Details: When: Tuesday, November 8th Where: FedEx Forum, Memphis Time (Seattle): 5:00 TV: FSN, League Pass Projected Starters: <font color="green">Seattle (1-1)</font> Luke Ridnour Ray Allen Rashard Lewis Reggie Evans Johan Petro <font color="teal">Memphis (2-1)</font> Damon Stoudamire Eddie Jones Shane Battier Pau Gasol Lorenzen Wright Injury Troubles: <font color="green">Seattle</font> Robert Swift - Sore left hip (doubtful) Clinton "Mikki" Moore - Sore left knee (doubtful) Rick Brunson - Plantar fasciitis (doubtful) Vitaly Potapenko - Sore left hamstring (probable) <font color="teal">Memphis</font> Brian Cardinal (left knee) (out) Inactive List: <font color="green">Seattle</font> Robert Swift Rick Brunson Clinton "Mikki" Moore <font color="teal">Memphis</font> Brian Cardinal John Thomas Anthony Roberson Brief Notes: <ul> [*]The Sonics first road game begins their longest road stretch of the season. Bob Weiss looks for his first road win as the Sonics' general after the Sonics defeated Minnesota 107-102 on Friday night. [*]Coach Weiss stated that he will be shortening his rotation by keeping Ron Murray on the bench. In two games Murray is averaging 5 points, 2.5 assists, and 3 turnovers in 15 minutes. [*]Mateen Cleaves will be given the opportunity to win the primary back up point guard role. He had four points and two assists in 10 minutes on Friday. [*]Reggie Evans gets an opportunity to face a familiar foe in Pau Gasol. Last season after a game he referred to him as being a "girl." [*]The Grizzlies overhauled their roster this past offseason but have started their season well with impressive wins over Orlando on the road and Cleveland at home. [*]The Grizzlies were swept in the season series with the Sonics last season (3-0). [/list] <div align="center">Random Sonic Fan Quote: “See what happens when you pass the ball.” </div> The response from a fan after Murray flipped a pass to a cutting Nick Collison and Collison was fouled as he went up for a layup. <div align="center">Tacoma News-Tribune All predictions, analysis and discussion relating directly to the game, both before, during and after, to be posted in this thread. </div>
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Reggie Evans gets an opportunity to face a familiar foe in Pau Gasol. Last season after a game he referred to him as being a "girl."</div> Anyway, I haven't seen the Griz play yet, most I can tell is they have Stoudemire and Jones in the backcourt. Both can get hot against us although EJ choked on those free thows last year in Miami. I can't see anyone matching up with Ray and Rashard, though, so if their head's in the game they should put up some numbers. Still waiting for someone/anyone to step up as the 3rd guy to help out.
I don't have the time to type up everything that was wrong with this game, so here is a list of Sonics I DO NOT have a problem with. Ray Allen Rashard Lewis Reggie Evans Johan Petro Mateen Cleaves That is all.
I missed the game while I was in the air, but man...shooting 33% from the field? Ouch. But even worse, you let your opponent shoot 50%? Get on the phone Rick, you got some work to do. Vlade shoots 50% from 3 and only takes 7 total shots in 20 minutes? What happened to Luke? 2pts, 3 assists and 1 rebound? He was looking so good in preseason and has played worse with every game over the past 3 games, is he playing injured? I feel for the Sonics on this road trip. I have slept in Seattle, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC over the past three nights, tonight I'm in Newark and tomorrow in Boston and then Providence. It sucks to be on the road. I'm wasted, but this is your first game and you had two days to prepare. This team is looking like the team from last year. Maybe Nate and Casey had more to do with their success than anyone wants to admit. James isn't this difference maker, and AD couldn't have saved this game. Ugly, man, just plain ugly. Perhaps this is what we need to face. Battier and Jones are good defenders, and they guard our two best players. Does no one else come to play? I realize Flip worked his way out of the rotation, but when they bite this bad he should have seen floor time. Did he play poorly in his 6 minutes?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Casual:</div><div class="quote_post">I don't have the time to type up everything that was wrong with this game, so here is a list of Sonics I DO NOT have a problem with. Ray Allen Rashard Lewis Reggie Evans Johan Petro Mateen Cleaves That is all.</div> I cant imagine how Petro is on this list. I wouldnt be surprised if he is put on the inactive list tomorow and we see Moore he looked so out of place. Anyway horrible game. and I agree with Casual..to many wrong things to point out.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Perhaps this is what we need to face. Battier and Jones are good defenders, and they guard our two best players. Does no one else come to play? I realize Flip worked his way out of the rotation, but when they bite this bad he should have seen floor time. Did he play poorly in his 6 minutes?</div> Your right, no one else came to play - it wasn't pretty. They played a mediocre first half, keeping it within 4 - and absolutely imploded in the second half. Played decent D on Gasol in the first half, but he capitalized on some one-on-one's in the second, dunking on both Petro and Vitaly on seperate possessions. Third quarter was rough, if there was a time to give Flip a heat check, here might have been a decent time - he didn't look like he deserved any more minutes during the time he was out there though, thats for sure, and he logged most of them against the grizzly scrubs. Luke didn't play well...at all. Ray wasn't quite himself, Lew didn't get any looks in the 2nd half, and everyone else was either ho hum, or ho horrible. This team is not looking good so far - 50%, 47.7%, and 49.3% is what our opponents have shot against us so far. I know, small sample size, but its tough to get excited about the D and how much we've heard its being stressed. We have played 3 games against borderline playoff teams, teams that can play well on any given night, but teams that can be beaten on any given night as well and haven't looked good in any. What I'm most concerned about though is the offense. 94 points is the most we've put up in 4 quarters so far, and we haven't shot the ball as a team well at all. This team desperately needs a 3rd scorer to step up, but the two guys we have that are capable of doing that are wallowing on the bench. Not that Rad and Flip have earned a bunch of minutes, but if one of them (preferrably Rad) doesn't fill that role soon, this is going to be a long year.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Coolguy777:</div><div class="quote_post">I cant imagine how Petro is on this list. I wouldnt be surprised if he is put on the inactive list tomorow and we see Moore he looked so out of place. </div> Considering where everybody thought he would be at this point, I'd say he's doing pretty well. Most of the fouls he got were questionable.
I haven't seen the game either but judging from the minute allotment we look to be an experimental team. Petro has not earned the right to start over Vitaly Potapenko. He is an active defender but he poses no threat on the low blocks. Plus in the past two games he has reverted back to his habitually fouling habits. He has to be one of the league leaders in fouls per minute. What I don't understand is how Fortson only plays 11 minutes when committing only 2 fouls. I haven't seen the game yet (again I watch the majority of the games on tape) but considering that he is the only frontcourt member that can change the complexion of the game when he is "himself" why would you limit his minutes--especially considering his conditioning issues. I want desperately to be able to give Bob Weiss the benefit of the doubt but we haven't improved in one area from last year in the first three games. We are a running team that doesn't run, our offensive rebounding has decreased considerably, our rotation is all over the place, we have absolutely no interior post up threat, and to top it off guys are complaining to the media about their roles. 82 games is a long season but I honestly feel like we have to find a way to either get an interior scorer via a trade or put our best offensive line up on the court and exploit mismatches. Vlad doesn't have a game that allows him to create high percentage shots for himself. Luke Ridnour has never been a point guard who can get a ton of assists in the half court. Hell, we don't even run that many pick and rolls to get him open looks for himself--let alone his teammates. If we are going to run we might as well look at a line up like this: Luke Ray Rashard Vlad Collison Because that would be our best running line up and we would force players to guard positions that they weren't accustomed to guarding. Yeah we'd be at a disadvantage on the other end, but I'd take the chess match of getting our 6'10" bigs to run, rebound, and defend over watching 19 year old kids foul out.
i dont wanna be blaming bob either but....who else is to blame? its obvious that he isnt getting his players nearly ready for each and every game. They had 3 days rest and they came out looking as if they were on a last game of a 6 game road trip. its just sad to see.... and yeah where's vlade?????
So far, Vlade looks like the odd man out of the lineup. Without him, we could still have a five man PF/C rotation and he's not doing enough scoring to worry about taking him out. That's not to say I want him to get benched. We need more time to figure out who is going to play and who isn't.
Memphis is a good team.. they're stable in the last 3 years and got some decent defenders. But to lose by 25 is too much.. I didn't see the game, won't see more than 2 this month because of the shitty schedule of NBA Tv in the middle east.. But from the Box scores of the last 3 games and you guys, I start thinking that Nate was the main reason of last year run.. Hey at least Portland's record isn't better than us
I doubt it was Nate that made us good last year, I just think it's Bob that's making us bad this year. I think any half decent coach could have picked up where Nate left off much more successfully than Bob has.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Seattle.:</div><div class="quote_post">I doubt it was Nate that made us good last year, I just think it's Bob that's making us bad this year. I think any half decent coach could have picked up where Nate left off much more successfully than Bob has.</div> I disagree, not praising Bob by any means, but Nate's track record doesn't suggest he would be any better with this squad. Nate had the luxury of Fortson playing like a madman for the first 2 months or so of last year - he also had Antonio Daniels playing great basketball, a guy who could score, play solid D AND run the point at the same time - Weiss has Fortson playing himself into shape, a hobbled Vitaly, Flip who can't bring two things at once (and often not even that), and Rad not finding the groove yet. BW has alot on his plate, actually moving towards a set rotation instead of away from it would be nice (we better see it taking tangible shape by the end of this road trip). But crazy substitutions is all we ever got from Nate until last season, when the guys he had stepped up and demanded minutes, forced him to define roles. Before that, we had to deal with Nate's ridiculous "coach by feel" philosophy. Bob hasn't had anyone on this team step up with the exception of Ray/Shard - maybe that has alot to do with Bob and his wacky rotations thus far, but I don't think I agree that Nate would be doing much if any better.
