CHRIS WILCOX NAMED WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

SEATTLE – The NBA announced today that Sonics forward Chris Wilcox has been named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, April 3 through Sunday, April 9. Wilcox averaged 23.0 points and 15.3 rebounds while shooting 75.0 percent (27-of-36) from the field during the week to help the Sonics extend their winning streak to a season-long four games. The league honor is the first of Wilcox’s career and the first for a Sonics player this season.

Wilcox began the week by posting 26 points and a career-high 24 rebounds in a 104-87 win over Houston on April 4, becoming the first Sonics player to post a 20-point/20-rebound game since Shawn Kemp did so on Nov. 15, 1995. Wilcox’s 24 rebounds were also the most by a Sonics player since Jack Sikma grabbed 25 boards on Feb. 10, 1983. Wilcox also dished out a career-best six assists at Portland last Friday, April 7, and has recorded double-doubles in scoring and rebounding in four consecutive games.

After averaging 4.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 48 games with the Clippers this season, Wilcox has posted 15.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game since joining the Sonics on Feb. 23.

The New York Knicks’ Jamal Crawford was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 26.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.25 steals per game. He hit two game-winning jumpers to lead the Knicks to a 3-1 record during the week. Crawford grew up in Seattle and was a prep basketball star at Rainier Beach High School

Other nominees for Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Cleveland’s LeBron James, Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki, New Jersey’s Jason Kidd, Orlando’s Dwight Howard, Sacramento’s Mike Bibby and Seattle’s Ray Allen.

The Seattle Sonics & Storm organization manages the Puget Sound region’s professional basketball franchises – the NBA’s Seattle SuperSonics and the WNBA’s Seattle Storm. The organization oversees all sales, marketing, finance, public relations and basketball operations for the teams. The Basketball Club of Seattle LLC owns both teams.

1 2 3 4 Total Seattle 29 31 22 14 96 Final  Sacramento 23 35 30 17 105 ss="yspscores">

PopcornMachine’s GameFlow (not yet available)

Plus/Minus
The Good: Mike Wilks +8, Damien Wilkins +5, and Robert Swift +2. The Bad: Mikki Moore -1, Noel Felix -2. The Ugly: Chris Wilcox -8, Rashard Lewis -10, Johan Petro and Ray Allen -11, and Luke Ridnour -17.

Help Value (hv=Reb+Ast+Blk+Stl-TO)
Wilcox led the team with a very strong +19 on the back of his rebounding. Ray Allen and Luke Ridnour were both +11.

Swift/Petro line of the night: 44 minutes, 20 points, 14 boards (7 offensive), 6 fouls.

Sonics: 20 assists, 17 turn overs.

What a difference a day makes!

I’ve written before in this space about my irrational hatred for the Utah Jazz and last night was a splendid reward for me. The Sonics did to the Jazz what Crash did to Brokeback Mountain in the Oscar race last night. Newest Sonic Noel Felix had the loudest 2 point 1 rebound game I think I’ve ever witnessed. Earl “Bugs” Watson chipped in 10 pts, 7 dimes and 5 boards in the effort as well as some tiiight alley oops to Chris Wilcox, who is rapidly relegating Radmanovic to milk-carton status …

I can’t say enough about Wilcox’s ability to run the floor, set picks and play above the rim. After far too many years of watching countless worthless frontcourt players it’s about damn time the Supes started playing above the rim. I was sturck last night about how closely the Jazz are to Nate McMillan’s ideal team, low possession, highly efficient but with a plodding frontcourt. Utah simply had no answer for Seattle’s 7 footers … any of them, and when the Sonics can bring 7 ft Mikki Moore off the bench to counter Ostertag, I say if we give this team time to gel and retain Bob Hill going into next year they will surprise people. The attitude is not only different but the actual talent core they’re building from is much, MUCH better than it was earlier in the year.

Bacardi and Cola stat line o’ the night: 38 minutes, 12 pts, 13 rebs, 2 stls and 4 blocks. Niice

Did I mention I got a speeding ticket this morning? $91 …stay away from Shoreline boys and girls…

On that note, I want to say that I can’t think of a more perfect jersey for Flip to wear than #2. Think about it.

The honeymoon’s over between Paul Allen and Portland. For every poster who used to crow about Allen’s genius in hiring Bob Whitsett and holding him up as some paragon of NBA owner virtue, I suggest you read the following story and see just how ugly it can get.

Link: SI.com - NBA - Sonics send Radmanovic to Clippers for Wilcox

The LA Clippers are doing very well this seasons. Most people would assume the mirage will go away eventually. The Clippers never seem to get out of the basement of mediocraty in most people's minds, but finally, they are a respectable team. In some ways, you can parallel this season to Seattle's season last year. The team is surprising with every victory and looks positioned to be in the playoffs and bow out to the Suns, Spurs or Mavericks.

The trade completed sends Chris Wilcox from the Clippers to Seattle for Vlad Radmanovic. What either team gains in the shooting or rebounding column the other loses in defensive ability and lack of passion for the game. That being said, it's more important these days to have the size under the basket than it is to get a player who loves to shoot. Who doesn't love to shoot?

Radmanovic has complained this season about playing time. The guy honestly hasn't earned the kind of time he's expecting this season. The thought in Seattle is to try a little on defense and be smart with the offense and with gunslingers Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis in Seatlle, the team didn't exactly need a gunslinger on the bench that doesn't make an effort on defense.

Wilcox has been an enigma himself. He's had spots in his career where he could dominate a game and be an animal under the basket. Undersized a bit, but plenty strong to compete. Why hasn't his game taken off? It seems like he doesn't really care enough to try. Any team should be interested in Wilcox, if that team can light a fire under him and get his butt in gear. Can a trade be that fire?

The Seattle Supersonics made news last night by trading Vladimir Radmanovic to the Los Angeles Clippers for PF Chris Wilcox in a move that didn’t stay in the headlines long. First the move was overshadowed by a piss-poor effort against the Milwaukee Bucks. Secondly that trade became secondary news to rumors that the Orlando Magic were on the verge of acquiring former number two overall pick Darko Milicic and possibly trading away guard Steve Francis.

With all these rumors running rampant and the trade deadline just over a week away it is clear that trade season is fully upon us.

With yesterday’s move the Sonics front office proved many people wrong.

First there is the concept that this front office doesn’t make trades. Over the last several years the team has turned over virtually their entire roster. Only SF Rashard Lewis remains from the team Rick Sund inherited. Each season fans have called for a trade of Radmanovic only to hear that the front office was asking for too much in return. What they were asking for, reportedly was Wilcox.

This team is not afraid to pull the trigger, they are however exceedingly deliberate in their dealings both contract wise and in terms of trades. Sund frequently outlines how the seeds of a trade are often planted a year, or years in advance through dialogue with opposing General Managers. This is likely one of those scenarios as the Sonics were rumored to have had interest in Wilcox nearly since the day of his draft.

The second point proven today is probably more important to the team. By trading Radmanovic the team took a step to dispel the notion that players on one year qualifying deals have no value. Radmanovic, along with teammates Reggie Evans, and Flip Murray all accepted one year qualifying offers to make themselves unrestricted free agents at the end of this season. According to the league’s collective bargaining agreement all three can be traded, but only with their permission, and by granting permission the players will waive “Bird Rights” for the team that acquires them. These particular trade restrictions are new to the CBA this year and there some serious doubts whether any team would trade an asset of substance for a player under those circumstances. By getting any value at all for Radmanovic the team surprised me, and likely many other teams in the league. The hope is that this will set a precedent for Evans and Murray to be moved when GM’s assemble at next weeks all-star gathering.

So what exactly does this move mean for the team? Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy pretty much summed up why this deal made sense for both teams in this morning’s LA Times.

“It’s an opportunity to add a player to our system who brings a totally different dimension,” Dunleavy said when describing Radmanovic. “We have a bunch of guys who are pretty good low-post players, but we were looking for a guy who could do it more from distance.”

Take that comment, turn it around to say “”We have a bunch of guys who could do it from a distance, but we were looking for a guy who is good in the low post.” And you have your answer as to why this is a good deal for both teams.

Wilcox plays above the rim and excels at running the floor. He is not the greatest team defender but does protect the basket with athleticism and shot blocking ability that have been lacking from this team at the power forward spot. For the last several years the team has focused on savy players such as Nick Collison who focus on team ball. The hope is that a blend of the two types of players will produce a product which is better than the pieces combined.

Somewhere between Keon Clark and Jermaine O’Neil the acquisition of Wilcox, if it pans out, changes the fundamental nature of this team by providing balance to a roster that has for several years been unbalanced. No longer will the team have to rely on a gimmicky philosophy of “spreading the floor with their big men”. Between Wilcox, Swift, Petro, and Collison they can at least make a basic attempt to play a more traditional game. No longer will they attempt to coach around their physical limitations in the frontcourt. They have enough physical ability to go around.

This is a great first move but the guard rotation remains critically undermanned as Flip Murray continues his Radmanovic-esque slide to complete uselessness. By moving Radmanovic the team cleared the path for Damien Wilkens to see additional minutes at the backup SF position. He should now play exclusively at the SG and and SF position. This leaves the team with a crippling shortage of ballhandlers and the need to make one more move for a backup PG. Marko Jaric of the Timberwolves and Earl Watson of the Nuggets are guards most closely linked to the Sonics in the rumor mill, but fans should keep in mind that this notoriously tight lipped front office likes to swing deals out of the blue. The Radmanovic for Wilcox trade had not appeared in a publication for nearly a year before it happened. I would expect the Sonics to grab a guard nobody is expecting without a peep being leaked to the press.