2007, January, week #1: What has happened, what's on the way

SEATTLE - Happy 2007 everybody. I'll stop writing 2006 on everything around the first week of February. I have a new quarter starting in school that will take up most of my posting time.

The Sonics face the Suns on Tuesday, Heat on Wednesday, Jazz on Friday. I don't see this team winning any of those games and I have to wonder if Hill makes it past Friday. After that they have 4 games in 2 weeks. If they were going to make a player or coaching change then that is the time to do it. If the team doesn't see a coaching change as having an effect (I don't), then they must make meaningful changes. Rick Sund, that means you have to produce something.

Here is what happened this week.

2007, 1/6, Sonics @ Warriors:
Up and down, insert Watson and Gelebale as starters, no beefy center in Golden State, still lose. The Sonics win this game no matter who they start if they had Rashard Lewis, they don't have a matchup for Rashard.

2007, 1/5, Sonics hosting the Knicks:
Too much beefy middle, got beat on the boards again, 43 to 37. Hill put in a larger center and they give up drives to the hoop because those larger guys are not shot blockers. Hill put in a shot blocker and he (Petro) gives up 50 pounds to Curry on the post up. That's they way it is no matter who you have coaching.

What Happened:
2007, 1/3, @ Houston
The Sonics made a close game of it, and as long as the apposing team is absent a 7-4 center things will be ok. Still, they lost on the boards again: Rockets 41 to Sonics 32.
Wilcox continues to unimpress, and I'm falling further out of "like" of him. His 4 rebounds in 39 minutes are disturbing. His 2 defensive rebounds have brought his season avereage down to equal to Rashard Lewis' 5.3 per game. One of them defends shooters around the perimeter, further from the hoop.

This team needs a better starting center, according to quotes of Bob Hill after the game. What does that say about the guys that are playing center now? Is Petro a center? I'm not so sure. He could be a backup power forward to Wilcox or Collison. One of those three could go in trade, along with Danny Fortson's expiring contract. I don't know how many starting centers are out there that could be had, and I don't know if Seattle has the parts to make a deal and still have a team. That's not my job, that is Rick Sund's task.

What Happened:
2007, 1/2, @ Dallas
The Sonics got pummelled on the glass by Dalllas again, losing 88 to 112.
Sonics had 30 rebounds, Mavs 58
The box score says it all.

Well, most of it, the good feeling from the Celtics game didn't last, as I have noted below. It's tough to watch this team look like it's not trying to defend. I'm falling out of "like" of Chris Wilcox. His defensive rebounding numbers, 5.8 per game, are nearly the same as Rashard Lewis' 5.3 per game. While his offensive rebounding numbers 2.4 per game, vs Lewis' 1.5 per game, are nearly the same dispite Lewis often being positioned out at the three point line on most offensive sets.
If wilcox wants a bigger contract in 3 years he's going to have to either score 10 more points a game, or pull in a few more rebounds per game. But no matter what, he has to out rebound the guy he's defending. He isn't boxing out, it's that simple.

What happened:
2006, 12/31, Celtics come to town.
This matchup used to mean something when Miami Heat team mates Gary Payton and Antoine Walker would whip their respectve teams into a competitive frenzy that included trash talking, technical fouls, and fierce battles. That's all gone.

Paul Peirce was hurt and out, Rashard Lewis was hurt and out; the only two players left from either of those rosters that used to have Payton and Walker. The game wasn't very close, it was sloppy on the Sonics side, with players trying to not look: #1 selfish, #2 a guy Ray (or Lenny) could have traded off the team. They threw the ball around a little too much, the screens on the screen-and-rolls were not very crisp.
The Celtics are too young to know how to finish a game, or maybe the coach didn't notice Al Jefferson eating the Sonics alive, and starting running plays for wing players to shoot long range shots.
For the record, Wally Szczerbiak is getting slower than ever, and is struggling to hit a shot. Add that up and he's not much help to the Celtic kids for a few more games, including this one.
Luke Ridnour had a great floor game.
Earl Watson actually passed up a couple shots, you, me and Sene were all shocked by this turn of events. I don't exect it to last.

In the self-obsorbed tradition of Keith Oberman I present my Special Comment:
Lastly, I figured out who David Locke reminds me of, it is a character from a very popular family movie.
If I think of Kevin Calabro as the Sonnics broadcast equivolent of Mr Incredible (Pixar), than it's easy for me to make the connection to Buddy, aka, Syndrome.


Pic from wikipedia, copyright Pizar.

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