Remembering Seattle

"Thank you Seattle," said the T-Shirt sarcastically.

This shirt, made by Warpaint clothing, is a nose-thumbing at Seattle and their fans who had their team ripped from them though they lobbied to save it.

The classic Supersonics logo is depicted in OKC blue and distastefully reminds still-tender Seattle fans that what used to be their team is now just four wins from the NBA Finals.

After the shirt was publicized by New York Times writer Howard Beck, the outrage (and death threats) over twitter forced Warpaint to issue a semi-apology and declare their intention to stop selling the shirts. The controversial shirt is just the latest sting in the contentious relationship between Sonics fans and Thunder fans.

“I miss Seattle a lot. It was my first city that I lived in on my own. It was a great city to play for. It was unfortunate for the fans what happened, but it’s time to move on," said the NBA's leading scorer Kevin Durant.

"I’m sure they’ve moved on. But in the back of my mind, I still have a thing for Seattle and always am going to remember what they’ve done for me.”

Kevin Durant was there when the team was terrible near the end of it's run in Seattle.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz hadn't owned the team long when he sold to Clay Bennett. Bennett made some half-hearted promises about keeping the team in Seattle though he had hosted the hurricane-driven Hornets for a season and had a new arena in place in Oklahoma, Bennett's home town.

When the city of Seattle voted not to publicly fund a new arena, the team broke the lease at Key Arena two years early and moved to OKC and the rest is history.

Except for the future. And a bright future at that.

OKC is easily the best, most exciting young team in the League. But lest we forget, the Sonics once were as well. Watching the Seattle Supersonics leave is a lesson for all NBA franchises.

The documentary Sonicsgate: Requiem for a Team won "Best Sports Film" at the 2010 Webby Awards, and goes into depth about the team background in Seattle and behind the scened to see what happened that led to the relocation of the team.

Awards Predictions 2012: MVP

Most Valuable Player

picks and analysis by Devin Gray (@devingray33) and Pat Choi (@patty_choi) 
 

PC - LeBron James, Miami Heat

LeBron James deserves his third MVP trophy after his highly successful regular season. He's had one of his best statistical years and it has also been his most productive one. James leads the league in efficiency per 48 minutes and is averaging 27.2 ppg, an improvement from last season, 7.9 rpg (a career high), 6.2 apg (first among forwards) and 1.9 spg with improvements in fouls, turnovers and free throw percentage from his first season with the Heat. His most astounding improvements this year are in his production in scoring. He's averaging a career high 53% field goal percentage on 19 shots attempted per game and a career high 36.2% three-point percentage. James' effect on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball is what led to the Miami Heat's 46-20 record, second in the Eastern Conference. He is the best two-way player in the league, he leads his team in points, assists, rebounds and steals and is the single biggest reason why the Heat are fourth in point differential. Most people believe that James should never receive another MVP title because he's playing along side all-star and future hall of famer, Dwyane Wade. But without Wade this season James carried his team with a 14-1 record. 

Oh yeah, and he literally jumped OVER John Lucas on an alley-oop

Video - LeBron James top 10 plays of the 2012 season

DG - Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

All year long the Thunder looked like a lock for the number one seed in the NBA, and falling short of that has dampened the enthusiasm for Kevin Durant as MVP. Regardless, the Thunder finished 47-19, third in the NBA, but still ahead of Miami. The MVP Race is clearly between LeBron and KD, and the Durantula slightly edges out the King. Durant recently locked up his third consecutive scoring title averaging 28 points per game to become the first player since Jordan to three-peat. A dominant scorer with a feathery touch and a lanky 6’9” frame allow him to get shots up above any defender, and he’s much improved on defence as well. This season, Durant established career highs in rebounds with eight per game, blocks with 1.2 and field goal % shooting .496 while playing all 66 games. KD dropped his career-high 51 this year, and was named All-Star Game MVP, so being named regular-season MVP would be the icing on the cake to another fantastic season where Durant has made another leap, just when you thought he'd reached his full potential.

KD for double-MVP?

 Video - Kevin Durant top 10 plays of the 2012 season

Awards Predictions 2012: Bust

Biggest Disappointment

picks and analysis by Devin Gray (@devingray33) and Pat Choi (@patty_choi) 

PC - Lamar Odom, Dallas Mavericks

Usually an awards ceremony forgets the biggest disappointment, but we didn't, and my player that I name as the biggest bust is Lamar Odom. He was last season's sixth man of the year for the Lakers, but has played at his career lowest in all stat categories with the Mavericks this year including a career low 20.5 mpg. Odom requested a trade to a contending team after he heard he had almost been traded to the New Orleans Hornets in a three-team deal before the season began. He could never find his roll on the Mavericks’ team and could not consistently get solid minutes. In early March, Odom missed a few games for 'personal reasons' but it was actually hidden from the decisions of head coach Rick Carlisle. Dallas then assigned him to their NBA D-League affiliate. Finally the end of his time with Dallas came when they decided to list him inactive for the rest of the season, so they potentially could use him as a trade asset until the end of his one-year contract. Odom's career is certainly not over, he just needs to forget this season happened and get in better shape to focus on which contending team he can help win a championship in the 2012-2013 season.

Video: Lamar Odom interviewed early in the season in Dallas


DG - The Charlotte Bobcats
Unlike real awards shows which only acknowledge excellence, we have picked examples of on-court 'talent' that has not performed up to expectation. While the Bobcats' expectations were minimal going into this season compared to the expectations Odom had upon moving to Dallas, posting the NBA's worst winning percentage of all time deserves some recognition in the biggest disappointment category. The Bobcats were historically bad winning just .106 of their games and finishing with a final record of 7-59. The Bobcats were awful, lost their last 23 games in a row, coach Paul Silas and forward Tyrus Thomas actually fought in the locker room, Bismack Biyombo showed he was still very raw, while Kemba Walker battled DJ Augustin for playing time, Corey Maggette played in only 32 games, they didn't have Gerald Wallace, Boris Diaw left for San Antonio, Eduardo Najera fractured his forehead, and Gerald Henderson was their leading scorer. Just an ugly year in Charlotte, but hopefully Anthony Davis can fix all that.

 

Video: Corey Maggette bounce-pass to Caron Butler

Awards Predictions 2012: All-Rookie

picks and analysis by Devin Gray (@devingray33) and Pat Choi (@patty_choi)

PC - All-Rookie First Team

Center - Tristan Thompson, Cleveland

Forward - Kenneth Faried, Denver

Forward - Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio

Guard - Ricky Rubio, Minnesota

Guard - Kyrie Irving, Cleveland

PC - All-Rookie Second Team 

Center - Bismack Biyombo, Charlotte

Forward - Chandler Parsons, Houston

Forward - Klay Thompson, Golden State

Guard - Iman Shumpert, New York

Guard - Isaiah Thomas, Sacramento

Isaiah Thomas, proved he was an NBA PG while Iman Shumpert impressed with defence

DG - All-Rookie First Team

Center - Tristan Thompson, Cleveland

Forward - Kenneth Faried, Denver

Forward - Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio

Guard - Ricky Rubio, Minnesota

Guard - Kyrie Irving, Cleveland

DG - All-Rookie Second Team 

Center - Bismack Biyombo, Charlotte

Forward - Klay Thompson, Golden State

Forward - Iman Shumpert, New York

Guard - MarShon Brooks, New Jersey

Guard - Isaiah Thomas, Sacramento

Awards Predictions 2012: All-Defense

picks and analysis by Devin Gray (@devingray33) and Pat Choi (@patty_choi)

DG - All-NBA First Defensive Team

Center - Tyson Chandler, New York

Forward - Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City           

Forward - LeBron James, Miami

Guard - Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers

Guard - Tony Allen, Memphis

DG - All-NBA Second Defensive Team

Center - Dwight Howard, Orlando

Forward - Josh Smith, Atlanta

Forward - Shawn Marion, Dallas

Guard - Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia

Guard - Rajon Rondo, Boston

LeBron guards all positions and turns defense into offense

PC - All-NBA First Defensive Team

Center - Tyson Chandler, New York

Forward - Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City           

Forward - LeBron James, Miami

Guard - Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia

Guard - Tony Allen, Memphis

PC - All-NBA Second Defensive Team

Center - Dwight Howard, Orlando

Forward - Kevin Garnett, Boston

Forward - Luol Deng, Chicago

Guard - Paul George, Indiana

Guard - Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers

Tony Allen has proven himself to be one of the elite perimeter defenders in the NBA

Note: Dwight Howard not on the All-NBA First Defensive Team

This season showed why Dwight isn't a lock for best-at-everything center. He usually dominates the position, but an off-year and a lack of public support gave Tyson Chandler the Defensive Player of the Year. How could you put the DPOY on the All-NBA Second Defensive Team? It doesn't make sense. And since there's only two spots for centers, unless you're going to bend the rules and make one of them eligible for the forward position, it has to be Chandler on the first team and Dwight on the second.

Awards Predictions 2012: All-NBA

picks and analysis by Devin Gray (@devingray33) and Pat Choi (@patty_choi)

DG - All-NBA First Team

Center - Dwight Howard, Orlando

Forward - LeBron James, Miami

Forward - Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City

Guard - Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers

Guard - Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers

PC - All-NBA First Team

Center - Dwight Howard, Orlando

Forward - LeBron James, Miami

Forward - Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City

Guard - Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers

Guard - Tony Parker, San Antonio

Chris Paul > Tony Parker?

Do you commend Tony Parker on his career-high 7.7 assists per game while Chris Paul averaged "just" 9.1 assists per game? Do you recognize Parker's leadership role on the 50-win, Conference-leading Spurs, or Paul for his role in making the Clippers respectable and winning 40 games in his first season in LA? Final team record may be the deciding factor.

No Love?

The numbers don't lie for Kevin Love who averaged 26 points and 13.3 rebounds, but how is he supposed to crack the All-NBA First Team at Forward when he has to compete with the two most likely MVP candidates in LeBron James and Kevin Durant? Love's case would be strengthened if the Wolves had made the playoffs, but they finished just 26-40 and Love's season came to an end after 55 games.

DG - All-NBA Second Team

Center - Andrew Bynum, L.A. Lakers

Forward - Kevin Love, Minnesota

Forward - Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas

Guard - Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City

Guard - Tony Parker, San Antonio

PC - All-NBA Second Team

Center - Andrew Bynum, L.A. Lakers

Forward - Kevin Love, Minnesota

Forward - Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas

Guard - Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City

Guard - Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers

Dirk > Carmelo? 

Melo played in 55 games this year to Dirk's 62, but averaged 22.6 points to Dirk's 21.6. Percentage-wise, Dirk is more effective from every spot on the floor, though Melo handles the ball more, gets more minutes and assists. Both the Knicks and Mavs were struggling to avoid getting swept in the first round of the playoffs despite these stars. It's a toss-up, but we both go Dirk this time.

Westbrook > Wade? 

Westbrook averaged 23.6 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.6 rebounds to Wade's 22.1, 4.6, and 4.8. Wade played in 49 games while Westbrook played in all 66. Both play second bill on their respective teams to MVP candidates, but both are top-10 players in the League. Westbrook simply had a better year, emerging as one of the best players in the NBA.

DG - All-NBA Third Team

Center - Marc Gasol, Memphis

Forward - LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland

Forward - Carmelo Anthony, New York

Guard - Dwyane Wade, Miami

Guard - Rajon Rondo, Boston

PC - All-NBA Third Team

Center - Marc Gasol, Memphis

Forward - LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland

Forward - Carmelo Anthony, New York

Guard - Dwyane Wade, Miami

Guard - Rajon Rondo, Boston

Rondo > Rose?

Last seasons' MVP played in just 39 games this year fighting constant injuries that "limited" him to 21.8 and a career-high 7.9 assists. Rondo though led the league in assists with 11.7 per game, while scoring 11.9 points in 53 games this season. Rondo was the only player to record more than one triple-double and he exploded for six such games this season including a monster 18 point, 17 rebound, 20 assist game.

LaMarcus Aldridge > Blake Griffin? 

LA averaged 21.7 and 8 rebounds while Griffin averaged 20.6 and 10.8. Blake played in all 66 games, while Aldridge played in 55. Griffin's free-throw percentage brings him down though as he shot just 52% from the line compared to Aldridge's 81%. Both were All-Stars this year and though Griffin usually gets the shine because of all the highlights, Aldridge should be recognized as an All-NBA player.

Tough luck – Rose, Hibbert, Granger, Harden, Nash, Griffin, Garnett

Awards Predictions 2012: Rookie

Rookie of the Year

picks and analysis by Devin Gray (@devingray33) and Pat Choi (@patty_choi)

 

DG - Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers

Seeing as how we’re allowing players whose seasons were marred by injury take home awards (see my Lin pick for MostImproved), I can see how Rubio could win Rookie of the Year, but Kyrie Irving dominated in his own way. Irving averaged 18.5 points and 5.4 assists to Rubio’s 10.6 and 8.2, playing the scorers role required by his Cavs team. Irving played 51 games this year, ten more than Rubio, and established himself as a go-to scorer when the game is on the line. In his rookie year, he was already the greatest clutch performer in the NBA (Clutch=4th quarter or overtime, less than 5 minutes left, neither team ahead by more than 5 points) scoring a runaway league-best 56.4 points per 48 minutes of clutch time (http://www.82games.com/1112/CSORT11.HTM) . Not bad for a guy who only played 11 games in college, no summer league, and debuted in a shortened season.

Video: Kyrie Irving's top 10 plays of the 2011-12 season

PC - Ricky Rubio, Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves fight for the playoffs during the last quarter of the season would have looked very different if the Spanish rookie had been healthy, and if Rubio didn't go down with a torn ACL he would be the top candidate for this season's Rookie of the Year award. As a starter he pushed the Timberwolves to an 18-13 record. After he was out with the injury, Minnesota went to finish the season 5-20. In 41 games Rubio averaged a rookie-leading 8.2 assists per game (sixth in the league) and led all rookies in steals with 2.2 per game (tied second in the league).

Video: Ricky Rubio- A Season Cut Short