New Sonics radio play-by-play broadcaster 
David Locke is Locked on the Sonics. He'll follow all the news, rumors and more throughout the 2006-07 season. Locked on Sonics will be updated regularly, break news and have audio interviews on the biggest stories. E-mail David your questions at AskLocke@sonics-storm.com
I Have Seen It All
Posted on January 2 | permalink
They played a box and one. When Ray Allen got hot the Mavericks played a box and one. I am certain that in my 15 years in the NBA I have never seen someone play a box and one.
They only played it a little, but the point was still made. The box and one is played in high school when there is a one dominate player and four guys who can’t beat you. It is inconceivable to play it in the NBA because it the floor is too big to allow 4 on 4 for the rest of the guys.
Obviously, if Rashard is healthy you can’t play the Box and One, but the fact the Mavericks coaches thought that it might work and would be a good idea is astounding.
The Sonics second quarter, lead by Ray Allen’s 18 points was the best I have seen the Sonics play this season. After the game, Ray called having the new ball back a “blessing.”
The game also featured the one of the best two play sequences I have seen all season. The Mavericks had a possession where they made 8 passes, penetrating and dishing, swinging it around the outside and it finished with Dirk at the top of the key for an open three.
The Sonics answered with their own version making numerous extra passes until
Johan Petro hit a free throw line jumper.
Unfortunately, it was one of the last time the Sonics moved the ball for the remainder of the night.
The Mavericks teamwork was very impressive. They worked hard to get the ball moving and continually get a better look. I can’t recall a possession where a player went and “got theirs.”
The other story of the night was how the Mavericks dominated the Sonics on the board. The Mavs are the best I have seen at tapping balls out of the paint to the guards. The Sonics simply didn’t have the man power to combat the Mavs size on the boards.
The Sonics defensive rebounding has dropped into the bottom 5 in the NBA and is a major issue. The other problem is the Sonics once were a good offensive rebounding team, but over the last 5 games that has disappeared. They have been under 20% on offensive rebounding the last 5 games.
Off to Houston for a date with McGrady and the Rockets.
Dallas is Very Very Good
Posted on January 2 | permalink
We are in Dallas getting ready for the Mavs. The Mavs have won 10 straight and they are manhandling people.
Avery Johnson has them playing defense. They rank 6th in the NBA in defense. That is the value of 7 footers. They are able to play 48 minutes of 7 footers, between Dampier and Diop.
Offensively, they are very balanced. Impressively, each of their starters is in the top 10 in efficiency rating at their position.
The most impressive thing about this team is how well they play when their stud is not on the floor. Last year, they were the only team who still outscored their opponent when their #1 guy was on the bench. This year they are not quite their yet, but are just -.3 per 48 minutes he is off the floor.
Last game, they beat the Nuggets in Denver without Dirk. Josh Howard has become a bonafide all-star. Though keep an eye on Devin Harris tonight. I think he is the glue on this team. He is able to penetrate and give them unreal three point looks. The Mavs are living behind the arch recently.
There is a strong argument that can be made that Dirk should have won the MVP last year. He had equally as good of numbers if not better than Nash. His team won more games. He doesn’t have any teammates that are as good as Shaun Marion.
Truthfully, any argument for Nash can be countered for Dirk. Talking to people in th Mavs organization they rave about Dirk. His work ethic is off the charts. He is also one of the nicest guys you will deal with. They all have stories of Dirk getting off the team bus to sign jerseys and making the entire team wait while he does it.
MTV and Punk’d tried to take advantage of Dirk’s niceness in a hysterical Punk’d episode where they send a kid to get autograph after autograph after autograph. The amazing thing is Dirk never really breaks. It is flat out hysterical.
Ahh the Travel
Posted on December 30 | permalink
For the first time in this job the travel schedule feels daunting.
We have just returned from the two day weather infested plane trouble rearranged whirlwind of Denver and Minnesota.
Check out this run the team is on.
Wednesday: Fly to Denver
Thursday: Play in Denver and scheduled to fly to Minneosta
Friday: End up fling to Minnesota, play the Wolves in Minnesota and fly to Seattle.
Saturday: off”
Sunday: Game v. Boston
Monday: Fly to Dallas
Tuesday: Play in Dallas and Fly to Houston
Wednesday: Play in Houston and Fly to Seattle
Thursday: Off
Friday: Play New York in Seattle and fly to Golden State
Saturday: Play the Warriors in the Bay Area.
Wow.
Bad Day Start to Finish
Posted on December 30 | permalink
Not a lot can be said when the amount of things lined up against the Sups like they did tonight.
However, I find myself agreeing with Nick Collison after the game when he said, “we played worse than the circumstances, this was the first time we stopped competing.”
What is discouraging is that they didn’t fight through the adversity and they allowed it to own them. That is a team wide cultural issue that has to be chipped away. This team for a few years has always tried the easy route and rarely has fought through though times and through adversity.
They still play hard. They still go after it, but there is a different level for those teams that have that winning culture. That culture that tells you nothing other than excellence of performance is acceptable.
Jerry Sloan always says, “I don’t care what troubles you are having the fan still paid the same money as any other night, you better give them what they deserve.”
Tonight the Sonics didn’t accomplish that under adverse circumstances. Too often that has been the case.
Coming to You From Minnesota
Posted on December 29 | permalink
As of 2:43 p.m. Central, we have landed and have a game to play.
Life on the Road - The Good, The Bad and The Delayed
Posted on December 29 | permalink
We are still in Denver. Nothing seems to be going as planned. The weather was not the issue. Instead, something was wrong with one of the plane’s engines last night.
Therefore, at 3:30 a.m. we returned to the hotel and took a 9:15 a.m. bus back to the plane, where I sit right now.
This two-day trip is the ultimate example of life on the road: crazy stories, super fun moments and nothing going as planned.
The trip started with the usual bus trip from the airport to the hotel. However, our bus had blown a fuse and the windshield wipers and wiper fluid weren’t working. Driving the snowy Denver streets without windshield wipers? Now that is fun. My favorite part was when the driver said, “I’ll just wait till we get off the freeway and then fix it.”
That night was the fun part. A group of us went out to a local sushi place and crushed it. Our waitress laughed at how much we ordered and we can proudly say we just about finished it.
From dinner to snowball fights on the roads of Denver to an establishment or two. You inevitably meet one or two people with completely nutty stories, some that can be told in the blog and others that can’t. That is the fun part of the road, though I am learning it is all done to cover up how boring and small the hotel room feels after the first week of the season.
I went on a skiing adventure during the day since KC was calling the game, a bad decision with the huge storm coming. Of course I thought I had it all planned and calculated to make it without hitting the storm. However, I was wrong, and it made for an insanely hairy day on the roads. The flip side is any day on the slopes is a good day.
Then the problems started. The snow storm hit and we thought that the game could get cancelled. Instead, a good crowd arrived and we had no problems getting to or from the arena.
We rushed out of the arena last night and got to the plane around 1 a.m. We can have a discussion another time about what I think about the NBA scheduling a TNT late game followed by a game the next night in another city.
I fell asleep and the next thing I knew it was 3 a.m. and we were packing up and getting back on the busses. The snow kept falling over night in Denver and now we have the engines running and working. I assume we are de-icing ; we still have the hour-and-half flight to Minnesota. Then we board the bus, get to the hotel and then head over to the arena.
A quick guess is we take off around 11:30 a.m. and hit our hotel 2. Of course, nothing goes as planned on the road. Brian Davis of FSN might be the smartest of all of us; he dressed today as though he was heading straight to the arena.
Bottom line: we are still living life easier than the family trying to travel out of Denver today and hopefully, I’ll talk to you tonight from Minnesota. We are hoping Superman who wears #34 is waiting for us in Minnesota.
Locke's Version of Pelton
Posted on December 28 | permalink
With KC calling the game tonight I thought I would go back to my roots and jot down notes while the contest is taking place.
This Nuggets team is going to make Iverson think he is back in Philly, as they are without Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, Marcus Camby and Nenê.
At the same time the Sonics have about $40 million of payroll in Seattle.
The worldwide dearth of big men is obvious tonight. Andreas Glyniadakis and Jamal Sampson are the centers matching up to start the game. Sampson is crushing Glyniadakis.
They just called Glyniadakis for traveling. Bob Hill and I made eye contact and he said, “They called that because of who is.”
The Nuggets play at an absurd pace. Wow, do they push it. They make the Suns look like they are coached by Mike Fratello.
The Sonics just got winded and got a step slow and the Nuggets put the pedal down, pushing driving and kicking for threes.
Dance Team Update: The more I travel the more props I need to give the Sonics dance team. Most nights the edge goes to the Sonics Dance Team. Every night goes to the Sonics Dance Team if they are wearing those Santa outfits.
Reggie Evans is in the game, watch your ...
Petro is making a move every night that makes you wonder how good he could become. Tonight it was a nifty jump hook to the middle with great patience.
Denver just hit 10 straight shots.
I am exhausted watching this first quarter. This is an insane pace.
Nick Collison got isolated in the left block on Linas Kleiza. He needs to be able to beat Kleiza.
I am going to take advantage of the great concessions at the Pepsi Center. I am off to get donuts for KC and ice cream for me.
I just walked the concourse of the Pepsi Center and there was not one line at any concession stand. I walked the entire arena today and talked in a tape recorder and will have this for you at SUPERSONICS.COM. The Pepsi Center is the building that has been most mentioned as the model for the new building in the Puget Sound.
Johan is playing with good confidence. He really is the team’s only center at this point. His biggest drawback is that he is a non-existent rebounder. He has played 10 minutes without a rebound. Offensively, he needs to find a way to draw fouls.
If you watch Iverson play the game, you really have to like the guy. He has been awesome tonight. The 18 points and seven assists at this point are obvious but he also does the little things - he spaces well, he cuts when he needs to and he makes his teammates better.
Denver is terrible defensively.
It is 55-50 when Sene comes in for Petro for the final two minutes of the quarter. I am believer that the final two minutes of each quarter are the most important. Petro has two fouls. I think Hill must have a philosophy of not allowing a player to get his third foul in the first half.
Before the game Gordie called Iverson the best lay-up maker in the game and he has shown that tonight. Wow does he find a way to get the ball in the cup.
Sonics trail at the half 60 to 56.
Chris Wilcox opened the second half with an absurd play that resulted in a tech. This was right after he turned it over on a dribble without defensive resistance. These are the possessions that we go back to when the team loses one-point games.
Gelabale will not return. He hurt his back. He played Iverson well in the second quarter.
Iverson is awesome. Come see him at the Key on Jan. 23.
Nick Collison has to contribute on the offensive end of the floor. He promptly scores the next possession.
Both Watson and Ridnour go to the free-throw line very rarely. Tonight the two have yet to take a free throw.
Sonics are doing a great job sticking around in this. Francis Williams pointed out during the halftime show that the Nuggets play a style where they will leave you in the game.
I wonder if Iverson will be impacted by the fatigue of the altitude. He hasn’t been here very long and he is a sole gun tonight. At this point he has 33 points on 13-of-24 shooting. This is where Seattle is really going to miss Gelabale.
Questionable call on Wilks guarding AI and Hill yelled, “AI, can you keep a straight face on that one?”
The percentage of our lob plays that have worked in the half court this year feels like about 20%.
Chris Wilcox just got his second technical foul of the game. This was one play after the official had warned the players not to gripe. Wilcox got his first on a bonehead play opening the second half. You have to be better than that. You have to be more focused then that. Point blank, these plays lose game. The score at the time was 81-76 Nuggets.
The Sonics now are forced to close the game with Glyniadakis, Sene, Petro and Collison in the front court. In the backcourt they have Ridnour, Watson, Wilkins and Wilks.
Wilkins has played all but one minute.
We head to the fourth trailing 85-76. Sene starts with Petro in the fourth.
The offense is really scattered with this crew.
Iverson is awesome. Big three and then a penetration and probe and he now has 40 big ones.
Ridnour draws a foul on a drive. It is the first free throw for either Ridnour or Watson tonight at the 7:42 mark of the fourth Quarter.
AI is doing sick things. He got the ball knocked away and then picked it up and in the same motion shot it in. Come see him at the Key in Jan.
This one is getting away. It is 17-7 since the Wilcox ejection.
The Nuggets have 64 points from players under 6-0.
Nugs are shooting 57% in the fourth; the Supes are shooting 4-15. Ballgame.
Final Score: Nugs 112, Sonics 98 - George Karl's 800th career win. Off to Minnesota if we can.
Snowy Stats
Posted on December 28 | permalink
Hello from Denver. It is very snowy. There is some question to whether or not we will get to Minnesota. There was doubt about today’s game. It could be a pretty small crowd.
On the way to Denver I did some stat geek work for you to survey.
My favorite offensive stat is based on how a player uses his possessions. Everything I believe in statistically breaks the game down to the individual possession. The traditional stats are all greatly impacted by the teams pace of play.
For individual offensive players I use something called STUD OR DUD. Honestly, this mirrors John Hollinger of ESPN’s Brick percentage with minor tweaks. The concept is two-fold. First, when the player makes an attempt to score, is he more or less efficient than the average player in the NBA? Secondly, a player needs to rewarded for getting their shot off, so how many scoring opportunities does the player get per minute?
The rating system has the average player at 0. Starters usually range from 20 to 70 and players that are great offensively hover above 100. 27 players were over 100 last season. Ray, Rashard and Wilcox were in that group.
Steve Nash led the league last year at 174 and Nowitzki followed at 144. That's a sign of how great Nash was last year.
The Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns jumped out at me last year on this chart because none of their regular players were below zero. What this means in a practical sense is that even if you got the ball out of the hands of their best players, the player who ended up ending the possession was still above the league average. That makes a team almost indefensible.
As of Dec. 27, 2006 here are the Top 10 STUDS in the NBA. Players must have played 500 minutes:
273 - Amaré Stoudemire, Phx
263 - Brent Barry, SA
221 - Kevin Martin, Sac
203 - Steve Nash, Phx
180 - Yao Ming, Hou
180 - Dirk Nowitzki, Dal
167 - Paul Pierce, Bos
166 - Michael Redd, Mil
165 - Rashard Lewis, Sea
164 - J.R Smith, Den
A few surprises - # 12 David Lee (NY); #18 Matt Barnes (GS);
Sometimes what is more interesting is the DUDS, the bottom 10 players. They must average at least 10 minutes per game or have played at least 20 games.
-241 - James Jones, Pho
-218 - Speedy Claxton, Atl
-208 - Austin Croshere, Dal
-207 - Bonzi Wells, Hou
-203 - Chris Weber, Phi
-182 - Marc Jackson, NO
-182 - Cedric Bozeman, Atl
-176 - Eddie Jones, Mem
- 176 - Willie Green, Phi
- 173 - Channing Frye, NY
Here is the breakdown of the Sonics
165 - Rashard Lewis
91 - Ray Allen
56 - Chris Wilcox
44 - Johan Petro
31 - Luke Ridnour
23 - Mickaël Gelabale
8 - Danny Fortson
6 - Andreas Glyniadakis
-12 - Damien Wilkins
-56 - Nick Collison
-149 - Earl Watson
-172 - Mo Sene
-200 - Mike Wilks
-561 - Desmon Farmer
I am really surprised Gelabale has moved into the positive since this stats only values scoring. That shows how much getting to the free throw line matters and what a really good ability he has at getting a shot off.
Here are a few other Sonics notes from my offensive spreadsheet.
Ray Allen takes a shot every 2:05 he is on the floor.
27% of the possessions that end with Earl Watson are three balls. He has reduced this number greatly as the season has gone on, which is a good sign.
Both Luke and Earl go to the free-throw line on less than 7% of the possessions that end in their hands. This is a remarkably low number.
Mickael Gelabale leads the team in % of possessions that end at the free-throw line. He also takes the least amount of shots per time on the floor of anyone on the team.
Damien and Nick have 17% of the possessions that end in their hands result in a turnover. That is in the middle of the pack for the NBA, but the worst amongst rotation players on the Sonics.
News From Denver
Posted on December 27 | permalink
Ray Allen had his baby boy today. Congrats to he and Shannon for the new addition. He is not expected to join the team in Denver, Minnesota on Friday is unclear.
Danny Fortson did not join the team on the road trip.
Pepsi Center
Posted on December 27 | permalink
I am really excited to see the Pepsi Center. I have never been before, but it is the No. 1 arena that has been mentioned whenever Clay Bennett talks about his vision for the Puget Sound.
ICON, who Mr. Bennett hired, built this building as its signatue project.
At some point on Thursday I will walk the Pepsi Center and record my thoughts into a tape recorder and post them on the site. It should be interesting to see if it is really that dynamic and how much it would change our fan experience watching the Sonics and the NBA.
Plane to Denver
Posted on December 27 | permalink
We are boarding the plane to head to Denver, where another big storm is expected. I have my skis on the plane since KC is calling the game. It is the first time I have hoped for not too much snow. Too much and I can't go, because they could close a road. Just right and I have a great day and then go root on the Soncis v. AI and the Nugs while KC calls the game. That works for me.
As I mentioned yesterday in the blog, Ray Allen's fiancée is past due. Ray did not fly with the team today and his status for the game in Denver is unclear.
A few good things have taken place in the past few games.
First, with the injury to Rashard, there could have been a whoa-is-me attitude. Instead, the Sonics kept their focus and grabbed two games they should have.
The past two fourth quarters the Sonics have played very well down the stretch. This has been a bugaboo all season long. I have been really taken back at how big the floor becomes with Ray Allen playing. The Sonics pounded a Luke-Wilcox pick and roll last night that worked because Ray held his defender on the other side of the floor.
The pressure Luke experienced when Ray was gone has either subsided or he has learned how to combat it.
Finally, the evolution of Gelabale is a great asset. When he switched over on Pargo a few times last night I envisioned him trying to do the same on Iverson in Denver.
Ray Allen in the Fourth is Nice
Posted on December 26 | permalink
With 5:12 left in the fourth quarter, Ray Allen rose over the defender from the left side of the floor and buried a three to give the Sonics the lead. It sparked an 18-6 run and gave the Sonics the win.
When Ray Allen was injured, the Sonics were dismal offensively in the final half of the fourth quarter. Allen's shot seemed to take the pressure off his teammates and spur the Sonics on to a good closing stretch.
Luke Ridnour then added to the damage with a nasty three from the top of the key that gave Seattle some comfort. This was a very confident shot by Luke. He is the team's top three-point shooter right now in terms of percentage and it showed. After the game, Luke said they had been going behind the pick and giving him space throughout the night and he was waiting for it so he could make them pay. That is a great comment to symbolize Ridnour's growth.
This game wasn’t impressive in any fashion by the Sonics. The Hornets were undermanned after losing Chris Paul in the first quarter. It felt like Seattle should run away all night long. However, they coasted, trying to get the win without taking the game until they had to. When Allen hit the three it sparked the Sonics on to the run when they finally took control of the ballgame.
Another player that needs a mention is Mickaël Gelabale. I told you during the road trip that when he came home the Sonics fans would see an entirely different player. He does everything. As I said in the broadcast he has “it," whatever “it” is. “It” is that ability to make a play and alter a game without plays being called for you or having the ball in your hand.
The “it” tonight showed up when he dunked over Tyson Chandler, when he blocked Chandler’s dunk on the next play, when he got into the passing lanes and when he made a play by grabbing his own miss in traffic and finish it.
Two final notes for you. First, Ray’s fiancée is past due and there is a chance that he will not be joining the team in Denver and Minnesota. She didn’t come to the game tonight, which is really rare.
For Christmas, Ray bought all of the players really nice bathrobes that have their name and number on their back. He also gave them all wraps that have the Sonics logo, NBA logo and their names down the side.
Off to see the Answer in Denver.
Keep the e-mails and comments coming.
News and News and More News
Posted on December 22 | permalink
Tons of news out of practice. Kevin Pelton will have more in-depth coverage soon on SUPERSONICS.COM.
Rashard Lewis is out eight weeks and will need hand surgery.
Ray Allen practiced, looked good and will play on Saturday.
Ray will be the small forward and will defend the small forward.
The Sonics will start Luke, Earl, Ray, Chris and Andreas.
Danny Fortson practiced the entire practice for the first time all season.
Andreas is the starting center at this point.
Lew-less in Seattle
Posted on December 22 | permalink
Rashard is sitting courtside with his right hand in a brace that holds his middle and index fingers together. Unfortunately, this is going to be a familiar position for Rashard for the next eight weeks as he will have hand surgery. He is currently looking at a pocket schedule and I can only suspect he is trying to figure out when he comes back and what he will be missing. Late February seems like forever from now.
When Lewis returns it will have been 11 weeks since the Sonics had both Ray and Rashard on the floor together.
Opinions have varied on Rashard throughout his development in Seattle, but one thing becomes abundantly clear when you envision the Sonics without his services: he will be badly missed.
Rashard is the most versatile offensive player and has become a stalwart on the defensive end of the floor. This season Rashard has worked hard on his defensive presence and teams no longer head right at him. Instead, he is often the one clogging the play with his length.
Offensively, Rashard changed his game this year with an increased ability to handle the ball. Coach Hill has been able to call high pick and rolls with Rashard handling the dribble. That is an unguardable proposition to an opponent.
In Memphis, Rashard made the best play I have seen out of his eight-year career. With the game on the line, the play called for Rashard to work one on one at the top of the key. (This play could not have been called without the dribble development). Rashard was unable to get free and found a way to get a shot to the rim, but the shot was off-line. Driving himself through two Memphis defenders Rashard willed himself to the ball. Then in traffic he muscled up a shot off the window and in to tie the game.
For me this play symbolized all of the steps Rashard has taken in his game. He has become the player who can carry a team. He has the complete game to have a played called anywhere on the floor. He has the will to make a play and the strength to force upon his opponents.
This single play answered every question that has been asked about Rashard. Watching his development from the kid who came to Seattle via the most disappointing night of his life in the NBA Draft Green room in Vancouver, B.C., to a player who can carry a team is what being an NBA fan is all about.
It goes back to the old adage: you only really appreciate what you have until it is gone.
Who is Practicing, Who Isn't
Posted on December 21 | permalink
Ray Allen is practicing, wearing a black Sonics T-Shirt, grey shorts and all-black shoes. He looks fine. I haven’t seen him make a hard stop or a cut of significance. The team went no contact today; tomorrow will be a contact practice and a better time to evaluate Ray.
Rashard Lewis is not practicing, the result of a tendon injury to his right hand. He is scheduled to have an MRI this afternoon.
Chris Wilcox is not here. He had double-digit stitches in his lip last night and woke up with a very sore jaw.
I will update you more when information becomes available.
As far as I can see, there is no Penny Hardaway sighting. I think the Penny scenario is unlikely.
Elvis and More
Posted on December 18 | permalink
Greetings from Memphis. I am prepping for the game, listening to Elvis. I just got back from the Memphis-in-one-day tour. I hit Graceland in the morning and then the Civil Rights Museum. Of course, I had ribs on Beale Street. Honestly, this is a big cover up for the hotel rooms are feeling small and I am eager to get home to see family and friends.
Derailed in Detroit
Posted on December 18 | permalink
That was entertaining basketball. Once again Sonics fans can gripe about one or two possessions here or there, a common theme all season. However, their performance Sunday was good basketball against a good team.
It is remarkable the Sonics were in the game considering how putrid a rebounding performance they demonstrated. The Pistons got more than 50 percent of the eligible offensive rebounds. That is absurd.
It got so bad that Bob Hill started Andreas again in the second half. The crazy thing is Andreas decided to get shot-happy and on the first two possessions of the second half the Big Greek shot.
Those are the things that jump out when you are losing games by possessions here or there. I find myself retracing the entire game, wondering where that one possession was. Was it in the first five possessions of the second half when Rashard Lewis didn’t take a shot? Was it the different times the Sonics allowed a ball handler to dribble coast to coast and never stopped the ball? Was it any of the 26 offensive rebounds the Sonics allowed?
It will drive you nuts. I can only imagine what it is like for the coaches and players.
When the Sonics return home on Wednesday, fans will see a different player in Mickael Gelabale. He has found his confidence and is impacting games.
Gelabable’s defensive effort on Richard Hamilton was stifling. Hamilton missed his first seven shot attempts when being guarded by Gelabale. His long arms denied Hamilton the ball, took away his shooting pocket and the combination of his athleticism and desire stayed right on Hamilton through numerous picks.
Bob Hill said it was good as he has ever seen and I would agree. I have not seen many players take someone out of the game the way Gelabale did to Hamilton. After the game, Gelabale told me (through Johan) Hamilton was one of his favorite NBA players to watch when he played for Real Madrid so he was very motivated.
Rashard deserves a lot of credit for his 25 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists against the Pistons. He was just 1 of 7 in the second half from the field, but he still kept command of the game.
Finally, I think we occasionally have to remember that the other guys are good, too. Chauncey Billups is on the upper tier of clutch players in this league and he buried back to back threes at a key conjuncture and altered the way the rest of the game was played.
The key bucket of the game came on an 11-foot baseline jumper from Jason Maxiell. Heck, Wilkins had stonewalled Billups on his drive, Gelabale denied Hamilton the catch and Lewis kept Prince away from the play. Then Maxiell hits the baseline jumper. Tip your hat; the others guys are good, too.
Amazing what a win could have done for the psyche and the road trip. If they could have come home 2-3 you would call the trip a pass. Instead, it is time to salvage one in Memphis.
The Answer for the Sonics?
Posted on December 17 | permalink
The buzz around the league continues to be Mr. Iverson and where he is going. Numerous Sonics fans have sent me emails wondering how the Sonics can get Iverson.
The answer is the Answer only comes if you are willing to trade Lewis or Allen. In my book that is a deal-breaker. However, I still think the Sonics can get involved in the Iverson dealing as a third party. I don’t have any insider info on this. Instead I am just trying to connect some dots and you can fill in your own picture.
The Nuggets are the lead candidates for Iverson. However, the Sixers are unwilling to take back any major contracts; therefore they will not take Nenê or Martin. This blows up a Sixers-Nuggets deal. According to sources, the Sixers want draft picks and salary freedom. Therefore, the Nugs have to find a third team to get involved. The Sonics have the ability to grant someone salary freedom so they could be a potential third team. Yes, there is a chance to use Danny Fortson as an asset.
Is it possible that the Sonics could move Danny Fortson through Denver to Philly to accommodate the Iverson deal? The Nugs would have to send something back to Seattle. Is there anything on the Nugs roster that the Sonics would want? Would it cost more than Fortson? Would the Sonics want to help Iverson get to a division rival?
It is a hypothetical scenario and those would be the questions involved. Is this something you would try to do?
If the Nugs are not the team, can the Sonics cherry-pick on the back of the Iverson deal with Fortson and obtain something that is desirable for the franchise?
Fun and Games in Detroit
Posted on December 16 | permalink
Today’s practice was a good mix of fun and work. Bob Hill wanted to lighten the mood around the team before digging into the areas that are causing the problems.
The light part of practice happened at the beginning and end of the day. The practice started with the usual shooting drills. However, today the club broke into two teams. This is where the fun kicked in. Bob named Johan and Sene as captains and made them draft their teams for the shooting contests. How would you pick? I promise it is nothing like what Petro and Sene did. The first pick of the draft was by Sene and he took Andreas. Then Petro took Wilcox before Sene got this in order and took Rashard.
Sene’s team won on half-court shots at the end.
At the end of practice, a football came out. The guys were running routes and throwing bombs. Let’s say it was obvious watching the guys throw the pigskin who thought football was a game played with their feet and who thinks of football as American Football. Petro throwing a football could be a comedy routine.
The meat of practice was Bob Hill taking the team through 30 to 45 minutes of minute details that went wrong both offensively and defensively against Cleveland. Rather than the usual film session, he walked the guys through it on the floor, explaining why each mistake destroyed plays.
The Cleveland game was a pretty colossal breakdown.
At the heart of all the discussion was discipline to the game plan and players' assignments. The other issue Hill preached throughout practice was playing together. He continually showed the team times where they didn’t play together in contrast to the way the Cavs played.
The examples of not playing together were not throwing the ball ahead and not making the extra pass.
Three other notes that as a basketball junkie I thought were very interesting.
First, Hill talked about when a player is running the floor on the sideline, they have to make sure their back is to the sideline so when they make the catch their first movement is to the hoop, not a twist back toward the sideline. If you have played baseball, the comparison would be a left-hander making the turn at second base.
Second, he reminded the team that any pass made in the interior needs to either be a bounce pass or a lob. Too often this team is trying to throw the pass straight across the key to their teammates and it is getting deflected for turnovers.
Third, Hill went back to something that was preached in training camp - that when defending in transition you have to make sure to get back into the scoring zone and then stop the ball. When you try to stop the ball too high it opens up the floor and will lead to dunks and layups.
One other item of interest was the Detroit Pistons weight room had all sorts of homemade items created by their strength coach that focused on balance and core strength issues. As a skier I thought they were really cool, but I won’t be able to move tomorrow.
Keep the emails coming and send them to me at asklocke@sonics-storm.com.
Crushed in Cleveland
Posted on December 15 | permalink
For two straight nights the Sonics have been handled with ease by Eastern Conference powers. The games were very different. The Bulls brought out the whipping stick defensively. Tonight, the Cavs blasted the Sonics offensively.
Nick Collison said after the game that it was inexplicable for the defense to not show up. Bob Hill said he thought the team has lost its confidence, that the team doesn’t believe to win.
The good news in the loss was that in the second half Coach Hill relied on Chris Wilcox to score and play in the post and he played better than he has in some time. The other standout was Mickaël Gelabale. He has been fantastic and is showing great signs of development. Tonight he had career highs in both points and rebounds.
The surprise of the night was that the Cavs had Eric Snow guarding Rashard Lewis and the Cavs got away with the 6-3 Snow defending Rashard in the post. The Cavs brought the double-team and without Ray the Sonics don’t any shooters on the floor to space the floor for Rashard or to take advantage of the double-team.
Rashard and Ray are the shooters that put fear in the opponent; when Ray is out and Raw is in the post, that leaves the Sonics without a shooter. That is why having Wilcox, Collison or Petro develop a low-post game is imperative to get the floor spread.
It is going to be interesting to see how this team fights back from being manhandled the last two nights. The Pistons are not the same defensive stalwart that they have been in the past, so the Sonics should be able to get in the flow offensively. However, defensively they will really have to be focused.
I am off to the bus and will check in from Detroit.
Cool Experiences in the NBA
Posted on December 15 | permalink
Everything is new to this rookie and that means a lot of new experiences. Today feels like one of those days where I feel very thankful for the luck and opportunities that have come about.
Obviously, I am just juiced to call a game with LeBron James. The Cavs’ star just walked by here at Quicken Loans Arena a moment ago, screaming “Mike Wilks, Mike Wilks, Mike Wilks.” They were teammates last season.
Seeing LeBron tonight fires me up more than any other player in the NBA. He is a historical figure in the game and we knew it from the start. KC made an interesting point the other day about Ali as he asked: “Do you think they knew when it was happening how Ali would be remembered?” LeBron is the opposite; we knew when he was in high school.
Prepping for LeBron is remarkable. Every accomplishment seems to include the phrase “the last time since” or “the only other player to do so” – names such as Magic Johnson (triple double in first career playoff game), Oscar Robertson, Micheal Jordan and Jerry West (players to average 30 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists). Only three players have averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in their rookie season: LeBron, MJ and Oscar.
The other cool experience of the day was I came into the gym with FSN’s Lenny Wilkens. Lenny spent years in Cleveland as a player and as a coach. He is one of the greats of the game, so the respect he is shown is awe-inspiring. His reaction to it, his humbleness, is equally as impressive.
Every player on the Cavs stopped to say hi. LeBron took a moment and intensely looked Lenny in the eyes and said hello. This was not a passing glace. Damon Jones said hello and then as he passed Lenny, seemed like a kid, “that was Lenny Wilkens.”
On a personal note, it is unreal. I am a rookie on the NBA circuit and next to me is one of the greats of the game, who is nice enough to accept my incessant questions and quest for information. Trust me, if I get Lenny’s advice on something, I do it. I even go back and watch the FSN broadcast archived on nba.com on occasion.
I had dinner last night with another great in the game, Kevin Calabro. Even he was talking about how cool it is on their FSN broadcast to turn to Lenny as ask his opinion on something.
Some of the other highlights on a road trip are subtle. Thursday, in the hotel gym, I worked out at the same time with Gordie Chiesa. The stories, the recapping of past NBA history, current discussion about Allen Iverson and others were amazing. Later in the day I got to spend some significant time with Jack Sikma talking about the game, the team and the NBA.
This is an unreal experience. Game days are obviously why we are all a part of this league and nights like tonight with LeBron in the house are special. At the same time, it is the people, the stories and the history that are equally special.
I hope through the broadcasts and through this space I am able to relay many of the conversations, experiences and things I learn and hear while with the team.
Did I mention the free Bubblicious gum pieces waiting for us courtside at shootaround?
It is all good.
Clearing My Mind in Cleveland
Posted on December 14 | permalink
We are in Cleveland. We didn’t make it until this morning. When we got ready to leave the arena last night it was discovered that our plane had an issue so we went back to the hotel in Chicago and left for Cleveland this morning.
A night in Chicago rather than Cleveland seemed like a good trade to me.
The team is currently practicing. Bob Hill told Luke Ridnour to stay at the hotel and rest. The usually feisty Ridnour, who lives in the gym, agreed with little fight. Rashard also stayed at the hotel.
Tonight’s Bob Hill Coaches Show will air on News Radio 710 KIRO after the Seahawks Game.
Let me clear a few running notes or thoughts from my crazy little head.
The Ball Fiasco: I don’t know this for a fact, but my thought is that when the players filed their two-part grievance against the league, contesting the ball and the crackdown with technicals that David Stern just said, "Screw it." It was as though he said, "Fine, if this is what you want, this is what you get and you better hope all your players are behind you as an association because I just did what you wanted."
The other part of the equation is that it leaves the Players Association with a grievance that basically says that the players should be able to be disrespectful to the referees. Again, I think Stern decided to pick his battle and now the more important issue, which is the on-floor conduct, becomes a non-issue and the grievance will go by the wayside.
Not sure if this is related, but the Players Association is having a meeting with the Sonics this afternoon in Cleveland.
Similar Stories: I find it remarkable the more I read about the NBA how the same stories are popping up all around the league. The Clippers, the Nets and others are all having “turmoil” issues with regards to players understanding their roles. The natural instinct is to believe that the team chemistry and harmony from one year will automatically reappear the next year. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The off-season does amazing things to players' mind-sets and self-opinion of how they fit into the team.
Sometimes it is caused by money, sometimes it is delusion and others it can be people getting in their heads. Think back at all the teams that had one great year and then inexplicably never parlayed it into further success.
Iverson Trade Talks: Last night during the broadcast we had a good discussion about Iverson coming to Seattle. Thanks to all who go to Sonics Access and send their questions or comments into the broadcast. Your interaction is a huge part of our vision for a radio-only broadcast.
Eric hit Sonics Access saying the Sonics should make a deal for Iverson. However, to do the deal the Sonics would have to trade either Lewis or Allen and I can’t envision a scenario where it is a good decision to move one of those two for a 31-year-old injury-prone guard who has $60 million left on his contract. Salary-wise there isn’t much of an alternative scenario to get the deal consummated for Iverson.
I find the Iverson talk one of the most interesting discussions in the NBA for a long time. He is the leading scorer in the league. He is a warrior. His passion is unabashed. However, his leadership is questionable. It is a great debate on whether he makes his teammates better. I would argue yes. He is tiny, unbelievably tiny when you see him in person and he has taken an unreal beating during his decade in the NBA. Can you really pull the trigger considering he has three years left on his contract?
Keep your thoughts coming to me via Sonics Access at SUPERSONICS.COM or email to asklocke@sonics-storm.com.
Flip Side of the Equation
Posted on December 13 | permalink
Twice at Key Arena last week, the Sonics met a young and undermanned team when they played the Hawks and the Hornets. On both occasions Seattle initiated the action from the start and never relented. Tonight, the Sonics - without Ray Allen and Earl Watson - got caught on the flip side of that equation. The Bulls came out early and jumped the Sonics on a 28-12 surge and the game was history.
The Bulls play an impressive style of defense. Their guards pressure at 40 feet with full knowledge that if they get beat Ben Wallace will come to help. The way to counter this is for the bigs to take advantage of Wallace leaving his man and neither Wilcox nor Collison had that type of night.
This starts with finding the big guy and the Sonics were unable to do that. Coach Hill mentioned the difficulty the team had in getting the ball to Luke Ridnour because of Kirk Hinrich’s defensive play. Once again, Seattle crossed the 20-turnover barrier.
The Bulls looked really good tonight. In a leader-less Eastern Conference they may be as good as anyone in the East. They shot the ball well and when they shoot well they will win.
Johan Petro had another strong night and Gelabale got good extended minutes. Petro had his third career double-double and, more importantly, continues to play with great energy. This team needs an energy player off the bench.
We are off to Cleveland tonight. I will check in from there.
On a side note, thanks for the Sonics Access questions during the broadcast. I thought we had a nice conversation about the Allen Iverson issue and the trade talks. Please keep the e-mails coming.
Sonics Locker Room program is coming tomorrow as well.
Great Interviews
Posted on December 13 | permalink
I have really enjoyed interviews I have done with Sonics players before the last two night's games, and I wanted to give you the chance to listen online. Last night,
I talked with Mike Wilks about returning home to Milwaukee. Tonight,
Johan Petro talked about his nervousness at the start of the season and how he has played better recently.
Getting Ready for the Bulls
Posted on December 13 | permalink
When we saw the Bulls in the pre-season my feeling was they weren’t a good enough shooting team. It looked as though they couldn’t stretch the floor enough to open the driving lanes offensively. Couple that with the addition of Ben Wallace, who clogs an offense due to his lack of offensive skills, and I thought they had a bad script.
Throw that idea out the window.
These guys are flat out shooting the rock. They are hitting 39% from three as a team. Hinrich, Nocioni and Duhon all hover around 40% and if Ben Gordon gets hot, forget it.
This all adds up to the #12 best offensive team in the game. Couple that with the defensive presence the Bulls have always had and now the addition of Wallace and they are a formidable team in a leader-less Eastern Conference.
One other area where I may have misread things was the signing of Wallace. Last season, the Bulls allowed the lowest field-goal percentage in the NBA and were also the best rebounding team in the league. Thus, statistically I was not sure what Wallace really brought to the Bulls. How much could they improve in areas where they are #1 in the NBA?
Now, they are grabbing an insane 78% of their potential defensive rebounds this year. Time will tell if that is an accurate observation. I still hedge on the side of thinking that signing was a mistake and is not going to give the dividends the Bulls had hoped.
Lastly, the Sonics have won eight straight times at the United Center. Did you realize the last time the Bulls beat the Sonics in Chicago Bill Clinton was president and we were 10 days away from the Monica Lewinsky controversy? In addition, Frank Sinatra was still with us and John Elway was the quarterback of the Broncos, en route to a Super Bowl victory. Michael Jordan played for the Bulls.
Quick Thoughts After Loss to Milwaukee
Posted on December 12 | permalink
A few quick thoughts before I jump on the plane to Chicago. In a game that seemed like it was going to be all offense the Sonics actually feel short offensively late in the game. The Supes were turnover-prone late and scored just one point in the final 3:21. In addition, the Sonics had no offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter.
This is disappointing since the Bucks are the worst defensive team in the NBA and the second-worst rebounding team in the NBA.
Damien Wilkins and Johan Petro played very well in this game. The team defense on Michael Redd was very good.
One observation is I thought the Sonics bigs, mostly Chris Wilcox, got tired. Collison and Petro got in foul trouble and it forced Wilcox to play 40 minutes of action.
The final play was supposed to be a lob to Lewis from Luke. Ra inbounded to Luke, but it was congested and Ra couldn’t get to the rim.
I will give you more when we get to Chicago.
Shootaround from Milwaukee
Posted on December 12 | permalink
Just got back from shootaround at the Bradley Center. Milwaukee played a lot of zone when they were on their West Coast road trip, so the Sonics worked on the zone offense again.
The main thing they focused on was where the shots come. They would run through the set and Bob Hill would yell, “Shot!” and then they would make the next pass and each time the ball got to one of the spots of the zone where there is an opening he would yell, “Shot!”
Marquette Head Coach Tom Crean was at the shootaround. I talked with him afterwards and asked him how what the Sonics did differed from others in the league. He told me there was a lot more teaching going on in comparison to other teams.
He was very impressed by a new facet the Sonics have added to shootaround. After the Sonics run through the offensive tweaks, they break into big men on one side of the floor and wing/guards on the other. At this point they do individual focus on how they will be tested defensively. For example, the bigs were working on their job on the mid or high pick-and-roll. (This is the pick-and-roll from the middle of the floor; I call it the high pick-and-roll coming from the top of the key.) The guards/wings were working on closeouts that will be needed against Milwaukee's shooters.
This is new and seems to be very good teaching time.
One of the keys on the closeouts is that the wing needs to come to the top shoulder of the ball hander. Keep an eye on how the Sonics close out on the shooters and if the defender is arriving at the top shoulder; this forces the ball into the baseline, where there should be big man help.
Earl Watson did not participate in shootaround and will be a game-time decision. He received electric stim treatment during practice and is moving gingerly.
Nick Collison Changing the Sonics
Posted on December 11 | permalink
Five games ago Nick Collison entered the Sonics starting lineup. Since then, the Sonics have played very good basketball. Collison is the Sonics best post player. However, his lack of height and propensity for foul trouble early in games had prevented the Sonics coaches from pulling the trigger to make him the starting center.
Starting Johan was a reach. He is inexperienced at 20 years old and still in the midst of his development. The hope was that his length would be sufficient to play the center position. Defensively, Johan is farther ahead in the team concept than one-on-one. The last two nights the moment Johan checks into the game the opposing team has gone right to isolation plays against him.
Compare Andris Biedrins' performance the first time the Sonics and the Warriors matched up, when he had eight points and 13 rebounds and impacted the game, to last night when he had a very quiet 10 points and 5 rebounds. That is the influence of Nick. Nick holds his own one-on-one, though his team defense is more important to the Sonics. Nick is almost always in the correct spot defensively. This not only allows him to make the play when needed, but allows him to discourage plays from taking place in the first place.
Against the Hornets, Nick took away most of Chris Paul’s drives by being in the correct spot on the floor and taking away the gaps before Paul ever initiated the drive to the basket.
Opponents were driving aggressively from the wings against the Sonics, but now Collison comes across the lane to the ball side and places himself at the block, dispiriting efforts to come to the rim.
On the high pick-and-roll, Nick is athletic enough to “string” the defender along until the ballhandler’s man recovers from the pick. “Stringing” takes strong fundamentals. The goal is to hold a perpendicular line to the ballhandler’s path. The slightest movement toward the ball handler off that line or retreat will open up a gap for the drive.
Finally, despite the fact that he is not hitting on all cylinders, Nick is a threat to score. Teams have to guard Nick. He doesn’t impose fear with his offensive game, but the belief around the league is if you don’t pay attention to him he will beat you. Sometimes that is enough to open up opportunities for teammates.
Lastly, the same smarts he shows on the defensive end manifest themselves with how he sets picks, where he rolls on the floor and how he spaces on the floor. This all allows for his teammates to play better.
It is not a coincidence that the Sonics started playing strong basketball five games ago when Collison entered the starting lineup.
Storm Weathered
Posted on December 10 | permalink
After the Sonics lost to the Orlando Magic I wrote that every season has three storms a team must weather. Honestly, at that point it felt like a Seattle winter and I wondered if the storm would ever stop.
It has come to an end and it has in impressive fashion.
Tonight the Sonics showed great resiliency, trailing by 16 at the half and enduring a ridiculous shooting display from the Warriors. The Sonics have won three in a row. The Sonics have won four in a row at the Key. Most importantly, the Sonics have played very good basketball for the last five games.
For the first time tonight, the Sonics played a close game down the stretch without Ray Allen on the floor. As we hit the six-minute mark I was curious to see how the Sonics reacted to the tense moments without one of the best clutch players in the league on the floor.
Superbly would be the answer to that question.
In the three games without Ray the Supes have shown a lot of different elements. The defense has been very strong for the most part. They were mentally strong in leading the first two games from the tip to the horn and then tonight they battled back and closed the game with a flash.
Mentally, tonight was a challenge when the Warriors got hot. But in a game as high-paced as this one, a 16-point lead is very different than a 16-point lead against a slow-down team. The Sonics grasped that and calmly worked their way back into the game. The tendency is to attempt to get the entire lead back in one fell swoop and that leads to failure.
Damien Wilkins was terrific on both ends of the floor tonight. Baron Davis put up big numbers, but I never felt like he was able to grab a hold of the game and dominate. Damien made him work and had the size to match Baron’s strength. On the offensive end, D-Wilk played with a rhythm that he hadn’t shown all season.
Food for thought … the Sonics have played five very good games. Nick Collison was put into the starting lineup five games ago. How much is that what has happened? I will look into that tomorrow.
Defense in Seattle
Posted on December 9 | permalink
The Sonics are playing defense. That is a sentence you don’t see very often. The last two nights have been the two best defensive nights of the season.
According to the numbers I just ran the Sonics are the #5 defensive team in the NBA over the past 10 games. How about that? A top 5 defense in Seattle. Only Dallas, San Antonio, Houston and Chicago are playing better defense.
Again, according to the numbers, I just ran the Sonics are now the #20 defensive team in the NBA. Checking Basketball-Reference.com, the Sonics haven’t been ranked this high since the 2003 season, when they were #17 in the NBA.
It isn't even April 1.
Sonics Have Led for 96 Straight Minutes
Posted on December 8 | permalink
Two weeks ago, the media was surrounding Damien Wilkins and Earl Watson after the game as they reacted to the comments that the bench wasn’t performing. Tonight, as the horn sounded and the Sonics pocketed a 20-point victory, the two postgame guests for radio and TV were Damien Wilkins and Earl Watson.
That is the NBA.
Tonight’s story is the same as the win over Atlanta. The Sonics took advantage of short-handed young team and controlled the game throughout. Both the Hawks and the Hornets, particularly with their injuries, are teams that if will take the easy way out if you make things difficult for you. However, if you don’t initiate the action, they are very capable of beating you.
Defensively, the Sonics were fantastic. In the locker room, all the players talked about improved communication on the defensive end. Coach Hill said they implemented a few things that he was nervous about and not sure if the guys would grasp the concepts and they did a terrific job with those adjustments.
The gameplan was to keep Chris Paul corralled because with the crippling injuries the Hornets don’t have much firepower. The Sonics did a brilliant job of keeping Paul under wraps. The key was the big men containing Paul and not allowing him gaps for penetration.
If the Hornets have Peja Stojakovic and David West, defenders are going to be less willing to sell out, but without those guys the Sonics were able to completely focus on Paul.
Offensively, like in Tuesday's win, the ball movement was very strong. One play jumps out to me: Rashard Lewis had the ball on the right wing with five on the shot clock. He moved the ball to the top of the key and then it was swung all the way to the left wing, where Earl Watson drove the wing to the cylinder for a layup. Think about that. With five on the shot clock, they still reversed the ball. That is great basketball.
The Sonics have won three straight at the Key and played very good basketball for four straight games.
Completely Convinced
Posted on December 7 | permalink
As much as I try to avoid it, it is undeniable that the overriding issue on every fan's mind for this entire season is the status of the franchise and the desires of the new ownership group. I agree; it seems no matter what happens on the floor it always comes back to the franchise's status.
For the most part in this spot I have tried to stick to basketball, but to ignore the arena situation and the new ownership would be naïve and a mistake.
I believe I speak for all of us when I express that our primary concern the day that a group from Oklahoma City bought our team was whether or not an effort would be made to keep the team in Seattle. On that day, I thought our chances of keeping the franchises in the Puget Sound had improved. I believe that even more strongly now.
I am so relieved to tell you that I no longer have any doubt that this ownership group is making a legitimate, considerable and dynamic effort to keep basketball in Seattle. I am 100% positive that every possible effort is being made by Clay Bennett and his ownership group.
Numerous events have taken place that makes me feel this way. Some were public and some have happened behind the scenes. Here is a list of things that have happened publicly that have me convinced:
The ownership group hired some of the best-known power brokers/deal-makers in the Puget Sound to join their team and begin the behind-the-scene discussions that must happen for a foundation of any deal to be built.
Mr. Bennett said he was against a public vote. That was his easy out. If his intention was to move the team, then all he had to do was agree to a public vote, not put any money into the campaign and let the vote go against arena funding. He would have been able to wash his hands and stroll to Oklahoma.
The biggest of all was the hiring of ICON Venue Group and HOK Sport. These people aren’t working for free. From people in the industry I have talked to, the speculation is that the out of pocket cost is into the millions of dollars. These guys aren’t dropping millions to create a façade.
Outside of the public eye I have been able to see a few other events that secured my feeling about the intentions of this ownership group.
On Opening Night, Mr. Bennett reserved numerous suites to hosts guests. I don’t know the exact number, but it was somewhere around 20 suites. I had anticipated he was bringing in all of his friends to share in his first night as an owner. Instead, he brought in every major business, sports, political and community leader in the Puget Sound to see his vision for basketball in the Puget Sound.
A few weeks ago, Mr. Bennett invited all former season-ticket holders who opted not to renew back to KeyArena for a game. I introduced him and got a chance to hear him be more candid than he has been at any point in the process. What struck me is that this man has a plan for the new arena. He clearly has a vision of what it is going to look like. He has a vision of who the clients are going to be and a vision of what the business model is that will make this arena work for the Puget Sound.
The other issue that has become clear is while the Sonics are at the forefront of this issue, the real discussion is what value a world-class indoor facility would bring the Puget Sound. A facility to host concerts, conventions, shows, events, basketball, hockey and whatever else may be on its way into town.
Finally, some of the subtle things matter to me. Mr. Bennett has spent large amounts of time with the Sonics management team in non-work settings. In these settings, when he is just “hanging out,” for lack of a better term, this is time when he is connecting.
The bottom line on all of this is that I no longer have any doubt that while the new ownership group may have ties to Oklahoma City, nonetheless they are completely committed to building an a new facility in the Puget Sound.
What does it mean for you and I the fans of this team? Personally, it allows me to release some of my concerns and delve into the season and the team. I am not here to tell you how to react, but for me it means if they are so undeniably making the effort, then I am going to even further commit my support and energy into making sure the legislators and other know how important these teams and this facility are to our communities.
Practice and NBA Thoughts
Posted on December 7 | permalink
A few notes from practice:
Damien Wilkins had a brilliant practice today. He is playing free and solid.
Ray continues to sit out and will for the next 2 weeks. He had his ankle looked at by another set of experts today because the location of the pain and the location of the contusion don’t seem to line up.
Earl looked more engaged in practice today as well.
A few thoughts from around the NBA:
Energy players off the bench seem to have more and more value. Watching around the league, guys coming off the bench are changing games. Ronny Turiaf comes to mind.
The Lakers looked just awful last night against the Hornets. Chris Paul is awesome to watch and if you are any fan of the game you need to come to the Key on Friday.
Denver keeps losing games that make you believe they are venerable for a big fall. None of the elite teams would have ever lost last night's game to the Hawks.
The West is 64-34 against the East. We need to do what the Seahawks did and switch conferences.
Bruce Bowen got the best of Adam Morrison last night. He was 1-of-10.
Losing Bobby Simmons for the season is a big blow to the Bucks. They are currently the worst defensive team in the NBA.
Ray Allen Update
Posted on December 6 | permalink
The MRI was taken this morning on Ray Allen and has revealed a bone contusion on his ankle. That is good news. A contusion heals. If it had been ligament damage it could have been a long-term issue. Ray's status for Friday against the Hornets has not been determined. Obviously, Ray needs to get a better feel for how his ankle is going to respond, but this seems to be good news that there isn't any long-term damage.
Post Progression
Posted on December 6 | permalink
Every now and again a coach gives me an answer to a question that really clicks. After practice I asked Coach Hill where Mo Sene was best right now - in the individual work or in a game setting.
He answered the question by talking about how you develop a big man offensively.
According to Hill, the process should start with the player working without a defender perfecting his moves to the basket and his foot work. The repetition pounds in the rhythm of how to work in the post and enables you to understand how your body moves.
From there you add a defender in one-on-one drills. After working through five-on-five in practice today the Sonics broke into one-on-one post match-ups with Sene, Petro, Wilcox, Nick and the Big Greek.
Watching Sene and Petro going one-on-one caught my eye. Petro has amazing quickness and body control. He also has a very good touch around the basket. Sene, on the other hand, had a wide range of performance. He looked great powering over Nick on one play and then defensively on Petro was really weak on another play.
Hill says that one-on-one drills are the next step in the process for a big man to develop his game.
From there you move to three-on-three games. This allows for the one-on-one matchups with an open, uncongested floor but at the same time starts to develop the skills of how to catch and receive in the post. In addition, it begins the development of learning how to play off your teammates and how your actions impact your teammates.
Finally, you move to five-on-five action. At this point everything is congested; the game is faster and smaller.
This is a long process for a player to go through. What clicked was wondering where each of the Sonics bigs is in this process. My thought is that Collison may be the only guy who really has his game developed to what he is capable of achieving.
This led to the most interesting part of practice. When I asked Coach Hill about where Chris Wilcox would be in this skill development, considering his lack of schooling, Hill started to answer and then stopped. He said anything I say that is constructive criticism is taken as just criticism so I am not going to answer those questions.
He then politely ended the interview session and moved on to the rest of his day. He was definitely different in his approach to the media today than at any point this year.
Defense.
Posted on December 5 | permalink
Defense was the most impressive part of the Sonics win tonight over the Hawks. Atlanta has been playing well and with confidence. However, they are very young and if you make it hard on them in all likelihood they will resort to taking the easy way out. That is exactly what the Sonics did tonight.
Joe Johnson had his fifth straight game over 30, but it took work and most importantly the Sonics corralled Johnson without allowing anyone else on the Hawks roster to get off.
Interior defense was strong all night. With Collison starting and the Sonics undersized it was fair to suspect that this would be an issue, but this evening the Sonics kept the paint contained. In addition, the Sonics controlled the dribble exchange game of the Hawks.
Beyond that, Rashard Lewis was impressive in his maturity playing without Ray tonight. He controlled the game from an offensive end and set the standard defensively.
Damien Wilkins played very well as a starter, as he has throughout his career. Wilkins in 13 starts last year averaged 14 points a game and shot over 50%. Tonight he was 3-of-5 from the field for 10 points with eight boards, four assists, three steals and no turnovers.
Chris Wilcox was guarded by young Josh Smith in the post when the Hawks went small and abused him on numerous opportunities. This is a good sign for the Sonics using Wilcox as a post option. Right now they are much more willing to go to Nick Collison rather than Wilcox in the post.
Two wins is a row at the Key. The Sonics have to start somewhere.
Sonics Snowed In
Posted on November 29 | permalink
Obviously this is a very disappointing start to the Sonics season. Rudy T used to say that each NBA season has three storms and how you deal with Storm’s is how your season plays out. The Sonics are in the midst of their first storm and they are not dealing with very well.
Losing six of eight will rock the foundation of a club and this is when you find out how they will handle the bounce back.
The early schedule did no favors to the Sonics, but they have to find a way to survive this stretch. They will be able to make a run in the second half of the season. However, they have to stay in reach by the end of the year.
Tonight’s game was particularly frustrating because they stayed with the Magic all night and then when the game was on the line the Sups withered. This is a game where you are supposed to use the home court advantage to make that final push and win the close home game. However, the Sonics have not found any rhythm or comfort on the home court.
The issue in the middle is significant. Guys are out of synch. Some it has to do with guys playing out of position. Some of it has to do with guys just not knowing their game yet and how to be effective. Others are simply not playing as well as anticipated.
I am off for the next two games and KC will be on the call. Let’s hope they give the best in the business something great to call.
News From Furtado on Wilkins and More
Posted on November 28 | permalink
Today was a real practice. We haven’t seen this in a long time. They went through drills and worked out systems and situations as well as shooting and conditioning. I can’t recall the last time this team had a full practice. The schedule has been relentless.
Here are some notes from Practice:
The Sonics worked really hard offensively on how to react when team bring the extra player over to ball side to deny Ray and Rashard’s drives. When Ray and Rod are getting the ball on the wing, opposing teams are bringing one of their bigs over and placing him on the free-throw line ball side to eliminate any drive. The Sonics were working on their spacing if teams do that to open up other players for easy looks.
The next area of focus was that when they go to Rashard in the post teams will double him and they will not leave Ray on the weak side which creates one man to guard both of the Sonics bigs and they need to space the floor correctly to get openings off the opponent's double teams.
Yesterday, Hill and Damien had a sit down meeting in Hill’s office after practice. They talked for nearly an hour and a half. Damien said the conversation was really good. He and Bob have a long history with Bob coaching Damien’s uncle and father. Damien said that because they have such depth to their relationship that sometimes the frustration levels can rise. Damien seemed great today. He is so intelligent and peaceful to be around. There is never any doubt that his intentions are the best.
Expectations of the season may be the issue for Damien right now. He had a brilliant preseason and my guess is that he thought he was really about to explode. In preseason the difference between Rashard and D-Wilk was slim. In retrospect, Rashard was just getting ready for the season and D-Wilk was trying to have a great camp. Once the season started, D-Wilk didn’t start the way he anticipated and with Rod blowing up he hasn’t gotten the minutes or the scoring opportunities. In turn, he is frustrated.
Gelabale linked together three special plays. He hit a nice baseline J over Rashard, then blocked Rashard and finished the fast break in nifty fashion. Hill insists that he is going to be very good. One coach said he reminded him of Doug Christie and thinks that is his future career path.
Wilkins has been wearing his jersey backwards everyday in practice. Today it is on forewards again. He is having a terrific practice.
Clay Bennett is in town and was at practice.
Danny Fortson participated in practice today.
NBA TV is doing a documentary-type feature with Ray Allen.
Bench Thoughts
Posted on November 27 | permalink
Obviously the big talk at practice today was bench or lack thereof. After the loss to the Spurs Bob Hill mentioned the bench’s inability to contribute offensively and the media then went into the locker room to get reaction from the bench players. Both Damien Wilkins and Earl Watson voiced frustration. Wilkins wants more leash and Watson wants different plays run for the bench as well as more time.
There are a bunch of good debates inside this issue. I have always been a believer that bench players are bench players and they need to be held in a pretty tight box. If they give you a good jolt and a nice run the biggest mistake you can make is to leave them on the floor because it will eventually even out.
Francis Williams of the Sonics broadcast team takes a different approach, saying if guys are hot you ride them. We debate this in the newest edition of the Sonics Locker Room program. (By the way, Francis is nice in the program and doesn’t mention that Gordie Chiesa sided with him when we had the debate at practice.)
Bob Hill had some interesting things to say at practice today. He said that some of the guys are playing angry and this is not a productive way to play. In addition, he talked about guys not bringing their usual level of energy when they come off the bench.
Hill also pointed out again that guys don’t like accountability. He said that, no matter what, it will always be the coaches fault and he understands that. However, he is not going to leave guys in the game to have them find themselves at the cost of losing games.
In regards to the comments about the system and not being able to play in the system, Hill points out that nothing has changed since last year.
Here is my take. Guys are struggling, mainly Watson, and they are trying to find reasons why they are having a tough stretch. It is easier to blame than to look inwards. Also, every player in the world feels as though if they had a few more minutes of run they would get into a better rhythm. There is some truth to how hard it is to play the game off the bench.
The adjustment is not benching guys or trading guys. We are very early in the season for anything of that nature. Out of the preseason the belief was the bench as its own entity could carry their own and that has not proven to be the case. I would look for less time with both Ray and Rashard off the floor.
This will allow the offense to play through Ray or Rod at all times and allow the struggling players to be compliments rather than the focus. It will allow them to get some easier looks and get out of their slumps.
The bottom line is the bench has to shoot better. Wilkins is shooting 43%, Collison is hovering at 39% and Watson is now below 30% for the season. The reasons can be debated, but Hill’s premise is accurate - the Sonics need more production off the bench.
A Lesson From a Champion
Posted on November 26 | permalink
Tonight was a lesson in championship basketball. The Spurs stay on point for all 48 minutes of every night. They never lose focus and, as Damien Wilkins pointed out in the postgame, every guy on the team knows exactly what is expected of them and how they fit into the team.
Tim Duncan is the core of all of this. He has established a culture that is unwavering. In his nine years with the Spurs they have won 62% of their games. That is awesome.
Tonight the Spurs took control of the game from the opening moment and even when the Sonics cut the game to three in the early parts of the fourth quarter you had the feel that the Spurs could administer the pain the minute they needed to and that is exactly what they did.
Tony Parker was insane in the fourth as he dropped 10 fourth-quarter points.
Rashard Lewis was eliminated from this game by the Spurs defensive systems. The Spurs don’t allow anything inside five feet or the 3-pointer. Instead, their defense forces teams to hit in a semi-circle from about 14 to 19 feet. This took Rashard out of his regular game. The Spurs committed to doubling and sending the stopper to him every time he got the ball.
Ray Allen and Bruce Bowen was a highlighted matchup coming in and Allen had his usual day. Bowen was a non-factor.
After the game, Ray talked about how impressive the Spurs attention to detail is on each and every possession. He commented that it started at the core with Duncan always being in the right place offensive and defensively. This allows the Spurs to build outward.
Bottom line is for the last six years the Spurs have won 58, 58, 60, 57, 59 and 63 games. They are well on their way to doing it again.
