The Good:
Durant played much better this game. His stats weren't really that different, but he forced the Suns to start keying on him in the 4th quarter. He took a couple of bad jumpers, but most of his 23 shots were in the flow of the game and he started driving to the hoop more. And his two consecutive shots in the 4th quarter to pull the Sonics back in it...wow. Everybody in the country knew he was going make that 3 and he did. At least we don't have to worry about his confidence. He's going to score 50 on someone this season, mark it down.
Ridnour provided a serious spark. Disappointing to see him only get a few minutes. Hopefully he'll be ready for full action in a few games. His alley-oop over the top of the D was the play of the game.
Jeff Green proved to me that he's a basketball player. I has some doubts about the pick having watched him at Georgetown regularly, but he was very aggressive tonight. He's going to be a good player, even though he doesn't have a true position. Right now, I like him more in the post, even though he can clearly handle the ball on the perimeter. Also, playing inside prevents him from taking 3's. That's not his shot yet.
Chris Wilcox: big game. He seems to love playing against the Suns this year (He also went off for 27 against the Suns in the preseason. He's leading the team in PER (player efficiency rating) at 23.18 (compared to league average of 15), which is an all-star level. Its extremely early, so these stats have little meaning thus far, but we can hope he's raised his game. He's clearly going to be the only 'consistent' post option on the team. He made a few nice turnaround jumpers on the blocks, but not enough so that I wasn't concnered everytime he shot it. He needs to average 10 rebounds a game.
So far Coach Carlesimo has an appropriately quick hook, i.e. not pulling everyone for every little mistake, but at the same time getting guys out of there when necessary. In fact, every time I thought 'PJ needs to get ____ out of there," they were promptly benched. I'm talking to you Wally.
The Sonics played a tight game for 3 quarters before falling behind in the 4th.
Carlesimo searching for the right combo. Played Watson/West together in the 2nd quarter...didn't really work, but it was nice to see him give different lineups a try. Midseason starting 5: Wilcox, Collison, Durant, West, Ridnour. Green and Watson will be the first players off the bench. Szczerbiak and Petro will be 2nd unit players.
The Bad:
Szczerbiak looked for offense too much...bit of a ball hog. He came out, demanded the ball and went to work. Then he missed the shots. He's one of the few veterans on the team, so it was nice to see him make his presence felt, but i'd like to feel it in a more positive way.
Phoenix was able to pull away when they took their D to another gear. A gear the Sonics don't have yet. They absolutely shut down the offense in the 4th quarter, when Durant couldn't break free, and no one else could step up.
Durant's rebounding skills have not carried over into the NBA. Hopefully he'll get them back once he starts moving more towards the inside. He did get to play the '4' sometimes during the 4th quarter last night, which was much more similar to his college position.
Green and Durant missed a ton of shots in the first half from close range. Charles Barkley made a great point at halftime, noting that they just need a little more strength and aren't used to being bumped on every shot in the lane. I think they'll be finishing those shots in a year or two.
3 missed dunks this game. Really need to finish those.
Wilkins wants to be the second option on offense, but he just isn't good enough.
Point Guard remains a question.
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