I couldn't be happier that 48 hours from now I won't have to look at any more of these damn political TV ads.
Thank Bob for that!
Kudos to the team on a nice 40th Anniversary team reunion ... it was great to see Dale, X-Man, Shawn, Slick, Freddy Brown, everyone.
And kudos to the players for stomping some Laker ass last night. Say what you will but the team needed this win badly and for the most part played well. Special kudos should go to Earl and Damien for stopping the outright hemorraghing that was going on in the first quarter. If you didn't read Kevin Pelton's game blog, you should.
As you've all heard about by now, the Sonics signed Andreas Glyniadakis. From what I've gleaned from my sources in Albuquerque who saw him last year in the D league, he seems to be a combination of Vitaly Potapenko's game and Jerome James' size. Our diligent SC.com posters have been working on a nickname, stay tuned.
"Before we leave on the road, we wanted to leave a good taste in everybody's mouth," Allen said, "the players, the fans, the city. We want everybody to feel good about this team."
Percy, like Clarissa, explains it all for you.
Statistically, there's little difference between the way the Sonics played Sunday and their two previous games. They received strong outings from their big two, Allen and Rashard Lewis, who finished with a game-high 32 points and 25, respectively.
Luke Ridnour continues to prove he is deserving of a $19.5 million contract extension he signed before the season as the point guard poured in 22 points and dished out seven assists. Chris Wilcox led Seattle with eight rebounds and 10 points and Earl Watson provided 12 points and four steals off the bench.
Luke has started off the season very strong. He has been the 3rd offensive option the team needed night in night out and has been forcing turnovers and steals with his quick hands.
Jerry Brewer writes a nice understated article on keeping the team here. Well done.
After spending a weekend among some folks who made the Sonics special, thoughts of saving the franchise by any means necessary actually seem humane. Aggression actually seems civilized.
It will take a passionate, dramatic movement to keep this team from falling victim to the realities of business and politics. A realization: We can't waste time haggling over the Sonics' worth. It's obvious. You can see it in the stately presence of Lenny Wilkens. You can hear it in the old stories Fred Brown tells. You can feel it rumbling through the deep voice of Sam Perkins.
Frank Hughes pays compliments to Johan Petro and the legends in his own backhanded way.
“I really think I’m the problem,†Hill said. “I know that sounds funny, but I think I’m the cause of Johan’s heart problem. He said in a newspaper article that he feels like he’s letting everybody down. That ought to give an idea of how much he cares.â€
The other day, Hill found Petro positioned incorrectly during a walkthrough. The coach didn’t scream, but blurted, “Johan!â€
“He jumped like your pet, when you yell at your pet,†Hill said. “He’s really uptight. I’ve got to get him settled down.â€
Starting him seemed to work, I thought Johan had a decent game last night. He was more focused last night than I've seen him yet this year.
The enthusiastic reception given to Kemp might’ve been the highlight of the halftime ceremony. He left the team in a storm of controversy. Actually, the storm was more like a funnel cloud, tearing everything in its path.
With Kemp demanding to be traded once the Sonics refused his demand to restructure his contract after the signing of free-agent flop Jim McIlvaine, the dismantling of the team that advanced to the 1996 Finals became an inevitability.
Just so we're all on the same page Frank, at the time the Sonics had no choice, as it was NOT possible to restructure player contracts under the CBA at the time. Kemp had nobody to blame but himself.
That said it was great to see Shawn again.
Frank breaks it down like Freddy Brown.
Hill designated Johan Petro the starting center. Hill said before the game that regardless of Sunday’s outcome, Petro likely was going to be the starter for the foreseeable future, solidifying a position that has been in flux since the season-ending knee injury suffered by Robert Swift.
Danny Fortson will back up Petro, with rookie Mouhamed Sene getting time when the game dictates. Sene played less than a minute Sunday.
After an inordinate amount of counseling from Hill and the recovery from an irregular heartbeat, Petro fared well against the Lakers, as active as he has been all season, affecting the game in a positive manner. Petro had six points, four rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes.
“He just did a terrific job,†Hill said.
When these teams played Friday in Los Angeles, the Lakers enjoyed a 48-16 advantage in free-throw attempts, something that Hill complained about after the game, and players still were lamenting in the locker room before Sunday’s game.
Sonics general manager Rick Sund called the league Saturday to complain, and the Sonics, at least for a night, seemed to prosper with increased respect. They still did not shoot as many free throws as Los Angeles, but the margin was only three (29-26).
Way to go Sund, because 48-16 FT differential is pretty much crap in my opinion. That being said, the Sonics were much more aggressive about taking the ball to the basket and forcing the officials to make calls. They must continue to do that on this road trip to keep the momentum alive.
The (Very Well Done) View From the Other Side. Run to the light Carol Anne.
One more thing ...
GO HAWKS!