Kevin Durant

[mgtr]

I always thought that Kevin Durant would be successful in the league. Some early stats (after five games for the Blazers): 34.6 minutes per game, 22.6 points per game, 40.8% field goal percent, 5.4 rebounds per game and 2.4 assists per game. Pretty impressive, yet the Blazers have lost all five games. I think the line is "there is no I in TEAM."
Moral? Unless the focus is on winning as a team, you are likely to lose as a team. It isn't about individual players.

[DevilAlumna]

Wow, that IS impressive, especially considering Durant's been playing for the Sonics *as well*!

[pfrduke]

I always thought that Kevin Durant would be successful in the league. Some early stats (after five games for the Blazers): 34.6 minutes per game, 22.6 points per game, 40.8% field goal percent, 5.4 rebounds per game and 2.4 assists per game. Pretty impressive, yet the Blazers have lost all five games. I think the line is "there is no I in TEAM."
Moral? Unless the focus is on winning as a team, you are likely to lose as a team. It isn't about individual players.

If you're trying to blame Durant for the Sonics being winless, that's ridiculous. The Sonics actually do play team ball - PJ and Presti brought over a Spurs philosophy, and their offense is geared on transition and movement. Yes, Durant is getting more shots than anyone else, but he's also their best player. I've watched all 5 games and been to the two home games (and am going again tomorrow to see Boozer and the Jazz), and Durant is not the problem with this team. The Sonics are just terrible. Actually, that's not quite strong enough. They're TERRIBLE. Here's their crunch time lineup - Earl Watson, Damien Wilkins, Durant, Chris Wilcox, and Nick Collison. That's 3 guys (Watson, Wilkins, and Collison) who probably wouldn't start for any other NBA team (except maybe the Bobcats or T-Wolves), one guy who's maybe a league average starter (Wilcox) and Durant. They can't play interior defense to save their lives, and they can't execute on offense when it counts. Durant is getting double-teamed all the time, and especially in crunch time, because there's no one else out there that teams need to worry about. He's actually in kind of a similar situation as he was at Texas, only there are no Baylors on the schedule in the League.

I'm not sure what kind of moral you're trying to draw here. If it's that one player, no matter how good he is, can't take a team full of 8th men and make it a winner, well, no kidding. If it's that the Sonics are losing because they're focusing on Durant and not team basketball, that's just plain wrong.

[mgtr]

I'm not sure what kind of moral you're trying to draw here. If it's that one player, no matter how good he is, can't take a team full of 8th men and make it a winner, well, no kidding. If it's that the Sonics are losing because they're focusing on Durant and not team basketball, that's just plain wrong.

So, your point is that the Sonics do play team basketball. The reason that they lose is that they are a lousy team. Maybe if their idea of team ball results in five losses, they should play to Durant more. Whatever the problem, it can't be much fun to be on such a team.

[Hector Vector]

Looks to me like Seattle is a bad, young team, with major upside -- Durant as a dominant scorer, Jeff Green as a steady Prince/Howard type contributor, decent, but not great bigs in Wilcox, Collison and Swift, and a chance to add an elite point guard from likely draft entrants Derrick Rose, OJ Mayo, Erik Gordon, or soph Ty Lawson.

No shame in taking lumps this year to build that future.

[mgtr]

No shame in taking lumps this year to build that future.

If that is the plan, then it all makes sense. No point in trading for older players if you are looking for the future rather than this year.

[Carlos]

Maybe it's just me, but I don't find a 41% FG average too impressive. 103 shots to score 113 points....

[pfrduke]

If that is the plan, then it all makes sense. No point in trading for older players if you are looking for the future rather than this year.

That is absolutely the plan. The team is almost intentionally bad this year (not that the players aren't playing hard, but the front office decided to blow it up and rebuild). They let Lewis go in FA, and traded Allen for Green. They have 9 guys on the roster with 3 years or less of experience, and two of their veterans (Szczerbiak and Kurt Thomas) are on the team because they have big expiring contracts coming off the books in the next two years. They want to build around Durant, Green, and the next two lottery picks - probably one of Rose/Gordon/Mayo this year, and then a big the next year.

And you're right - I'm sure it's no fun to play on a team that will likely lose 60 times this season. But the team definitely has a plan for the future, and within a couple years, should be extremely competitive with a talented young nucleus.

[Clipsfan]

Maybe it's just me, but I don't find a 41% FG average too impressive. 103 shots to score 113 points....

Until his last game (3-17) his average was actually respectable, especially given that he's a rookie who receives double teams. He'll be fine on that front.

[throatybeard]

Why exactly does Oklahoma City want this team?

[JasonEvans]

Why exactly does Oklahoma City want this team?

Because the excitement of having any team will fill the arena for 2 or 3 years and in 2 or 3 years the Sonics will probably be really, really good.

--Jason "you gotta suck sometimes to get good-- the real curse in the NBA is being mediocre for a long period of time" Evans

[phaedrus]

--Jason "you gotta suck sometimes to get good-- the real curse in the NBA is being mediocre for a long period of time" Evans

An honest Hawks fan would acknowledge the even greater curse - sucking for a long period of time.

[DevilAlumna]

Sonics lost again tonight, but mainly at the hand of Carlos Boozer, who was outstanding with 27 points, 15 rebounds and 4 assists. What's a Seattle Duke fan to do? :cool:

[darthur]

Just to reiterate what's already been said: Seattle's goal is not to win now, it's to win later. That requires doing two things: losing now for future draft options, and getting Durant some serious practice. All is going to plan.