Weezy's Low Bar
Posted Feb. 28, 2007 at 7:51 am by Mike SeelyAt the beginning of the year, Buzzer Beater contended that for the Sonics to have a prayer of making the playoffs, their "Big 4" —i.e., Allen, Lewis, Ridnour & Wilcox — needed to click at maximum capacity in virtually every game. Well, 56 games in, Lewis and Allen have only been on the floor together half the season due to injuries, Frodo has regressed significantly from his point performance last year, and Weezy, after signing a 3-year $24 million free agent contract in the off-season, has been stagnant at best. This should tell you all you need to know about why the Supes are so far out of postseason contention.
In today's Times, Jayda Evans has a brief profile of Weezy's struggles and their impact on the Supes' playoff hopes. It contains this incredibly disturbing quote from the power forward: "I'm a 10 [points] and 10 [rebounds] type guy. Nick [Collison] and I, we've been on the right track. Things are starting to happen for me, but at the same time it's all a learning experience."
Ten and ten, huh? The Supes are spending $8 million per year on a guy who thinks his own ceiling is ten points per game? Who looks to the far less athletic Nick Collison's development as the barometer for his own progress? Fucking pathetic.
Topics: Sonics
Comments
as a Clipper fan, Wilcox's lazy ass combined with that unlimited potential was why I was pretty happy we traded him away for vladdie radmanovic last season (with Elton, it made more sense to have someone come on to spread the floor while he took his breathers). It's hard to give up on a guy with a body and skill set like that, Wilcox showed a few brilliant flashes (even more nowadays) but his head is so often so firmly entrenched up his own ass it can become a full time job keeping him aware of what the fuck is going on. That whole "upside" thing only works when it's a player who actually recognizes it and strives for it, even though it doesn't always show up in the box score, you can forgive that, as long as the player understands their potential, which apparently Wilcox either isn't aware of or is content to ignore.
Posted Feb. 28, 2007 at 12:10 pm by keith el otroWilcox is at 13pts 8 rebs. If he gets to 16pts 10 rebs next year, given the perimeter dominance of shooting, I'd be satisifed. The 10 rebounds matters more. I doubt he will, this is probably his level. He is 25th highest scoring power forward. That not good enough for Sonics to win .500+ and compared to his peer group of starters. But he is better than most of the 50-75 guys contributing less than him.
Posted Feb. 28, 2007 at 3:53 pm by LarryLarry: I'm right there with you. 16 & 10 averages would thrill me next year. That's what he should have said to Jayda.
Posted March 1, 2007 at 7:52 am by SeelyPart of me wants to say that Wilcox was rounding off his pts/rebs numbers, maybe to not overstate but more likely because he didnt know exactly.
Still, his desire is a legit question mark. After last season's step up he was supposed to have seen the light but it sounds like he still needs constant reminders. That gets old.
A trade of him this summer is possible but I think Sonics management ever hopeful, ever cautious probably waits til next Feb or summer 2008 before really thinking about it seriously. Because their plan seemed so good to them and is always just a year away from being proven brilliant.
Posted March 1, 2007 at 10:51 am by LarryI would agree with Larry on the "Sonics management ever hopeful, ever cautious probably waits til next Feb or summer 2008 before really thinking about it seriously."
Posted March 3, 2007 at 10:16 am by Mr BakerThose guys sold the team (Howard), quit (Wally), have been replaced (insert many names), or are running in place for the rest of the season (Hill and Sund).
We don't really know what the new management will do until they do it.
Wilcox played better when paired with Collison, so did anybody paired with Collison. Wilcox's contract is short, he's young, and they should move him if Collison looks like they starter next to Swifty next year.
I would agree with Larry on the "Sonics management ever hopeful, ever cautious probably waits til next Feb or summer 2008 before really thinking about it seriously."
Posted March 3, 2007 at 10:17 am by Mr BakerThose guys sold the team (Howard), quit (Wally), have been replaced (insert many names), or are running in place for the rest of the season (Hill and Sund).
We don't really know what the new management will do until they do it.
Wilcox played better when paired with Collison, so did anybody paired with Collison. Wilcox's contract is short, he's young, and they should move him if Collison looks like they starter next to Swifty next year.