Post#13 » by djthesonicsfan » Sat Apr 5, 2008 2:17 pm
First of all, I'd also like to recognize the excellent job Det has done with these game threads. Especially in light of everything going on with this conflicted team. Det, you've been great.
As for PJ, he sucked during his return season. He's obviously well past his "use by" date. But he was probably the only coach Presti knew well enough to trust through what he knew would be a total piece of crap season. Going forward the Sonics need a coach who is capable of:
- connecting with & commanding the respect of the players,
- devising offensive/defensive schemes that align with his players' skill sets,
- clearly communicating player roles &
- maximizing the development of K Durant, J Green, J Petro & the other young Sonics.
That coach is clearly not PJ. Loyalty is always a necessary ingrediant, but by itself it's not enough to win games in the hyper competitive NBA.
It's true that K Durant's development is floundering in the sense of becoming a one dimensional player, even if his shot selection & scoring efficiency has improved. Last night's game may have been the best example of that all season. The only rebounds he got are those that happened to bounce his way. His defensive rotations sucked. Wait, on second thought, how could they suck. He didn't make any rotations. He wound up forcing shots because scoring is the only way he knows how to contribute. Anyone ever see K Durant on the floor after a loose ball? Or take a charge? Me neither.
On the other hand, last night's game was also a good example of the kind of player I think J Petro has a chance of becoming. He was very active. Lots of dirty work. He battled. To bad no one else showed up.
I continue to cringe watching E Watson mechanically trying to engage the offense. It's like watching gears grind. However, as much as the ball & player involvement improves with L Ridnour creatively pulling the levers, L Ridnour just can't seem to find another NBA PG that he's capable of defending. I can't wait unit D Rose arrives.
And finally, I can't think of a single decent reason why M Sene is not playing. D Marshall & F Elson are indeed bums. However, to be fair, D Marshall has been able to find his jersey more often recently. Not to say that M Sene is an all-star, but at least he's got upside. Which would be nice to try to figure out. And meaningless games at the end of the season are the perfect opportunity.
Nick Collison 9.1 RPG
Yao Ming 10.8 RPG & 2.02 BPG
Rafer Alston 1.31 SPG
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