SIMULBLOG SONICS V. MAVS

Mavs 101 Sonics 98 FINAL SCORE
The Sonics choked. They simply played awful basketball late in the game.
The amount of mistakes were staggering.
So many things were done well tonight. The overall defense on Dirk. The play with Ray Allen on the bench. The use of Vlady as the 3. The ability to spread the floor again. Danny Fortson in control for the most part. The overall defense.
Instead it is another loss and another shot to a team that has no confidence.


Mavs 99 Sonics 95 with :08.2 seconds left.
Flip Murray just committed a complete bonehead play. He left Jason Terry to guard a covered cutter leaving Terry wide open for a three and the Sonics lose.
One team knew how to make plays late and the other didn’t.
This is another terrible loss. The Sonics have no confidence down the stretch.
The Mavericks knew how to play the game late and the Sonics didn’t.



Mavs 96 Sonics 95 with 34.3 seconds left in the 4th quarter
Lewis made a great block on Dirk but then Ridnour threw the ball away in the open court and the Mavs dunk for the lead.
Ridnour followed one mistake with another compounding the problem.
He airballed the next possession. He should never be shooting.


Sonics 89 Mavs 88 with 3:43 left in the 4th Quarter.
Sonics are closing with Ridnour, Allen, Lewis, Radman and Collison
Mavs are living at the free throw line.
Dirk has 10 in the Quarter


Sonics 89 Mavs 83 with 4:52 left in the 4th Quarter
When Vlady is at the 3, Flip has more room and can be more effective offensively.
Mavs score their first points of the Quarter at 7:28 mark
Mavs get their first field goal at the 6:28 mark. They had not scored a field goal since the 2:00 mark of the 3rd
Sonics go on a 13-0 run
Dirk is so good. He is simply unguardable. He has buried back to back 17 footers and the defense was as good as it can be.


Sonics 83 Mavs 75 with 10:01 left in the 4th Quarter
Great surge to open the 4th Quarter
Vlady is playing the 3 and getting great looks and is on fire.
7-0 run to open the Q
Nowitzki is on the bench to open the Quarter thus far in the game the Mavs are -17 when he is on the bench. In comparison, the Sonics are +2 with Ray on the bench.

Sonics 76 Mavs 75 at the end of the 3rd Quarter.
Another big play where Collison didn’t have the hand strength to hold the ball.
The more Stackhouse plays the better for the Sonics
Devin Harris is out with an upset stomach. This is bad for the Sonics because it leaves Howard at the 2.
Ray Allen went to the bench at 71-71 with 3:20 and the Sonics were +1 again.


Sonics 71 Mavs 71 with 3:20 left in the 3rd Quarter
The defense with Vitaly on the floor tonight has been very good
Dirk had no help in the first half, but Josh Howard has 13 points in the 3rd to help the Mavs
Keeping this game close is unnerving when Dirk plays for the other team.
Howard is taking Ridnour to the post and killing the Sonics.
Ray Allen just went on another one of his adventures and threw it away


Sonics 66 Mavs 56 with 6:37 left in the 3rd Quarter
Luke returns for the second half
Dallas has 3 team fouls at the 11:03 mark
Lewis is stepping in the passing lanes and getting a steal or two a night
Ray Allen gets the Sonics first three at 7:50 in the 3rd
The defensive effort is good tonight.
The Sonics are working hard.


Sonics 52 Mavs 46 at the half
Luke Ridnour went down after getting hit in the shoulder and was in considerable pain.
Flip Murray and Cleaves will be the point guards until he comes back.
Ray Allen is just 2 of 9.
Vlady has been terrific on both ends of the floor.
Valdy and Danny were the key to the second quarter.


Sonics 48 Mavs 39 with 2:44 in the 2nd Quarter
Danny Fortson has been able to stay on the floor which is enormous.
The ref made a poor call on Danny and I am convinced when they went the other way the official told Weiss “my bad.”
Sonics have been unreal on the offensive end. They have scored on all but 4 trips this quarter.


Sonics 41 Mavs 33 with 5:29 left in the 2nd Quarter
In the pre-game we mentioned the only time the Mavs struggle is with Dirk on the floor and the Sonics just went on a 14-4 run with Dirk on the bench.
Sonics scored on 10 straight possessions
The game changed the minute Dirk came back in the game.
Sonics were +10 with Dirk on the bench and the Sonics were +1 with Allen on the bench that is the difference in the game


Sonics 35 Mavs 24 with 7:30 left in the 2nd Quarter
The Sonics biggest defensive problem is they allow guys to just run their cuts. They never impede the cutters across the lane or around the baseline.
Vlady is in as the back-up three. I like this move.
Lewis enters at the 2 with Vlady at the 3 and Fortson and Collison up front
14-4 to open quarter

Sonics 21 Mavs 20 at the end of the 1st Quarter
Holding the Mavs to 20 points classifies as defense.
The Sonics stayed even with Allen on the bench.


Sonics 18 Mavs 16 with 1:18 left in the 1st Quarter
The weakness in Dirk’s game is defense. It was obvious when Vitaly drove at Dirk and he was too slow to react and reached. He was too slow on Vitaly.
Is there a better pick and roll then Terry and Nowitzki?
I have been watching Nick Collison’s hands and I am amazed at how often the ball is ripped out of his hands and how often he can’t keep the handle.
Ray Allen out with two fouls (3:22 and up 1). The Sonics have been a disaster when Allen is on the bench, in fact they with Allen on the bench no team has been worse then the Sonics.


Sonics 12 Mavs 6 with 7:17 left in the 1st Quarter
First 12 points all Sonics come in the paint. The sonics game plan was to get to the second line of defense. Ralph Lewis told us on the pre-game that the second line of defense is weak and it has shown to be.
Mavs are blasting the pick and roll with Allen, which means they are doubling Allen everytime he comes off the pick.
Reggie Evans has the match up on Dirk but he is not playing the systems the Sonics wanted in their game plan. Dirk has 4 points and has been left open twice.


Some interesting numbers.
SONICS
Reggie Evans continues to amaze -- career-high 21 points and season-high-tying 18 rebounds. Last 5 games he is averaging 12 points and 9 rebounds
Ray Allen last 5 games 28 points a game –22 of 42 from 3
Luke 3 of his last 15 from 3 and 19 of his last 60 from the field
Damien Wilkins is 1 of his last 10 over the past 4 games
5-1 on Fridays compared to 0-6 on Tuesdays

MAVERICKS
Dallas brings the toughest match-up in the NBA-Dirk (37-10 last night)
In wins Dirk averages 29 pts and in losses 19 pts in game and in wins he shots 49% and in losses he shots 37%
Jason Terry continues to prosper. 28 of his last 59 from 3.
The Mavericks are off to the second-best start in franchise history.
The Mavericks have won nine of their last 11 games
Last 6 games opponents are scoring 102 pts per game

SONICS +/- PER 48 MINUTES

Sonics  +/- per 48 minutes
Forston        +6.8
Allen           .6
Collison       –1.4
Lewis          –2.4
Radman         –3.3
Ridnour        –3.9
Evans          –4.5
Potapenko      –5.1
Petro          –10.3
Wilkins        –12.0
Murray         –12.4
Moore          -31.4
Swift          -51.0

MARINERS NEWEST STERIOD ABUSER MATT LAWTON

Today the leading steriod abuser franchise in Major League Baseball, the Seattle Mariners, added another one in Matt Lawton. The spin machine is working in full force today around his steriod use last season.

If you listen to everyone around Matt Lawton today including himself they are trying to tell you that he is very sorry for taking the steroids and that it is really ok because it was only for one game and it was just because of the pain. His agent quote is great … 'Hey, if I did it all season and hit 30 home runs, it would be something different. … No really it wouldn’t be any different. MATT LAWTON KNOWINGLY CHEATED. He was willing to cheat the game, the rules, and his fellow teammates to get on the playoff roster.

It is not an issue of the impact. It is an issue of the character of the individual who decides that it is ok to forsake all the rules and cheat for your own personal well being. The spin master are trying to dilute the story with all sorts of different thoughts, the length of time, his honesty, etc. All of that is irrelevant. Matt Lawton made a conscience knowing decision to cheat, to cheat in the most obvious way. That is all that needs to be known.

A DARK DEPRESSING SONICS OUTLOOK

On the darkest day of the year I have a very dark forecast for the Seattle Supersonics. Today I did a tremendous amount of statistical and historical statistical research on trends in the NBA. The numbers paint an ominous picture of what is about to take place for the Sonics. If you believe in numbers and you believe in statistical trends then the Sonics are on the threshold of a tremendous fall.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What does all this gobbley gook mean? If this team does not alter the way they are playing in a gargantuan fashion they are on going to go on a slide we have rarely seen. A slide that could mean losing as many as 70% of the rest of their games.

FOXSports.com - NBA- Sonics struggling to regain magic of last year

Charley Rosen writes a breakdown of last night's game. Much of what he says is dead on. The most interesting is how surprised he was by Allen's weaknesses. Those are Allen's weaknesses and for what ever reason they are more prevelant this season. He is not a good ball-handler, he gets in trouble off the dribble and he doesn't defend. Those have always existed.
Otherwise, he still believes last year's team played up-tempo when they played slow which I believe is the largest change from last year and maybe the biggest reason for the struggles.

FOXSports.com - NBA- Sonics struggling to regain magic of last year: "Let's see now ... Jerome James is buried deep in Larry Brown's dog house. Antonio Daniels has thus far been a bust with the Wizards. And Nate McMillian's Blazers are even worse than the Sonics.

Blame the Sonics' woes, then, on evaporated chemistry, over-blown long-range contracts, and a failure to adequately refurbish the roster."

HAWKS HAVE FIVE PRO-BOWLERS

Fantastic news today out of the NFL, five Seahawks players will be representing the NFC in the Pro-Bowl. The selections of Matt Hasselback, Shaun Alexander, Steve Hutchinson and Walter Jones were obvious and deserving.
The most exciting news is that Mack Strong has finally been recognized for being a pro-bowl player.
Strong has played his entire career hidden in Seattle. This is a wonderful accomplishment for a wonderful man. Strong sacrifices at a level that may not be equaled by any player in the NFL. He is Alexander’s personnel protector and deserves as much credit for the yardage records, the red zone success and amazing running games.
This is another reminder of how deadly the Hawks are when they run over the left side. They have a pro-bowler hand off to a pro-bowler who gets a lead block from a pro-bowler running behind two pro-bowlers. Awesome.
Congrats to these five.

Locked on Sports: Hawks make defenses take lumps

Locked on Sports: Hawks make defenses take lumps: "Each week they prepare for the Seahawks' tendencies. They study film and form a game plan based on that knowledge.

That is tough enough. But when the Hawks' offensive staff draws up a play solely designed to blow up those patterns, the task becomes impossible.

That is exactly what the Hawks' offensive staff did on Shaun Alexander's 53-yard run Sunday on the second drive of the game."

SIMULBLOG SONICS V. SUNS

Suns 111 Sonics 83 -- Final Score

Suns 98 Suns 76 with 5:33 left in the 4th Quarter
This game is over.
Another blow out
Flip finishes the night -15 in16 minutes that is quite an accomplishment.
The Sonics have a serious point guard problem.


Suns 81 Sonics 66 at the end of 3 Quarters
Luke has a really poor 3rd quarter going 0 for 5 from the floor.
What a great defensive game plan when the Sonics main guys taking shots are Reggie Evans and Luke Ridnour
Sonics have become turnover prone in the Quarter.
The Suns are very good on ball defenders. Diaw and Bell are both terrific.
Just a side note – Flip was -2 in the Quarter. They were down 13 when he came in.


Suns 61 Sonics 49 with 9:04 left in the 3rd Quarter
Suns force three turnovers early in the third quarter
Luke Ridnour must become a better finisher in the open floor.


Suns 54 Sonics 44 at the half
Sonics are struggling to score against a good defensive team.
They are even when Flip is not on the floor.
Offense will be the key to the second half. The Sonics need to shoot free throws and make shots to slow down the Suns running.

Suns 46 Sonics 40 with 3:54 left in the 2nd Quarter
Reggie Evans has been unreal. He has 17 points and 12 rebounds. That is unreal. This is the first half. Amazing. He has been dominate.
Evans has dominated the glass and been a good offensive player in the post.
Yes that is not a Locke typo. Evans has been good offensively.
Thomas now has 4 fouls in the first half
Sonics 0 of 5 from 3
Danny Fortson is not with the team.
Flip is out and the Sonics are on a 7-0


Phoenix 46 Seattle 34 with 6:33 left in the 2nd Quarter
Same thing different night – Flip is basketball death
The Sonics were -10 when Flip was in the game.
This franchise ahs to make a trade tomorrow to get a back up point guard
Flip destroys everything. I mean everything.
Defensively he is the worst player in the NBA and that is hard to do considering who we compare him to on a nightly basis.
Offensively, he is so selfish that he sets off the selfish streak on all of teammates. For example, when he comes in and shoots on three of the first 4 possessions he is in the game, like he always does. Then Allen, who likes to get his shots, starts jacking up quick looks because he knows if he gives it up he will never see it. Then when Lewis comes back in he wants his looks. Flip sets off the selfish streak on all of his teammates. It works like this. If he is going to be selfish then so am I.


Suns 29 Sonics 24 at the end of the 1st Quarter
Offense left Seattle to close the Quarter
Flip Murray played the pound, pound, pound game and everyone else sat still
Nick Collison is in foul trouble again.


Sonics 20 Suns 19 with 2:50 left in the 1st Quarter
Luke is out with 2 fouls. Flip enters
If the Sonics stay with this style of defense and effort on defense they will be ok tonight.


Suns 14 Sonics 13 with 5:!4 left 1st Quarter
Reggie Evans just eliminated Kurt Thomas from the game. Evans drew three fouls from Thomas by the 9:00 mark of the game.
Sonics went to a zone and it has caused the Suns some issues.
Luke has two very good steals already. Also two great assists those were solely responsible for points


STORYLINES
1) The Suns are the #2 defensive team in the NBA. Believe it or not they have struggled to score. They rank #21 in the NBA offensively in the last 10 games.
2) Can the Sonics guard the pick n roll?
3) Sonics ability to handle the Suns switching defense.
4) Luke Ridnour v. Steve Nash

MARINERS WILL NOT TENDER RYAN FRANKLIN

In a teleconference today at 5:30, Bill Bavasi announced that the Mariners do not “intend to offer contracts” to Ryan Franklin, Jamal Strong, and Cha Sung Baek. He left the possibility of a trade or a new contract available but stressed that it is “only possible, not probable” that those three would be offered a new contract.

Bill said that the Mariners may still pursue Ryan Franklin after not tendering him a contract, when there is a new financial situation. The Mariners would then be dealing with Franklin as a free agent. Meche was tendered and when asked if that is because Meche has more upside than Franklin, Bavasi responded by saying, “that is one way of looking at it.”

Bavasi also spoke on the left-hander Jake Woods, picked up today, and his future. Woods will either make the Mariners club or be sent to triple-A. Woods “does not have the stuff we may have on the club, but he has more command and a better breaking ball.” This move was a “shot at building up some arms that are more useful than what we have right now.”

NBA JACK PERCENTAGE

I created a new stat today. Let’s call it the Jack rate or Pull rate. Which players in the NBA are most likely to Jack it up. This is very simple and is devised by how many minutes to the next field goal attempt. It attempts to account for time when fouled in the act of shooting.

There aren’t a lot of surprises. Here is the Top 10 and Bottom 10 in the NBA. .

Top 10
1) Kobe Bryant (1 per 1.34 minutes)
2) Allen Iverson (1.40)
3) Dwayne Wade (1.59)
4) Carmelo Anthony (1.62)
5) Lebron James (1.62)
6) Tracy McGrady (1.63)
7) Dirk Nowitksi (1.66)
8) Eddie House (1.75)
9) Michael Redd (1.78)
10) Paul Pierce (1.78)
11) Vince Carter (1.78)

Bottom 10
1) Michael Ruffin (1 per 10.07 minutes)
2) Aaron McKie (8.10)
3) Mark Madsen (8.14)
4) Diekembe Mutombo (7.45)
5) Theo Ratliff (7.30)
6) Desanga Diop (7.21)
7) Eric Snow (7.21)
8) Howard Eisley (6.75)
9) James Thomas (6.58)
10) Michael Bradley (6.37)

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. WIZARDS

Sonics 111 Wizards 101 – Final Score
Great night by Rashard Lewis
The Sonics defended well enough
The Sups have hit 41 of their last 78 three over 4 games


Sonics 100 Wizards 92 with 3:12 left in the 4th Quarter
Sonics are stressing down the stress and this is getting tight.
Ray Allen just got stripped and committed a clear path foul.
Nick Collison does not seem to have very strong hands. He is losing a lot of loose balls.
Calvin Booth just missed back to back dunks for the Wizards --- ohhh did that look familiar. --- the debate starts again if he is the worst player in the NBA.
Ridnour huge three.


Sonics 96 Wizards 84 with 6:36 left in the 4th Quarter
Wizards are in the bonus at the 8:30 mark of the 4th Quarter with the Sonics up 11.
Luke is just 3 of 9 tonight. Another night where you need him to shoot better.
Amazing play by Rashard Lewis. The Sonics ran their show on the pick and roll and Collison stayed with Arenas as did Wilkins. This left Haywood open down low, but Lewis saw what was taking place and played coy and stole the pass when it came. Then he sprinted down to his spot and hit a huge three.


Sonics 89 Wizards 78 with 8:47 left in the 4th Quarter
Flip Murray is death for your team. He was yanked after 4 possessions and he screwed up 3 of them.
Murray’s terrible play cost the Sonics three fouls and the Sonics now have 4 team fouls at the 9 minute mark
The key has been keeping the Wizards off the foul line.
Vlady hits a huge 3 and Allen a great steal.
The Sonics are doing a nice job of answering every call tonight


Sonics 81 Wizards 74 at the end of 3 quarters
Sonics have scored on just 1 of their last 6 possessions
Collison just had Daniels in the post and didn’t score. He has to score on that play.
Zach Zarba one of the officials is having a tough night. The players are on him after ever call.
Weiss didn’t pull Ray at his usual time.
The key to the 4th Quarter will be the Sonics stress level. They have been pressing very badly in this building. The body language has made it obvious.


Sonics 77 Wizards 69 with 3:00 left
I have a bad feeling that this game is going to be tight here in a moment
Sonics have stopped defending. It will only take three possessions of missed shots for this to be tight.


Sonics 71 Wizards 61 with 6:29 left in the 3rd Quarter
It is funny to watch AD’s body language. He looks lost and frustrated.
Sonics allow Arenas a wide open three – let’s hope that doesn’t get him going.
Arenas opened the half free wheeling defensively and not guarding Luke. Luke responded by hitting three open jumpers.
Arenas now has 8 points in the quarter. Two threes and a fast break lay-up. All easy


Sonics 59 Wizards 47 at the half
Wil

kins buzzer beater
Very strong first half for the Sups

Sonics 55 Wizards 43 with 1:40 left in the 2nd Quarter
Why does Ray Allen insist on double teaming on Etan Thomas and Brendon Haywood.
Believe it or not the Sonics are missing Luke Ridnour defensively.
If Vlady wants time he is going to have to show that he can defend the three. Tonight is a good challenge with Caron Butler.
Sonics defense has created back to back opportunities for the offense
Huge sequence 9-0 run forcing three turnovers on the defensive end and three buckets on the offensive end.
Vlady has 9 points all from three point range
Sonics lead this game because of the three


Sonics 33 Wizards 25 with 8:55 left in the 2nd Quarter
Damien Wilkins is not having the improvement you would hope out a second year player. He is shooting only 35% and hitting only 5 of 20 threes. His defense and activity were supposed to be his strong points, but he isn’t impacting games like he did last year. Also he was supposed to be able to get to the free throw line with his drive and we haven’t seen that.
Vlady enters the game


Sonics 31 Wizards 21 with at the end of 1st Quarter.
Ray hits another sick buzzer beater to end the quarter.
The Wiz have only two field goals out of the half court. They have three field goals in transition, two off loose balls, two on offensive put backs.
Rashard is on fire tonight again in the 1st quarter with 13 points
The fast break has been better because Luke has had the ball in his hand. Too often the ball is in Ray’s hands and that is not his forte


Sonics 17 Wizards 13 with 4:39 left in the 1st Quarter
Vitaly’s talking on defense makes a world of difference.
One of the biggest issues the Sonics are having defensively is confusion on what game plans night to night. This cost them against Houston and Golden State. The coaching staff is going to simplify the plans and make them universal against all teams and the

n add when specific plans when they finally improve.
The Wizards are not guarding Vitaly and leaving Haywood in the post to defend.
The Sonics half court defense has been good, but their transition defense has not been very good.


STORYLINES
1) Can the Soncis win at home
2) Two of the least good defensive rebounding teams, who will win the offensive rebounding battle
3) AD guarding Allen
4) Can the Sonics stop Gilbert Arenas penetration
5) Wiz lead the league in free throw attmepts per game (29.8) and the Sonics are the second worst in allowing free throws (29.8)


PRE-GAME NOTES
Antonio Daniels is in starting line-up for the Wizards and will guard Ray Allen. I hope you heard our pre-game interview with AD.
Vitaly will stay in the Sonics starting line-up.

SONICS ALARMINGLY DEPENDENT ON ALLEN

According to 82 games.com the following players team's fall apart when they are not on the floor.
These are the players whose off floor +/- rating per 48 minutes is more then -10.

The Sonics are depenedent upon Ray Allen. In fact, no team in the NBA is playing as poorly as the Sonics when Allen is on the bench. Interesting, that Channing Frye is #2 on the list and that all three of the Nets stars make the list. Realize this list almost automatically discounts any team that is playing very well as it would be impossible to be more then -10 on the bench on a good team.

Ray Allen -24
Channing Frye -14.9
Ricahard Jefferson -13.8
Vince Carter -13.7
Jason Kidd -13.3
Dwayne Wade -12.7
Paul Pierce -12.5
Alan Iverson-12. 0
Kevin Garnett -10.2
Brad Miller -10

Note -- this excludes the entire Portland team and Toronto who is -10 when they are on the bench since the team is -10

VERY CANDID NATE MCMILLAN

Friday night on 950,KJR we aired my sit down with Nate McMillan. Nate said more about his decision to leave Seattle then he had previously. He opened up about some of the battles he had in Seattle. In addition, he shared how he is now and what this experience has been like in Portland. Plus, a strange coincidence about his return to Seattle on Jan 30th.

You can download or podcast the interview.

Thanks I hope you enjoy.

WILL REED STAY A MARINER?

Jeremy Reed may be staying in Seattle after all. Whether or not this is by Seattle Mariner’s choice is not clear. What has become clear is that Reed is not the only centerfielder the Boston Red Sox are investigating.

The Red Sox are in discussions with the Cleveland Indians for Coco Crisp. The same principals are involved in this deal as well, as the Red Sox are willing to part with Matt Clement or Bronson Arroyo.

With the signing of Washburn it is fair to guess that the Mariners are no longer interested in Clement due to his contract, but could still be willing to make the move for Arroyo.

Here are a few other notes of interest around the world of baseball. Jacque Jones is close to signing a deal, maybe with Kansas City. It will be interesting to see what he got $$ compared to what the Mariners gave Carl Everett. Same applies for Jeremy Burnitz.

Preston Wilson is another name that may sign soon. He has been a produced of Coors Field during his success, but it is another good barometer deal. His year last year for the Nationals was pretty strong considering that ballpark and the league wide drop in numbers due to steroid testing, .260 25HR 90 RBI. Wilson could become a centerfield option if Reed is moved.

MARINERS CLOSING IN ON WASHBURN

CBS Sportsline is reporting that the Mariners are close to a deal with Jarrod Washburn. The deal is initially thought to be for 4 years around $38 million dollars.
The Mariners were committed to adding pitching to this year’s team. Evidently, they were committed enough to pay large money for an average pitcher.
Washburn was 8-8 last season with an impressive ERA of 3.20. Positively, his ERA was far better away from Anaheim Stadium then it was at home. In addition, he has made 25 starts for 5 straight seasons and been over 175 innings in 4 of the last 5 seasons. This team needs innings eaters and he will do that.
The area of concern is that in the statistical world Washburn had what is referred to as a very lucky season. Considering the things a pitcher controlled his ERA should have been a good deal higher and these numbers are usually a very good indicator of future ERA.
In addition, Washburn is fly ball pitcher. The Mariners must believe that Safeco Field will help his numbers.
Also at 31 years old, the Mariners are basing the deal on his 32,33,34 and 35 year old seasons. It is fair to assume that at some point he breaks down.
At this moment the starting rotation is Washburn, Felix Hernandez, Jamie Moyer, Joel Piniero and a question mark.
Look for the Mariners to trade Gil Meche. They have not been able to get anything other then minor leaguers for Meche. Franklin is also on the market.
Overall, I can’t say I am greatly disturbed, but I don’t like giving an average pitcher who is 31 years old nearly 10 million a year for 4 seasons.
The statement is the Mariners are committed to getting better. This was the vechile that was available to make this pitching staff better and they acted. Those that have complained that they are not committed to winning no longer have an argument. Those that want to question the baseball acumen this is open territory.

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. BLAZERS

Sonics 111 Blazers 99 Final Score

Sonics win this in the first 17 minutes and then cruised.
27-2 run when the Sonics hit 11 straight field goals.
They win with Offense not defense
Portland is awful.
Don;t fret over the late rally that is the reality of the NBA
Vlady Radmanovic does not play in the game and was out of rotation.

Sonics 103 Blazers 93 with 1:03 left in the 4th Quarter
Blazers on a 16-3 run
Weiss pulled Allen and had to bring him back in the game.


Sonics 100 Blazers 84 with 4:19 left in the 4th
Just because nothing this season is going to be easy.
The Blazers on a 8-0 run just enough to make you say no way is there….
Sonics are sleep walking.
Starters are still on the floor.


Sonics 91 Blazers 70 at the end of 3
Blazers had a little flurry but then the Sonics answered with ease.
Without Darius Miles I seriously wonder how many games this Blazers team is capable of winning. 5,6 or maybe 7 the rest of the year. Luckily, Miles comes back in a fewe weeks then they might win another 10 games this year
Not sure this tells anything about the Sonics


Sonics 87 Blazers 65 with 2:57 left in the 3rd Quarter
Not a lot happening worth mentioning. Sonics are scoring at a good enough rate they are in fine shape. The Blazers seem to play hard defensively about 1 every 10 possessions.


Sonics 67 Blazers 46 at the half
Falling apart – let’s hope not but the Sonics forgot to play the last two minutes
The Sonics have allowed the Blazers to scored on 14 of 18 possessions to close the quarter
Ray Allen hits a buzzer beating 3.


Sonics 60 Blazers 29 with 5:01 left in the 2nd Quarter
Sonics scored their 50th point at the 8:00 mark of the 2nd quarter
Sonics have hit all 8 threes
The Blazers are doing everything soft so the Sonics can stay in rhythm.
This is absurd.
The Blazers are fielding is one of the worst teams I have seen.
Truly, they don’t look coached which is strange. They have no defensive rotations, no double teams, seemingly no plan. I know that isn’t the case but that is how it looks.


Sonics 44 Blazers 16 with 9:46 left in the 2nd Quarter
The onslaught continues.
The Sonics have now hit 10 straight field goals and 13 of 14.
Collison opened the quarter with a bucket and Flip hit the next two.
Nate McMillan must be losing his mind


Sonics 37 Blazers 16 at the end of 1 quarter
Rashard Lewis went nuts in the first quarter. He hit threes, he got fast break looks, he pump faked Patterson out of the gym and finished the quarter with 20 points.
The Blazers are awful and the Sonics are slicing them up.
So much of the story coming in was bad defense against bad offense but the real story is the Sonics good offense against the Blazers bad defense
The Sonics hit their final 7 field goals of the Quarter


Sonics 17 Blazers 12 with 5:06 left in the 1st Quarter
The Blazers are as bad defensively as the Sonics
Rashard Lewis is not playing with a lot of energy on the defensive end.
Luke Ridnour is wearing headband from a pre-game incident where he got hit in the head during the team pre-game huddle and needed stitches.
The Sonics better not lose the rebounding and turnover battle or they will lose this game


STORYLINES
1) If you can't stop the Blazers you are the worst defensive team ever!!!
2) Sonics must win rebounds and turnovers
3) Sonics energy
4) Ray Allen being guarded by Martell Webster

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. ROCKETS

Rockets 93 Sonics 90 with 2:20 left in the Quarter
Welcome to the Ray/ Tracy show – Ray has 14 in the Q – Tracy has 11 in the Q


Sonics 84 Rockets 83 with 6:52 left in the 4th Quarter
Ray Allen has put Seattle on a 7-0 run all by himself.
Sonics are -11 when Flip is on the floor and +12 when he is on the bench.

Rockets 83 Sonics 76 with 8:04 left in the 4th Quarter
If you play Flip Murray you lose. That simple.
Moochie Norris just burned Flip for back to back to baskets that had to be the worst defense. Once Flip came off his feet at 35 feet and Norris blew by him and then on the next possession Flip allowed Norris to go backdoor on a basic give and cut.
Luke who is not playing well either replaces Flip.



Rockets 77 Sonics 76 with 9:26 left in the 4th Quarter
Close game – Neither team has lead by more then 4 in the second half.
This game is very slow. Each possession is dragged out


Rockets 73 Sonics 71 at the end of the 3rd quarter
McGrady had 11 in the quarter
Reggie Evans played very well in the quarter, however some of Reggie Evans weaknesses are exposed in that Howard is 8 of 10 for 16 points.
Luke Ridnour is 3 of 11 . He has to shoot better for this team to win.


Sonics 64 Rockets 60 with 5:18 left in the 3rd quarter
Ohhhh No !!!!! Tracy McGrady has heated up.
Interesting move by Van Gundy to put McGrady on Ridnour defensively in the second half.
The Sonics offense is Reggie Evans in the paint.
This makes you wonder what kind of a defender Yao Ming is
Yao Ming is mammoth.

Sonics 51 Rockets 48 at the half
The Rockets look like a team that played last night
Danny Fortson played great against Yao Ming
Seattle got 48% of potential offensive rebounds in the first half
McGrady is just 3 of 11 and looks noticeably uncomfortable.
Sonics had a poor defensive second quarter.


Sonics 41 Rockets 37 with 4:26 left in the 2nd Quarter
Danny Fortson has played 8 minutes without a foul.
Rockets were +3 with Ming on the bench
The ball movement with Flip Murray on the floor disappeared.
Ridnour returned and sparked a 8-3 run with great ball movement.


Sonics 31 Rockets 28 with 8:35 left in the 2nd Quarter
Not much feel to this game.
Sonics need to take advantage of Yao Ming on the bench and they have not done that yet in this game


Sonics 22 Rockets 20 at the end of 1st Quarter
Snail paced game
Seattle took care of the ball well.
Flip Murray dominated the ball when he was in and scored just 1 point in the 3 possessions that he used.


Sonics 19 Rockets 13 with 3:39 left in the 1st Quarter
Luke Ridnour is conducting the offense as well as you could ask from a point guard
The Sonics twice allowed Juwan Howard to drive the basket without restistance.
Reggie Evans is wrecking havoc and flopping everywhere. Jeff Van Gundy came off the bench yelling, “he weighs 260 pounds and he is falling all over the place. That is a flop.”


Storylines
1) Can the Sonics defend at all
2) Rockets do not force turnovers and commits a good deal
3) Take advantage of Yao Ming's lack of mobility.

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS -- GARBAGE

If you have listened to 950, KJR's Locked on Sports this is one of my hot topics. Other then the NBA where the phrase, "Defense wins Championships" is ture, this is the greatest misnomer in sports.

In the NBA it is true, becasue everyone can score. In the NFL it is almost the opposite, everyone can defend.

Here are some numbers to prove my points. Thanks to the Sports economist for some of these.

Over 1970-2000, only 10 of 31 Super Bowl winners had higher ranked defenses than offenses. Only 22 of 62 AFC and NFC champions had higher ranked defenses than offenses.
Since 1970, Of the 10 best defensive teams Four of the top ten did not even make the conference championship game. On the other side of the coin, 6 of the top 10 offenses won the Super Bowl, 7 made the Super Bowl, and all but one made the conference championship.
Since 1980, only the Ravens could really be described as winning the championship with great defense and mediocre offense. Even they were pretty good. From Week 10 to the Super Bowl, a span of 11 games, the Ravens averaged 26.2 points per game, an output that would have ranked them # 5 in the NFL had they maintained it during the season.
I will add this. Rush defense is a strong barometer of championship potential. More than three-quarters of Super Bowl teams had a top-10 rush defense, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Nine of the past 14 participants were in the top five ...

So next time some commentator professes "Defensive wins Championships." Scream at the TV.

MARINERS SIGN EVERETT

The Carl Everett signing is finally official. Don’t bring any dinosaurs to the park. He thinks they are fake. Here is the breakdown on the field. He fits what the Mariners are looking for: he hits left-handed, he comes on a one year deal

That is it for the positive news. He is aging and declining. He is 35 in June and his last two years he hit .260 and .251, his slugging has been .402 and .435 in hitter friendly parks. Another point don’t classify him as a switch hitter his career numbers are dramatically less good against left handed hitters. Truly if he is your DH his numbers the last two seasons are below average for a DH in the American League. Therefore you have to assume in a pitchers park and 35 years old that he is going to have a career jump to make this a good signing.

While you are signing a DH this has a defensive impact. Let’s remember the Mariners pitching staff over performed what many anticipated last season and the reason was the defense was great. The best part of the defense was Wynn,, Reed and Ichiro ability to get to balls. Wynn was a terrific left fielder. With Evertt you are now asking Ibanez to play 140 games in left field. That will hurt the staff.

Finally considering Bavasi's track record of signing decent mid-level players I would be concerned that this is another Aurilla, Speizio or Reese.

Did I forget to mention that he has been arrestted for child neglect, had one of his kids taken away from him, he got to a highly publized fight with an umpire, he hates gays, he hates fans and he is coming to a town near you this summer.

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. WARRIORS

Warriors 110 Sonics 107 – Final Score
Baron Davis hits a three to win it.
Ouch --- great game – great entertainment – but wrong outcome.
Tough loss.
The pick and roll from the top in the middle of the third quarter and the fourth is where the game was lost.
Flip Murray did a nice job getting the Sonics back in the game.
Maybe this game can ignite then Sonics to play with the fire they need to play with for the season.


Sonics 107 Warriors 107 with 4.3 seconds left in the overtime
Ray Allen time. He is money. Unreal how clutch he is.
Allen scores on back to back buckets and then hits Collison on back to back high pick and rolls.
Murray is still on the floor and he may not have anything left in the tank
Fischer is such a killer
Baron Davis for no reason rises up to take a three to win it win :27 left and misses.
Sonics get the ball tied and Allen drives to the hoop and misses a tough look drive.
Still tied


Sonics 98 Warriors 98 – Going to Overtime
Flip Murray buries two clutch free throws after Richardson missed two that would have given the Warriors the game.
Murray had 12 in the quarter
Warriors became on outside team.


Warriors 92 Sonics 90 with 3:31 left in the 4th Quarter
Flip has scored the last 3 buckets for the Sonics
Lewis gets an offensive foul with Fischer guarding him in the post – Lewis has to win that battle.
Vlady commits an open floor turnover by holding onto the ball too long.
Derek Fischer is kicking Seattle’s ass.


Sonics 88 Warriors 88 with 5:32 left in the 4th Quarter
Sonics on a 10-0 after the ejection
Sonics have changed their pick and roll defense and are now switching the defense.
Flip Murray is a match-up the Warriors can’t handle.
Bob Hill has not gone back to Rashard Lewis yet.
Great work by Jack Sikma – he just went to Hill and told him he had Rashard on the bench and now Rashard will check in.


Warriors 80 Sonics 76 with 9:30 left in the 4th Quarter
Bob Weiss just blew his lid. The first time he got his Tech on purpose after Davis missed both free throws off a flagrant foul on Danny. I think Bob waited to make sure both free throws were missed before he missed the free throws. Then he went out to half court to meet Benny Adams. On the next play Adams called a really really really late whistle on Danny and Bob went crazy. He met Adams before he got the call out on the foul and got ejected,
The crowd loved it. Bob Hill is now coaching
80-72 Warriors lead at the end of this mess.


Warriors 69 Sonics 66 with 2:46 left in the 3rd Quarter
The Warriors have made a great pick n roll adjustment. They have moved the pick n roll to the top with the ball going to the middle it has eliminated the use of the stopper and is allowing the Warriors to get in the paint.
The Warriors are also running a ton on the curls.
Reggie is just wrecking havoc in the paint
He has no intention on the offensive end to do anything but get the offensive reb


Sonics 50 Warriors 48 at the half
Sonics aren’t shooting well but they are playing offense well. They have a 50% offensive rebounding rate and they have been to the line 20 times while only committing 6 turnovers. Shooting is vital to success no question, but this is an example of how to survive when the shot is not falling.
The Sonics had a little lapse in the second quarter, but for the most part are still playing well on the defensive end.
The amount of deflections will tell if the Sonics are defending.
You would have thought Lewis would go off tonight, instead he is 2 of 9


Warriors 42 Sonics 41 with 2:42 left in the 2nd Quarter
The Sonics offense has gone cold. They have not scored on 5 straight possessions.
The bench veterans of the Warriors, Derek Fischer and Calbert Chaeney are getting the best of the Sonics.
Do we ever get a defensive stop when Mikki Moore is in the game?
Same story as early in the season. The Sonics go to the bench and then never regain rhythm.


Sonics 32 Warriors 23 with 8:48 left in the 2nd Quarter
Sonics defensively are getting a lot of deflections which is a sign of active defense.
The T on Danny Fortson was a good call.
The good Flip is the one the lets the game come to him and takes what the game gives, the bad Flip is the one who forces his game onto the game. We are getting the bad Flip today.


Sonics 26 Warriors 20 at the end of the 1st Quarter
Seattle got out in transition early in the quarter and took advantage of the Warriors poor transition effort.
The Sonics have been very aggressive going to the basket
Jason Richardson was matched on Rashard Lewis and Lewis took him to the post.
The defensive game plan on the pick and roll has been good. They are going under the pick to force the outside shot. In addition, they have helped and rotated well.


Sonics 8 Warriors 2 with 7:20 left in the 1st Quarter
Sonics have 6 offensive rebounds already
The Sonics want to go to the rim, becasue the Warriors have the same amount of shot blockers as the Sonics. -- ZERO
The arena is dead.
There are two match-ups the Sonics want to exploit -- Dunleavy guarding Lewis and the slow rotations of Troy Murphy.

STORYLINES
1) Sonics must play some defense
2) The Sonics stopper -- which is their big man helping the penetration from the guards
3) Winning the Turnover battle
4) Ray Allen outplaying Jason Richardson
5) Defensive rating better then 110.