Hov's Kings - Retired

[Axel The Great]

Oh man, does Steve look disgusting in that jersey or what? Imo, the Suns didn't get much in return for Nash, but at least they acquired a decent point guard who is a slightly downgraded version of Nash at this point and two young players who can hopefully help them long-term.

[kibaxx7]

Well, nice for both teams. Nash and Kobe sounds really nice, Suns can now properly rebuild.

[Martti.]

I see my idea went through, although I guess many of the guys who sent you a pm had this down.

[hova-]

Axel., they did not get much in return, but they would have gotten NOTHING in return when Nash had left in the upcoming free agency. So the deal is not too lopsided.

Thierry •, I guess a lotta guys of you gonna vote for a Lakers match as match of the month in December, just to see how good they are now.

Martti., your idea was actually the first and best proposal of the Lakers scenarios.

So, here are the prizes:

Martti. : I will PM you the name/position/college of one player and you can fully design his playing style (attributes/tendencies), appearance, sigs etc.

dare : you will have the ability to develop one player in the upcoming offseason, because you were the second one to send me a LA PM.

puttin: you will also have the ability to develop one player in the upcoming offseason for your great creativity with the proposals.

Here my reasons why the other offers did not go through:

Nash to NY: the Knicks already have Billups and he wasn't eligible for a trade since he is still injured. Apart from that, would have been a good idea.

Nash to POR: the Blazers are not a top contender and Eric Maynor is playing well.

Nash to DAL: a reunion with Dirk would have been great, but Roddy Beaubois is playing very well since Kidd retired and the Mavs don't need another 30+ player.


Thanks for the participation guys. Your interest keeps this one going on & on (further than I thought when I started this)

[Grandmama Johnson]

Couple days late on this, but wow. Nash to Lakers feels a whole lot like the Payton/Malone gamble of 2004. Will it work out any better?

[dare]

Great to see Nash in Lakers, did not expect Martti to send a proposal for the Lakers.

[Cruzerr]

Somehow, I dont see Nash in Lakers, but what you going to do.

[Martti.]

Great to see Nash in Lakers, did not expect Martti to send a proposal for the Lakers.

I had Miami too, but I know the Heat don't have enough assets.

[Justine.]

Now let's wait if this trade is really comes after the Gasol trade.

[Fresh8]

I don't think the Lakers will be winning games with Nash but we will see.

Oh - and your Sonics are crap!

[Valor]

Bummer, didn't know Billups was injured would have loved to see the Knicks with Nash-Melo-Amare

[hova-]

Grandmama Johnson, it's really a gamble for Nash, because the Lakers' start to the season kind of lowered the expectations. I still think they have the best team next to Miami in this league.

dare, Martti.'s proposal was kinda logical, he ain't no fanboy Nash to Lakers is good for you anyway

Cruzerr, it will be interesting to see how it turns out. I think I will cover one extra L.A. match next month, we'll see.

Justine., I don't think it comes after the Pau-trade at all, but if the Lakers somehow win the championship, it has to be right up there with the Gasol deal.

Sit, yeah, right now my Sonics are crap. Injuries keep hurting us. But the team is getting better and I get a better feeling for each player.

Valor, yeah Billups is down with a fractured wrist - I think I mentioned it in two or three articles this season

Thanks for your replies. Eastern got me in some family business, that's why the updates aren't there right now. Maybe I can post an update tomorrow. Happy Eastern, guys.

[Houndy]

Whats Eastern?

[hova-]

I meant Easter - in german it's called "Ostern", with an "n" at the end. Kinda mixed it up.

[Fresh8]

Happy Eastern Hov.

[shadowgrin]

[hova-]

Jason Maxiell has been rock-solid for Seattle this season.

Sonics' short-handed winning week is also a success of role-players
Sonicsfan88 for Sonics.com
Posted on November 26th 2011 2:36PM

Our Supersonics squad went 2-1 this week, beating the Hornets 93-101 at home on Tuesday, dropping a home-game against the Suns 98-93 on Friday and beating the current champion Los Angeles 111-116 in overtime on the road on Saturday. With our key-players Tyreke Evans and Luis Chase missing all three games, this skit is a good opportunity to take a look at the Sonics' role players. But first things first, let's recap our first winning week of the 2011-2012 season.


Balanced score helps Sonics beat Hornets

Even without their starting backcourt, the Sonics were able to outhustle the Hornets at home grabbing a 93-101 win. It was a strong fourth quarter effort in which the Sonics outscored New Orleans 13-25 that helped grabbing a W.

Omri Casspi once more was the scoring leader as he put up 17 points hitting 4-6 from beyond the arc. Since being the Sonics' sixth man, Casspi looks more confident shooting and is averaging 21.8 points over the last six games.

Keyon Dooling added 12 and Delonte West had a great all-around performance with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. The Sonics had five players in double-figures in scoring with Jason Maxiell adding 9 points.

Chris Paul was limited to only 10 points but flirted with a triple-double as he also notched 9 boards and put up 15 dimes. David West led all players with 23 points.



Losing vs the worst team in the league

To make it short, a loss vs the Suns is pretty unnecessary. Demarcus Cousins had 21 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks and Donte Greene added 19, but the Sonics lost the last quarter by eight and thus the game 98-93 at home.

Steve Nash had 18 and 12 dimes in his last game for the Suns and Josh Childress 17 points and 9 rebounds.



Beat L.A.

"Beat L.A." is the team chant in the huddle whenever the Sonics play against the Lakers. And just like last season, we once again managed to grab a (for other teams) rare road win over L.A..

Omri Casspi shot stellar in the 2nd half and scored 28 for the game. Demarcus Cousins kept beasting down low although battling two of the best big men in Pau Gasol (14p/14r) and Andrew Bynum (11p/16r). Cousins had 19 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks but fouled out in overtime.

Donte Greene took over then, as he also scored 19 points in the game to counter Steve Blake's 28. Talking about taking over: Kobe Bryant had 18 of his 27 in the first half to keep the Lakers in the game despite poor shooting. L.A. outrebounded the Sonics 56-39 but only shot 18-26 from the foul line and had 16 turnovers.


Taking a look at the role players

Without Tyreke Evans and Luis Chase, Omri Casspi and Demarcus Cousins usually pick up the slack for Seattle. But two players cannot lift a team to a win over the Lakers and this is why we should take a look at the "other" guys on this Seattle squad.

Donte Greene missed most of the season with back spasms so far, but since coming back he has been stellar. Greene had 8 points vs NOH, 17 vs PHX and 19@LAL. He is averaging 10.1 points and 4.4 boards per game in 24.3 minutes of playing time. Greene can score in a hurry and hurt teams from almost every spot on the floor. He needs to work on his rebounding though. His .334% from down-town make him a weapon because thanks to his 6-11 he can shoot over almost every other wing player.

Delonte West has been signed this off-season and many said that Coach & GM Hova promised too much money to the 28-year old ex-Celtic (23M $ over four years). West is the Sonic's sixth man and averaging 8.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game in 27.3 minutes.

Although his shooting has been underwhelming so far (.353% FG, .250% 3PT), West has been an important part of the team with his defense and his ability to draw fouls. Against the Lakers, he went 1-10 from the field but 10-14 from the free throw line. His defense on the best perimetre player of the opposing team is really pesky and he did a good job defending Kobe Bryant (9-26 FG), Chris Paul (4-10) and Steve Nash (6-19) this week. West can give you a little bit of everything and also hit a key three pointer late in the game against Minnesota a week ago (111-107 road W).

Another important key player has been forward Jarvis Hayes. The 30-year old veteran is averaging 9.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 21.4 minutes per game. Hayes has started in seven of these games as he is a better defender than Omri Casspi. His .411% from beyond the arc are 2nd on the Sonics squad. Hayes had 22 points in a win vs Minnesota where he hit 5-6 from down-town. The 9-year pro is definitely worth his money at 2M $ per year.

A guy who has come up great recently is Beno Udrih. Coach Hova often mentioned that he wasn't too convinced of Udrih's game, but the Slovenian point guard cracked the rotation after injuries to Chase and Evans.
Udrih scored in double-figures in his last four games and had 12 points against the Lakers hitting a key three pointer over Steve Blake with 30 seconds to go to tie the game at 99. Still, the 6-3 guard is not really satisfied with his situation in Seattle, where he seems to be the third-string point guard behind Chase and West, who is covering up both guard positions.

Last but not least, Jason Maxiell. Acquired in that mysterious draft-day deal which sent Luis Chase to Seattle, Maxiell has been putting up numbers since joining the Sonics. Many laughed about Hova, who gave up Jason Thompson for Maxiell, but slowly but surely, the ex-Piston PF is paying back.
Maxiell is averaging 5.1 points and 7.5 rebounds (1.8 ORP) per game in 27.9 minutes per game. Although this does not sound too special, the forward out of Cincinnati is simply effective.

Per 36 minutes, Maxiell has stats of 6.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and only 1.1 turnovers. He is shooting .561% from the field and does not take away possession or shots from other, better offensive players. his .682% from the free throw line are a career-high. Maxiell brings intensity and defense despite being only 6-7 tall.

Let's hope we can continue the season like this week, and still look for that eight Playoff spot. So far, take care, Sonics fans!


Wall, Durant named players of the week ...
Nene will miss up to 8 weeks with vortex injury ...
Anthony's 33 lift Knicks over Raptors ...
Grizzlies beat Mavs, move on top of West ...
Deng's late jumper leads Bulls past Thunder, 85-86 ...


Check Sonics stats and League Standings here ...

[Fresh8]

I don't like any of your role players.

[kibaxx7]

I like Maxiell and West Weird that you have your first winning week with both Evans and Chase out.

[Justine.]

LeBron will also struggle when your team face them. Delonte West defense

[Martti.]

LeBron's mom celebrated Easter in Seattle.

[hova-]

Sit, Sonics titles = one, 1979 --- Stealth titles = 0, never

Thierry •, yeah it was pretty weird since we beat the Lakers and should not have lost the Suns game. But I'm really missing those two, especially Chase because Udrih's so slow.

Justine., Delonte's one of the coolest players. I like his psycho style and that he can do a little bit of everything.

Martti., that's better because then she did not need to see his awesome clutch shot (NOT) in the last seconds vs Philly live sitting in the stands.

[Valor]

I don't like any of your role players.

I actually agree sorry Hov

[shadowgrin]

I like all of them except Jarvis Hayes.
I like using Greene because of his athleticism and size advantage at the swing spots.
LeBron James Sr. has been good in 2K9-2K11.
Udrih is damn slow as hov said, but he's reliable as long as you don't do 3-4 consecutive iso motion moves with him, especially behind the back dribble or else you're going to see the ball roll to the crowd.
While Maxiell is a decent big, like DeJuan Blair.

[Houndy]

Nice job man