A LEGEND IS BORN III

[|)e8*]

Marti and Ray are freaking beasts!

[newc]

Just trade Jefferson, Kahn, and you won't regret it

[The X]

Sucks that Nuggets traded me to Rockets. I knew it wouldn't end well. Sad to see the once great Nuggets suck. Gotta blame Melo

[kibaxx7]

Look out for the Pacers!!!

[Fresh8]

Liking the Trimester update. Works very well for dynasties like this (in their fifth season). Really surprised to see Martti doing so well. Also, you're holding your own in the West, but you might want to cash in a surplus PG or two for a player to get you over the hump. An X-Factor, if you get my drift.

Also, I am the fucking man. I am ROYalty. Y'all got nothin' on the L-Train!

Marrti has improved season after season. Oveerated as an MVP candidate though!

And yeah, I would love to trade away one of my point guards but there seems to be an overall surplus of them in the league atm so finding a taker will be difficult... I think the Wolves take the cake with 6 point guards on their roster. Typical Minnesota.

As for an X-factor, I think I got enough of them on my roster right now (i.e. Wu, Karl, Ariza, even Scola...).

Loving it. Fantastic article. Even though I was do recall rooting for Ray Allen's Bucks, its pretty much spot on. I'd liken myself more to a Peja Stojakovic than a Lamar Odom (Odom can't shoot and eats too much candy!), but I can't complain with the exposure I'm getting.

Rookie of this year. Most valuable player of the next. Full steam ahead for the L-Train!

Yeah, it's the game that compared you to Odom. I'd say L-Train turned out to be a very very unathletic Lamar Odom but with shooting making up for your whiteness

Oh yeah, you're a bit too one dimensional to be a future MVP... plus you are carried by Mr Gray.

Sucks that Nuggets traded me to Rockets. I knew it wouldn't end well. Sad to see the once great Nuggets suck. Gotta blame Melo

Take solace in the fact that the Nets suck... and at least The X can test free agency next Summer. I will even try to sign you for the midlevel actually!

Look out for the Pacers!!!

Pacers. They won't be rooting for you... everyone loves Ricky and not Albano

[Fresh8]

Chapter 5

“You’re a bust,” Durant was saying to Christopher Blake.
Blake was the number 8 pick of the 2011 NBA Draft for the Charlotte Bobcats. To say he was a good pick would be a massive understatement but for Durant to call him a bust, and to his face, would have hurt his ego a lot. Blake was seething with anger and embarrassment as a player he had respected so much had just disrespected him so bluntly.
Blake was chasing Durant on the defensive end and jumped up as Durant took a leaning jumper. Blake tried to hit Durant but swiped his shooting hand after the ball had been released. The whistle blew as the ball missed its target.
“Can’t stop me,” Durant was up in Blake’s face.
“Try that again and you will be on the ground,” Blake threatened him.
Durant laughed, “I dare you to lay a finger on me. You won’t be in the NBA anymore if you did that.”
“I ain’t scared of thugs like you.”
Durant and Blake kept talking trash even as Durant went to the line to put Seattle up by 8 points with two made free throws. Durant turned and ran towards the other side of the court. Blake followed closely and ran up close to him.
“Don’t test my patience fucker,” Blake warned Durant.
Durant told him to shut up. The Bobcats scored on that possession down the floor and Kidd had brought the rock up and passed the ball to Durant who had an open lane to drive towards the hoop. Durant faked out Mark Moore and made his move to the basket. As he went up into the air for a dunk, Blake came out of nowhere to smash into him hard. Blake’s strong arms made contact with Durant and Durant went sprawling backwards and towards the ground. Durant was on his back and looking up towards the ceiling of the stadium. He felt a bit dazed. And he raised his right arm as high as he could to signal for help.

“I’m going back out there.”
Sit looked at his star player then turned his head away.
“Coach, you’ve got to let me back out on the floor.”
Sit wouldn’t have any of it, “Can’t put you back in mate. I’m sorry.”
Durant begged, “Coach, I’m good. I’m not done yet!”
Sit argued, “Yeah, well, I don’t want you to be done if I put you back into the game. I don’t need you to reaggravate that injury. I think it’s the end of your night Kevin.”
Durant waved his arms in the air for a pointless protest. He sat back down on the bench as the game went on. Sit found his own seat too, next to George Karl. Assistant Coach Karl tapped Sit on the shoulder.
“Maybe you should let the kid play, he knows his body best.”
Sit asked him, “Do you really think I should?”
“Some friendly advice, he was playing well before the fall. You could get something out of him to preserve this win tonight.”
“I think we’ve got this one.”
“It’s a close game,” Karl shrugged.
Sit stood up and paced up and down the sideline as the Charlotte Bobcats kept the score close. Durant was itching to play. In a timeout, Sit pulled his star aside.
“You’re definitely feeling ok?”
Durant beamed, “Yes sir.”
“Get back in there,” Sit patted him on the back.
Durant ripped off his track pants and threw them aside. He ran onto the court and shouted as he did. He had both hands clenched as he jogged to the other end of the court. Still yelling out at the top of his lungs, “This is MY TEAM baby!” He spotted Blake on the Bobcats’ bench, pointed towards him and nodded.

Durant knocked down the shot to keep his team ahead. The home side was trailing and on their way to another loss. As a result, they were being drowned in boos. The buzzer sounded and the Stealth bench leapt up and quickly surrounded Ty who was the hero of the game with a 43 point haul. David Lee and Rocky Akonnor were bouncing up and down around Ty as Trevor Ariza and Sebastian Telfair gave him high fives. Rookie Jao Wu walked quickly towards the change rooms and was followed promptly by Coaches Sit, Karl and Wallace. Durant was pointing at the scoreboard, signaling to a pocket of Bobcats fans who were heckling him.
“Who won the game bitches?” Durant called out.
They continued to boo.
“Stop whining!” Durant was flexing his biceps.
Blake walked past on his way following his teammates off the court, “Look who’s posing now.”
Durant turned around and stared him down as he was walking away. One of the Stealth trainers had come onto the court to lead Durant away. Durant grabbed a bottle of water and started drinking.
“Great game, great poise,” Sit told his players, “Let’s keep this run going boys. We’re on a roll right now!”
Sheed started, “Yeah…”
Sit interjected, “Shut up Sheed.”
Everyone laughed and Sit continued, “Keep playing up tempo, push the ball up the floor and we’re going to be hard to beat. We’ve got our eyes on the prize. I do at least. Don’t lose sight of that number one seed guys.”
Sit gathered everyone into a huddle in the middle of the room, “Hands in. Number one on three.”
Everyone, except Durant, had put their arms into the middle of the huddle and Sit counted to three.
“Number One!”
Sit and his staff began to file out of the room and Sheed noticed that Durant was sitting in the corner of the room with a grimace on his face.
“What’s up dickhead?” Sheed asked.
Durant was shaking his head, “Back.”

* * *

“It doesn’t look good to me.”
Sit was on the phone with the team doctor.
“How serious is the injury,” Sit asked.
“Not good but I guess it’s not the most serious. Give it a week or two.”
“I will make sure he sits out then,” Sit sighed.
The doctor hung up and looked at Durant, “You’ve got a back injury that will need some time to heal. I would recommend that you don’t do any physical activity for at least a week. You can’t push yourself. I’ve got this for you to take for your injury and you should come in every day for the physio.”
Durant wasn’t listening. All he was thinking about was the opportunity this gave Reshawn Tyson. Durant was fuming as he left the doctor’s office and made it known by slamming the door hard. He couldn’t believe that his back had given out. He was stubborn and for as long as he was a part of the Stealth, he had to stay as the alpha dog.
He screamed out in a rage, “Fuck! This is my team! No one is going to take it away from me!”
His personal assistant was waiting outside and realized the temper tantrum. One of the nurses had caught it on her phone and the assistant nodded at Durant’s bodyguard. The burly man walked over and grabbed the phone out of her hand. He snapped it in half and the assistant gave her some cash to get a new one.
“None of this gets out to the press,” he warned her, “You don’t want what happened to your phone happen to you.”
The assistant smiled as the nurse quickly walked away. He then signaled to Durant, “Let’s go.”

“TYYYYY-SONNNN!”
Reshawn Tyson had another jam for the game. He backpedaled down the court and gave Ariza a high five. Ty had 20 points and Ariza had 24 and it was only the start of the second half. The home team Stealth were winning by double digits against the visiting Detroit Pistons. Former Seattle forward Jeff Green was shut down by Ariza and booed every time he touched the ball. It wasn’t long before the Stealth built an unassailable lead and reached their ninth win in a row. Ty waved to the fans at the end of the game as streamers fell from the rafters.
“Give it up for your Seattle Stealth!” the PA announcer encouraged the fans to make more noise.
Durant was furious as he walked away from the bench and watched his adoring fans cheering for Ty.
Sit had shaken hands with the Pistons coaching staff before meeting Green at half court, “Tough game tonight. Chin up.”
Green shook his former manager’s hand and nodded. Sit turned his attention to another young player, his rookie Jao Wu. He gave Wu a high five.
“Wu, you lit it up tonight,” Sit smiled.
“I told you I’m capable. I just need more minutes.”
“I never doubted you,” Sit said, “You’ve just got to be patient.”
Wu didn’t look too thrilled, “Please coach, I work my butt off in training. I really want to play.”
Sit just simply said, “Time. Give it some time.”
The Stealth left the floor to a standing ovation after their 147-115 drubbing of the hapless Pistons. And Ty was basking in the glory; for one night he was not in the shadow of All-Star Kevin Durant.

Durant returned to the court three days later in the game against Toronto. He and Ty hogged the ball to see who would get a higher points total. Ty was the winner. He had 46 compared to Durant’s 33. Durant was pissed off. Ty was in better spirits and it showed. He had regained a swagger that hadn’t been there for a little while. Durant had waited for all the players to leave before approaching Ty.
“Tyson.”
Ty kept his back turned to Durant and continued to turn his shirt the right side out.
“When I talk to you, you listen!” Durant shouted and shoved him in the back.
Ty put his arms out to break his fall and quickly spun round, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“This wasn’t part of the agreement,” Durant spat in his face.
Ty pushed back at Durant and Durant’s body guard stepped in between. Durant waved him off.
“Stand at the door.”
Durant shot Ty an icy stare, “Don’t get all cute with everyone around here. I know why you been acting all weird recently. You’re missing your mommy aren’t you?”
Ty tried to keep his cool, “Don’t try to play your mind games on me. They don’t work anymore.”
Durant smiled, “I bet they don’t. You should stop with yours, mommy’s boy.”
Ty grabbed Durant’s collar and Durant dared, “Come on, hit me. If you dare to, give me a black eye. Let’s see what will happen to you then.”
Ty let go, “Piss off you jerk.”
“Chicken,” Durant mocked him, “You’re a little boy who’s too scared to do anything. If your brother were still alive, you’d be the last person he should look up to.”
Ty punched Durant in the face and then wrestled him to the ground, landing a few blows to him, “Don’t you dare talk about my family like that!”
Durant’s body guard grabbed Ty and pushed him aside. Durant got up and kicked Ty’s legs. Ty fell to the cold and hard ground.
Durant stood over him, “Oh yeah? Because they’re dead?”
“Fuck you!”
Ty pulled himself off the ground and lunged at Durant. Rocky had rushed in to see what was taking Ty so long and was astounded to find the two Stealth players at each other’s necks; literally.
“Break it up!” Akonnor bellowed at both players.
He pulled Ty back, “What the hell has gotten into you?”
“Fucking hell!”
Coach Sit was at the door with security, “What are you two doing?”
Ty and Durant, bloodied lips and black eyes, looked over at their coach.

“What did I tell you two? What the fuck did I tell you two?” Sit was as animated as ever.
“How would this look if it got leaked? My two star players fighting each other as if it were fight club. Oh wow, that’s just great!”
The two players sat there silently as Sit continued to rant, “Do you know how much effort I need to make to keep this fucking immature bullshit from the head office? You know what losing one of you guys will fuck up the whole plan? We’re here to win a championship, not win some fucking boxing world title. If you guys want to fight so bad, maybe you guys should be somewhere else! Fuck!”
Sit took a sip of water, “I’m tired of this. I really am.”
Sit got up and undid his tie, “If you guys aren’t serious about being men, maybe it’s time we all move on.”
“Are you quitting?” Sheed, sitting at the back of the office next to George Karl, asked Sit.
Sit threw his plastic cup, half filled with water, at Sheed, “No you fucking dipshit!”
Sheed had ducked just in time and gave Sit a wide grin.
“Get out of here!” Sit pointed at the door.
Sheed’s grin disappeared and he quickly got out of there.
Sit continued, “And what was with that little scoring duel in Toronto? At the expense of the game? Are you guys crazy? How do we win if you’re trying to outdo the other? I asked for cohesion! Fucking hell! Oh, you two have made me really angry. Don’t think you’re off the hook because you’re not getting suspended. Now get out of my office!”

[Lamrock]

Uh-oh. Not this again... I think this time, KD might be on his way out for real. What are Reshawn's averages?

Gotta love Sheed though.

[Fresh8]

Uh-oh. Not this again... I think this time, KD might be on his way out for real. What are Reshawn's averages?

Gotta love Sheed though.

Look at the top of this page for the stats. If a deal were to occur, It'd be hard to choose between Durant and Tyson. Durant is the face of the franchise... Tyson is quickly improving. They both have different styles of play. Durant is the smooth operator, Tyson is the highlight reel.

Hoping Sheed puts a little color into the story! That was the plan of keeping him on board.

[kibaxx7]

Sheed cracks me up everytime. Man I told you, it's time to let KD go. It will end up being Ty's team, sooner or later.

[Fresh8]

Sheed cracks me up everytime. Man I told you, it's time to let KD go. It will end up being Ty's team, sooner or later.

Don't be so certain that it's not going to be Durant's team anymore

[Clutch]

that's some serious infighting goin' on in Seattle

hoping Ty takes a hike actually; Durant's got the game to back up the smack talk (just like a young MJ) so he should get what he wants!

Perfect time to shop Ty while the stocks high and get your money's worth beefing up one of the other positions with a trade package for a complementary uber-star

[Fresh8]

that's some serious infighting goin' on in Seattle

That's what everyone loves to see.

[Fresh8]

Updated: January 2, 2013
Stealth Should Play Rookies
Two First Round Draft Picks Going To Waste
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



By Woody Hannes
ESPN.com Writer

For every darting drive to the hoop that Jao Wu converts into a stunning bucket and for every rainbow three that Senso Rancati knocks down, each player knows that it is to no avail in increasing their minutes or role on a talented Seattle Stealth team. It’s brilliant for Seattle to have these young guys aboard but Head Coach Will Sit needs to start giving them a bit of burn on the court - before his master plan hatched years ago will have gone to waste!

The picks used to select both players came in previous seasons. The first pick came 3 years ago in a package that landed Rasheed Wallace. The tenth pick came last season in a midseason deal that brought Luis Scola to Seattle. Jao Wu was the first pick and Senso Rancati was the tenth pick of the 2012 NBA Draft. Both players knew they were going to an already stacked Seattle Stealth team – a testament to the skill and luck of Head Coach Sit as the former GM – and they both knew that playing time would be limited. They didn’t know it would be this tough.

I had the chance to catch up with both players and the first thing I noticed was the frustration displayed by both. “It’s tough because even though I love winning, I don’t love winning and not contributing to it,” Wu said. Rancati elaborated, “We thought we would be in a different situation. It’s humbling to be on a winning team but we’re both young. We’d like to play. It’s tough to not be playing.”

Rancati faces a tough task to get minutes on this squad. He plays behind emerging star Reshawn Tyson and having minutes stolen by small forward Trevor Ariza. Ariza has proven to be a useful utility and Coach Sit has opted to give him minutes at shooting guard in order to facilitate for a lack of minutes because of All-Star and three time scoring champion Kevin Durant. Wu isn’t in any better position and would probably feel even more aggrieved. Not only is he a backup to Jason Kidd (in my opinion, Wu is hands down the best player to start for Seattle) but he is also a backup to backup Aaron Karl.

Oh, it gets even worse. He is forced to share minutes with Sebastian Telfair. Yes, you read that right. He shares minutes with Bassy; the midget who made the league on hype alone. Now we all know why Wu is so pissed off.

“I work hard in training every day,” Wu states, “I can contribute to this team. But I’m starting to lose hope.”

If Sit has not learnt from the Pistons’ handling of Darko Milicic years ago, he should probably give himself a refresher course. Larry Brown refused to play Milicic and the 2003 second overall pick never reached the heights he was supposed to. Actually, he never got a chance to. Milicic is a bust in theory because everyone is able to ask whether he would have been great if Brown gave him the chance to play. Brown’s saving grace was that the Pistons won a championship that season. If Sit doesn’t do the same, he could be blamed for not blooding his young guns.

Both players could really help Seattle right away. Rancati is a brilliant spot up shooter from all over the floor. A European Ray Allen of sorts who was great when he played in Europe. He has the experience and the poise to be a nice role player. He’d be solid and surely deserves the playing time he has failed to get. It’s a shame that he would take some minutes off Tyson but that’s what Sit has to get him if he wants Rancati to hit that big shot at the end of a big game. Without the minutes lodged, he would be useless if Sit ever needed to use him in a very urgent situation.

Wu would be an even greater asset if he got the opportunity to play. His blinding pace and daring forays to the bucket make him a tough player to guard. His brilliance in the past for Team China and Maryland are examples of how he has that star quality to him. He’s also shown flashes of brilliance this season whenever a fellow point guard has been hurt or in foul trouble. The kid can play and he deserves the chance to.

All of this shows that Sit needs to brush up on the management of his players. He is so consumed by the ends that he has forgotten the means. It’s great to see that he is coaching this great roster that he has assembled. However, depth is only an advantage if the lesser players step up when it matters most. I’d hate to think of Rancati or Wu being shoved into an important playoff game and watch him fumble the ball because he has spent the whole year on the bench. Not only would his players be more ready for any surprise call up but his stars would get the rest they need so that they can remain fresh for the tail end of the season.

Sit was a great manager and his standing will only be improved if he can get the most out of the players he has acquired himself. This is a great opportunity for him to prove that he is a unique manager and coach of the NBA.

Rancati added towards the end of our meeting, “Why would the team pick us if they don’t need to use us?” Those sentiments is what I am getting at exactly. Why draft two players and not play them at all. Wouldn’t it be better to deal them away and get yourselves an establish talent who can out you over the top? (That’s right Seattle front office, you can finally catch up to your rival Kings!) Or wouldn’t it be another good option to trade away some older guys and push these younger ones up the depth chart?

I guess I can only sit back, like the rest of us, and see how this plays out.

[kibaxx7]

As I told you on MSN, superb article. From your words, looks like Rancati can also be a great player some day. "An European Ray Allen"...

[shadowgrin]

Trade them whiny bitches.

[|)e8*]

What shadowgrin said.

[Martti.]

Trade Ty to Memphis, Tar Heels will lead the Grizlies to a title!

[hova-]

Tyson's better than Durant. KD is turning into a dickhead again. About the rookies. Shadowgrin said it all ^^

[Valor]

KD is turning into a dickhead again.

Wasn't he always a dickhead in the world of Sit?

anyhow, great that you've finally gotten another chapter up (boy do i miss them) and good little article here. Just let the rooks play and trade some of those crap backups away man

[Fresh8]

As I told you on MSN, superb article. From your words, looks like Rancati can also be a great player some day. "An European Ray Allen"...

I haven't tested him out in gameplay because he is stuck on the IR... maybe soon I will put him onto my bench.

Trade them whiny bitches.

What shadowgrin said.

Tyson's better than Durant. KD is turning into a dickhead again. About the rookies. Shadowgrin said it all ^^

There's a possibility.

Trade Ty to Memphis, Tar Heels will lead the Grizlies to a title!

You don't have any players I would want back. Sorry.

KD is turning into a dickhead again.

Wasn't he always a dickhead in the world of Sit?

anyhow, great that you've finally gotten another chapter up (boy do i miss them) and good little article here. Just let the rooks play and trade some of those crap backups away man

Thanks for reading the chapter

[Mark.]

Good work dude, just caught up on all the updates. I think you have to move Durant if they can't sort their shit out. If this is going to be the last season of this Story you need the fairytale ending so you either win it with Durant and Tyson or if there is going to be problems you move Durant for the best talent possible and hope the team can keep rolling.

[Fresh8]

Good work dude, just caught up on all the updates. I think you have to move Durant if they can't sort their shit out. If this is going to be the last season of this Story you need the fairytale ending so you either win it with Durant and Tyson or if there is going to be problems you move Durant for the best talent possible and hope the team can keep rolling.

Thanks for the advice Mark.!

[Fresh8]

Trevor Ariza Leads Durant-less Stealth
2 January, 2013
Preview | Box Score | Recap | Highlights



SEATTLE (AP) – The Seattle Stealth welcomed in the New Year and disbanded all questions of whether they could win without the injured Kevin Durant. His replacement in the starting five, Trevor Ariza, had what he described as the ‘game of his career’ and led the Stealth to a 147-115 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Ariza had a hot start to the game as he scored 15 first quarter points. He finished with 22 for the half and 27 for the game; not bad for not playing any part in the fourth quarter. Reshawn Tyson was also impressive as he had 18 first half points and finished the game with 24. Five Stealth players reached double figures including first overall draft pick Jao Wu who scored 12 points in a poor shooting, yet exciting, display.

Rip Hamilton led the Pistons with 27 points in a futile effort as he watched his team get left in the dust by the home side in the third quarter. “Those guys (Stealth) were impressive,” Hamilton said, “They got the job done without Kevin Durant and they really kicked out butts.”

Notes: Former Seattle Stealth SF Jeff Green finished with 10 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists on 5 for 14 shooting from the field… Durant said that he feels ready to make a return to the team in the coming days... Aaron Karl had one of his best games of the season as he provided a spark off the bench… Seattle has won 9 games in a row…

[Valor]

147-115?! nice win but that's a whole load of scoring and no defense
what was the FGA by both teams?

[Fresh8]

147-115?! nice win but that's a whole load of scoring and no defense
what was the FGA by both teams?

I can't remember exactly... but my guys were just on fire and going nuts! Especially Ariza and Karl