http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5083462
10 things we learned this week
Mike Kahn / Special to FOXSports.com
Posted: 3 hours ago
So you're looking for a new coach, don't want to spend a lot of money, and want him to respond with an agreeable nod to every request (demand). Then ask your players who they would like to be coach, and, well, you've got the Seattle SuperSonics with their affable new coach Bob Weiss.
Yes, last year's surprising Northwest Division champion Sonics, who scared the super out of San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan's star in the second round of the playoffs, set a club record after losing three consecutive games by an average of 31 points this week before going into overtime to knock off the winless Toronto Raptors Sunday.
1. Item: There are those around Seattle who believe last year's 52-win Sonics were the NBA version of the 116-win Seattle Mariners — an inexplicable alignment of the stars that produced unexpected success. But basketball people believe the achievement was directly related to the tough focus by the coaching staff, led by Nate McMillan and Dwane Casey, now the head coaches at Portland and Minnesota, who felt they were hung out to dry by management entering last season.
What this really means: Players spent far too much time in training camp lauding Weiss about how much more fun they were having and how much less stressful it is with Weiss as opposed to McMillan. No kidding. And since when do NBA teams hire the coach that the players want? Weiss has a two-year guaranteed contract at a relatively meager $2 million per season with an option for a third year. Behind him is franchise favorite Jack Sikma, with just as gentle a demeanor as the 63-year-old Weiss, who in three separate head-coaching stints had two winning seasons.
Weiss is a good guy, a fine magician and a knowledgeable NBA man after some 40 years as a player, assistant and head coach. But that doesn't make him the right choice to take a young team that is still trying to figure out its personality. McMillan gave them focus and toughness that kept them in games with defense and the ability to execute on offense.
Plus, the Sonics didn't put up the money it required to retain free agent guard Antonio Daniels, who more often than not ran the offense and won many a game in the fourth q uarter last season. Sure, it's early, and the Sonics still have a chance to compete in the relatively weak Northwest Division. But it's pretty hard to fathom that kind of run from a team that allowed 96.6 points a game last year, but which is giving up 111.2 points a game and .503 shooting from the field. Somewhere, Nate McMillan is cringing ... but to be sure, the Sonics players are happy he's not the one running practice today.
2. Item: The New York Knicks staved off a late run by the Sacramento Kings to pull out a 105-95 win at Sacramento Sunday, preventing first-year Knicks coach Larry Brown from beginning a season 0-6 for the first time in his Hall of Fame coaching career.
What this really means: This was going to take time and everybody knew it. The roster that team president Isiah Thomas has constructed is ill-suited to Brown's defensive-oriented, share-the-ball style. What he does like are the three rookies — Channing Frye, Nate Robinson and David Lee. Young forward Trevor Ariza is another athletic player cut from the cloth Brown likes. But the questions still linger of what center Eddy Curry is capable of accomplishing, heart problems or not. They are very likely stuck with the horrid summer signing of lazy and overweight 7-footer Jerome James, and that's just the start.
The more crucial questions come from whether guards Stephon Marbury and Jamal Crawford will ever get on the same page as Brown. They are the talented, athletic players Thomas sought to build the foundation of the team around, and they are clearly not the kind of players Brown has ever had success with, considering they are shooters and generally lax defenders.
And that leads to the next question, of course: What will happen once Thomas starts spinning the dial again with trades? It will be fascinating to watch.
3. Item: Speaking of the Kings, their 2-5 start is shocking. Many people (present company included) believed that they had emerged as the team to beat in the Pacific Division in the wake of Amare Stoudemire's knee surgery in Phoenix.
What this really means: They have emerged as the team that can be beat. They haven't utilized Shareef Abdur-Rahim in the low post as expected, and Bonzi Wells has been careful not to step on any toes, so he's been ineffective at best. Point guard Mike Bibby just isn't the kind of leader they need and Peja Stojakovic, with rumblings about his impending free agency non-stop, has been blowing hot and cold. As for center Brad Miller, he has been softer than usual, which doesn't help matters either.
Adding to their woes was the tasteless video of urban decay in Detroit they showed prior to their loss to the Pistons, which drew a $30,000 fine from the NBA. Nonetheless, this looked like a great re-mix by president Geoff Petrie. He shipped out Chris Webber last season, then traded Bobby Jackson this off-season, and let both Cuttino Mobley and Darius Songaila walk. Coach Rick Adelman has built an exceptional coaching career based on his ability to win with any kind of player (the nightmare in Golden State being an exception). Although it is very early, there is clearly something wrong with this team and how Petrie dishes out culpability will interesting and may come sooner than later.
4. Item: The odds are enormous that the Toronto Raptors will win several games this season. But when that first victory will come is a question a lot of our friends up north are contemplating.
What this really means: Indeed, the Raptors did come from 18 down to send the game with Seattle into overtime Sunday, but if they were going to get a win, wouldn't it be at home against a team that had lost its last three games by an average of 31 points? With Wayne Embry gradually becoming a more vital cog in their personnel decisions, the leash on general manager Rob Babcock is now being measured in centimeters. Maybe somehow, some way, coach Sam Mitchell can push rookie Charlie Villanueva to become a player instead of a talent, and coupled with Chris Bosh and young Mike James, they can form some semblance of a future nucleus.
But things have been going downhill for several years and the way Babcock gave away Vince Carter was inexcusable. Unless he can make a good deal by moving Rose and gaining some young talent, the Carter deal will be his demise and if they're still in single digits in the win column in January, Babcock is the likely scapegoat for the embarrassment — provided Mitchell doesn't resign first.
5. Item: The Utah Jazz entered the week sitting atop the Northwest Division despite Carlos Boozer still not having played a game due to a hamstring injury. But now they'll be without Andrei Kirilenko for at least a week after he suffered a sprained ankle.
What this really means: Mehmet Okur heeded the words of coach Jerry Sloan, is in the best shape of his life and is off to the best start of his career. Top draft choice Deron Williams is off to a good start and looks every bit the successor to John Stockton. Whereas Kirilenko will be back — he is one of the top five defenders in the league and improving offensively — the questions continue about Boozer. Regardless of whom they have on the roster, Sloan should will them to an improvement over their 26-56 debacle of a year ago ... but for them to seriously challenge in the division, they need Okur, Boozer and Kirilenko healthy up front. Gordan Giricek is adequate as their shooting guard, and there's enough coming off the bench if everyone is healthy to be solid.
So if you think those rumors that Boozer was being shopped last year despite just having signed the $68 million free agent contract were bogus, think again. Owner Larry Miller is not one to throw money around, and considering Boozer has played in just 51 of the first 89 games with the Jazz since signing the deal, there's a good chance general manager Kevin O'Connor is still looking for takers. Please!
6. Item: The Phoenix Suns ended their three-game home losing streak Saturday night with a 16-point win over the Golden State Warriors. In the previous three games they had blown double-digit leads in the second half.
What this really means: Despite losing Stoudemire to knee surgery and trading Joe Johnson, the Suns still look like the team to beat in the division with the two Los Angeles teams, the Warriors and the Kings figuring to all put up a great battle. But this win was even more significant because it was the 100th for coach Mike D'Antoni, who was relegated to Europe for virtually a decade before the Denver Nuggets brought him back to the states. Now D'Antoni is looking like the coach of the 21st century with his flexible approach to the game and high-throttle offense.
He has turned to young guard Leandro Barbosa to add some fire to the starting lineup next to Steve Nash, and the 22-year-old Brazilian has responded by averaging 21.0 points and shooting .585 from the field the past three games. He is whippet quick, with long arms that bring to mind a young Maurice Cheeks. The Suns didn't look like a team to be concerned with this season on the heels of the devastating Stoudemire injury, but the way they perform for D'Antoni, apparently anything is possible.
7. Item: First the knees, then the back, and yet, Tracy McGrady did return for the Houston Rockets Saturday night and scored 30 of his 35 points in the second half of a 99-91 win at New Jersey.
What this really means: Obviously, McGrady is a superstar of grand proportion, but there apparently will always be a constant unknown with him. When will the tendonitis in his knees create unbearable pain? And once they manage to get the knees under control, how long will it be before he stains his unstable back again? Still only 26, McGrady's body has the dependability of a player six years older. And yet, the Rockets are better this season, helping Yao Ming up front with Stromile Swift, and McGrady in the backcourt with the more explosive Rafer Alston. But if the Rockets are going to be serious contenders in the West — which most believe they will be by the end of the season — they have to figure out a way to stabilize McGrady's back and keep a handle on his knees. It's not an easy task, but in this day and age of strength and conditioning growth, you would think they'd have some manner in which to slow these chronic conditions on a superstar in his mid-20s.
8. Item: Seven games into their season, the Denver Nuggets not only have lost Nene for the season with a major knee injury, but Kenyon Martin clearly is still having problems recovering from microfracture knee surgery as well. Keeping them alive and heading in the right direction is the most underrated center in the game — Marcus Camby.
What this really means: In case you missed it, Camby had 18 points, 22 rebounds and seven blocks in the Nuggets' 11-point win over Minnesota. And it's not as if that is a random performance, considering Camby had 20 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks in their loss at Sacramento. For the season, Camby is averaging 16.1 points, 14.1, 3.71 blocks and 1.43 steals per game. Although he isn't likely to maintain any of those numbers, they are representative of career-highs, and the 6-11, 230-pounder has averaged double-figures in rebounding five of the past six years, double-figures in scoring four of the past six and at least 2.0 blocks in four of the past six as well. There has consistently been so much talk about Carmelo Anthony, Martin and occasionally Nene, nobody seems to notice what a consistently superb player Camby has become. And perhaps more importantly, Camby, 31, has played in 165 out of a possible 191 games the past two-plus seasons — more than 87 percent — the best run of health of his career.
9. Item: The good news is despite so many issues, nobody panicked in Philadelphia after losing their first three games under new coach Maurice Cheeks. They bounced back to win the next four.
What this really means: The Sixers do have the kind of team that can compete to win the Atlantic Division now that appears the rest of the team is matching the intensity of Allen Iverson, who already is averaging 30.1 points, 7.9 assists and 2.57 steals per game. It was way too premature to say Chris Webber couldn't play with Iverson; although his assists are down at 2.4, he's putting up 19.3 points and 9.3 rebounds. But Webber wasn't really the issue anyway, as much as people love to pile up on him. This was more about everybody else. Second-year swingman Andre Iguodala had to step up like he did in shutting down Kobe Bryant when they beat the Lakers last week. Kyle Korver had to stop hesitating to shoot and be aggressive — finally he did. And now, John Salmons is beginning to look like the second coming of Aaron McKie, a much-needed versatile player on both ends of the floor. If it was too early to write off any team, it was these guys — particularly since they haven't had center Samuel Dalembert healthy yet.
10. Item: On Sunday, LeBron James became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 4,000 points — more than seven weeks before his 21st birthday, and nearly a full year sooner than Kobe Bryant, the previous record holder. Fifth in the league in scoring at 26.7 per game, his shooting numbers are all at career-high levels — .496 from the field, .393 from 3-point range and .833 from the free throw line, but he is down 7.4-4.3 in rebounds and 7.2-3.7 in assists.
What this really means: James and the new Cavaliers are still getting to know each other. With the addition of Larry Hughes, James will be receiving the ball more than he's passing it, and with the aggressive Hughes, plus Donyell Marshall and Alan Henderson hitting the boards, he'll be out on the break more. That being said, it will still be up to James to lead the Cavaliers to the playoffs for the first time since 1998. And to do that, he must move the ball effectively out of the double-teams that will attack him, and attack the boards with his uncommon strength, quickness and jumping ability. There are no more excuses for this team. They've fallen apart at the end of the past two seasons when they appeared playoff-bound. The talk is constant about how mature James is, and his statistics reflect that. But all that really matters at the end of the day are the number of wins your team compiles and this is the year he will be held fully accountable come spring — at the ripe age of 21.
