<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>According to those close to the team, there is growing speculation that P.J. Carlesimo is losing some of the veteran players, many of whom are confused about their role, irritated with his abrasive style and disenchanted with the season-long evaluation process that has left several players confused about playing time. -- Seattle Post-Intelligencer</div>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>This Sonics season was supposed to be based on development, especially for rookies Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. As the season progressed, the team's faithful were supposed to witness the progress of its franchise cornerstones, primarily Durant. It appears, however, that Durant has hit the proverbial rookie wall. Growth is becoming more difficult to witness and those sparkling moments that filled the first two months are being replaced by flashes of regression. The Sonics enter Tuesday's game with the San Antonio Spurs on a team record 14-game losing streak and Durant, despite being just 19 years old, is the team's most gifted player. And with that tag comes pressure for the second overall pick. Many NBA observers are beginning to question whether Durant's game is developing or if his often shaky shot selection is creating bad habits that will be difficult to break in coming years. Durant was 5-for-20 from the field in Sunday's 103-101 loss to the Sacramento Kings, and he was the lone Sonic to take more than nine shots. Durant's propensity for firing shots, the Sonics' losing streak and his declining shooting percentage is beginning to wear on some Sonics veterans, who believe the shooting wealth should be shared. The numbers show that Durant's offensive game is stagnating as the season wears on. Although he is averaging 18.5 points during the losing streak, Durant is shooting 38 percent from the field and 19 percent from the 3-point line. He has hit more than one 3-pointer in a game just twice in the past 16 games and is 12-for-41 in the past two contests. Some NBA insiders are questioning whether Durant should be allowed to freely shoot and whether that is fostering his learning curve. Of those rookies of yesteryear that he is compared with -- LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant -- all shot at least 41.7 percent from the field and 29 percent from the 3-point line during their rookie year. Wade leads the group at 46.5 from the field while Bryant hit 37.5 percent of his 3-pointers in 1996-97. Durant is shooting 39.8 percent from the field and 28 percent from the 3-point line and his shooting percentage has dipped each month. "Yeah, I'm concerned because I know he can do better," Sonics coach P.J. Carlesimo said. "Maybe fatigue is a factor, I don't know. The thing he is doing much better is attacking the basket. And that's good. We have to adjust when his shot is not there, he has to get to the free throw line and do other stuff. It's difficult for us to win (without getting to the free throw line)." Carlesimo benched Durant during a Jan. 19 game in Dallas because of poor shot selection, stressing the importance of getting to the free throw line. But Durant's free throws per-game average has dipped in each of the past three months from 5.9 in November to 4.7 in January. Part of that is a byproduct of not getting veteran calls from driving into the paint and the other aspect is settling for long-range jumpers when the lane could be open. Carlesimo wants Durant to pound the ball into the key to draw fouls, so he can score when his jumper is off. Some of Durant's teammates feel as if he should distribute the ball more when his perimeter game is erratic. Durant works feverishly in practice on his jumper with assistant coach Brian Keefe but it hasn't translated to games of late and some around the organization wonder whether it's time to release the emphasis on Durant. "The last couple of games, I've got great looks, I've just got to knock them down," said Durant, who shot 47.3 percent from the field and 40.4 from the 3-point line at the University of Texas. "I'm always in the gym working on the game, so I've got to keep working hard and hope those shots fall." Frustration among the players has been mounting as the losing streak has progressed and Durant is beginning to take some of the responsibility because he is the focal point of the offense. His numbers are glaringly different in the team's nine wins compared with the 34 losses. (Durant missed one game with a finger injury). He is averaging 22.3 points and shooting 46 percent from the field in victories and 18.6 and 38.2 in defeats. He has hit 16 3-pointers in those nine wins and 29 in the 34 losses. So Durant's offensive success is essential to a Seattle victory, and some believe that's too much pressure for a teenager. "Yeah, I think so," was Wally Szczerbiak's response when asked if the shots could be better distributed. "I was just observing the stat sheet (Sunday) and no one got double-digit shots other than Kevin. And the coaching staff is asking a 19-year-old to do a lot. Let's put it that way. "In our wins, we seem to have miraculous efforts by Kevin and that seems to be the recipe for winning. And we've got to figure out a way to win ballgames in different ways when his shot is not falling." SONICS SHOT DISTRIBUTION Sonics scoring leader Kevin Durant has taken 746 shots this season, 296 more than runner-up Wally Szczerbiak. But Durant is shooting less than 40 percent for the season, and 34.4 percent in the past five games. Here's a look at the Sonics leaders, ranked by field-goal attempts per 48 minutes: Player Min/Gm FGA/Gm FG% FGA/48' Kevin Durant 33.0 17.3 .398 25.25 Wally Szczerbiak 23.3 10.2 .460 21.05 Damien Wilkins 25.2 9.0 .397 17.20 Chris Wilcox 27.0 9.6 .519 17.16 Delonte West 20.8 7.3 .403 16.74 Jeff Green 24.6 7.8 .426 15.28 Earl Watson 27.4 8.1 .420 14.21</div> Source: Seattle PI Anyone get the sense Delonte West is dividing the team's locker room? He's been pouting ever since he found his way in PJ's doghouse. He's checked out mentally and I wouldn't be surprised if he's the one rocking the boat.
That is a horrible comparison with those other players in their rookie years. Kobe came in with Eddie Jones, Shaq and Nick Van Exel as the main offensive options and was able to start off the bench, the Nuggets got in Dre Miller, Kenyon Martin and had a healthy Camby to go with Carmelo, the Heat had Odom and Butler and LeBron was a freak from the moment he stepped into the league. Durant was under pressure as soon as Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis left - there was no easing into a role, he's been thrust into being the franchise player from day one. Another factor is his build - he's still a kid for crying out loud! Only just turned 19 and is built like a twig. Guys like Wade, Anthony and James were all NBA ready physically when they came into the league. Again, there's no room on this roster for Durant to take his time adjusting to the league. Sure, he's taken some bad shots this season, and he's taken some questionable ones. He's also taken plenty of good ones that haven't fallen. Offensively the entire rotation is a shambles - there's never any flow or semblance of chemistry, and the amount of times the ball gets passed around and ends up in Kevin's hands as the get out of jail card is a contributing factor. He's also had the confidence to take a number of big shots, and he's already proven himself to be a clutch player. Just off the top of my head... 1) That shot against Atlanta, obviously. 2) The three last night against the Knicks with 59 seconds left. Did not hesitate to put that up and made it. 3) The three against the Lakers down the stretch when we lost in OT (that was an example of a bad shot near the end too, needed to eat the clock, but he'll learn). 4) Six clutch points in the last 90 seconds against Cleveland to snuff them out. 5) The go-ahead jumper against the Spurs. 6) Two huge treys against Indiana in the last when he scored 35. 7) 20 last quarter points against Milwaukee, including six clutch FTs at the end. 8) His second half at MSG. He'll be fine, comparing him to Melo, Wade, Kobe and LeBron is chalk and cheese. As for Delonte, he takes more bad shots than Earl Watson, and that is saying something.
Also, be nice if he had a guy like Dre feeding him the ball in good spots as opposed to the three headed crap monster.
