Notebook | Durant finds rebounds, blocks tough to come by
CHARLOTTE - At Texas, Kevin Durant played power forward and center while averaging 11.1 rebounds and nearly two blocks per game.
In the NBA, the Sonics rookie has been moved to shooting guard and after 10 games he appears to be far less versatile.
Durant remains a prolific scorer, averaging 20.1 points, but he’s collecting just 4.7 rebounds and one block per game.
“I wouldn’t say I’m less dynamic than I used to be, it’s just that Coach [P.J. Carlesimo] wants me to play [shooting guard] and that means I’m further away from the basket where you can do some of those other things,” Durant said. “I can still do those things I used to. I just have to figure out how.”
Carlesimo believes the 6-foot-9, 215-pound rookie is best suited to play shooting guard this season until he matures and gains weight.
In the zone
By nature, zone defenses represent a small concession of inferiority in the NBA.
“It’s usually a tough sell,” said Carlesimo. “I don’t know why. I think they don’t respect it or they don’t believe it’s going to work.”
Carlesimo has relied on the zone with mixed results. In Thursday’s 126-123 double overtime win against Atlanta, the Sonics coach used a box-and-1 zone to slow down Hawks star guard Joe Johnson in the extra periods.
“We were just trying to take one guy that was really hurting us and make somebody else do something with it,” Carlesimo said.
So far, the Sonics have embraced the zone while two of their centers (Robert Swift and Kurt Thomas) recover from injuries.
“If our guys don’t like it, I haven’t picked up on it,” Carlesimo said.
Ridnour waits
Luke Ridnour felt as if he was shot in the thigh when he partially tore his left quadriceps in the second quarter of Monday’s 103-76 defeat in Orlando.
“Sitting out is not fun, but God has a plan for me and I just have to be patient,” said Ridnour, who remains with the team during its five-game trip. He receives daily treatment, which includes electronic stimulation and icing the injured area of his leg.
SEATTLE
min
fgm-a
ftm-a
or-t
a
pf
pts
Wilkins
35:16
5-16
7-8
2-7
0
1
19
Wilcox
28:23
8-15
8-10
3-9
2
3
24
Collison
28:58
0-5
1-2
0-4
1
3
1
Watson
27:45
1-7
0-0
1-3
5
2
3
Durant
29:16
3-12
10-10
1-1
1
2
16
Green
24:11
5-9
1-2
2-5
1
4
11
Gelabale
18:44
1-2
0-0
0-1
0
0
2
Petro
10:28
0-2
0-0
1-2
0
1
0
West
20:15
2-6
0-0
0-4
3
3
4
Szczerbiak
13:08
0-9
2-2
0-2
1
0
2
Sene
3:36
1-1
0-2
0-0
0
0
2
Totals
26-84
29-36
10-38
14
19
84
Percentages: FG .310, FT .806. Three-point goals: 3-11, .273 (Wilkins 2-4, Watson 1-2, Durant 0-2, Szczerbiak 0-3). Team rebounds: 16. Team turnovers: 14 (21 PTS). Blocked shots: 10 (Collison 4, Gelabale 2, Wilcox 2, Durant, Sene). Turnovers: 14 (Durant 3, Watson 3, West 3, Collison 2, Petro 2, Wilcox). Steals: 9 (Collison 2, Wilcox 2, Wilkins 2, Durant, Gelabale, West). Technical fouls: Wilcox, 8:12 fourth.
CHARLOTTE
min
fgm-a
ftm-a
or-t
a
pf
pts
Wallace
36:37
10-18
6-10
1-7
2
3
27
Okafor
32:29
6-12
0-1
5-15
1
5
12
Brezec
10:49
1-1
0-0
1-4
0
3
2
Felton
39:41
5-12
2-4
0-7
12
2
13
Richardson
33:13
9-21
1-2
1-6
2
3
23
Hollins
25:09
2-4
2-2
5-7
0
3
6
Harrington
1:31
0-2
0-0
0-0
0
1
0
Carroll
27:24
5-9
1-1
0-5
1
0
14
McInnis
15:12
0-1
0-0
0-0
2
2
0
Dudley
10:34
0-4
0-0
2-4
2
3
0
Herrmann
6:24
1-5
0-0
1-4
1
0
3
Davidson
0:57
0-0
0-0
1-1
0
0
0
Totals
39-89
12-20
17-60
23
25
100
Percentages: FG .438, FT .600. Three-point goals: 10-21, .476 (Richardson 4-8, Carroll 3-4, Herrmann 1-2, Wallace 1-2, Felton 1-3, Dudley 0-2). Team rebounds: 9. Team turnovers: 17 (20 PTS). Blocked shots: 6 (Wallace 3, Hollins, Okafor, Richardson). Turnovers: 15 (Felton 4, Wallace 3, Hollins 2, Okafor 2, Richardson 2, Carroll, McInnis). Steals: 6 (Felton 2, Wallace 2, Hollins, Richardson). Technical fouls: Defensive three second, 2:43 second; Delay of game, 6:00 fourth.
Seattle
22
27
21
14 - 84
Charlotte
22
25
30
23 - 100
Attendance: NA (19,026). Time: 2:17. Officials: Rodney Mott, Jack Nies, Eli Roe.