Sonics Media Day
Posted Oct. 1, 2007 at 5:08 pm by Damon AgnosOutside, the sky was blue, but inside the Seattle Sonics' practice facility, the sky was the limit, as the youthful Seattle Supersonics took to the tables for the team's annual media day. The afternoon began with GM Sam Presti and Head Coach PJ Carlesimo repeating, repeatedly, that they are excited about the new players and coaches and have no starting lineup set, nor expectations of their players beyond hard work and acceptance of the coaching staff's philosophy and decisions. Asked how it felt not to be among the Spurs chosen to appear on Tony Parker's tour-de-force video premiere, "Top of the Game", the usually circumspect Presti claimed to have originally been cast as a co-star, while the old school Carlesimo asserted that he would have been disappointed if he had been invited to appear. Carlesimo wore a beige blazer.
Moving on, Kevin Durant has no favorite among the nicknames (Plastic Man, Durantula, Crazy Legs, The Fireman) that have been suggested for him, and prefers simply "KD". No word on whether he's a fan of Ms. Lang.
Robert Swift has officially reached the final stage of the milk commercial, having added 40 lbs to his 7 foot frame, making him an even 280. Swift also used the offseason to add to last year's body artistry, and may soon surpass Cherokee Parks for the title of most heavily tattooed white big man in league history. Despite his long hair, he was resolute that he will not attempt Vlad Radmanovic's playoff braids.
Sorry, Vlad; it's still just you and K-Fed.
Johan Petro was the only player to comment on the NBA club scene, noting that ballers here party harder than their counterparts across the pond. On the basketball front, he claims to have a new double spin move (not sure what that means) with which to torment defenders. His go-to move, however, remains simply to face the defender and use the quickness and agility he developed as a teenage karate green belt to get to the basket. When asked whether he would use his karate skills on Reggie Evans, should the latter grab his balls, he demured, explaining that it would be difficult for Evans to pull that stunt again.
Mohammed Saer Sene, answering bio questions from the Seattle Times' Jayda Evans, said that his favorite movies are those of shitkicker extraordinaire Jean Claude Van Damme. When pressed to name a favorite from the Belgian's ouevre, Sene paraphrased one of Office Space's Bobs (I celebrate his entire catalog!). According to Sene, Van Damme's movies are quite popular in Senegal, as is Rambo.
Famous charmer Delonte West passed no judgment on Stephon Marbury's "are you gonna get in the truck?" pick-up line, citing the time-tested adage, "different strokes for different folks." Delonte plays the keyboard and bongo drums and likes to draw and paint. When asked to describe his art more specifically, he touted his versatility. "Anything you want," he said. "You name it, I'll do it."
Finally, on the philanthropic front, guard Earl Watson is considering supplementing his work funding an ACT test prep class for Kansas City high school students with a monthly social event for the elderly, in which he would bring back old R&B acts to perform for them.
Topics: Sonics
Comments
Swift looks like a total douche with his red ponytail and tats. I've said this before, but tatting up like that and trying to act all hard makes you White Enemy #1 for trueblood brothers in the league. Swift is going to be a target, I tell ya, for roughing up in the paint, muscles or otherwise.
Speaking of muscles, Damon and I have had an ongoing dialogue about the bulking up of the NBA. Sure, basketball didn't really discover weight training until the late 80's and early 90's, so it's not a fair comparison to compare the bulk of those classic Celtic and Laker teams to the players of today, but still, how do you explain a guy like Alonzo Mourning. A couple kidney transplants and the dude is buffer and athletic as ever at age 38?
Posted Oct. 2, 2007 at 8:11 am by SeelyWith Delonte's response, it looks like the honor of the attractive female Sonics front office staff and interns is safe. Cause there's something women like about a pickup man.
Posted Oct. 2, 2007 at 3:02 pm by Don Ward