarter. Minnesota is playing great D they are just having a tough time scoring … Marko Jaric gave Minnesota 41 minutes at the point. If he starts playing well they will be much improved, he was +10 ….
Charlotte 100 Washington 82 – Washington is suddenly in trouble … Charlotte is a totally different team when Gerald Wallace plays. He has become the real deal. He had 26-14 and 5 blocks. The Bobccats have a winning record when he plays ….
AD has suddenly fallen out of favor with the Wizards. AD was -13 in 15 minutes.
Memphis 112 Dallas 92 -- Great win for Memphis. They may be legit. Gasol gives it to them every night and then they find a way to get enough from other guys … You have to wonder where the Dallas guard defense was when Bobby Jackson and Damon Stoudamire light them up. Jason Terry is that why you only played 23 minutes.
Chicago 94 Houston 89 – The Rockets slide without Tracy McGrady contiues. The Bobby Sura injury is big here as well. They are simply without wing players. The Rockets have been forced to go to Luther Head for 40 minutes a game. .. Juwan Howard was -17. He may have totally lost it.
Detroit 85 Milwaukee 76 – The Pistons went back to their old ways …. The scouting report is out on TJ Ford and the Bucks are no longer nearly as dangerous … Bobby Simmons has yet to get comfortable with the Bucks.
Golden State 117 Toronto 91 – The Sam Mitchell death march continues … Jalen Rose the coach killer is a -120 for the season, the second worst of any player in the NBA,…. The Warriors are 9-6 … When Baron Davis decided to distribute not score the Warriors are really tough … Jason Richardson is becoming an elite two guard in the NBA…. Ike Diogu has been great in his first three game.
THE FLIP PROBLEM PART 2
Yesterday afternoon on the post-game show I was talking about Flip Murray's +/-. In no way is the issue confronting the Soncis a one man issue, but if you feel the need to zero in to problem number 1 the replacement of AD with Flip Murray is a pretty good spot to start.
In yesterday's game when Flip was having a "good game" the Sonics finished -8 when he was on the floor. What is more revealing is he was on the floor in the final 4 minutes when the Sups went on that irrelevant run to cut the lead down. He earned a +5 for that.
Therefore, in the moments the game was decided Flip was a -13 in 20 minutes. That is brutal.
In 109 minutes this season he is -82. In comparison during the entire season last year AD was a +208.
Let's extrapolate this a bit. AD played in 75 games last season. Therefore, he averaged a +2.8 per game. Flip Murray has played 6 games this season and is -82 for an average of -13.7 points per game.
Isolating this substitution change the Sonics seem to be -16.5 points worse per game all because of one change in the rotation.
This leaves us without an explanation for the 6 games Flip didn't play when the team went 3-3.
Honestly, their is something wrong with this breakdown, but regardless it tells a story. I can't imagine the story is that grotesque, but it might be a large part of the answer to what is wrong.
In yesterday's game when Flip was having a "good game" the Sonics finished -8 when he was on the floor. What is more revealing is he was on the floor in the final 4 minutes when the Sups went on that irrelevant run to cut the lead down. He earned a +5 for that.
Therefore, in the moments the game was decided Flip was a -13 in 20 minutes. That is brutal.
In 109 minutes this season he is -82. In comparison during the entire season last year AD was a +208.
Let's extrapolate this a bit. AD played in 75 games last season. Therefore, he averaged a +2.8 per game. Flip Murray has played 6 games this season and is -82 for an average of -13.7 points per game.
Isolating this substitution change the Sonics seem to be -16.5 points worse per game all because of one change in the rotation.
This leaves us without an explanation for the 6 games Flip didn't play when the team went 3-3.
Honestly, their is something wrong with this breakdown, but regardless it tells a story. I can't imagine the story is that grotesque, but it might be a large part of the answer to what is wrong.
Let Nate Play
New York Post article about Nate and you can tell they are getting the grasp of who this kid is and how amazing he is.
If you don't have a log in go to bugmenot.com
New York Post Online Edition: sports
If you don't have a log in go to bugmenot.com
New York Post Online Edition: sports
Saturday, November 26, 2005
SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. HORNETS
FINAL SCORE HORNETS 105 SONICS 99
Hornets 91 Sonics 82 with 4:29 left in the 4th Quarter
Ray Allen has fouled out.
Even when Seattle is playing good defensive possessions they aren’t getting the rebounds. That was the difference in the third quarter. The Sonics rebounded.
Hornets 89 Sonics 80 with 5:43 left in the 4th Quarter
Allen gets his 5th foul with 8:25 left in the 4th Quarter. Score 83-77 Hornets.
Speedy Claxton has 5 fouls with 7:35 left.
Flip just allowed a wide open shot off a pick when he made no effort to defend
Flip has one F******* job and that is too guard Smith and while his 4 teammates were busting theit A** he left him open with 3 on the shot clock for a dagger 3 ************
Profanity is a blog first if that gives any idea how this is going.
Hornets 82 Seattle 77 with 8:29 left in the 4th Quarter
Seattle played a good defensive quarter in the 3rd holding the Hornets efficiency down to 92. They did most of that on the defensive glass where they had allowed the Hornets to get 43% of their offensive rebounds in the first half and just 22% in the third quarter.
Hornets 77 Sonics 70 at the end of 3 quarters.
Defensive breakdowns again and again.
Flip Murray came in when the Sonics were down 2, he was -5 for this stint.
Flip is -10 on the day.
Flip is -87 for the season.
Hornets 69 Sonics 67 with 2:22 left in the 3rd Quarter
For all of you who are Reggie Evans fans you could take the last 3 minutes of video and plead your case against my video from earlier in the game. That is the essence of Reggie.
I have added a new defensive evaluation (XX) it is for excellent. It is when Lewis steps in front of a pass and takes it the other way for a dunk or Reggie gets a charge.
So far this half – XX=2 G=5 OK=2 B=7
Hornets 62 Sonics 57 with 5:51 left in the 3rd Quarter
Lewis should be able to destroy Nachbar.
Ray Allen just got his 4th foul with 6:57 left in the Quarter
Allen talked Weiss into leaving him in the game or Weiss was going to do it any way.
I am charting Good (G) Ok (OK) and Bad (B) defensive possessions. This is subjective but it is the best I can do.
So far this half – G=4 OK=2 B=4
The bads have been penetration and poor rotations.
Hornets 55 Sonics 47 at Half Time.
I mentioned earlier that Paul + Claxton are a tough match-up because the Sonics don’t have guards that can post up. With Allen out with 3 fouls the Sonics have turned to Flip Murray.
Flip has had a terrible +/- this season. Today he is a – 5. Despite scoring 9 points.
The Sonics defensive schemes seemed confused.
Hornets 52 Sonics 43 with 2:26 left in the 2nd Quarter
Points in the paint is 22-10
I have never been a Reggie Evans fan if I needed a video to prove my point I would run the last 4 minutes of basketball.
This is very disturbing.
Hornets 44 Sonics 40 with 5:19 left in the 2nd Quarter
The Sonics took their first free throws of the game at the 7:39 mark of the 2nd Quarter.
Both teams are now in the bonus. See you in an hour when it is finally halftime.
Seattle has gone zone
Reggie Evans has clogged the last two offensive possessions. I wonder if he has an understanding of how he clogs things.
Flip Murray has gone 1 on 1 for two baskets.
This is my image for the day to describe the action. With the Sonics in the bonus at the 10:05 market of the quarter the Hornets are going to the line trip after trip and it is like watching grass grow
Hornets 36 Sonics 32 with 9:37 left in the 2nd Quarter
The Hornets are in the bonus with 10:20 left in the quarter.
I think a great deal of the Sonics defensive problem is that team come in thinking the Sonics can’t defend so then they come in and are super aggressive going to the basket
Flip sighting he is in the game. The Score was 35-32 Hornets when he entered.
Mateen Cleaves has done a nice job containing the ball.
Sonics 29 Hornets 29 at end of the 1st Quarter
Sonics just ran a play where they made one pass to Wilkins. He held the ball for a moment or two and then jacked a 17 footer. I just can’t imagine that anyone thought that was what the play should have been.
Chris Paul is very nifty. He can get wherever he wants to on the floor.
The Hornets are getting to the basket every time they want to. What is disturbing is that it isn’t as though the Sonics aren’t trying.
The Sonics are on the verge of allowing another 60 point half if they don’t buckle down.
Sonics 20 Hornets 19 with 2:55 left in the 1st Quarter
Hornets have Claxton and Paul together this has to be the smallest combo in the league.
This is a tough combo for the Sonics. Allen and Ridnour are poor one on one defenders and neither have a post-game to take advantage of their lack of size.
The Sonics simply don’t protect their basket. The Hornets are getting inside without problem.
The Sonics offense is playing very well. They have Ridnour, Allen, Lewis, Vlady and Nick on the floor
Hornets 13 Sonics 10 with 5:46 left in the 1st Quarter
David West meet Reggie Evans. I am not sure what happened but David West just left the game after getting hit in the mouth/face/nose and I can only assume that Reggie was a part of it.
Valdy is trying but his decision making when he puts it on the floor needs to be improved greatly.
Early signs are that Chris Paul is pretty terrific.
I am putting a really close eye on our defense to see what is wrong. The early thoughts are that the Sonics just show very little resistance to anything the other team is doing.
In addition, the path to the basket is wide open.
Storylines
1) Sonics defense against a poor offensive team
2) Reggie Evans in the starting line-up
3) Luke Ridnour needs to step up on Chris Paul
4) #2 offensive rebounding team (Hornets) v. #30 defensive rebounding team
Sonics will change the starting line-up with Reggie Evans starting in place of Johan Petro and moving Collison to the center position.
Sonics Inactives: Rick Brunson, Danny Fortson and Vitaly Potapenko
NO BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
Sorry thier was no way to complete beyond the box score in between returning from the high school game and getting ready for today's 12:30 tip-off. My apology.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. LAKERS
KOBES 108 Sonics 96 Final Score
Lakers 99 Sonics 83 with 4:00 left
The rout is on.
Kobe has 29 in the second half.
Seattle had no answer.
It is hard to tell if the Sups defense was that bad. Kobe was just unreal.
However, it is fair to say it wasn’t good. They have played just one good defensive game all year and that was against Chicago. This is not going to get it done
Lakers 89 Sonics 76 with 6:26 in the game
In the first 30 minutes Kobe had 5 pts.
In the next 10 minutes Kobe had 20 pts.
Lakers have been hitting the three all night. So has every opponent of the Sonics.
Sups have scored on just 4 of their last 13 possessions.
Their offense is out of sorts. It is almost exclusively Lewis in the post.
I have seen very little pick and roll.
Kobes 85 Sonics 76 with 8:36 left in the game
Kobe is in that special place.
He has now shot on 11 straight possessions and taken 11 of the last 13 Laker shots.
Ray is trying to asnwer and has missed two straight.
Seattle's last 4 shot attempts are all three's.
Cleaves hit a big one.
Lakers 79 Sonics 71 end of the 3rd Quarter
It is Kobe’s world. Back to back 3’s to close the quarter
Kobe is on a 13-7 run with 2 from Chris Mihm off a Kobe miss
Kobe shot on the final 7 possession of the 3rd Quarter. Scoring 11 points.
Kobe had more three’s in the third quarter then he has had all year coming in to the game.
Kobe took 8 shots in the Quarter – 6 were jumpers, 2 were on drives.
That is what you want defensively but Kobe is in the zone.
Luke shot on 5 straight possessions
Lakers 68 Sonics 67 with 2:06 left in the 3rd Quarter
Kobe is trying to get it going but Seattle is doing a really nice job defending his game.
The Lakers guards are physically pounding the Sups guards.
Luke hit two big shots after struggling most of the night. That shows a ton.
Lakers 58 Seattle 57 with 5:33 left in the 3rd Quarter
Seattle is not valuing the possessions
Kobe is sharing the ball. Now get off the floor and keep reading. Kobe is creating for his teammates and getting wide-open looks for Cook, Parker, etc,
The Sonics are running the game almost entirely through Rashard in the post.
This game has grinded to a halt.
The Sonics need more out of Luke Ridnour then they are getting from him right now.
Petro has been very poor tonight.
Nick Collison has 5 fouls
Lakers go into the bonus at the 6:20 mark of the 3rd Quarter. Look for Kobe to put his head down and go one on one to get to the line.
Sonics 51 Lakers 43 at the Half
The big man combo of Vlady and Reggie which was outstanding for Seattle last year has been successful tonight for Seattle.
Reggie Evans is dominating this game with havoc.
Give Coach Weiss credit for his communication with these guys to have Reggie in the correct mind set to be ready to go tonight.
Evans inability at the free throw shooting is killing his great work. He is 2 of 8 at the line.
Honestly, I am surprised this quarter went the way it did. Seattle was not playing the game in a fashion that looked like they were about to have a burst. Then they got some good defensive rebounding and got out and running and hit a few shots. Then it was Reggie time from there.
Sonics 46 Lakers 39 with 2:44 left in the 2nd Quarter
Reggie Evans has given Seattle a huge boost off the bench. He has been grabbing boards and doing what Reggie does. Then Reggie promptly overplayed his offensive hand and turned it over. Reggie doing what Reggie does.
Too often Seattle takes the first open look. I would prefer a team that had more offensive patience. On the other hand, they have struggled today in the pure half court. Maybe it is just a team playing to its strength.
Sonics 41 Lakers 36 with 5:24 left in the 2nd Quarter
The Sups have scored on 8 of their last 10 possessions.
Vlady has hit three threes.
The Sonics defensive rebounding has improved and that is allowing them to get out and run and get some easier looks.
They were able to do this with Ray Allen on the bench. That has rarely happened this year.
Mateen Cleaves has not played particularly well, but he is on the floor as the Sonics make this surge.
Sonics 29 Lakers 28 with 8:41 left in the 2nd Quarter
My favorite line is if you play the game right you will get dividends. On that theory the Lakers are about to run away from the Sonics.
Lakers bench is not very strong. The Sonics are taking advantage.
Valdy has hit two long bombs in the early offense. Remember Vlady hit 8 threes at Staples Center last year against the Lakers.
Lakers 24 Sonics 19 end of the 1st Quarter.
Last year the offense sparkled when the bigs got down the floor and set picks that freed Ray and Lew. It didn’t always lead to baskets but it forced the defense into a scramble that the Sonics eventually took advantage of. This year none of the exists. Instead, it s much more one on one and more flex offense. The Sonics aren’t getting nearly the space on the floor offensively that they need.
On the other hand, they have walked their way up to 10th in the league offensively so this may be off point
Lakers 20 Sonics 13 with 2:26 left in the first Quarter
Seattle had become three dependent. In the last 7 half court possessions they have taken 6 three point shots. They hit just one of them.
With the selfish one on the bench Lamar Odom is getting to play. He has 8 points and 6 rebounds.
Lakers 14 Sonics 9 with 5:25 left in the 1st quarter
Foul trouble is the early story. Kobe left with 2 fouls 5 possessions into the game.
He promptly reminded the official that no one came to watch him and that they all came to see Kobe.
What will the selfish one do to get his 30 shots off.
Nick Collison has 2 fouls also.
The Sonics defensive rebounding has been poor. 9 to 5 Laker advantage.
Storylines
1) The selfish one (Kobe). The Lakers are having internal disputes about Kobe. How do they react today
2) Can the Sonics putrid defense coral a bad Lakers offense.
3) Sonics surviving when Ray Allen goes to the bench.
Inactives
Sonics: Danny Fortson, Rick Brunson, Robert Swift
Lakers: Kwame Brown, Luke Walton and Slava Medvedemko
Lakers 99 Sonics 83 with 4:00 left
The rout is on.
Kobe has 29 in the second half.
Seattle had no answer.
It is hard to tell if the Sups defense was that bad. Kobe was just unreal.
However, it is fair to say it wasn’t good. They have played just one good defensive game all year and that was against Chicago. This is not going to get it done
Lakers 89 Sonics 76 with 6:26 in the game
In the first 30 minutes Kobe had 5 pts.
In the next 10 minutes Kobe had 20 pts.
Lakers have been hitting the three all night. So has every opponent of the Sonics.
Sups have scored on just 4 of their last 13 possessions.
Their offense is out of sorts. It is almost exclusively Lewis in the post.
I have seen very little pick and roll.
Kobes 85 Sonics 76 with 8:36 left in the game
Kobe is in that special place.
He has now shot on 11 straight possessions and taken 11 of the last 13 Laker shots.
Ray is trying to asnwer and has missed two straight.
Seattle's last 4 shot attempts are all three's.
Cleaves hit a big one.
Lakers 79 Sonics 71 end of the 3rd Quarter
It is Kobe’s world. Back to back 3’s to close the quarter
Kobe is on a 13-7 run with 2 from Chris Mihm off a Kobe miss
Kobe shot on the final 7 possession of the 3rd Quarter. Scoring 11 points.
Kobe had more three’s in the third quarter then he has had all year coming in to the game.
Kobe took 8 shots in the Quarter – 6 were jumpers, 2 were on drives.
That is what you want defensively but Kobe is in the zone.
Luke shot on 5 straight possessions
Lakers 68 Sonics 67 with 2:06 left in the 3rd Quarter
Kobe is trying to get it going but Seattle is doing a really nice job defending his game.
The Lakers guards are physically pounding the Sups guards.
Luke hit two big shots after struggling most of the night. That shows a ton.
Lakers 58 Seattle 57 with 5:33 left in the 3rd Quarter
Seattle is not valuing the possessions
Kobe is sharing the ball. Now get off the floor and keep reading. Kobe is creating for his teammates and getting wide-open looks for Cook, Parker, etc,
The Sonics are running the game almost entirely through Rashard in the post.
This game has grinded to a halt.
The Sonics need more out of Luke Ridnour then they are getting from him right now.
Petro has been very poor tonight.
Nick Collison has 5 fouls
Lakers go into the bonus at the 6:20 mark of the 3rd Quarter. Look for Kobe to put his head down and go one on one to get to the line.
Sonics 51 Lakers 43 at the Half
The big man combo of Vlady and Reggie which was outstanding for Seattle last year has been successful tonight for Seattle.
Reggie Evans is dominating this game with havoc.
Give Coach Weiss credit for his communication with these guys to have Reggie in the correct mind set to be ready to go tonight.
Evans inability at the free throw shooting is killing his great work. He is 2 of 8 at the line.
Honestly, I am surprised this quarter went the way it did. Seattle was not playing the game in a fashion that looked like they were about to have a burst. Then they got some good defensive rebounding and got out and running and hit a few shots. Then it was Reggie time from there.
Sonics 46 Lakers 39 with 2:44 left in the 2nd Quarter
Reggie Evans has given Seattle a huge boost off the bench. He has been grabbing boards and doing what Reggie does. Then Reggie promptly overplayed his offensive hand and turned it over. Reggie doing what Reggie does.
Too often Seattle takes the first open look. I would prefer a team that had more offensive patience. On the other hand, they have struggled today in the pure half court. Maybe it is just a team playing to its strength.
Sonics 41 Lakers 36 with 5:24 left in the 2nd Quarter
The Sups have scored on 8 of their last 10 possessions.
Vlady has hit three threes.
The Sonics defensive rebounding has improved and that is allowing them to get out and run and get some easier looks.
They were able to do this with Ray Allen on the bench. That has rarely happened this year.
Mateen Cleaves has not played particularly well, but he is on the floor as the Sonics make this surge.
Sonics 29 Lakers 28 with 8:41 left in the 2nd Quarter
My favorite line is if you play the game right you will get dividends. On that theory the Lakers are about to run away from the Sonics.
Lakers bench is not very strong. The Sonics are taking advantage.
Valdy has hit two long bombs in the early offense. Remember Vlady hit 8 threes at Staples Center last year against the Lakers.
Lakers 24 Sonics 19 end of the 1st Quarter.
Last year the offense sparkled when the bigs got down the floor and set picks that freed Ray and Lew. It didn’t always lead to baskets but it forced the defense into a scramble that the Sonics eventually took advantage of. This year none of the exists. Instead, it s much more one on one and more flex offense. The Sonics aren’t getting nearly the space on the floor offensively that they need.
On the other hand, they have walked their way up to 10th in the league offensively so this may be off point
Lakers 20 Sonics 13 with 2:26 left in the first Quarter
Seattle had become three dependent. In the last 7 half court possessions they have taken 6 three point shots. They hit just one of them.
With the selfish one on the bench Lamar Odom is getting to play. He has 8 points and 6 rebounds.
Lakers 14 Sonics 9 with 5:25 left in the 1st quarter
Foul trouble is the early story. Kobe left with 2 fouls 5 possessions into the game.
He promptly reminded the official that no one came to watch him and that they all came to see Kobe.
What will the selfish one do to get his 30 shots off.
Nick Collison has 2 fouls also.
The Sonics defensive rebounding has been poor. 9 to 5 Laker advantage.
Storylines
1) The selfish one (Kobe). The Lakers are having internal disputes about Kobe. How do they react today
2) Can the Sonics putrid defense coral a bad Lakers offense.
3) Sonics surviving when Ray Allen goes to the bench.
Inactives
Sonics: Danny Fortson, Rick Brunson, Robert Swift
Lakers: Kwame Brown, Luke Walton and Slava Medvedemko
SONICS PLAYING PAIRS FOR BIG MEN
82games.com keeps track of playing pairs. In other words how a team does when combinations of two players are on the floor together. I find this very valuable with big men combinations. Here are the Sonics big men combo's so far this season.
Conclusion: It is not good to see Vlady and Petro on the bottom because if Petro could rebound that would be a nice line-up to use. Not surprising Nick is on the top of the list. Only surprised it is not with Vlady. Notice it is when he is playing the 4 and either Reggie or Vitaly is handling the 5. Reggie and Vitaly has been the 4th most used combo and it is a bad one on surface and in the numbers.
Playing Pair Mins +/- for 48 mins
Nick and Vitaly: 21 mins +22.4
Nick and Reggie: 36 min +11
Reggie and Petro: 28 mins +8.3
Vlady and Vitaly: 73 min -2
Nick and Petro: 104 mins -3.7
Nick and Danny: 70 mins -8.8
Vlady and Nick: 94 mins -9.2
Vlady and Reggie: 17 mins -11. 2
Reggie and Danny: 7 mins -12.6
Vlady and Danny: 26 mins -16.6
Reggie and Vitaly 46 mins -18.6
Vlady and Petro: 31 mins -27.3
Conclusion: It is not good to see Vlady and Petro on the bottom because if Petro could rebound that would be a nice line-up to use. Not surprising Nick is on the top of the list. Only surprised it is not with Vlady. Notice it is when he is playing the 4 and either Reggie or Vitaly is handling the 5. Reggie and Vitaly has been the 4th most used combo and it is a bad one on surface and in the numbers.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE - November 22
Cleveland 115 Boston 93 – Cleveland is on fire. This team is the real deal. Early in the year they were just playing the game on the offensive end, but first year Head Coach Mike Brown is out of the Greg Popovich and Rick Carlisle school of coaching so you knew the defense would come ….. The Cavs have won 8 straight …. The Cavs are crushing people at home by more then 20 points a game …. LaBron amazes every time he touches the floor. He had 36 for the second straight game. He had 36 points on 20 shot attempts. Kobe and AI have never done that. …. Larry Hughes has clicked in for the Cavs as well … When Delonte West got hurt and the Celtics turned to Dan Dikau is when the game got out of control.
Denver 108 Washington 105 – I have said it all year. Marcus Camby is the key to the Nuggets. When he goes they go. The issue is if he will go all year. If he does they will win the division with ease … Camby has 9 double doubles in 12 games …. Arenas has 36 but was just 1 of 6 in the 4th Quarter … The Wizards have lost 4 in a row … AD was taking out of the starting line-up and went 0 for 10 off the bench. He is now shooting just 35% and is 1 of 11 from 3. If you recall he slumped in the second half of the season last year. I still bet he doesn’t play over 60 games this season. Surprisingly, AD’s assist to turnover ratio has not been very strong recently …. Kenyon Martin returns for Denver soon, but Denver is 5-0 without him in the line-up …. Carmelo Anthony went to the line 22 times. That is a sign of development in his game. He didn’t have his shot just 5 of 17, but he stayed very aggressive …. Francisco Elson was +11 in 21 minutes for the Nuggets
Portland 95 Memphis 87 --- I have wondered how long Eddie Jones and Damon Stoudamire can hold up. They didn’t last night, they were 5 of 20. …. Portland is winning games because teams are taking them lightly and not getting up for the game and the Blazers are playing very hard … Portland took 33 free throws to Memphis 15 … The Joel Przybilla and Theo Ratliff combo act is playing very well for Portland. Last night they comboed for 41 minutes 10 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks …. Shane Battier another strong offensive game … Juan Dixon was +16 for the Blazers and Travis Outlaw was +12 …. Mike Miller had a nice box score but the Griz were -17 when he was on the floor.
Dallas 102 Houston 93 – Houston drops to 3-8 …. I thought Dallas was going to struggle a little bit without Finley, but it is clear that Nowitski has reached a level where he is so good that he can carry any load … Jason Terry had 29. I was not a Terry fan when he was in Atlanta. However, he is scoring consistently enough that his shoot first pass second approach is becoming acceptable … Dallas is playing without Van Horn and Stackhouse …Luther Head replaced Derek Anderson is the starting line-up and busted out for 28 points, however, Houston was -18 when he was on the floor, 10 worse then anyone else on the club.
Phoenix 90 Toronto 82 – Shawn Marion almost had a triple double with double-figures in points, offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds. He had 18 rebounds and 9 on both the offensive and defensive ends … Phoenix went 4 of 25 from 3 and still won. … Phoenix won the rebounding battle 52-43 …. Morris Peterson of Toronto was +15 in the 20 minutes he played and in the 28 minutes he was on the bench the Raptors were -23. However, Sam Mitchell didn’t play Peterson for the final 18 minutes .. Kurt Thomas was -14 in 17 minutes on the floor for Phoenix ….
Denver 108 Washington 105 – I have said it all year. Marcus Camby is the key to the Nuggets. When he goes they go. The issue is if he will go all year. If he does they will win the division with ease … Camby has 9 double doubles in 12 games …. Arenas has 36 but was just 1 of 6 in the 4th Quarter … The Wizards have lost 4 in a row … AD was taking out of the starting line-up and went 0 for 10 off the bench. He is now shooting just 35% and is 1 of 11 from 3. If you recall he slumped in the second half of the season last year. I still bet he doesn’t play over 60 games this season. Surprisingly, AD’s assist to turnover ratio has not been very strong recently …. Kenyon Martin returns for Denver soon, but Denver is 5-0 without him in the line-up …. Carmelo Anthony went to the line 22 times. That is a sign of development in his game. He didn’t have his shot just 5 of 17, but he stayed very aggressive …. Francisco Elson was +11 in 21 minutes for the Nuggets
Portland 95 Memphis 87 --- I have wondered how long Eddie Jones and Damon Stoudamire can hold up. They didn’t last night, they were 5 of 20. …. Portland is winning games because teams are taking them lightly and not getting up for the game and the Blazers are playing very hard … Portland took 33 free throws to Memphis 15 … The Joel Przybilla and Theo Ratliff combo act is playing very well for Portland. Last night they comboed for 41 minutes 10 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks …. Shane Battier another strong offensive game … Juan Dixon was +16 for the Blazers and Travis Outlaw was +12 …. Mike Miller had a nice box score but the Griz were -17 when he was on the floor.
Dallas 102 Houston 93 – Houston drops to 3-8 …. I thought Dallas was going to struggle a little bit without Finley, but it is clear that Nowitski has reached a level where he is so good that he can carry any load … Jason Terry had 29. I was not a Terry fan when he was in Atlanta. However, he is scoring consistently enough that his shoot first pass second approach is becoming acceptable … Dallas is playing without Van Horn and Stackhouse …Luther Head replaced Derek Anderson is the starting line-up and busted out for 28 points, however, Houston was -18 when he was on the floor, 10 worse then anyone else on the club.
Phoenix 90 Toronto 82 – Shawn Marion almost had a triple double with double-figures in points, offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds. He had 18 rebounds and 9 on both the offensive and defensive ends … Phoenix went 4 of 25 from 3 and still won. … Phoenix won the rebounding battle 52-43 …. Morris Peterson of Toronto was +15 in the 20 minutes he played and in the 28 minutes he was on the bench the Raptors were -23. However, Sam Mitchell didn’t play Peterson for the final 18 minutes .. Kurt Thomas was -14 in 17 minutes on the floor for Phoenix ….
MARINERS STRIKE OUT ON DELGADO
The Seattle Mariners have missed on their #1 target in the off-season. Carlos Delgado will become a member of the New York Mets. The Mariners have said they want to acquire a left handed power bat and Delgado was the best on the market.
According to my sources, the Mariners were willing to part with a good deal of talent to acquire Delgado. However, the Marlins have decided that the Mets deal of a young first baseman and a AA pitcher was superior to anything the Mariners could offer.
This is a big miss for the Mariners, because the two primary left-hand bats are now off the market in Matsui and Delgado. It is also a sad statement that teams around baseball are not impressed by the Mariners youth.
Brad Wilkerson of the Washington Nationals who is coming off a poor year last year and has a the back of a baseball card that makes you wonder if steroid testing impacting his game is rumored to be the next target for the Mariners.
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