Return of the Seattle SuperSonics

[Theheel]

Return of the Seattle SuperSonics

 

After having a team for 41 years, the Seattle SuperSonics were ripped off from the city of Seattle by 4 villains. First was former owner Howard Schultz who bragged about a great plan to make the Sonics contenders and have a great family entertainment setting at Key Arena who sold the team to villain #2 Clayton Bennett from Oklahoma. Bennett’s lies about wanting to keep the team in Seattle and work with government to build a state of the art arena in Seattle. This was obvious from everyone that the intent was to rip the team off and move it to OKC, which brings in the 3rd villain to the equation which was NBA Commissioner David Stern. Stern had a new buddy in Bennett and did everything he could to make sure that his newfound pal was able to rip off the team that had been supported in the community for 41 years. Last and not least of the villains is the entire government of the city of Seattle, and the State of Washington. These incompetent fools at the time so put off everyone, that the franchise was hijacked by allowing an incompetent Mayor at the time to bag a deal to “settle” the lease and allow Cowboy Clay to ride off into the sunset with our team.

 

Fortunately even though Oklahoma City also took the legacy and history, no former Sonic players that were no longer playing have wanted anything to do with the franchise.

 

Now, some 4 years later enter Chris Hanson. Mr. Hanson was able to acquire real estate in the area of Safeco Field and CenturyLink Stadium. His goal was to build a state of the art new basketball and hockey arena that would be 1st class in order to bring an NBA team back to Seattle. Mr Hanson was able to do what Schultz wasn’t able to do, and that was to work with local government to achieve an arena deal and then set out to find a team for Seattle. After months of working in January 2013, Mr. Hanson and his partners reached an agreement with Sacramento owners, the Maloof family, to purchase the team and file for relocation to Seattle. Obviously fans of the Kings were outraged as just a year earlier they felt they had an arena deal secure with the blessing of the NBA and the Maloofs, but the Maloof’s pulled out of the deal after having agreed to it. Sacramento having a mayor unlike what Seattle had 4 years earlier, instead of rolling over, Mayor Johnson began a campaign to save the Kings, and he did a very good job. Of course Stern having not forgotten the pain he caused in Seattle originally appeared to be working with Hanson and his group, but he was also working hard with Mayor Johnson to save the Kings even though the Sacramento deal on paper was not as good as the Seattle offer. To Sacramento’s credit, they put together the 2nd best package in the history of the league to save the King’s but it was not as far along or as good financially as the Seattle offer. Stern who was planning on retiring in 2014 was suddenly left with two things, righting a wrong that befell the city of Seattle 4 years earlier, or having his image tainted again with another ugly franchise re-location.

Enter April 2013

 

Even though having publicly stating that the league would not expand to solve the situation, the owners decided that with the 2 best offers in league history, it would be foolish to not strike while the iron was hot. During the week of April 22nd, the NBA Board of Governors decided to do the following things and they were announced in this order.

 

1.) They approved the sale of the Kings to the Hanson group.

 

2.) While approving the sale of the Kings, the NBA board of Governors denied the relocation of the franchise to Seattle, since Hanson was not allowed to move the team he sought and received approval to sell his rights to the Sacramento ownership group for the $30 million he had given the Maloof’s as a non-refundable amount. The Kings were saved and were staying in Sacramento, but the new ownership had to match the purchase price of $575 million.

 

3.) Sensing this would solve nothing, the NBA board of Governors decided to approve two expansion franchise’s for a total of $575 million apiece. One franchise would be given to the Seattle ownership group and would start league play in 2014-2015 NBA season. The other franchise would be announced later in the summer with also a start date of 2014-2015. The cities in the running for the franchise were reportedly, Las Vegas, Nashville, and Cincinnati.

 

4.) The final thing that the NBA Board of Governors did was to FIRE David Stern for his meddling incompetent way of handling the whole Seattle and Sacramento situations and withholding the opportunity to make $1.1 billion dollars from the expansion franchises.

 

The solution from the Board of Governors made everyone happy. Sacramento fans who had never done anything wrong were saved from having their team taken from them because they had lousy owners and secondly Seattle had a team they could call their own. The average Sonic fan never wanted the Kings, they just wanted a team to call their own once again.

 

As a final bit of news, the NBA Board of Governors also decided that the Seattle franchise should be given back its history and championship trophy from the 79 season and that OKC would have to start its own history from when the team was stolen in 2008.

 

And thus the Seattle SuperSonics were reborn.

[Emark]

As a fan just down the road, I'm interested to see where you take this.

[Theheel]

NBA Dateline – June 2013

 

NBA decides to award the other expansion franchise to the city of Las Vegas. The new team will be called the Las Vegas Gold and will begin play in the 2014-2015 NBA season, joining the Seattle SuperSonics.

 

After the 2013-2014 NBA Championship, an expansion draft will be held where the Sonic’s and the Gold will acquire 12 players from existing teams. They will then be placed into the draft lottery for the NBA draft and each team will have an opportunity to have the #1 draft pick in the upcoming NBA draft.

[Theheel]

I am actually very curious how all the real life stuff turns out. I was in Jr. High when the team won the NBA title back in 79 and have been a fan since long before then. I was really bummed about what happened for a long time and still feel like somehow Stern has it out for Seattle because of how he felt he was treated (and from what I heard Frank Chopp and Co did treat him and Richard Petty badly) by the Seattle and Washington politicians. I actually would like us to get an expansion franchise and not get the Kings (1 they have a lousy roster, and I feel for the Kings fans). If they do decide to sell the Kings, I will support them as our team, but it does leave a sour taste in my mouth still too because they have supported that team there.

[3rdStringPG]

Looking forward to this one!

 

Been a Lakers fan since the Magic/Kareem days, but I've always had a soft spot for the Sonics...especially since some of my favorite musicians (Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam, Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains, etc.) are big fans. Those '90s lineups with Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp (before he got fat ) were quite fun to watch.

 

Agree with the part about the Kings...their roster has been seriously messed up for the longest time. I too would prefer it if the Sonics restarted from scratch with a fresh expansion team.

[Theheel]

Some of my great memories are going to the old Seattle Coliseum to watch the Lakers and Sonics do battle. It was a great west coast rivalry, and the Lakers were so stacked (along with the Celtics) in the 80's. But I remember the 79 team very well and into the early 80's with Gus, DJ, JJ, Jack and Lonnie Shelton battling those Lakers.

 

Another fun one was rooting against Rick Barry and the Golden State Warriors during the late 70's. What great childhood memories those are lol, will never forget when Barry was ejected from a close game in Seattle during that time.

[Theheel]

NBA Dateline – January 2014

 

Michael Jordan and the ownership group that owns the Charlotte Bobcats have reached a decision and have entered into an agreement to sell the Bobcat’s franchise to outside interests. Details are still forthcoming but the new ownership group appears to be out of Cincinnati and has the intent will be to move the team to the queen city in the near future. Of course all sales must be approved by the NBA Board of Governor’s by ¾ majority vote. Any relocation must also be approved by a simple majority vote once the sale is approved. The proposed sale and relocation will be discussed at the NBA Board of Governor’s meeting in April 2014.

 

In other NBA news - it is announced that new Seattle GM DD Martin has signed a 4 year contract with the club. Mr. Martin will be putting together his coaching staff as the season winds down but the front office is taking shape and the group is already pouring over information in regards to the upcoming MBA draft which they will have a lottery pick in and also the free agent prospects. Word is that several NBA players who agreements are up are on the wish list for the new club that will fit in with its long term strategy.

[Theheel]

NBA Dateline - February 1st, 2014

 

In a stunning development on the day he would have retired as NBA Commissioner, former Commissioner David Stern has lost almost all of his retirement savings. Having invested in his good buddy Clayton Bennett's Dorchester Capital financing company, the disgraced former Commissioner lost millions of dollars as the Dorchester Capital filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy today. Along with David Stern losing millions, the Bennett family has also lost a substantial amount of their net worth which has put a huge cloud over the Oklahoma City franchise.

 

In other NBA Developments

The new expansion franchise the Seattle SuperSonics have named their head coach when the team begins to play next season. The Sonics will be lead by former University of Illinois head coach David Laporte, age 39. Laporte who guided the Illini for 4 seasons will continue as coach through the rest of the season with Illinois before joining the Sonics in Early April after the NCAA tournament. Laporte has been given a 3 year contract by GM DD Martin worth an estimate $1.25 million per season. Laporte's record to date at Illinois is 75-24 during his 1st 3 seasons and this year the Fighting Illini are 18-5 and ranked #14 in the nation in the latest polls.

[Theheel]

February 9, 2014 NBA All Star Game

 

In the usual high scoring affair, the Western Conference All-Stars blew out the East by a score of 142-119. MVP of the All-Star game was Dallas Maverick All Pro Dirk Nowitzki who led the West with 23 pts.

 

West 142, East 119 - 2/9/2014

 

West 41 31 38 32 142

East 34 33 28 24 119

 

 

Player of the Game: PF Dirk Nowitzki (DAL)

 

 

Game Summary:

 

Game Stats EAST WEST

Halftime Score 67 72

FGM-FGA 51-101 62-98

FG% .505 .633

FTM-FTA 14-18 12-18

FT% .778 .667

3PM-3PA 3-7 6-15

3P% .429 .400

Rebounds 38 40

Assists 29 34

Steals 6 6

Blocks 7 6

Turnovers 14 14

Team Fouls 17 21

[Theheel]

NBA Dateline April - End of regular season

 

As the Sonics and the Gold begin preparations for the upcoming expansion draft, the rest of the NBA completed the regular season. In a bit of a surprise, the Houston Rockets ended up with the best record in the NBA and thus clinched home court advantage throughout the playoffs....

 

2013 NBA Standings

 

----------------------------------------------------

ATLANTIC W L PCT HOME DIV CONF

----------------------------------------------------

Philadelphia 48 34 .585 31-10 9-7 31-21

New York 47 35 .573 34-7 9-7 29-23

Brooklyn 46 36 .561 29-12 5-11 31-21

Toronto 42 40 .512 27-14 9-7 29-23

Boston 42 40 .512 24-17 8-8 29-23

 

----------------------------------------------------

SOUTHEAST W L PCT HOME DIV CONF

----------------------------------------------------

Miami 49 33 .598 26-15 8-8 33-19

Atlanta 41 41 .500 29-12 11-5 27-25

Washington 35 47 .427 21-20 11-5 26-26

Orlando 24 58 .293 14-27 6-10 18-34

Charlotte 13 69 .159 9-32 4-12 9-43

 

----------------------------------------------------

CENTRAL W L PCT HOME DIV CONF

----------------------------------------------------

Milwaukee 50 32 .610 30-11 10-6 30-22

Indiana 47 35 .573 29-12 8-8 30-22

Chicago 39 43 .476 27-14 9-7 23-29

Cleveland 36 46 .439 23-18 6-10 22-30

Detroit 29 53 .354 20-21 7-9 23-29

 

----------------------------------------------------

MIDWEST W L PCT HOME DIV CONF

----------------------------------------------------

Houston 61 21 .744 36-5 13-3 39-13

San Antonio 50 32 .610 31-10 8-8 33-19

Memphis 43 39 .524 24-17 7-9 27-25

Dallas 42 40 .512 27-14 8-8 24-28

New Orleans 37 45 .451 22-19 4-12 22-30

 

----------------------------------------------------

NORTHWEST W L PCT HOME DIV CONF

----------------------------------------------------

Oklahoma City 53 29 .646 29-12 7-9 30-22

Denver 43 39 .524 28-13 13-3 31-21

Portland 42 40 .512 29-12 9-7 28-24

Utah 41 41 .500 26-15 7-9 26-26

Minnesota 26 56 .317 17-24 4-12 16-36

 

----------------------------------------------------

PACIFIC W L PCT HOME DIV CONF

----------------------------------------------------

Los Angeles (LAC) 58 24 .707 30-11 10-6 34-18

Los Angeles (LAL) 48 34 .585 28-13 10-6 24-28

Golden State 34 48 .415 25-16 8-8 21-31

Phoenix 33 49 .402 23-18 3-13 19-33

Sacramento 31 51 .378 21-20 9-7 16-36

 

 

2013 NBA Playoff Standings

 

----------------------------------------------------

EAST W L PCT HOME DIV CONF

----------------------------------------------------

*Milwaukee 50 32 .610 30-11 10-6 30-22

*Miami 49 33 .598 26-15 8-8 33-19

*Philadelphia 48 34 .585 31-10 9-7 31-21

Indiana 47 35 .573 29-12 8-8 30-22

New York 47 35 .573 34-7 9-7 29-23

Brooklyn 46 36 .561 29-12 5-11 31-21

Toronto 42 40 .512 27-14 9-7 29-23

Boston 42 40 .512 24-17 8-8 29-23

---------------------------------------------------

Atlanta 41 41 .500 29-12 11-5 27-25

Chicago 39 43 .476 27-14 9-7 23-29

Cleveland 36 46 .439 23-18 6-10 22-30

Washington 35 47 .427 21-20 11-5 26-26

Detroit 29 53 .354 20-21 7-9 23-29

Orlando 24 58 .293 14-27 6-10 18-34

Charlotte 13 69 .159 9-32 4-12 9-43

 

----------------------------------------------------

WEST W L PCT HOME DIV CONF

----------------------------------------------------

*Houston 61 21 .744 36-5 13-3 39-13

*Los Angeles (LAC) 58 24 .707 30-11 10-6 34-18

*Oklahoma City 53 29 .646 29-12 7-9 30-22

San Antonio 50 32 .610 31-10 8-8 33-19

Los Angeles (LAL) 48 34 .585 28-13 10-6 24-28

Denver 43 39 .524 28-13 13-3 31-21

Memphis 43 39 .524 24-17 7-9 27-25

Portland 42 40 .512 29-12 9-7 28-24

---------------------------------------------------

Dallas 42 40 .512 27-14 8-8 24-28

Utah 41 41 .500 26-15 7-9 26-26

New Orleans 37 45 .451 22-19 4-12 22-30

Golden State 34 48 .415 25-16 8-8 21-31

Phoenix 33 49 .402 23-18 3-13 19-33

Sacramento 31 51 .378 21-20 9-7 16-36

Minnesota 26 56 .317 17-24 4-12 16-36

[Theheel]

Opening round of the 2013-2014 NBA Playoffs

 

The NBA Playoffs began with the following matchups

Eastern Conference Western Conference

#8 Boston vs #1 Milwaukee #8 Portland vs #1 Houston

#5 Indiana vs #4 New York #5 LA Lakers vs #4 San Antonio

#7 Toronto vs #2 Miami #7 Memphis vs #2 LA Clippers

#6 Brooklyn vs #3 Philadelphia #6 Denver vs #3 Oklahoma City

 

Eastern Conference Report

Milwaukee sweeps Boston 3-0

While the Bucks swept the Celtics in the best of 5 series, games 2 and 3 were decided by one point each with the Bucks winning at home in game 2 89-88 and then also winning game 3 in Boston 116-115. The surprising number #1 seeded Bucks will move on to the 2nd round and will host the Indiana Pacers. Monta Ellis led the Bucks with 24 pts in game one.

 

In Game #2 in a game of huge runs, the Bucks raced out to a 26-9 lead at the end of the 1st quarter, only to have Boston completely dominate the 2nd quarter and forge a halftime tie at 43-43. The Celtics then looked to be evening the series at 1 game a piece with another solid quarter in the 3rd taking a 67-56 lead into the 4th. The Bucks continued to trail by 8 points into the final 5 minutes when the outscored the Celtics 12-5 down the stretch and win 89-88 behind Brandon Jennings 20 pts.

 

Game #3 in Boston was a very tight affair from the start. No team ever led by more than 7 points. Bucks led 55-51 at the half and the 2nd half saw the teams seesaw back and forth with 14 lead changes. Again down the stretch the Bucks had the Celtics number and won scoring the last 5 points of the game. Leading scorer for the Bucks again was Brandon Jennings with 28.

 

Indiana defeats the Knicks 3-1

The Pacers set the tone for this series by winning both games #1 & #2 in New York in two closely contested games. The Pacers won game #1 by the score of 107-104. Paul George led the Pacers in that game #1 victory scoring a double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony also had a double-double in game #1 for the Knicks with 27 points and 14 rebounds.

 

In game #2, Lance Stephenson led the Pacers with 26 points while Roy Hibbert added 11 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony again led the Knicks with 25 points and Tyson Chandler had a monster rebounding game with 17 total and 9 offensive rebounds. The Knicks dominated the offensive rebounds with 21 for the game, but couldn’t overcome their poor shooting of 41.1% and only getting to the foul line 7 times for the game.

 

Game #3 moved to Indianapolis and continued the trend of the road team winning as the Knicks beat the Pacers 85-76. Anthony led the way with 26 points with Tyson Chandler again 13 rebounds but only scoring 4 points in the game. Pacers were David West’s double-double with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Pacers led at the half 38-28 but the Knicks came out on fire in the 3rd quarter outscoring the Knicks 32-16 for the quarter and never looking back.

 

Game #4 had the Knicks leading 50-45 at the half and 70-66 after 3 quarters, but the Pacers really did not want the series to return to New York. The Pacers blew past the Knicks in the 4th quarter with a 33-16 count and ended up pulling away for a 99-86 victory and winning the series in 4 games. Carmelo Anthony who was plagued with foul trouble most of the game managed only 16 points to lead the way for the Knicks who also get 16 points and 10 rebounds from Rasheed Wallace. The Pacers were led by Danny Granger’s 25 points.

 

Miami Heat beat the Toronto Raptors 3-1

The defending champion Heat came out firing in game #1 and blasted the Raptors 113-91. The Heat were paced by a complete game from Chris Bosh who had 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. Jose Calderon led Toronto with 23 points.

 

In game #2 in Miami, the Heat came out fast and led after the 1st quarter 21-8 and never really looked back in winning 93-85. While the score in this game was closer, it never really felt in doubt for the Heat who were led in scoring again by Chris Bosh with 28 points, and Lebron James also have a great game with a triple-double scoring 22 points, with 17 rebounds and 10 assists. The Raptors were led by Kyle Lowry’s 21 points, while Demar DeRozan and Jose Calderon each scored 20.

 

Game #3 moved to Toronto and the Raptors had their finest hour winning 115-112 over the defending champs. Toronto had 7 players in double figures with Kyle Lowry again leading the way with 26 points. Chris Bosh continued his dominate play scoring 40 against his former team, while Lebron James hit for 28.

 

Game #4 saw Miami crank up the defensive pressure and force a series high 24 turnovers (18 steals) as the pulled away for a series clinching 105-92 victory. Chris Bosh cooled off in scoring with only 12 points but again had 10 rebounds. LeBron James led the Heat with 28 points and the Raptors were led by Jose Calderon’s 17 points. The Heat will face the Brooklyn Nets in the 2nd round of the NBA Playoffs.

 

Brooklyn defeats the 76’ers 3-1

The 6th seeded Nets came out and won game #1 and split the first two games in Philadelphia and then blasted the 76’ers at the Barclay Center in winning games 3 and 4.

 

In game #1 of the series the Brooklyn Nets came into Philadelphia and stole the game. With a commanding rebounding edge of 58-38, the Nets also grabbed 16 offensive rebounds to get the victory 101-97. The Nets were led in scoring by Deron Williams’ 24 points, while the Jrue Holiday had 29 points and 9 assists for the 76’ers.

 

In game #2, the home town 76’ers pulled away in the 4th quarter for a 110-103 victory. The key to the game was the 76’ers held their own on the boards winning the rebounding battle 44-42. Jrue Holiday led the way with 30 points and 9 assists, while Nick Young also scored 26. Brook Lopez paced the Nets with 28 points and 12 rebounds.

 

In Game #3 the Nets raced out to a 58-38 led at the half and dominated the boards 60-38. Brook Lopez led a balanced scoring attack for the Nets with 19 points, while Nick Young paced the 76’ers with 18 points.

In the clinching game #4, the Nets ran out to a 58-39 first half advantage and never looked back winning 110-96. Andray Blatche led the Nets with a double-double scoring 21 points and grabbing down 12 rebounds. Ex- Washington Husky Spencer Hawes led the 76’ers with 24 points.

 

In the Western Conference opening round

8th seed Portland shocks top seeded Houston 3-0

The Rockets won the most games in the NBA with 61, but couldn’t win when it counted most in the playoffs as the 42-40 Trailblazers swept the Rockets 3-0.

 

The Blazers won game #1 107-103 in Houston. While all 5 Blazer starters scored in double figures, the starters +/- numbers were a combined -32 points. The Blazer bench put the defensive clamps on the Rockets as the +/- for the bench players was 42 points while they only scored 18 points off the bench. LaMarcus Aldridge had 22 points for the Blazers while JJ Hickson added 12 rebounds. The Rockets were led in scoring by James Harden’s 32 points.

 

You would figure that with the Blazers upsetting the Rockets in game #1, that the Rockets would show why they were the best regular season team in the NBA, but instead the Rockets never showed up. Trailing at the half, the home crowd for the Rockets was booing as the Blazers led 73-45, on the way to the blowout road victory 125-97. Jeremy Lin led the Rockets with 22 points but then called out his teammates for their lack luster play and didn’t blame the crowd for booing the effort. Wesley Mathews led all Blazer scoring with 28 points while Damian Lillard had a fine game with a double-double 24 points and 10 assists.

 

The Rockets took the floor in Portland looking like a team that wanted to prove the first two games were a fluke. The Rockets led at the half 66-58, pace and style of the game was to the Blazers liking on their home court. In the 2nd half the Rockets reverted back to their poor play only scoring 40 points and went onto lose the game and the series with a 110-106 setback. The celebrating Blazers were led in scoring by LaMarcus Aldridge’s 32 points, JJ Hickson 20 rebounds and 17 points, and Damian Lillards 16 points and 10 assists. Jeremy Lin had 19 points and 15 assists for the Rockets in defeat. LaMarcus Aldridge proclaimed after the game “we just swept the top team in the league and now we are ready to go all the way to the Finals!”

 

San Antonio sweeps the Lakers 3-0

With the top seeded Rockets losing in the opening round, one of these two teams were looking for an opportunity to advance to the West conference finals, the question of which team was quickly answered as the Spurs swept the Lakers 3-0. The Lakers could never get their offense untracked against the Spurs as they were held to 81.7 pts per game. One has to wonder how this series would have gone if Kobe Bryant was available to play for the Lakers.

 

San Antonio blasted the Lakers in game #1 by the score of 92-71. The Spurs were led by Tim Duncan’s double-double of 26 points and 12 rebounds. The Lakers shot a miserable 36% from the floor and 23.5% from 3 point range. Pau Gasol had 19 points for the Lakers in the losing cause.

In game #2 in San Antonio, the Lakers shot a little bit better at 43% from the floor, but they couldn’t stop the Spurs at all who shot 58% from the floor for the game in winning 116-88. Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 25 points, and Tony Parker had 17 points to go along with 13 assists. Dwight Howard scored 29 points with 11 rebounds for the Lakers.

 

The series moved to LA for game #3 but that didn’t seem to matter as the Spurs again got off to a hot start with some great defense and blew the Kobe-less Laker’s out of the playoffs with a 109-85 victory. Tony Parker had 28 points and 8 assists, while Tim Duncan had 25 points and 17 rebounds for the Spurs. Dwight Howard led the listless Lakers with 16 points.

Dwight Howard announces that he will become a free agent and he will not re-sign with the Lakers.

 

LA Clippers take out the Grizzlies 3-0.

While the crosstown Lakers failed miserably, the Clippers are slowly becoming LA’s best team. Last year these two teams fought in a tough series, but this year the 2nd seeded Clips ran the Grizzlies out of town in 3 straight games.

Game #1 at the Staples Center saw the Grizzlies come out and fire off to a 36-22 1st quarter led, but by the half, the Clippers had taken a 57-55 lead. From there it all went downhill quickly for the Grizzlies as the Clippers outscored them 68-48 in the 2nd half (last 3 quarters 103-67) to take game one 125-103. The Clips were led in scoring by Chris Paul who had 23 points and 6 assists, and 5 others had double digits as well. Wayne Ellington had 20 points for the Grizzlies.

 

Game #2 saw the Clippers run out to a quick lead, but some adjustments made by Memphis saw them tie up the game at the half at 41-41. The pace definitely slowed which was to the Grizzlies advantage. This one went down to the final minutes but the Clippers pulled it out 97-92 behind Chris Paul’s 34 points and 11 assists. Rudy Gay had 22 points, and Zach Randolph had 13 rebounds but only 6 points for the Grizzlies who have to hope they can turn things around at home in game 3.

 

Game #3 saw the Clippers slowly and surely build a lead that they never relinquished and they pulled away in Memphis from the Grizzlies to win the series 3-0 by a score of 120-101. Eric Bledsoe paced the Clips with 22, while Blake Griffin had 17 points and 15 rebounds, and Chris Paul had 14 points and 10 assists. Mike Conley had 28 points and 11 assists in the losing effort.

Oklahoma City outlasted Denver in 5 games to win the series.

While Denver had a disappointing regular season with a 43-39 record, some would say that Oklahoma City at 53-29 was an even bigger disappointment during the season. Denver went to Oklahoma City and played a great all-around game and beat the Thunder in game #1 92-82. The Thunder wilted in the 4th quarter to the Denver pressure defense. Denver was led by Corey Brewer’s 24 points, while Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 23 points and 7 assists.

 

Game 2 saw the Thunder come out sluggish again but managing to lead at the half 45-43. The Thunder played more like the team everyone expects them to be and play like, and ending up winning 105-92 to even the series at 1 game apiece. Thabo Sefolosha led the Thunder with 26 points while Ty Lawson led the Nuggets with 19 points. The Thunder are definitely missing their leader, Kevin Durant as he missed both games so far.

 

In Game 3 the series moved to Denver and while not starting Kevin Durant tried to play, but only managed 1 minute before having to sit back down. The disappointment of their star player not being able to go, showed as the Thunder just managed 69 points in losing 78-69 and are on the brink of being eliminated with game 4 in Denver tomorrow. Kevin Martin led the Thunder with 13 points while Ty Lawson led Denver with 15 points.

 

Game 4 in Denver saw the Thunder scratch, claw and gut out a memorable victory over the Nuggets 92-91 forcing a game 5 in OKC. Kevin Durant still suffering the effects of the broken jaw he suffered in the next to last regular season game again tried to go but quickly found out it would not be his night again playing just 2 minutes. Durant has been ruled out of the game 5 finale but the feeling is he will be able to log minutes if the Thunder survive to the 2nd round. Russell Westbrook had 25 points for the Thunder and hit the game winner with 10 seconds left. Denver was led by Danilo Gallinari with 21 points.

 

Only one 1st round series went the distance of 5 games, and tonight the last spot in the 2nd round of the playoffs will be decided. Kevin Durant has been ruled out of the game still suffering the effects of the broken jaw he suffered. Russell Westbrook 22 points and Kevin Martin replacing Durant in the starting 5 had 21 points to led the Thunder to a 93-89 victory. Corey Brewer tried to will Denver to victory but his 2nd half effort fell short scoring 17 of his 21 points in the 2nd half.

[Theheel]

2nd Round of the 2013-2014 NBA Playoffs

 

Eastern Conference

Miami Heat #2 seed defeats #6 seed Brooklyn Nets 4-3

Indiana Pacers #5 seed defeats #1 seed Milwaukee Bucks 4-2

 

Western Conference

San Antonio Spurs #4 seed defeat #8 seed Portland Trailbrazers 4-1

LA Clippers #2 seed defeat #3 seed Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1

 

Miami vs Brooklyn

Chris Bosh continued his tear in the playoffs with another solid performance scoring 28 points in leading the defending world champion Miami Heat to a 121-104 victory over the visiting Brooklyn Nets in game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semi-finals. Joe Johnson led the Nets with 26 points. The Heat shot 50.6% from the field and had a 26-10 advantage in free throw attempts (22-9 in made free throws).

 

The Nets looked to even the series against the defending champions in Miami and did just that routing the Heat 99-79. The loss was one of the worst playoff defeats for this Heat team and we will see if losing at home will change the outlook of this series that many thought would be a Heat sweep. Joe Johnson continued his scoring in the playoffs with 23 points for the Nets while Lebron James added a game high 24 points and 9 rebounds for the Heat. The series moves now to Brooklyn tied at one game apiece.

 

Miami came into Brooklyn and avenged the game 2 loss with a dramatic 107-92 victory at the Barclay Center. Lebron James led a spirited Heat rally from the game 2 loss with 33 points and 17 rebounds and 5 assists. Joe Johnson again led the Nets with 24 points on 9-17 shooting from the floor. The Heat now take back home court advantage and lead the series 2 games to 1.

 

The Brooklyn Nets are not ready to end their season. After a disappointing game 3 loss at home the Nets came back and beat the defending world champions 109-98 in game 4 and evening the series at 2 games a piece. Andray Blatche had 26 points in the victory and LeBron James had 28 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat. Game 5 will return to Miami on Saturday night.

The defending champs are on the ropes after suffering a 94-86 loss in game 5 at home to the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets were led in scoring by Deron Williams who had 20 points and 9 assists, while LeBron James tried to keep the Heat in it with 39 points and 10 rebounds, but it was not enough. Game 6 will be in Brooklyn on Monday night where the Nets could pull off one of the biggest upsets we have seen in some time.

 

The Heat had their backs against the wall and MVP candidate LeBron James didn’t let his team down. The Heat survived and forced game 7 in the series with a stirring win in Brooklyn, 93-80. James had 45 points and 9 rebounds in leading the Heat, Dwyane Wade had 16 points and 9 rebounds. Joe Johnson had 19 points for the Nets. Game 7 will be on Wednesday night with the winner going on to face the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals.

 

The Brooklyn Nets did what no one thought they could do and force the Heat into an all or nothing game 7, but that is as far as the Nets got as the Heat came out fast and eliminated any doubt who was going to advance by halftime as they lead 64-42. The Heat finished the Nets off in the 2nd half and won going away 117-74 behind LeBron James 41 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists. Joe Johnson had 23 points for the Net’s. The Heat will now face the Pacers in game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday night.

 

Milwaukee vs Indiana

Game one at the Bradley Center went to overtime, but the home town top seeded Bucks outlasted the Pacers 97-92 in OT. With the game tied at 88 at the end of regulation, the Bucks outscored the Pacers 9-4 in the extra period. Brandon Jennings had 27 points to pace the Bucks while David West had an All-Star performance with 24 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and 3 blocks.

 

The Milwaukee Bucks held serve at home and won game 2 by a score of 101-97. Brandon Jennings had 26 points and 8 assists to lead the Bucks as they go up now 2 games to none in the best of 7 series. The series will now shift to Indianapolis for games 3 and 4. Danny Granger led the Pacers with 18 points in the losing effort.

 

Indiana came home in game 3 and held on for an exciting 98-91 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. With the victory the Pacers cut the Bucks lead to 2-1 in the best of 7 games series. Monta Ellis led the Bucks with 20 points in the losing cause while Paul George had 22 points for the Pacers.

 

The Indiana Pacers have come roaring back to tie their best of 7 series at 2 games apiece with an easy 99-74 victory at home last night. Danny Granger had 30 points for the Pacers, while Monta Ellis had 17 in defeat for the Bucks. The series now shifts back to Milwaukee for the all important game 5.

 

The number 1 seeded Eastern Conference Milwaukee Bucks came home for game 5 to try and re-take charge in their series with the Indiana Pacers, but led by George Hill’s 32 points the Pacers pulled off the upset 100-94 and take a 3-2 lead in the series back home to try and finish off the Bucks. The Bucks were lead in scoring by Ersan Ilyasova’s 29 points.

 

Indiana had all the momentum from winning the last 3 games in the series and that continued on as the red hot Pacers eliminated the #1 seed Bucks in 6 games winning 111-86. The upstart Pacers were led by David West’s 26 points while the Bucks were led by Brandon Jennings 22 points. Jennings after the game was asked about his status with the Bucks saying he would like to return if he and the team can agree on a contract extension. The Pacers will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and await the winner of the Miami – Brooklyn series.

 

LA Clippers vs Oklahoma City

Game 1 in LA was a party for the Clippers. Ending any doubt about the outcome of this game in the 1st quarter as the Clips took a 41-16 lead. Kevin Durant made a brief return playing 5 minutes in the rout for the Thunder and Thunder fans have got to be wondering what the playoffs would have been like if they had their team leader. Jamal Crawford had 34 points to lead the Clippers to the easy rout 105-75. Kevin Martin continues to try and fill in for Durant scoring 20 points but the Thunder offense has been out of sync without Durant and it has showed in all 6 games so far in the playoffs.

 

Game 2 remained competitive unlike game one. At the half the Clippers led 53-52 but the Thunder actually took a 75-74 lead into the final quarter. But in the decisive 4th quarter that the Clippers dominated 44-23 and rolled to a 118-98 victory. Jamal Crawford again led the scoring for the Clippers with 32 points and Chris Paul had 27 points, 5 assists and 7 steals. OKC was led by Thabo Sefolosha’s 21 points.

 

Game 3 was a huge game for the homing Thunder. Struggling in the series being outscored by 50 points combined in the 1st 2 games in Los Angeles. Kevin Durant saw his most minutes in the playoffs playing 10 minutes and scoring 15 points most coming in the 2nd half as the Thunder dug out from a 57-47 halftime deficit. But even Kevin Martin’s 36 points couldn’t offset the Clippers who were led by Jamal Crawford’s 35 points and leading the Clippers to a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. The Thunder face elimination tomorrow night here on their home court.

 

Oklahoma City was looking to avoid a sweep and they would have to do it without All Star Kevin Durant as he was rule out of the game. While the Thunder season has been disappointing, they did not disappoint in this game as behind Kevin Martin’s 34 points and Russell Westbrooks 16 assists to go along with 19 points the Thunder staved off elimination 102-97. The Clippers will take a 3-1 lead back to LA to try and finish off the series were led by Jamal Crawford’s 27 points, and Blake Griffin added 17 points and 15 rebounds.

 

The Thunder avoided elimination in game 4 but the Clippers were determined that it would not happen again on their home court in game 5. Behind a blitzing 3rd quarter where they outscored the Thunder 42-18 and broke their will, the Clippers won 118-78 and win the series 4-1. Series MVP Jamal Crawford had 37 points in the win, and Russell Westbrook had 16 in the loss. Kevin Durant vows to return next year and bring the Thunder back to the NBA Finals.

 

Portland vs San Antonio

Game 1 in San Antonio saw a gritty performance by the Blazers that lasted for 3+ quarters, but in the end the Spurs pulled away with a 25-16 4th quarter and won game 1 97-86. Tony Parker had 23 points and 8 assists, while Tim Duncan had 18 points and 17 rebounds for the Spurs. The Blazers were led by Wesley Matthews 22 points and JJ Hickson’s 10 rebounds.

 

Game 2 in the series was not as good of a game as game 1. The Spurs held the Blazers to 34.9% shooting from the field and routed the Blazers 94-69 taking a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Semi’s. Balanced scoring by the Spurs led by Tony Parker’s 19, Tim Duncan’s 14 and Stephen Jackson’s 15 points off the bench. Damian Lillard scored 25 points for the Blazers in defeat. Game 3 will be in Portland in a couple of nights.

 

Portland hosted game 3 down 2-0 in the series with the Spurs, but that didn’t deter the underdog Blazers as they took game 3 108-100. Wesley Matthews scored 30, LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 points and 12 rebounds and Nicolas Batum had 19 points and 7 assists in leading the Blazers. Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with 22 points and 7 rebounds.

 

Trailing 72-67 heading into the 4th quarter in game 4, the Trailblazers fought but were not able to overcome the veteran experience of the Spurs and lost game #4 103-92. The Spurs really wanted to hang onto the lead so that they would have the opportunity to go home for game 5 and finish the series. Tony Parker led the Spurs to the 3-1 series advantage with 29 points and 9 assists, while Wesley Matthews again led the Blazers with 21 points.

 

The Spurs won game 5 90-72 at home and eliminated the 8th seeded Blazers from the NBA Playoffs 4 games to 1. The Spurs will advance to face the Clippers in the Western Conference finals. Tony Parker led the Spurs with 28 points and 6 assists and Tim Duncan had 10 points and 18 rebounds for the victors. Wesley Matthews continued a fine playoff run leading the Blazers with 13 points.

[Theheel]

The Conference Finals

 

Eastern Conference Final

Miami Heat #2 seed defeat the #5 Indiana Pacers 4-1

 

Western Conference Final

Los Angeles Clippers #2 seed defeat the #4 seed San Antonio Spurs 4-3

 

NBA Finals

Los Angeles Clippers defeat the defending World Champion Miami Heat 4-2 to win the NBA Championship.

 

Heat vs Pacers

Chris Bosh who pulled a hamstring in game 1 of the Brooklyn series was sorely missed by the Heat in the last series. Bosh is still out to start off the series with the Pacers, but in game 1 it didn’t matter as the Heat behind LeBron James 42 points won game 1 98-89. Paul George led the Pacers with 21 points in the losing effort.

 

Behind Dwyane Wade’s 24 points, the Heat won game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals 92-87. George Hill added 22 points for the Pacers who once again find themselves down 2-0 after 2 road games. In the series against Milwaukee after losing the first 2 games they won the last 4. We will see if they can do it again against the defending NBA Champions who hope to get Chris Bosh back soon.

 

Chris Bosh returned to the Heat lineup after missing the last 8 games and came back with a double-double scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. LeBron James led the Heat with 33 points and 8 assists, while Paul George led the hometown Pacer’s with 21 points. The Heat now appear to be firmly in control of the series leading 3-0 with game 4 here in Indianapolis next.

 

There will be no sweep for the Heat as the Pacer’s won at home tonight 95-88 forcing a game 5 in Miami. Despite Chris Bosh’s 2nd straight double-double since returning to the lineup with 31 points and 18 rebounds, the Pacers lead early in the game and held on despite a furious 3rd quarter rally by the Heat that made the 4th quarter interesting. Paul George again had game high honors for the Pacer’s with 28 points.

 

The Miami Heat will be moving on to the NBA Finals with a solid performance eliminating the Pacer’s in game 5 by the score of 97-77. Chris Bosh again had a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Heat and LeBron James added 35 points. Danny Granger had 14 points off the bench to pace the Pacer’s. The Heat will move on and await the winner of the Western Conference Finals and defend their championship.

 

San Antonio vs LA Clippers

The veteran Spurs came to LA and in game 1 they beat the upstart Clippers 111-107. Tony Parker was 10-16 from the floor for 21 points, and 10 assists in leading the Spurs to the road victory. Jamal Crawford again put on a scoring display with 37 points in the loss.

 

Game 2 in the series saw the Clippers fight back from the game 1 loss and even the series at a game apiece with a 110-98 victory. Despite a drastic advantage for the Spurs at the foul line (Spurs 31-37 Clippers 16-20), the Clippers forced 32 Spur turnovers. Blake Griffin had 28 points for the Clippers while Tim Duncan scored 23 points and 14 rebounds despite 8 turnovers for the Spurs. Game 3 moves to San Antonio in a couple of nights.

 

San Antonio earned the advantage in LA in winning game 1 and wanted to make sure it counted and they took care of the Clippers 105-96 in game 3. Take a large halftime lead of 59-41, the Spurs were led by the 24 points and 15 rebounds from Tim Duncan. Eric Bledsoe led the Clippers with 19 points off the bench as the Spurs again had a huge advantage at the foul line hitting 36 of 41 while the Clippers were only 17-22.

 

The Spurs again enjoyed a huge advantage at the foul line and that led them to winning game 4 at home and taking a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals, by the score of 106-102. The Spurs were 24-29 at the line while the Clippers managed just 10 attempts and hit only 6. Manu Ginobili had 26 points, Tim Duncan added 8 points but 19 rebounds in leading the Spurs. Chris Paul erupted for 39 points and 9 assists for the Clips who face the difficult task of having to win 3 straight to oust the Spurs.

 

Game 5 at Staples Center and the Clippers were facing elimination down 3-1 in the series. The Clips charged out to a 67-55 lead at the half and then had to hang on down the stretch to win 111-110 in a thrilling finish. Blake Griffin had 28 points and 20 rebounds for the Clips while Chris Paul 16 points and 14 assists for the Clippers. Manu Ginobili had 32 points in the losing effort as the Spurs will go home for game 6 and try and wrap up the series.

 

Game 6 at the Alamo Dome saw the Clippers come out on fire and lead 53-46 at the half. The Clippers followed up the strong 1st half with an even stronger 3rd quarter (27-17) and took a commanding 80-63 lead into the 4th quarter. The Spurs attempted to make a run but the deficit was just too large and they fell in game 6 at home 96-87 and the series is now even at 3 games apiece and game 7 will be in LA. Jamal Crawford led the Clippers with 29 points while Tony Parker had 20 for the Spurs. The all important free throw shooting disparity in the first 4 games has been minor in the last two games in which the Clippers have won.

 

In the deciding game 7, the Clipper’s came back from a 3-1 deficit and won their 3 in a row to take the series 4-3 by the score of 113-103. Some say the veteran Spurs simply ran out of gas and others will point to the free throw issue that in games 1-4 was a huge advantage for the Spurs and in the last 3 games the teams actually made the same amount of free throws. Blake Griffin had 28 points and DeAndre Jordan had his best game of the playoffs scoring 8 points with 16 boards (6 offensive rebounds). Tony Parker led the Spurs with 24 points and 7 assists and Tim Duncan closed out the season with 20 rebounds to with 20 points. The Clippers now will go on to face the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.

 

NBA Finals

Los Angeles Clippers defeat the defending World Champion Miami Heat 4-2 to win the NBA Championship.

 

Game 1 of the finals started on Wednesday night in Los Angeles and the red hot Clippers who won their last 3 games against the Spurs, started out strong and defeated the Miami Heat 121-101. Blake Griffin had 25 points for the Clips, while Chris Paul had 16 points and 12 assists and Jamal Crawford had 24 points. The Heat were led by the 24 points from Dwyane Wade, LeBron James had 18 and Chris Bosh only played 18 minutes and scored 9 points and 7 rebounds. Bosh appeared to be hampered a bit by the problem with his hamstring but we will see how it affects him the rest of the series.

 

The Clippers fought through a strong Miami 1st half where the Heat lead 65-59, to put together another solid win and go up 2-0 in the best of 7 NBA Finals. Chris Bosh appeared to be ok playing 42 minutes but he wasn’t as active as he was in previous games since he came back. Bosh had 16 points and 7 rebounds, while LeBron James had 28 points and 9 rebounds for the Heat. Jamal Crawford had 31 points for the Clippers while Chris Paul had 25 points and 12 assists. The series moves to Miami for games 3, 4 and 5 with the Clippers up 2-0.

 

A huge game 3 for Miami in defense of their NBA title as they trail 2-0 to after the 1st 2 games in LA. The Heat again took off fast and led at halftime 59-50, but in the 2nd half the Clippers turned up the defensive pressure and the Heat wilted down the stretch and lost game 3 96-93. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in an NBA series and that is what the defending champs now face. Chris Paul delivered 31 points for the Clippers while DeAndre Jordan took care of the boards with 13 rebounds. LeBron James had 25 points for the Heat but the team only shot 44.2% for the game, but only 32% in the 2nd half.

 

Miami showed the heart of a champion by fighting off the LA Clippers to avoid a sweep in the NBA Finals by winning 101-97. The Heat had to hold off a furious 4th quarter rally by the Clippers lead by Chris Paul and his 25 points. LeBron James had 25 points and 5 assists for the Heat while Chris Bosh added 15 points and 12 rebounds.

 

The Miami Heat continue to scrap after falling behind 3-0 in the NBA Finals by winning game 5 121-101 and reducing their deficit to 3-2. The Heat are trying to do the impossible by winning the last 4 games of the series and the task will be even harder as the series shifts back to the West Coast in LA for games 6 and 7. Chris Bosh appears to have shaken off the hamstring injury as he had 31 points and 16 boards for the Heat. Jamal Crawford had 33 points and Chris Paul added 10 assists, but only 7 points for the Clippers.

 

The Miami Heat knew they had to get out to a fast start in game 6 if they wanted to win, but they were not able to do that as they fell behind 41-18 after 1 quarter. But the Heat didn’t fall easily as they slowly worked their way back into the game before falling 141-135. LeBron James had 48 points and 11 assists for the Heat, while Chris Paul had 34 points and 15 assists for the Clippers. Paul was named the FINALS MVP averaging 23.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, and 10.7 apg. The Clippers win 4-2 to win their 1st NBA Championship.

 

With the end of the 2013-2014 NBA season we will now head into the off-season and the beginning of the return of the Seattle Sonics. The following events will happen during the off season.

 

1.) Expansion Draft (Seattle will pick 1st and the Gold 2nd)

2.) NBA Draft Lottery

3.) NBA Draft

4.) Free Agency

[Theheel]

Just prior to the NBA Expansion Draft new Sonics GM DD Martin appeared on local sports radio station program Mitch in the Morning.

 

Mitch - we are joined in studio by new Sonic GM DD Martin to discuss the upcoming expansion draft. During the NBA Finals the Sonics were awarded the #4 pick in the college draft that will be held in a couple of weeks. DD what did you think about getting the #4 pick while your expansion cousins the Las Vegas Gold received the 1st pick.

 

Martin - well Mitch it is great to be here first off. We in the Sonics organization, and the fans are obviously very excited about the return of NBA basketball to Seattle. On the NBA draft we obviously wish the ping pong balls came up with our number for the 1st pick, but we will be happy with #4. We are going to get a great player regardless.

 

Mitch - any thoughts on who you will be targeting?

 

Martin - that will really be dependent on the results of the expansion draft. We have a game plan going in and we are going to draft the best players possible that will fit into our vision. This expansion draft will consist of 12 rounds so that will provide us the bulk of our 1st year team.

 

Mitch - looking at the expansion draft there are so high priced players on that list, will you be drafting any of those?

 

Martin - Mitch since it is unlikely we will be competing for a playoff spot in year 1, we are going to look at the expansion draft to get a good solid young base of players. We will not be looking to take anyone's high priced mistakes and we are going to be looking at younger players to build with. That includes building around our #4 pick in the draft.

 

Mitch - well it is great to have you here today and I can tell you the entire city is excited about the first game at home in November. Any last thoughts for the fans.

 

Martin - remember that we have a plan to build this team in the right way. That means while it will take a few years to build to a playoff contender we will be an entertaining team this year. We will be strategic in our expansion draft to leave room for free agency and we will likely take a slow look at it but I can tell you we have a definite target we plan to aggressively pursue come July in free agency.

 

Mitch - if you don't mind we would love to have you back after free agency to talk about the draft and free agency and how the team shapes up in year 1 prior to training camp.

 

Martin - Mitch it will be my pleasure, thanks again and thanks to all the fans for the great support

[Antonin]

Very nice! Please continue.

[Theheel]

I am planning on getting back to posting. I had some RL issues come up with a family members health. So even though the NBA is out to stick it to Seattle again (thanks David Stern) the return of the Seattle SuperSonics will continue (at least on this forum) with the expansion draft and NBA drafts over the next 24 hours and then free agency on Friday.

 

Thanks for the support.

[Theheel]

Also a note for the NBA previous for the just completed 2013-2014 season and for this upcoming draft for 2014-2015 I used the computer's draft player names. I intend for the drafts beyond at least based on projections for the real June draft in 2013, and also some projections for 2014 and 2015 to use real players, they will just be drafted in years that are 2 years behind when they would be really drafted. So for example Noel from Kentucky will be a top 3 pick this year most likely but in my game world will be a pick in the 2015 NBA draft.

 

Just wanted to clarify since I fast sim the 2013 season to get to the expansion draft and hadn't done my homework on this year's NBA draft I delayed the entry (but not aging them) 2 years. Hopefully this will mean that at least for a few seasons I can use real players again depending on how quickly I play through the seasons.

[Theheel]

NBA Expansion Draft

Live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Nevada

 

Ernie Johnson (TNT) – Well it is a night that the folks in these two expansion cities have been talking about, it is the NBA Expansion Draft.

Charles what do you think about the teams and the players they will be drafting.

 

Charles Barkley – wow there are a lot of knuckleheads in this draft. The winner will be the team who picks the fewest.

 

Kenny Smith – Come now Charles there is some talent to build a team around here tonight.

 

Charles – I don’t see it!

 

Commissioner Silver – Welcome everyone to the NBA 2014 Expansion Draft. Tonight’s draft will be 12 rounds. The Seattle SuperSonics won the coin flip and will have the 1st pick. Then each team will continue picking until each has 12 players. Seattle is on the clock.

 

With the 1st pick in the 2014 NBA Expansion Draft, Seattle selects Anthony Randolph from the Denver Nuggets.

 

Ernie Johnson – Interesting pick. The Sonics went with a younger big man who is relatively inexpensive.

 

Charles – I think Seattle is setting the tone for the evening. Both of these teams are going to try to find diamonds in the rough.

 

Kenny - Well during their expansion years they will not likely be a factor to make the playoffs, so it does make some sense to draft as many young guys who are inexpensive as you can. Try to build something for the future.

 

Commissioner Silver – With their 1st pick in the 2014 NBA Expansion Draft (#2 overall), the Las Vegas Gold select, Jason Kidd from the New York Knicks

 

Charles – Holy Cow, I think Jason is older than me.

 

Kenny – That is definitely a surprise pick in my book. Although Kidd will be an excellent veteran leader for a young expansion team.

 

The rest of the draft……..

06/23/14 Seattle Draft PF Anthony Randolph with pick #1 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Denver Nuggets. 6’11 234lbs age 25 yrs pro 5 contract 2 yrs $1,750,000

 

06/23/14 Seattle Draft PG John Lucas with pick #3 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Toronto Raptors. 5’11 168lbs, age 32 yrs pro 5 contract 1 yr $1,567,500

 

06/23/14 Seattle Draft SF Jared Dudley with pick #5 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Phoenix Suns. 6’7 226lbs age 29 yrs pro 6 contract 3 yrs $4,250,000

 

06/23/14 Seattle Draft PF Terrence Jones with pick #7 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Houston Rockets. 6’9 253 lbs age 23 yrs pro 1 contract 3 yrs $1,551,840

 

06/23/14 Seattle Draft SG Orlando Johnson with pick #9 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Indiana Pacers. 6’5 221lbs age 26 yrs pro 1 contract 1 yr $788,872

 

06/23/14 Seattle Draft C Festus Ezeli with pick #11 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Golden State Warriors. 6’11 264 lbs age 25 yrs pro 1 contract 1 $1,066,920

 

06/23/14 Seattle Draft SG Alonzo Gee with pick #13 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Cleveland Cavaliers. 6’6 221lbs age 27 yrs pro 4 contract 2 yrs $3,250,000

 

06/23/14 Seattle Draft SF Jeffery Taylor with pick #15 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Charlotte Bobcats. 6’7 225lbs age 25 yrs pro 1 contract 1 yr $647,660

 

06/23/14 Seattle Draft PF Udonis Haslem with pick #17 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Miami Heat. 6’8 236lbs age 34 yrs pro 10 contract 2 yrs $4,340,000

 

06/23/14 Seattle Draft PF Matt Bonner with pick #19 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Sacramento Kings. 6’10 243lbs age 35 yrs pro 9 contract 1 yr $3,945,000

 

06/23/14 Seattle Draft SG Will Barton with pick #21 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Portland Trail Blazers. 6’6 184 lbs age 24 yrs pro 1 contract 1 yr $647,660

 

06/23/14 Seattle Draft SF Perry Jones with pick #23 of the 2014 expansion draft from the OKC. 6’11 241 lbs age 23 yrs pro 1 contract 1 yr $1,082,520.

 

 

06/23/14 Las Vegas Draft PG Jason Kidd with pick #2 of the 2014 expansion draft from the New York Knicks. 6’4 209lbs age 42 years pro 18 Contract 2 yrs $3,090,000

 

06/23/14 Las Vegas Draft PG Kirk Hinrich with pick #4 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Chicago Bulls. 6’3 192 lbs age 34 yrs pro 10 contract 1 yr $4,059,000

 

06/23/14 Las Vegas Draft C Emeka Okafor with pick #6 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Washington Wizards. 6’10 262 lbs age 32 yrs pro 9 contract 1 yr $14,544,687

 

06/23/14 Las Vegas Draft PF Gustavo Ayon with pick #8 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Orlando Magic. 6’10 256lbs age 30 yrs pro 2 contract 1 yr $1,500,000

 

06/23/14 Las Vegas Draft SF Ron Artest with pick #10 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Las Angeles Lakers. 6’7 248lbs age 35 yrs pro 14 contract 1 yr $7,727,280

 

06/23/14 Las Vegas Draft SG Willie Green with pick #12 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Las Angeles Clippers. 6’4 202 lbs age 33 yrs pro 10 contract 1 yr $1,388,675

 

06/23/14 Las Vegas Draft PF Jonas Jerebko with pick #14 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Detroit Pistons. 6’10 237 lbs age 28, yrs pro 3 contract 2 yrs $4,500,000

 

06/23/14 Las Vegas Draft C Bernard James with pick #16 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Dallas Mavericks. 6’10 249 lbs age 30 yrs pro 1 contract 1 yr $788,872

 

06/23/14 Las Vegas Draft SF Jeremy Evans with pick #18 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Utah Jazz. 6’9 209lbs, age 27 yrs pro 3 contract 2 yrs $1,660,000

 

06/23/14 Las Vegas Draft PF Drew Gooden with pick #20 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Milwaukee Bucks. 6’10 248lbs age 33, yrs pro 11 contract 2 yrs $6,680,000

 

06/23/14 Las Vegas Draft SG DeShawn Stevenson with pick #22 of the 2014 expansion draft from the Atlanta Hawks. 6’5 227lbs age 34 yrs pro 13 contract 1 yr $1,500,000

 

06/23/14 Las Vegas Draft PF Arnett Moultrie with pick #24 of the 2014 expansion draft Philadelphia 76’ers. 6’10 256lbs age 24, yrs pro 1 contract 1 yr $1

 

Ernie Johnson - Well there you have the last pick of the draft. Guys who do you think got the better of the draft tonight.

 

Charles - Well guys this was a draft of different philosophies. The Sonics while drafting a few older players mainly went with young and athletic raw talent.

 

Kenny - The Gold certainly did draft the higher priced older stars. If you are looking at a 1 season draft, the Gold have the more established players and will probably have a better record in the 1st year, but I think the Sonic draft will be better in the long run.

 

(Anyone have any thoughts on the draft? The computer made the picks for the Gold while I did draft the Sonic's. My goal was to go after younger priced talent just to establish a core. I think I have a few decent players that we can use as a lot of bench depth in later years).

[Theheel]

Next up will be the NBA draft. I will write up and post the draft tomorrow night most likely. The Sonics will have the #4 pick and will be targeting probably a big man but we will review the talent pool and see where it goes.

[Theheel]

NBA Draft 2014

 

Adam Silver – Welcome to tonight’s NBA draft. We are coming from the Radio City Music Hall this year. Tonight we will welcome in 64 new players to the NBA from all over the world. First on the clock this year is the Expansion Las Vegas Gold…..and with the first pick of the 2014 NBA Draft the Las Vegas Gold select…

Pick Team Player Name Pos College/Country Hgt/Wgh PPG RPG APG

#1 Las Vegas Burt Hess SG St. Francis PA 6’5/182 27.6 5.7 5.6

#2 Phoenix Feliciano Criville SG Argentina 6’5/210

#3 Charlotte Jack Spector PF UCLA 6’8/242 16.2 9.8 2.1

#4 Seattle Vicente White C Australia 7’0/253

#5 Orlando Felton Irons PG Stanford 6’4/176 15.9 3.4 5.6

#6 Minnesota Brant Patterson C Pepperdine 7’0/244 20.5 6.0 2.5

#7 Detroit Irvin Vega SG St. Mary’s 6’6/214 15.3 4.5 3.4

#8 Sacramento Stanley Hall PG Memphis 5’11/203 17.5 7.0 11.9

#9 Golden St Chauncey Chambliss PG Stanford 5’10/163 19.6 5.3 5.3

#10 Washington Lee Talbott SG Virginia 6’7/207 22.7 3.0 1.5

#11 Cleveland Gino Smioni SG Italy 6’7/200

#12 New Orleans Francisco Francia SG LSU 6’8/187 17.2 3.8 0.9

#13 Chicago Cesar Bowen SG Louisville 6’6/208 15.3 3.6 4.4

#14 Utah James Spikes PG N. Arizona 6’3/172 12.1 4.4 2.8

#15 Atlanta Kevin Sloan PF Oregon 6’8/248 12.7 7.6 2.6

#16 Dallas Omer Gonzalez C Stanford 7’1/260 13.7 5.9 1.5

#17 Toronto Luces Parker PG UTEP 6’2/180 16.0 5.3 3.1

#18 Portland Chris Hoke PF Purdue 6’7/250 14.1 8.5 1.5

#19 Boston Arlen Boone SG Nebraska 6’4/190 12.7 4.0 1.7

#20 Memphis Reuban Collin SG Villanova 6’5/209 10.7 4.7 4.1

#21 Denver Clifford Brown SF St. John’s 6’8/232 12.2 4.0 0.5

#22 Brooklyn Elias Terreros PF Spain 6’10/278

#23 New York Bernard Moore PF Kent St 6’8/239 13.5 10.0 1.0

#24 Indiana John Scoville PG Notre Dame 6’3/193 8.6 6.9 5.8

#25 Philadelphia Scott Covey SF Arkansas 6’11/203 22.0 7.8 3.7

#26 LA Lakers Rodney Campbell C Texas-Arlington 7’1/268 15.2 14.2 0.3

#27 Miami Brad Hutchinson SF NC State 6’10/185 21.2 8.1 3.1

#28 San Antonio Charles Todd PG Wake Forest 6’4/188 10.1 2.3 1.5

#29 Milwaukee Robert Walton SG Oklahoma St 6’5/199 9.4 3.4 2.6

#30 OKC Elliot Burr SF Tennessee 6’7/244 19.9 6.8 2.5

#31 LA Clippers Richard Robinson SF Stanford 6’8/223 14.4 4.3 2.4

#32 Houston Erich Hunt C Vanderbilt 6’11/248 9.2 7.2 0.2

2nd Round Picks

#33 Las Vegas Freeman Tollefson PF IUPUI 6’8/258 15.1 11.4 1.2

#34 Seattle Efren Morgan SF Campbell 6’6/238 17.5 5.8 0.7

#35 Charlotte Craig Baker SG Jacksonville St 6’5/205 10.5 3.3 1.7

#36 Orlando Matthew Hardman SF Oregon St 6’8/236 29.6 5.1 1.2

#37 Minnesota Phillip Davis SG BYU 6’6/197 13.3 7.4 1.7

#38 Detroit Elmer Wyatt SG Xavier 6’6/201 11.7 3.8 2.5

#39 Sacramento Gregory Voight C George Mason 6’11/243 16.2 11.5 0.2

#40 Phoenix Ross Smith SG Manhatten 6’7/196 11.0 4.3 2.3

#41 Golden State Douglas Jackson PG Rice 6’3/185 14.5 3.5 2.5

#42 Washington Rich Israel C Cal Poly 7’0/278 8.8 9.0 0.1

#43 Cleveland Jerry Campbell SF Illinois 6’9/222 10.6 2.7 1.5

#44 New Orleans Justin Hertel SF Canada 6’9/227

#45 Chicago Chris Benson C HS-California 7’0/254

#46 Atlanta Thomas Northern C UCLA 6’11/255 9.4 4.5 0.0

#47 Utah Jurji Zore PG Slovenia 6’3/217

#48 Portland Vincent Verme PG Temple 6’0/207 15.4 2.9 2.5

#49 Toronto Joseph Miller C Georgia Southern 6’11/265 13.9 10.1 0.1

#50 Dallas Jason Perez PF Canada 6’11/244

#51 Boston Cameron Pruitt C Baylor 6’11/241 10.5 6.5 0.0

#52 Memphis Nathen Miller PF North Carolina 6’7/264 10.7 10.2 1.3

#53 Denver Thomas Hershberger PG Syracuse 6’0/172 11.4 1.8 2.3

#54 Brooklyn Elbert Floyd C Iowa St 7’1/264 11.5 7.7 0.2

#55 Indiana Byce Lau PF Purdue 6’8/243 13.3 6.9 0.2

#56 New York Chris Manis PG Montana 6’4/170 11.8 3.1 5.8

#57 Philadelphia Leroy Walls PG Syracuse 6’1/191 13.0 3.2 3.1

#58 LA Lakers Chester Sidowski SF Seton Hall 6’6/221 15.0 5.6 2.6

#59 Miami Matthew Williams C North Texas 7’0/246 13.2 9.4 0.8

#60 San Antonio Benjamin Humes SG HS- Cal 6’5/188

#61 Milwaukee Sal Trader PG Iowa 6’3/218 8.2 1.8 6.5

#62 OKC Ronald Robinson C App State 6’9/272 10.2 6.6 0.8

#63 LA Clippers Lenny Murr C Wisconsin 6’10/246 10.4 8.6 1.1

#64 Houston Nicholas Jones SG BYU 6’6/206 10.5 3.4 0.5

[3rdStringPG]

Hopefully this Vicente White turns out to be a Nerlens Noel-type... I'd have helped by trying to create a 2013 draft class with real players, but still too preoccupied with work and the TEW 2013 diary...

 

Hmmm...for the expansion draft, shooting guard looks like a weak link, but great selections at the forward positions! Hoping to see the Jones boys break out in 2013-14...though that might not be the case, with Haslem and Dudley most likely to start at PF and SF.

[Theheel]

Notes from the NBA draft (this was supposed to be posted several days ago but it didn’t stick for whatever reason)

 

Seattle GM DD Martin is a guest on the Dave “softy” Mahler show on Sports Radio 950 KJR.

 

Softy – After the first NBA draft in the return of the Sonics, we are here at Jimmy’s on First and the after party. Joining us now is the GM of the Sonics to discuss the draft, DD. Martin.

 

DD – Softy thanks for having us here tonight, it certainly has been an exciting day for the fans, and the organization. This has been the culmination of a tremendous amount of hours worked and to finally see it through with the expansion draft and now the regular draft, we are ready for Free Agency and summer league coming up.

 

Softy – Were you pleased with how things played out?

 

DD – I think overall yes we were pleased. We got 2 tremendous players in White and Morgan that are going to have a long term impact on our team.

 

Softy – Let’s talk about Vicente White. Not a lot is known about him other than he is a big kid at 7-1. How do you see him fitting into the team.

 

DD – I see him as our starting center hopefully for most of the year. We will begin training camp later but he will be with us for the Summer league games in Las Vegas and we hope to work him out along with the others to gain experience in the summer league.

 

Softy – There was a lot of comparison between White and the other center that was drafted early that eventually went to Minnesota with the 6th pick.

 

DD – Based on our board we had White slated higher, but Peterson is going to be one hell of a player. We believe that White’s upside is greater, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see Peterson have a great rookie season in Minnesota for the T-Wolves.

 

Softy – Were there any trade discussions at all?

 

DD – We were working to move up honestly. Las Vegas surprised us with the #1 pick a bit, I thought they would go after Spector or Irons honestly. When that didn’t happen we made another last ditch effort to come to a deal with Phoenix for #2 pick overall.

 

Softy – Who was the target if you moved up?

 

DD – We had Spector as our #1 pick, White #2, Irons #3 and Peterson #4 on our board. If we had moved up, we would have grabbed Spector at that spot, but we did not want to over trade just to make that pick and we knew that either White or Irons would be there at #4 most likely and they were both prize recruits that we would have been very happy with and would serve a need.

 

Softy – So we are starting free agency in a couple of weeks, any targets out there.

 

DD – Well Softy, we have lots of targets. We are going to be fairly aggressive but not crazy in our attempts to sign players. We have a young team, and one that we are committed to building for the future. While we want to get to the playoffs as soon as possible, we also want to build this thing the right way. Honestly I do not want to get stuck in the middle of the league because sometimes it is difficult to get out of that rut, just ask the Portland Trail Blazers about that. So while I can’t say who we are targeting, I think that will come out soon enough and there will be some big name players that we go after.

 

Softy – Looking forward to it and the summer league coach.

 

DD – Anytime Softy, glad to be a part of this, it is going to be a fun ride for all of us.

[Theheel]

Hopefully this Vicente White turns out to be a Nerlens Noel-type... I'd have helped by trying to create a 2013 draft class with real players, but still too preoccupied with work and the TEW 2013 diary...

 

Hmmm...for the expansion draft, shooting guard looks like a weak link, but great selections at the forward positions! Hoping to see the Jones boys break out in 2013-14...though that might not be the case, with Haslem and Dudley most likely to start at PF and SF.

 

Overall our guards from the expansion draft were weak. I am not sure how Lucas will do and honestly I don't see him as our starter, but he is the best we have at the moment. But you are right on, I think you will see a definite strategy in free agency that addresses that area.

 

I am looking at the draft files because I want to set up a solid draft using the real players from this year and project then the next several. Eventually as we play through this though it will be back to the fictional players as I don't see me going as slow through the season as 1 per year. But I am going to try and build 3 draft classes based on the players that are known to be future players out there in the college ranks and overseas as much as I can.

 

The draft overall for this year was really a weak class, I think next year's will have a little more talent in it.

[Theheel]

Free Agency has begun this summer and as promised the Sonics have been active. While they did not pursue big time free agent Dwight Howard who vowed he was leaving the Lakers, they did sign 3 pieces who are all going to play major roles on the team for the upcoming season.

 

First off the Sonics began negotiations with PG Brandon Jennings. Their 1st offer was surpassed by Jennings former team the Milwaukee Bucks, but the SuperSonics kept after their targeted PG of the future. A total of 5 teams bid on Jennings but the Sonics continued to pursue him and convinced him he would become a center piece in the expansion team. Jennings led the Bucks to the most wins in the Eastern Conference last season but losing in the 2nd road of the NBA Playoffs left a sour taste in Jennings mouth. Then as negotiations were ongoing with Jennings, the Bucks pulled their offer to Jennings and decided to keep Monta Ellis to play PG signing him to a 5 yr max deal and the took the money ear marked for Jennings and signed OJ Mayo away from the Dallas Mavs. Once that happened Jennings quickly decided that being the new star in Seattle was the right choice for him and he signed a 4 year contract worth $62,286,178.

 

Seattle next signed Austin Daye out of Gonzaga University in Spokane. Daye had played for the Pistons the previous season averaging 8.6 ppg, 3.3rpg with 1.1 apg. Daye signed a 2 year deal with the Sonics to play SF worth $3,578,750 total. Seattle began pursing Daye when it became apparent that New Orleans was going to sign SF AL-Farouq Aminu who eventually signed a 5 year $35,672,494 contract with the Pelicans. The rumor was Seattle was offering a 3 year deal worth approximately $16,500,000

 

The Sonics 3rd and final free agent signing was to SG Wayne Ellington for 3 yrs and $10,188,750. Ellington out of North Carolina started 73 games for Memphis last season averaging 13.1 ppg, with 2.0 apg with 3.3 rpg. The thought is that Ellington will receive an opportunity to be the starting SG for the Sonics in the upcoming season.

 

So the Supersonics have potentially sign three fifths of their starting lineup during the first 10 days of free agency. The penciled in starting 5 right now is as follows:

 

Vincente White C

Anthony Randolph PF

Austin Daye SF

Wayne Ellington SG

Brandon Jennings PG

 

Not a bad lineup for the expansion Sonics and how well they will do will really depend on the development of their young starting C and PF.

[Theheel]

Sonic’s Summer league results

 

The SuperSonic’s returned to the basketball court albeit in NBA summer league action this past week in Las Vegas. The new look Sonics fairly well in the summer league going 3-2. Star performers included PF Terrance Jones who averaged 18.2 ppg and 8.5 rebounds, and SF Jones averaged 14.6 ppg. #4 overall pick Vicente White played in only 3 games during the summer league but did average 10.3 ppg along with 10.1 rpg and 3.2 blocks ppg. Sonic assistant coach Roy Mair coached the team during the summer league action where they played the following games:

 

High Scorer High Reb

7/18 72-89 vs Portland Trail Blazers T. Jones 16 V. White 9

7/19 94-84 vs Sacramento Kings T. Jones 19 F. Ezeli 8

7/20 79-82 vs Phoenix Suns T. Jones 23 F. Ezeli 7

7/22 100-82 vs NBA D-League Select E Morgan 25 V. White 12

7/23 97-78 vs Las Vegas Gold T. Jones 20 V. White 10

 

Also playing a major role was 2nd round pick E. Morgan who averaged 9.6 ppg while shooting 53% from the field. The only drawback was he was tentative in shooting when he was open, so that is something they will have to work on in training camp. The odds are that Moran will begin the year in the D League to gain playing time and continue to develop.

 

While the summer league was exciting for a 1st taste, everyone in Seattle is ready for the opening of training camp.