In a strange convergence of sorts, perhaps the NBA schedule had history and poetic justice in mind for what might be the death march for the Seattle SuperSonics franchise.
As the final three weeks ticked down of the worst season in the 41-year history of the franchise (19-62 going into Wednesday’s merciful regular season finale at Golden State), there was plenty of sentiment and tradition on display. All that Sunday night’s 99-95 win over the Dallas Mavericks lacked was Elton John stopping by KeyArena on the way back from his concert at Washington State University to play “Funeral For a Friend” after the final buzzer.
A near sellout crowd watched what could have been the final NBA game ever in KeyArena, with plenty of people involved in the storied Sonics past on hand, although the key proponents of moving the team to Oklahoma City – owner Clay Bennett, NBA commissioner David Stern and the man who sold them down the river to Bennett, Howard Schultz – were nowhere to be found.
Even at 19, the Sonics one bright spot for the season, Kevin Durant, bemoaned the prospects, hopeful that perhaps winning the rookie of the year would be more than just the final honor for this franchise in Seattle. It would leave something for the history of the franchise and the city, something that has meant a lot to him as a rookie and a fan of the NBA growing up.
“I’d be upset about leaving Seattle, but we can’t doanything about it,” Durant said. “We’ve got to play regardless, so today, if they say we’re going to Oklahoma, I guess we’ve got to pack up and go. I always knew what the Sonics were about. Every team I’ve played for I know what happened before – that kind of paved the way for guys like me to come through. Seattle is a legendary city (in the NBA) and a great city to play in, and it would be tough to leave here. If I bring back rookie of the year, that would mean a lot for our team more than myself. To bring that back would be a ray of light for the Seattle SuperSonics."
A quartet of fans decked out in striped prison garb bearing the letter, “OKC, Bennett, Stern and $chultz” was making a lot of noise in one section. The biggest cheer until the Sonics closed out the game with a 10-0 run came when future Hall-of-Famer Gary Payton was recognized midway through the second quarter with a standing ovation.
And when the clock ticked down the final seconds of the game, the scoreboard flashed the face of legendary gunner Fred Brown seated courtside – he of the recent press conference recently presenting a pie-in-the-sky $1 billion complex around a basketball/hockey arena on Puget Sound without a site or money – which is the glaring problem from Stern’s perspective.
Over the last three weeks, the Sonics' wins over the Trail Blazers, Nuggets and the Mavericks have come loaded with incredulous Seattle supporters on the other side.
The Blazers are coached by the man dubbed “Mr. Sonic,” Nate McMillan, who spent the first 19 years of his 22-year NBA career as a player and coach of the Sonics. The success of the Sonics averaging nearly 60 wins during a six-year span in the 1990s was built around Payton, Shawn Kemp and coached by Nuggets coach George Karl. And on this particular Sunday, there stood coach Avery Johnson, who entered the NBA in 1988 as an undrafted free agent rookie signed by the Sonics. He hasn’t left the NBA since, playing 16 years and spending the past three-plus as a coach, becoming the fastest head coach in league history to win 150 games.
“This is really pretty emotional for me knowing that maybe if it had not been for Seattle maybe I wouldn’t be here doing this interview because I had a chance to enter the NBA here 20 years ago,” Johnson said. “And to see and hear all the things going on with the team about possibly moving doesn’t really sit well with me. They have been here for (41) years, obviously had a championship here. I would sure hope that one way or another, that an NBA team one way or another would always have a home here.”
Ironically, because Bennett has so stripped the team of Sonics lore, it has been the opponents better suited to be involved in the history. Karl wore his beloved hand-painted “Space Needle” tie while his Nuggets lost last week in overtime. McMillan went off on a tangent discussing all the reasons why the Sonics shouldn’t leave, while lamenting the business aspect of the game.
“It's just hard to believe that you just drop a franchise and move it,” McMillan said. “And (especially) one that's had as much success as Seattle has had. Since I've been involved in the NBA, and even when I started watching basketball as a young person, the SuperSonics were part of the NBA. So all my life they've been a part of the league. And now, all of a sudden, talking about this organization moving? It's still hard for me to believe that it's going to happen, even though it really sounds like it.”
He knows this is all about money and power. So does Payton, who unofficially retired after last season with the Miami Heat. He came to the game Sunday to show support, and said he was willing to share his financial resources and contacts should somebody ask.
“I can’t even imagine myself if they wanted to retire my jersey for me to even try to go to Oklahoma City,” said Payton, franchise’s all-time leader in points, assists and steals in his 12-plus seasons in Seattle. “That ain’t where I played basketball at. That ain’t where I made my name at. I made my name here. I had great fan support to become the kind of basketball player I was. I can’t imagine that and I’m not really thinking about that. After 41 years, it’s told me a lot. We’ve got to think about coming up with a solution to keep the team here and I’m down for whatever to help make that happen.”
On and on they went Sunday night. Former Sonics player and coach Paul Westphal, shaking his head in disbelief before the game … “What a great city Seattle is. I can’t imagine the NBA without Seattle … it is ridiculous. I can understand any owner has to maximize his profit potential in order to compete I’m sure there is a legitimate argument. But as far as the aesthetics of KeyArena for a basketball game, it’s a great place and the basketball fans here are unbelievable. It just seems that a city of this caliber with the financial possibilities there are that something should be worked out.”
Mavs assistant coaches Brad Davis and Mario Elie remember playing basketball here for other teams, so much of it because the fans and the building were always so raucous. “I vividly remember the wars coming in here in the playoffs with both the Rockets and Warriors. All I can remember is when Shawn Kemp dunked – you heard thunder for the “Reign Man” in KeyArena. It isn’t like there hasn’t been great support for this team all the years I’ve been in the NBA. It’s just sad.”
But the man who may have some say in the matter before it’s all over is Mark Cuban, the always vocal owner of the Mavericks who went on record Sunday saying he will vote against the move when the NBA Board of Governors convene at the end of this coming week. He talked about how the NBA often does things just to be doing them, chastising the obviously mistaken move of the Grizzlies from Vancouver to Memphis as a perfect example while allowing for the simple fact that since it is Bennett’s team, he has the right to try. He also knows the impact having a man like Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who made a pitch to help renovate KeyArena and buy the team from Bennett, would have on the NBA Board of Governors
“I’ll do what I can to help keep it here… it’s not over until it’s over, so we’ll see,” Cuban said. “I just finally saw some numbers and I’ll vote against it for sure. I just think it’s about Seattle vs. Oklahoma for the NBA, and I don’t think there’s any question after seeing the numbers that it’s Seattle. The only certainty that I have is (the team should be) in Seattle. Would I like to see Steve Ballmer involved in the NBA? Absolutely, positively … he’s crazier than I am, and smarter than I am and he’s got more money than I do and those are all great things for the NBA.
“There’s an equity value of (41) years from a team that you can’t quantify when you discuss a move that has real economic value. When we look at relocation - as best as I can tell - we ask, ‘Is (Oklahoma City) capable as opposed to the best choice?’ I’m standing up and saying I don’t think it’s the best choice. I’m saddened. I’m not perplexed because I’ve been in the NBA eight years now and … welcome to the NBA. That’s why I get in so much trouble because we just do things just to do them sometimes. To me my job as an NBA partner and a member of the Board of Governors is to give feedback on what I think is the best for the NBA. To me what’s best for the NBA looking from every variable is to keep the team in Seattle.”
The Billionaire Boys Club of Seattle has convened, and decided they don’t want the Sonics to move and last week put on the table what figures to be at least $500 million to make their point.
So why does it appear that Microsoft chairman Steve Ballmer, Costco chairman Jim Sinegal, Western Wireless co-founder John Stanton and Seattle downtown developer Matt Griffin and the revival of the Seattle Center in the process are inconsequential with this magnanimous gift?
There are a number of reasons, ranging from what could be a personal vendetta from NBA commissioner David Stern after being shot down by Washington politicians in 2005, to lame and short-sighted politics in the city and the state.
It could be both.
Either way, a lawsuit by the city preventing a buyout of the final two years of the KeyArena lease that goes to trial in June may end up being the only reason the team stays in Seattle two more seasons before bolting to Oklahoma City in 2010. And unless something changes in a hurry, that move would be the worst injustice of a professional franchise moving since the Browns moved from Cleveland to Baltimore in 1996.
But the difference is only Browns owner Art Modell was the villain in that case, and Cleveland was almost immediately promised an expansion team to fill the void and retain the name, colors and history. Seattle has just the opposite with the attitude Stern has taken.
The list of villains here begins with Stern, and his relationship with former owner and Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz, who never gave local ownership a chance in 2006; and ultimately Oklahoma City billionaire Clay Bennett, another Stern crony who overpaid for the team just to put OKC on the map. Keep in mind Stanton, who owned 20 percent of the team in Schultz’s bloated group, wanted in with the new ownership, but Bennett nixed it, wanting only Oklahoma City ownership.
Even worse, Bennett refused to discuss a remodel of KeyArena, and when it was apparent the politicians wouldn’t give him land and build him the Taj Mahal on Lake Washington for $500 million, he applied to move to Oklahoma City.
Now everyone is raving about the $121 million promise of a remodel to the Oklahoma City Arena, but the proposed $300 million to KeyArena isn’t worth a look? Does it not matter that Seattle is the 12th largest media market in the country, has a 41-year history supporting the Sonics and Oklahoma City is the 45th largest market?
This smells fishier than the salmon toss at Pike Place Market
Making matters worse, despite lucking into the second pick of the lottery to draft college player of the year Kevin Durant, Bennett ordered a stripping of the franchise to save money and rebuild. They pushed out most of the people in the organization pre-Bennett, and they have a virtual lock on the worst record since their inception in 1967. All of these transactions look more like a transparent attempt to chase fans away to justify the move every day.
Meanwhile, Stern has spent the past 18 months bashing Seattle every chance he gets despite the list of failing franchises from the most recent moves (see Vancouver to Memphis, Charlotte to New Orleans and a Charlotte expansion franchise). In case he hasn’t noticed, the NBA franchise model is broken and it is becoming apparent that most owners lose money until they sell the franchise. When the San Antonio Spurs ownership group contends they can’t afford to continue without a new building when they sell out virtually every game and annually go deep into the playoffs, then something is seriously wrong.
Consequently, these actions reek of a setup -- dating back to when Stern and Schultz went to Olympia to plead their case for a new building in 2005 and came away empty-handed. Never mind the $200 million-plus offer for a remodel at the time. The biggest problem the ownership has had all along has been a bad lease and a deteriorating team under Schultz’s watch and Wally Walker’s basketball guidance. A remodel, a new lease and a different ownership group to reconstruct the team has always been the easy answer once it was apparent Schultz was a phony with his "five years to a title" and "public trust" promises in 2001 when he bought the team with 57 partners. In the process, Schultz and Walker had alienated the entire basketball community.
After the rebuff, Stern didn’t just get mad, he wanted to get even.
Consequently, instead of offering up the team to local ownership – obviously there is no lack of money or interest in the Seattle area - Stern began working in the backroom to find Schultz a buyer. San Jose was the initial target and Oracle software billionaire Larry Ellison, but it was too close for comfort to the Warriors in Oakland. Instead, he came up with Bennett, a former minority owner of the Spurs and a key contributor to the success Oklahoma City had hosting the Hornets for two seasons in the wake of Hurricane Katrina chasing them from New Orleans. And just for the generosity of offering him the team, Bennett overpaid Schultz with $350 million for a team valued at more than $100 million less that required a lot of work.
In Stern’s eyes that allowed for Bennett’s over-the-top demands to the Seattle market as a precursor to move. Worse yet, Bennett began a continuous string of alienating media faux pas, including his partner Aubrey McClendon admitting to a business newspaper that they always planned on moving the club to OKC anyway. McClendon was fined by the NBA. Bennett attempted to buy out the final two years of the lease to no avail and sued the city. Seattle countersued, and now the Sonics and Seattle have a court date in June to decide whether or not they can leave next season.
So that brought us to this week and Ballmer’s group offering the city and state the $150 million gift (plus at least $350 million to buy back the team with initial phone calls to Bennett already made). Washington governor Christine Gregoire met the offer with open arms, but refused to give traction to a special session or a push to the legislature which ends its session Thursday.
Now the offer is sitting in limbo, even though the city council has signed off on its $75 million portion of the tab, and the state’s portion would only require the continuation of a hotel, rental car and restaurant tax that is already scheduled to run through 2016. It’s been simplified so much by the gift of cash, even the political naysayers say they are on board. They just don’t want to take to the time to officially sign off on it now. That poses a problem since the NBA relocation committee goes to Oklahoma City on March 25 and the Board of Governors will vote on the move three weeks later. This is no time to dawdle.
Saturday, hundreds of Sonics fans descended upon the state capitol in Olympia urging the legislature to approve the offer. It’s time for the politicians to wake up and realize this is not only good for the Sonics, but the renovation of the sad state of the Seattle Center property around the iconic Space Needle. Immediate approval would perhaps create a circumstance that stops the NBA’s Board of Governors dead in their tracks before rubber-stamping yet another bad move. That doesn’t guarantee Bennett will sell in lieu of losing millions of dollars should he be forced to stay two more years. It is a start, however.
That way, if the NBA wants Oklahoma City to have a team so badly, they can give them one on their own accord with expansion -- just leave the Sonics alone.
Considering all the turmoil surrounding the Sonics -- continuous moving of players, a 16-43 record and the incessant commentary about whether they’re staying in Seattle or moving to Oklahoma City -- Kevin Durant deserves to be lauded for living up to his billing as the consensus preseason rookie of the year.
Once the Blazers' Greg Oden went down with microfracture knee surgery before the season even began, the expectations for Durant were immense. Although the circumstances surrounding the team have precluded success, there was some anticipation that he could hasten their improvement. It hasn’t happened, along with Atlanta’s Al Horford, he’s been consistently the most productive rookie.
But as so many of the rookies from the lottery have run smack into the proverbial wall in the final third of the season (not to mention their languishing teams), the final pick of the lottery – Al Thornton – has picked up a head of steam despite the seemingly inevitable implosion of the Clippers down the stretch.
Thornton, the 6-8, 220-pound forward from Florida State, has raised his numbers to 11.5 points and 4.1 rebounds on the strength of averaging 17.8 points and 5.8 rebounds over the past 17 games. Twice he has scored 33 points during that time and he’s had 23 or more points seven times.
And Thornton isn’t the only rookie from the bottom of the lottery to step up recently, as Thaddeus Young has played a role in the resurgent Sixers move into the seventh spot of the Eastern Conference. While the Sixers have won 12 of their past 17 games, Young, also a 6-8, 220-pound forward but from Georgia Tech, has averaged 10.8 points and 6.1 rebounds.
That’s not to minimize how Durant has lingered near 20 points a game all season, nor the way Horford has been on the verge of a averaging a double-double for the erratic Hawks the entire season. But this is the time of year when you learn a lot about rookies, and what kind of mental toughness they have now and for the future.
Meanwhile, we would be remiss not to recognize the great job free agent Jamario Moon has done for the Raptors, along with Luis Scola for the Rockets and Juan Carlos Navarro for the Grizzlies, but they’ve all played professional basketball for several years. This review is about how the young players are learning to deal with their first season playing with the big boys.
In other words, this is all about grading the impact the lottery picks have had on their respective teams – keeping in mind most of these guys are on teams that are still trying to figure out how to win games on a consistent basis with young players.
So this is what we’ve got so far, and we’ll check back after the season is over – which won’t be long for at least 10 of the 14.
1. Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazers, 7-1, 270, C: The word on Oden needing major surgery came down a month before training camp even began. The affable 7-1 center remains at the core of what the future bodes for the Blazers, who were the surprise of the NBA before the first of the year and are still above .500. Just competing without Oden, with another lottery pick in the offing come June, he’ll have his shot at rookie of the year next season with a team on the rise. Grade: Incomplete.
2. Kevin Durant, Seattle SuperSonics, 6-9, 220 G-F: The Sonics have been a mess all season, but Durant has somehow managed to average around 19.4 points and 4.1 rebounds from the beginning. His shot selection has improved some from early season launching, but the team hasn’t helped him any with the revolving door not only on the floor, but on the roster. The usage of his quickness, long arms and great hands on defense has been gradually improving and helped the Sonics on occasion. Grade: B.
3. Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, 6-10, 245, F-C: The Hawks looked like they were headed in the right direction in December – playoff-bound for the first time in nine years. But they’ve fallen apart since then. Not Horford. He’s been a rock, and arguably more consistently effective than Durant, although not as flashy. Over the past 17 games, he’s averaged 10.9 points and 10.1 rebounds – as opposed to his season average of 9.6 points and 10.0 rebounds. Tough physically and mentally, he’s been surprisingly consistent on a terribly inconsistent team. Grade: B-plus.
4. Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies, 6-1, 175, PG: Drafted by a team that already had three point guards, this never made sense from the beginning, and the slim and young Conley wasn’t physically ready at the beginning of the season to run the team. But his minutes have picked up considerably since the first of the year as the woeful Grizzlies packed it in anyway. He’s averaged 10.8 points and a shade less than 5.0 assists the past 17 games during which the Grizz have managed to win just three – which isn’t that much better than the 9.3 points and 4.6 assists for the season. He’s got great floor awareness, quickness and delivers the ball well … unless they ruin him. Grade: C.
5. Jeff Green, Seattle SuperSonics (from the Boston Celtics), 6-9, 235, F: Acquired in the Ray Allen as the yang to Durant’s yin, he’s been yanked in and out of the line all season by coach P.J. Carlesimo, so it’s been difficult to get a read on what Green can do. He’s smart, tough and strong, but he’s been a typically erratic rookie on an even more erratic team. Green seems destined to be the starting small forward on this team for many years, with Durant sliding back to shooting guard – although some believed Green would fill out to be a power forward. As it is, he’s been right around 9.0 points and 4.9 rebounds all season. They wanted a solid character role player and got him. Grade: C.
6. Yi Jianlian, Milwaukee Bucks, 6-11, 235, F: A controversial pick from the beginning, Yi made it clear he didn’t want to go to Milwaukee, but eventually caved when they wouldn’t trade his rights. He played well in the preseason, responded once the regular season began as well. But the slim 7-footer has hit double figures only twice over the past six weeks, and really began the big fade after the first of the year. Averaging just 7.4 points and 3.8 rebounds over the past 17 games, the fade has dropped his average below the solid double figure scoring and 6-plus rebounds he was averaging into January to 8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and dropping. Grade: C-minus.
7. Corey Brewer, Minnesota Timberwolves, 6-8, 185, G-F: The Wolves expected instant impact from one of the key components of the two-time defending NCAA champion Florida Gators, but are still waiting. He’s been given plenty of opportunity, but can’t manage to get his numbers above 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds. He is a superb defender, with great quickness and hands, which helps a lot on a bad team like the Timberwolves. But he’s got to develop a more consistent jump shot – always in question at Florida too – while getting to the rim when it is there. The latter will come with time, but his shot needs work. Grade: C-minus.
8. Brendan Wright, Golden State Warriors (from the Charlotte Bobcats), 6-10, 200: It was hard to figure how Wright would break into the Warriors lineup this season for any number of reasons considering how deep they are on the wings, plus coach Don Nelson’s history of letting rookies sit. Essentially, that’s been the story for the long, skinny and athletic North Carolina product. He’s played in only 22 games all season for the 36-22 W’s, but has averaged 7.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in the six game he’s played over the past month. However, something must be happening because Nellie has played him the past two games and he’s averaged 12.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. He’s perfect for the system and it will be interesting to see how the final six weeks pan out – he should be handed the minutes Grandpappy Chris Webber is getting. Grade: C.
9. Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls, 6-11, 235, C-F: Aggressive on the floor and outspoken off of it, this season has hardly been a picnic for Noah or the Bulls. He was in and out of the lineup before Scott Skiles was fired and it’s only been slightly better with Jim Boylan. But the dealing of Ben Wallace has opened the door for him to be the center, period. He’s averaged 7.8 points and 5.7 rebounds in the six games since the big trade, which isn’t really measurably better than the 5.3 points and 4.8 rebounds for the season. This season has been a disappointing mess for them, and we’ll get a better take on him next year. Grade: C
10. Spencer Hawes, Sacramento Kings, 7-0, 245, C: Questions about his knees bore out right away when he was sidelined early in the season, and his lack of strength overall explained why so many told him coming out after his freshman year was too soon. But he is a very skilled basketball player with great hands, touch and passing ability. What we don’t know is if he can hold up physically as the Kings center of the future when Brad Miller is finished. Most of his appearances have been token, averaging just 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds – slightly better (4.9 and 2.9) over the past 17. Nobody will question his talent, but he has a long way to go to prove his body can handle playing in the NBA. Grade: C-minus.
11. Acie Law, Atlanta Hawks, 6-3, 195, PG: Allegedly, the Hawks finally got their point guard after opting not to take Deron Williams, Chris Paul and even swing guard Brandon Roy in the previous two drafts. But it just hasn’t worked for them, as Law has struggled all season with a chronic wrist problem that needs to be resolved in the offseason. An overachiever at Texas A&M, you’ve got to love his attitude and work ethic, but he’s a long way from proving he can consistently run a team. And that’s why they trade for Mike Bibby, who still has plenty of tread left on his tires. Law’s average of 4.6 points and 2.3 assists for the season is reflective of any portion of the season – probably half of what they wanted and needed from his as the 11th pick. Grade: C-minus.
12. Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia 76ers, 6-8, 220, F: A lot of people liked Young coming out of Georgia Tech – smart, athletic and very coachable. But he was so young and seemingly raw …it was hard to figure he would contribute much this season. But he’s one of those guys with great work habits and continues to improve as a result of that ethic. His contribution was minimal until after the first year, since then he has blossomed in the rotation. Over the past 17 games, Young has averaged 10.8 points and 6.1 rebounds, including a stretch of 10 games during which he reached double figures in scoring. Besides, he’s extremely quick and thriving when coach Maurice Cheeks has them press – averaging 2.0 steals a game over the past 10. Grade: B.
13. Julian Wright, New Orleans Hornets, 6-8, 225, F. Ironically, he has suffered the same fate as Brendan Wright, struggling to find minutes on the playoff-bound Hornets. Nonetheless, it doesn’t translate to two Wrights making a wrong. The former Kansas star has played in only 34 games, 11 over the past two months – managing to average just a couple of points and a rebound. With the lack of depth the Hornets have, he should have been able to earn some minutes by now. It’s a wasted year for him, without question, when he could have been raising his game to another level and helping the Jayhawks compete for a national championship. Grade: D.
14. Al Thornton, Los Angeles Clippers: 6-8, 220, F. Thornton had such a great preseason for the Clippers – particularly since Elton Brand was sidelined with an Achilles tendon tear. And with Oden out for the year, he became the sleeper pick for rookie of the year. But once the regular season started, he rapidly lost his effectiveness and minutes. But injuries kept hurting the Clippers, and coach Mike Dunleavy turned back to Thornton again around Christmas. Gradually, he regained the confidence of the preseason and started putting up numbers to get his season’s averages up to 11.5 points and 4.1 rebounds. But it’s the nearly 18 points and 6 rebounds of the past 17 games that have turned everyone’s head. He’s a tough guy and will only get better. Grade: B.
As we’ve blown through the first quarter of the most heralded rookie class since 2003, best known as the Year of LeBron, it’s a little hard to fathom the trio of rookies that have made the most impact.
OK, who’s got the lowdown on Jamario Moon?
If you want to break it down to the rookie who has made the most impact on a good team, it would have to be Moon, although Glen Davis – you know the “Big Baby” of the Celtics – has had his moments in a limited role.
Everybody knew Juan Carlos Navarro, hardly a rookie considering his 10 years of experience in Barcelona, would have an impact on the Grizzlies . . . then again, they are still holed up in the 13th slot in the Western Conference. And to Navarro’s credit, he certainly has given them a lot more than what the Rockets have gotten from Argentinean Luis Scola, who came to Houston with great expectations with his credentials from international play.
Granted, No. 3 overall pick Al Horford deserves props for helping the Hawks continue their rise in the East into the seventh seed, above .500 this late for the first time since the year of the lockout. He's playing more than 30 minutes a game.
And apologies to Bucks general manager Larry Harris are in order for battering him over the decision to take Chinese forward Yi Jianlian, who has stepped right in and contributed significantly as the Bucks take their annual ride on the playoff-lottery fence in the East.
But let’s step back for a moment and look at the 2007 lottery.
There was no getting around the shock and disappointment in Portland with the microfracture knee surgery of the next great big man, No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden, ending his season before it began. He’s a special personality as well as a physical specimen, who has been busy bulking himself up and supporting the team. The expectations, if not fear of the unknown, continue to be very high for next season.
And that’s not to minimize the performance of equally hyped and gifted Kevin Durant at No. 2 to the Sonics. He has scored at an impressive 19.6 points per game with some major 30-plus point efforts that led to rare victories in their record-setting slow start. The hope is his erratic play is more a byproduct of his teen years as opposed to just being swallowed by the ineptitude and turmoil of the Sonics franchise overall. The same goes for No. 5 pick Jeff Green, who has been up and down, but most importantly came in the Sonics trade with the Celtics that handed Boston Ray Allen.
Meanwhile, at No. 4, physically underdeveloped point guard Mike Conley figures strangely on a Grizzlies team, with Navarro, Kyle Lowry and Damon Stoudamire. Meanwhile, the wretched Timberwolves aren’t getting much help from the No. 7 pick, Corey Brewer, still not able to reach 30 percent shooting from the field on a team that can’t seem to shoot the ball into any of its 10,000 lakes.
Yeah, it’s early, but heading right down the list, Joakim Noah (Bulls), Spencer Hawes (Kings), Acie Law (Hawks), Thaddeus Young (Sixers), Julian Wright (Hornets) and Al Thornton (Clippers) have yet to provide the dividends that such a heralded lottery class promised.
So what about this Moon in Toronto? It’s almost as if he landedas opposed to being acquired. At 6-foot-8, 205 pounds and 27 years old, he’s a product of Meridian (Miss.) Community College, been through the minor leagues in Albany of the CBA and Gary of the USBL, and battled his way through the trenches of the Mexican Basketball League before being signed by always-daring Raptors president Bryan Colangelo.
Although obviously very slim, Moon set a franchise record with at least one block in 12 consecutive games and has been huge for Toronto in the wake of injuries to Chris Bosh and Jorge Garbajosa. On a team challenging for the fourth seed in the East, he’s averaging just less than 30 minutes a game, while contributing 8.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.
With so many games remaining, there are plenty of rookies that may yet rise or fall before the NBA reaches the spring. The prevailing expectation is that Durant will continue to separate himself from the pack, but Yi has proven to be superb and the Nets' Sean Williams (No. 17) is beginning to make an impact with his toughness inside and exceptional shot-blocking ability.
The key is sustaining it: Will the Heat’s Daequan Cook continue to shoot 43.4 percent (32.1 on 3-pointers)? Are Hawes’ knees capable of playing through an 82-game season to help the Kings? Can Law battle his way back from the ankle injury to be the point guard the Hawks sorely need, so to speak? There is still plenty to be learned this season and beyond, since it generally takes 3-4 years to sort out the impact of a draft class.
Certainly, we have been blown away by the Class of 2003 – considering not only James and Bosh, but Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Chris Kaman, Kirk Hinrich, and many others all the way down to the final two picks of the first round – Leandro Barbosa and Josh Howard. And that’s not to mention at least six impact players from the second round, beginning with Luke Walton, Mo Williams, Keith Bogans and Steve Blake.
So we’ve got a long way to go before anything major is decided about this year’s group. At the end of the first quarter, we’ve landed on Moon in the Class of 2007.
2007 Lottery stats
Greg Oden, Portland, out for season with knee surgery
Making matters worse, despite lucking into the second pick of the lottery to draft college player of the year Kevin Durant, Bennett ordered a stripping of the franchise to save money and rebuild. They pushed out most of the people in the organization pre-Bennett, and they have a virtual lock on the worst record since their inception in 1967. All of these transactions look more like a transparent attempt to chase fans away to justify the move every day.
In other words, this is all about grading the impact the lottery picks have had on their respective teams – keeping in mind most of these guys are on teams that are still trying to figure out how to win games on a consistent basis with young players.
6. Yi Jianlian, Milwaukee Bucks, 6-11, 235, F: A controversial pick from the beginning, Yi made it clear he didn’t want to go to Milwaukee, but eventually caved when they wouldn’t trade his rights. He played well in the preseason, responded once the regular season began as well. But the slim 7-footer has hit double figures only twice over the past six weeks, and really began the big fade after the first of the year. Averaging just 7.4 points and 3.8 rebounds over the past 17 games, the fade has dropped his average below the solid double figure scoring and 6-plus rebounds he was averaging into January to 8.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and dropping. Grade: C-minus.
