Sonics: Why Not Captain Durant?
Last week there was news rookie Kevin Durant could be a Sonics captain this season and most people snickered. Who gives a rookie the 'C' on his jersey?
Actually, giving the responsibility to Kevin Durant might make the most sense of all. With team leader Ray Allen catching passes from the post for three-pointers from Kevin Garnett in Boston, this team needs leadership in the worst way. Allen could always be counted on to be the voice of the team for good and bad, always kept an even keel with referees, coaches and the media, and never shied away from the responsibility.
Looking down the Sonics roster now it doesn't look like there is a player like that left - at least, one that will have the impact on the team the way Allen did and the way Kevin Durant will.
Luke Ridnour? He's probably the starting point guard and point guards are supposed to be good leaders, but depending on Ridnour emotionally to lead a team could be a serious mistake. Remember, this is the same guy who lost his job to Earl Watson, a player with less talent but more fire.
Watson? Possibly, if he starts. He could be that voice, though he can get carried away and doesn't respect his teammates the way a leader needs to in order to be successful. He treated Ridnour like a dirty carpet last season - that's fine if you just want to take a guy's job, but not if you need the respect of your teammates.
Wally Szczerbiak? Possibly, but he's never been regarded as a leader in Minnesota (where he routinely got into "discussions" with Garnett) or Boston, who really needed him. He very well could be a top scorer, but he's not the leader type.
Kurt Thomas? This would be an excellent choice. Thomas is the proverbial veteran presence and he's tough - but is he the right person to lead this team? Will he play enough to have everyone's respect? Probably not.
Delonte West? Probably not. Nick Collison? See Thomas. No also to Chris Wilcox, Mouhamed Sene, Robert Swift, Johan Petro, Damien Wilkins and Mickael Gelabale. All of those players either won't get serious playing time or they don't have outspoken enough personalities.
That leaves the rookies, Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. Are either one of them outspoken enough? Have they shown leadership characteristics? Is it too much to put on the shoulders of a rookie? The answers to those questions are probably no, no, and yes - but that puts them in the same boat as the rest of the roster.
Let's be fair - being the captain isn't really that much work on a player's part; much of it is in the mind. Captains get to arrange things with teammates, mediate disputes, talk with the refs - it's nothing life-altering. The deal with being the Sonics captain is this:
Look at the roster and make a list of the players you absolutely know will be on this team in 2008-09. Can you say for a fact any player not named Green or Kevin Durant is on it? Isn't there a question about just about every player? Sure, some players may not have made their impact yet and may be cheap to see if they will, but they'd be throw-ins in a trade if that's what became the deciding factor. Some of these players may have contracts of a size detrimental to a possible trade, but if that's the only thing holding them back from being moved it's probably not worth investing any future with them.
Kevin Durant and Green are the future of this franchise, be it in Seattle or anywhere else. It only makes sense to start treating them that way now, instead of starting their NBA life out any other way.
There should be zero doubt Kevin Durant can handle the captaincy. He seems to have done fine with everything else thrown his way so far.
KEY NEWSLINES
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "The Seattle City Council attempted to send a message to Clay Bennett on Monday by unanimously passing an ordinance binding the Sonics to their KeyArena lease through 2010. The council vote eliminates any potential for Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels to negotiate a buyout of the lease with Bennett, which was an idea first raised by the Save Our Sonics fan group pushing to put Initiative 93 on the ballot in Seattle next February. Brian Robinson, co-director of Save Our Sonics, said his organization will now shelve its initiative signature drive and focus its efforts toward helping find solutions to the arena question."
Seattle Times: "Sonics and Storm owner Clay Bennett said Friday he won't cloud the opening of the Sonics season by immediately filing with the NBA for permission to relocate the teams if an Oct. 31 deadline passes with no deal for a new arena. Bennett previously indicated he'd file for relocation on Nov. 1 — the day of the Sonics' regular-season home opener at KeyArena. On Friday, Bennett said he'd made those comments before he knew the team schedule and he now wants the players to "have the stage to themselves as they open the season." But it may only be a matter of time. Bennett did not back away from his Oct. 31 deadline to land an arena deal and said he would eventually ask the NBA for permission to move the teams if no arena plan emerges. The NBA sets a deadline of March 1 for teams to file for relocation the following season."
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "I don't think P.J. Carlesimo will take the risk of starting two rookies -- Kevin Durant and Jeff Green -- so I believe Kevin Durant will be the small forward, Wally Szczerbiak will be given a chance to start at shooting guard with Luke Ridnour at the point, Chris Wilcox at the power forward and Robert Swift or Kurt Thomas at center."
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