Hov's Kings - Retired

Roddy B!

The Sonics (D. West against G. Hill) only won one of their last four games in December.




Seattle, December 22nd

The Sonics gave up a season-high 45 points in the third quarter, allowing Houston 58 free throw attempts, a season-high as well for the league. Yao Ming dominated as he got to the line 17 times and made 15 of his foul shots. He lit up Seattle for 33 points and also grabbed 12 boards, leading five Rockets in double-figures in scoring.

Seattle did not play bad offensively either, as the young backcourt of Tyreke Evans and rookie Luis Chase combined for 49 points (25/24). The team also got to the line quite a lot, hitting 27 of their 35 free throw attempts. But Seattle only shot 2-12 from beyond the arc (compared to 8-19 by the Rockets) and got outrebounded 55-43 as the Rockets scored their highest total of the last three seasons.


Kobe Bryant was unstoppable in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 points.



Seattle, December 26th

Just one day after celebrating christmas, the Sonics were hosting the Los Angeles Lakers, the 2011 champion of the NBA and a team they had already beaten this season before.

The Sonics kept hanging in the game until the last seconds, but the Lakers, who had won three of their last four, were able to pull away with the win, thanks to Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.

Bryant scored 14 of his 26 in the fourth quarter, also adding 5 boards and 6 assists. 31-year oldGasol added 13 points, 8 rebounds and also 6 dimes.

"It's always tough to beat a team when their two best players combine for 12 assists just like (Bryant and Gasol) did. They were finding their open team mates and that is why we lost the game", Coach Hova said later.

The open team mates weren't flukes though, as Steve Nash, who is averaging 13 points and 5 assists per game since joining the Lakers, scored 17 points and Andrew Bynum added 15 and 7 rebounds.

The Lakers, now at 17-11 looked way improved on their way back to the top of the Western Conference.

For Seattle, Donte Greene had a game-high 28 points and seven rebounds and Luis Chase, who went to the line 13 times, added 19. Tyreke Evans only shot 4-14 from the floor and David West had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.




Phoenix, December 27th

David West was they key for the Sonics as they once again beat the Suns (2nd time in December), but also had to chatter until the last seconds, when Josh Childress could not hit on the game-tying 18-foot jump shot.

West had 26 points and 8 rebounds on an efficient 10-18 shooting and Donte Greene added 17 points compensating a rough outing for Tyreke Evans and Demarcus Cousins, who only combined for 19 points in the game.

The Sonics never trailed but let the Suns clinch back into the game in the fourth when they allowed them to score 12 unanswered points. The Suns, who had five players in double-figures forced 18 turnovers by the Sonics, but in the end could not make it a tie game before the buzzer sounded.

Luis Chase had a strong outing in his first game back in his home town of Phoenix, where he spent his highschool career. The 21-year old rookie had 12 points and 8 assists.


Al Jefferson's great play helped the Jazz grabbing a road win @Seattle.



Phoenix, December 29th

Despite a great outing by Demarcus Cousins, who seems to bloom since the acquisition of David West, the Sonics were not able to close out the year of 2011 with a win, as the Jazz executed well down the stretch, ending the game on a 7-0 run and giving the Sonics a tough loss.

Cousins scored 26 points and added 6 rebounds and 4 assists but was overshadowed by the Jazz' 2011 All-Star Al Jefferson. "Big Al" scored 27 points and grabbed 12 boards, but also blocked three shots on the defensive end.

"He definitely influenced the whole game. (Jefferson) was unstoppable today", Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin told the media later.

But he also got great support from his frontcourt partner Paul Millsap, who added 18 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.

For the Sonics, Tyreke Evans fought his way out of a two game slump as he scored 22 points and Luis Chase kept his solid play going as he put up 14 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals (but also had 5 turnovers).

The Sonics end the year of 2011 with a 9-24 record, nothing to be proud of for sure. January will offer them enough chances to rebound though, as they will play the Warriors three times and meet four other teams below .500%.



Magic sign Deshawn Stevenson ...
Canada calls Dalembert: C signs with Toronto ...
Rashard Lewis tears tendon in his hand, out for six weeks ...
Denver hit by injury bug: Felton, Nené out for three weks ...


Check Sonics stats and League Standings here ...

Last edited by hova- on Mon Jun 27, 2011 12:40 am, edited 1 time in total.

Damn, more losses

You just seem to choke down the stretch. Must be a young team thing, that happened to me quite a bit. Just keep the patience, run your sets & try to get good shots. You might need to re-jig your personnel though.

Hope you can turn it around soon as I want to see you make playoffs in year 3 (just like I hope too )

Sucks about the losses man I agree with The X here, keep with it and eventually they will become Ws

Damn, losses again. Agreed with Valor and The X and hoping to see you in the playoffs next year. I loved the fact that Donte Greene posted a quite a number of points against the Lakers.

It's not looking bad, you might need to make a move for a veteran.

The Sonics (D. West against G. Hill) only won three of their last four games in December.

First I thought, 3 wins in 4 games isn't bad.

Sucks you can't get on a hot streak, that's inexperience I guess. Greene making it rain, love it.

Last edited by Martti. on Sun Jun 26, 2011 11:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Oh no
9-23 ain't good news.. Hope you can bounce back!

9-23 isn't very promising But Cousins is exploding, that's nice.

Quite the disastrous season you're having. These are the best dynasties, but I don't see this one ending with a title at this rate.

The X, year 3 should be the goal right now, but we should at least come into reach this season or the Maloofs will be pissed. The good thing is that I start to find out how to use Cousins well and he turns into my offensive focal point quite often. Need to adjust his shot tendency though, since he doesn't score well in simmed games.

Valor, thanks, dude. Gotta keep plugging.

Cruzerr, Greene is doing very well. So far, trading Casspi hasn't hurt me.

Houndy, I don't plan any moves before the deadline at the moment as I think the West move is already paying off.

Martti., misstyped. Corrected that.

µTorrent, Actually I am at 9-24 Even worse ^^

Thierry •, I like Cousins more and more after him being more of a problem last season. He's developing.

Lamrock, a title seems unrealistic anyway. I mean, do you think the Kings will ever win a title again? The Playoffs must be the ultimate goal, the rest is just hoping for the best. (Even the Stealth haven't won a ring yet)

Despite the loses ,it's a positive thing that most of them were hard fought games. You're doing a nice job with your frountcourt and especially Cousins, but I believe that Tyreke is really alone in the perimeter. You should strengthen there soon, or try to get a good guard in the next draft.

Can't wait to see you reach the end of the season I like to see you lose and continue to build through the offseason!

███ Nuggets run might get stopped by injury woes
DENVER (AP)

The Denver Nuggets have kept surprising the NBA world as the team climbed the ladder up to the 2nd place in the Western Conference at a record of 21-12, but their recent run might take a hit as injuries start to haunt the team.

The Nuggets, winners of 6 of their last 7 games, will miss sixth man Raymond Felton for at least four weeks with a torn meniscus. Felton has been on the of the top favorites for sixth man of the year posting 9.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists off the bench.

Further, brazilian big man Nené has been stopped by neck problems lately and will be out for another 2 weeks. Ty Lawson leads Denver in scoring with 18.2 points per game.

███ Meredith Player of the week: "I'm still adjusting"
NEW YORK (AP)

Number one pick of the 2011 draft, Lance Meredith has been named Eastern Conference Player of the week for the first time in his career after helping the Knicks to win two games against New Jersey and Cleveland.

The rookie big man, who had problems with the tempo in the first month of his NBA career had 18 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists vs New Jersey and posted 20 points, 17 rebounds and 4 assists against Cleveland. He also averaged 2 blocks in these games.

"I'm still adjusting to the game, starting to understand the game and what I need to do out there", Big Lance says. An important change in his game is the fact the he has reduced his three point shots. (not even one attempts per game lately after almost three per game in his first month).

Meredith is averaging 18.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He also adds 1.8 blocks per game shooting .474% from the field, .243% from down town and .803% from the free throw line.

███ Sonics bring back Dillon Rogers from D-league, kick Udrih out of rotation
SEATTLE(AP)

After playing 17 games for the Seattle Supersonics, Stanford rookie Dillon Rogers got sent into the D-league to play for the Rhino Big Horns just a month ago.

Rogers averaged 18.1 points and 5.1 rebounds for the Big Horns and showed some signs of improvement, which led the Sonics to promoting him to the NBA squad once again.

Rogers, the untypical Stanford student (who grew up in the ghetto of Compton) is still looking to find his way into the Sonics' rotation.

Slovenian bench player Beno Udrih has been kicked out of the rotation though, according to sources near the Sonics' coaching staff.

Udrih has not been happy with his low playing time (6 minutes per game) and will most likely not pull his player option after this season. The Sonics have been shopping the guard for the whole season, but could not get a deal done yet.

███ Graham keeps getting better and better
CHARLOTTE (AP)

UCLA point guard Leroy Graham is getting more and more comfortable with his role off the bench behind DJ Augustin in Charlotte.

Graham is averaging 14.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 26.6 minutes off the bench for the Bobcats, shooting .472% from the field and .292% from down town.

As a part of a strong point guard class in the last draft, there had been doubts about Graham's NBA readiness, but the guard managed to make the transition quicker than experts picked him to do.

Graham had his personal break out party against the Knicks two weeks ago when he posted 27 points as well as 5 rebounds and assists in a 117-104 home win. He shot 10-13 in that game and 4-4 from down town.

███ Heat, Thunder lead their conferences
MIAMI - OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)

The Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder each managed to post a 13-2 run in the month of December, leading their Conferences to start the year of 2012.

Oklahoma is currently sitting at 24-10, while the Heat have upped their record to 30-4, one of the best starts in NBA history.

Kevin Durant and LeBron James have been named Players of the month December, making it two in a row for each player this season to win this award.

Durant is averaging an enormous 28.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, James is averaging 29.6 points, 9.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game.

"This could be one of the best East-West rivalries for years to come", NBA expert David Aldridge posted an article recently on NBA.com

George7, I don't know if adding more talent via draft (it's not even a good draft) is really making me better. I hope I can pull a coup via free agency though.

Sit, that's the goal, this team is not yet good enough, so offseason moves should help us to reach that playoff level.

Actually I wanted to post the "How's your player doing" thing, but 2k takes ages to upload pictures and I want some pics in it. Fiveliner instead. Hope that's still something

Meredith is turning out to be the real deal. Good numbers especially in the Knicks system.

Don't worry about the bad record. My Domination team was 2-19 in the opening season.

Derrick Rose has been rising above all: he's the best point guard in the league.

How's your player doing? Part I

As 2011 is over, the NBA heads into the new year. Avoiding a lockout was crucial for the league and we are glad that we can now take a look back at the first two month of the season, breaking down the performance of your favorite players.

Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls (21-10)
31G|25.9ppg|3.3rpg|7.7apg|1.25spg|2.5tpg|.536%FG|.413%3PT|.756%FT|39.2mpg|PER: 27.8

How good has Derrick Rose been this season? It's almost scary to see a point guard shoot that well from the floor (although Chris Paul is shooting even better) and .536% from the field and .413% from down town are easily career-highs for Rose. Maybe the most athletic point man, D-Rose also improved his fundamental play, his court vision and his defense as well. He had three double-doubles in December (points - assists) and came up short with 9 assists twice. Further, Rose managed to score more than 30 points seven times this season and also upped his career-high in assists, dishing out 14 assists twice.

Currently he's fifth in PER in the league (27.8), fourth in scoring (25.9), fifth in assists (7.7) third in estimated wins added and fourth in minutes per game (39.2).
Simply said, D-Rose = Chicago. The Bulls sit at third in the East and it's obvious that Rose is not only the team's MVP, but also has a legit shot for the league's MVP (although Kevin Durant and LeBron James might have a word in that). Rose is so tough to defend as he discovered the three point shot for himself. He has hit 69-167 from beyond the arc this season. Defender have to respect his drive which makes it easier to create room for the shot. The young Bull also is great at drawing fouls, going to the line six times per game. Chris Paul has to watch out, Rose seems to be the best point guard in the league right now.

Gilbert Arenas, Orlando Magic (21-13)
34G|24.3ppg|3.6rpg|4.0apg|1.75spg|3.1tpg|.446%FG|.407%3PT|.746%FT|34.1mpg|PER: 22.64

Who would have thought that? "Agent Zero" is back, "The Hibachi", or simply "Gil" has managed to fight his way back under the best guards in the league. Sure, he had been an All-Star last season (thanks to some injury problems of other players and a weak Wizards team), but since joining the Magic, Arenas has been putting the rock into the basket.
How about five 30+ games? How about leading the Orlando Magic to five wins during Dwight Howard's injury? How about putting up a season-high 50 points in a win over Indiana on December 2nd. (not a career-high though, you may remember that one.

But Arenas wouldn't be the real "Agent Zero" if there were not at least some questionable aspects on his game. Sure, he is 11th in scoring in the league (24.3), but he also takes the 5th most shots, being second only behind Danny Granger in three point shots taken this season. He scored 50 against the Pacers, but it took him 39 shots to reach that total and being asked wether or not that might be okay, Arenas answered: "Most guys in this league would need 50 shots to make 39 points, so I think 39 shots for 50 points is pretty great." All in all, Arenas has been a key reason for the Magic to keep things going while their real franchise player was sidelined with an injury.

Steve Nash, Los Angeles Lakers (19-12)
32G|14.2ppg|2.0rpg|6.9apg|0.8spg|2.5tpg|.452%FG|.360%3PT|.929%FT|34.8mpg|PER: 16.4

I never thought that I might one day say that, but Steve Nash is getting old. Yes, he does. At the age of 37, you finally noticed that one can't be rejuvenated for more than 5 years. The last five years may have been great for Nash, winning the MVP twice and coming short of the Finals against the Spurs and the Mavs. But since losing Mike D'Antoni, the Suns never managed to have a great influence on the postseason's outcoming, with the last two season being the top of the iceberg, as the Suns got swept by the OKC Thunder.

While Nash always had always been loyal with the franchise that signed him in the summer of 2004, it was time to move on for the Canadian playmaker, especially with the Suns starting this season at 0-7, firing Alvin Gentry and replacing him with John Kuester, not a friend of the Suns' typical fastbreak basketball. The Lakers made the best out of his situation and acquired Nash in a blockbuster trade early this season.
Since then, Nash's numbers have been regressing even further, but the hungover Lakers championship squad was able to integrate their new playmaker, going 10-5 since the acquisition. In these 15 games, Nash has put up 13.5 points and 6.9 assists, shooting .51% from the floor and .41% from down town, a clear upgrade over Steve Blake and definitely a decent improvement of his numbers with the Suns.

Nash has become more of a shooter in the Lakers' system, but Phil Jackson also wants him to run the break when possible, looking for easy baskets. His best game so far in purple and gold has been against the Memphis Grizzlies, when he had 18 points and 8 assists, leading the Lakers to a 105-94 win. Nash, who owns a still classy true shooting of .601%, is already in extension talks with the Lakers.
"I may have gotten older, but at the same time playing with the best, I can focus more on my strenghts and have a rest here and there. I want that ring and I'm not done yet."

Rose!!!
Arenas is doing pretty damn well, I bet the real life Magic are praying every day he does something like in your association

I had no idea that Nash was playing for the Lakers
14 PPG Is good, 6.9 ain't nice. Kobe holds on to the ball to much efore he shoots. That's why no assists for my man Nash. But still Nash still the best shooter! LA for Champs!

The Hibachi Hopefully the Magic can make another Finals run, but it's gonna be tough.

Wow at Arenas

After ten straight season with 50+ wins, Manu Ginobili and his Spurs' Dynasty seem to fail to achieve that feat again.

How's your player doing? Part II

As 2011 is over, the NBA heads into the new year. Avoiding a lockout was crucial for the league and we are glad that we can now take a look back at the first two month of the season, breaking down the performance of your favorite players.

Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers (18-15)
33G|19.9ppg|10.2rpg|0.8apg|0.6spg|0.8bpg|1.7tpg|.506%FG|.000%3PT|.579%FT|34.2mpg|PER: 18.7

As much fun as it is to watch Blake Griffin running the court up and down, dunking the ball or going into the lane for 360° layups, as good as a double-double per game, almost cracking the magical barrier of 20 and 10, sounds, as cool as this guy has been since coming into this league (remember this one?), there is still a whole lot of work to do for Blake Griffin when it comes to playing simple and plain basketball.

Right now, Griffin is solving his own and his team's problems on the court with only one ability: pure athleticism - let's say it right - wicked athleticism. This guy can run the court, jump high, and uses this strenghts to his advantage. Although a little mid-range jumper has been added to his repertoire in offseason, which helped him to increase his career-high to 39 points in one game this season, Blake still needs to work on his fundamentals on offense and defense. How can a guy like him only get 0.8 blocks per game? Why does he put up Shaqtastic numbers from the free throw line?
Well, enough moaning, Griffin put up 17 double-doubles in 35 games and also propelled his career-high rebounding to 22 in a match vs Seattle in late November. The sky is the limit for this young kid.

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers (19-12)
27G|27.6ppg|3.8rpg|3.8apg|2.0spg|2.8tpg|.476%FG|.392%3PT|.802%FT|37.4mpg|PER: 24.0

When the Los Angeles Lakers struggled most in the early beginning of the season, it wasn't Kobe Bryant's fault. Still, as a leader, he felt like he had to take the blame for the Championship hangover. "I know I have to motivate my team mates, I have to play better and just do more out there. Right now, this situation is tearing me apart.", the ever success-addicted Bryant said in an interview after the Lakers lost three straight games in mid-November. He tried everything to bring his team back to the top, but it needed a maybe more symbolic trade, bringing in Steve Nash, to get the Lakers over their hangover.
Bryant himself couldn't lift the team alone, despite putting up big numbers. He scored 48 against the Timberwolves, had 44 points twice this season and hit 5-5 from down town as he poured in 34 against the Magic. At .392%, Kobe upped his three point shooting by eight percent from last season, taking almost four attempts per game, while still going to the free throw line seven times per game.

But you can't argue with one fact. Kobe Bean Bryant will turn 34 after this season and his game won't get better. He added some post move work with Michael Jordan this offseason, helping him to be more effective in the low post, but his perimetre game is on steady decline. After shooting .502% from the floor last year, Kobe is shooting .473% this season so far. While his three point shot has gotten better as mentioned, his drive has taken a hit or two. The 13-time All-Star, six-time NBA champ and 3-times Finals MVP is scoring less points, grabbing less boards, dishing out less assists, stealing less balls and averaging less minutes per game this season. Kobe can still take over, but it's getting less and lesser. The Lakers have won 10 of their last 15, but the championship window seems to close more and more. "I still think we are the best team in this league. You just have to find ways to stay motivated. I want that ring, and I know the others want it, too, hopefully just as hard as me. I want Steve (Nash) to get that jewelry. Let's get things going ..."

Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs (16-19)
24G|11.9ppg|8.5rpg|7.0apg|1.6spg|2.4tpg|.432%FG|.313%3PT|.880%FT|36.5mpg|PER: 17.33

It seems like an era is ending. A dynasty is on it's last breaths. The San Antonio Spurs just can't get things turned around this season, hanging below .500% for almost the complete campaign so far. It's obvious, this team is getting older and especially the three main guys, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are getting older. The 34-year old Argentinian isn't playing exactly the way he is known for this season. Manu, always knowing for his all-around game but especially for his fancy drives, his three point shot and his scoring ability, is only averaging 11.9 points per game, shooting a career-low .432% from the field and only .313% from down town. It's clearly Gregg Popovich's new offensive system, that keeps Ginobili from scoring as much as in recent years, but it does not really work out for the Spurs so far.

Popovich wants Manu to create for others more often, especially for Tony Parker, a gifted scorer, but no real playmaker. Ginobili is putting up a career-high 7.0 assists per game, also adding 8.5 rebounds per game being a consistent triple-double threat (only one so far this season vs MEM, 24/11/11). He also managed to achieve the rare feat of two double-doubles without scoring over 9 points. (11 rebounds and 11 assists twice) But the Spurs just can't get any consistency into their game. Even worse, Ginobili had to sit out the last seven games with an abdomen injury and the Spurs only won three. It looks like the Spurs are going down, but at least Manu Ginobili goes down with style, triple-double style.

Deron Williams, New Jersey Nets (18-17)
35G|19.6ppg|3.3rpg|7.6apg|1.8spg|2.5tpg|.472%FG|.338%3PT|.814%FT|39.1mpg|PER: 20.85

You want to to discuss about the most boring team in the NBA? Well, the Nets should be right in front of that conversation. It's not only the fact that they are located in New Jersey and are - well "the Nets", it's also the over-controlled slow pace basketball Avery Johnson wants to see from his team, that makes the Nets boring to watch. Boring to watch and Deron Williams, these two words have rarely fit together in the last years, although he played for the Utah Jazz in these days. In New Jersey, Williams is not top playmaker he has been in recent years. 7.6 assists per game are still good enough to crack the top 10 in assists in the NBA, but for Williams' standards not really astonishing. After a cursed season in Utah last year, where he missed the first 2 1/2 months of the season, Williams' move to New Jersey was seen as a pretty spectacular deal. The Nets also added Jamal Crawford, Andre Miller and Carl Landry during offseason, creating high expectations for the team.

What happened? The Nets are a decent defensive team but do not really play well as a team on offense. Avery Johnson loves to play small, putting Williams on the shooting guard position, bringing in veteran Andre Miller (5.6 apg), who doesn't push the pace of the game. Great for Brook Lopez, who is scoring 21.3 points per game in this halfcourt offense, but not spectacular to watch. Adding the fact that Crawford loves to create his own shot, Williams' low assist output seems logical. So far he hasn't shown any signs of anger, but if the Nets don't make the Playoffs, it's likely that Williams, who only dished out assists in double figures six times this season, won't extend his contract and move on to another city.

Last edited by hova- on Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:16 am, edited 1 time in total.

Valor, he's playing like he did three or four years ago, a true gunner. Rose is going to be the best PG in this world I guess.

µTorrent, ye, he is with the Lakers now, there was a www.freestevenash.com campaign He's fitting into the system, but rather with his shooting than his playmaking.

Thierry •, I don't know about that. The Heat and Bulls are maybe better, Cs can surprise everytime in the Playoffs.

Justine., thanks for stopping by.


Guys, I plan an interview with Coach Hova, with you raising the questions (much like Sit once did when he wont the COTY award in his D - best D ever btw - so you can put up questions and I may try to answer these in an interview

Blake's stats are very similar to his RL stats.
Though its seldom to see an Association where Griffin is rockin'