Man, I remember Kemp...he was dominating...or just a great dunker, whatever the case, i still have my Kemp Hi-Tops (mow the lawn in them)...
If Schrempf had been on the Rockets instead of the Sonics in 96 and 97, the Rockets would have won two more titles.
I don't get the Karl-bashing. Was he not the architect of their aggressive trapping defense that was a big reason for their success? He was also successful in Golden State and Milwaukee.
Not sure if you are kidding, but I think at least the Milwaukee episode ended with a huge fallout, and the team is still a mess now.
Milwaukee did make it to the Eastern Conference Finals one year. But the team chemistry was a mess at the end of Karl's coaching career there.
The Sonics teams never developed true mental toughness. They relied on a devastating fast break fueled by an athletic (zone) defense. They were masters at playing the passing lanes and cheating off players. Big problem was that Kemp was always more of a highlight guy than a blue-collar one. He loved splash over sticking to the game plan. George Karl, yep. Definitely an overrated coach. Evan
The Sonics were the classic example of a team built for the regular season. They were up tempo, trapping, fastbreaking, etc. But in the playoffs, when the game slows down, they just weren't that good in the half-court. Shawn Kemp was an awesome open floor player, but he wasn't that good in half-court offense. He had an Okay jumper but no real post moves.
I fully agree with you. Anyone who blames GK for what ailed the Sonics either did not watch them play under him or was drinking too much during those years. What about Sloan? Is he now the problem because he could not win with two durable iron men hall of famers? GK did his best. His teams overchieved imo. He used the pressed very well and the scrapped from minute 1 thru 48. GK was never the problem. They were just either not matched up well when it mattered or just plain hard luck.
Until the championship year, though, the Sonics were not a very cohesive unit. Karl has to take some of the blame for that; he was just so stubborn and didn't do a good job of managing egos. He had the same problems in Milwaukee.
Sonics in 92-93 made the WCF before losing to the Suns. They lost in the first round the next year, to the Denver Nuggets. In the offseason of 93 they made one big trade - McKey for Schrempf. Good move? You be the judge. (Losing Eddie Johnson and Dana Barros was also huge, as those 2 could shoot lights out from the perimeter)
Mmmh...I doubt that Schrempf's production during that series hurt them very much... G Min Pts PPG FGM FGA FGP FTM FTA FTP 3PM 3PA 3PP REB RPG AST APG STL BLK TO 18.6 pts, 5.4 rebs, 2 asts, FG % .520, FT % .867 Compare some of Payton's stats in that series: .417 FT % (5 of 12) .200 3-point % (2-10) as well as Nate McMillan's 4.8 pts per game in almost 30 minutes per game, coupled with 1-8 3-point shooting in that series might have had more to do with it... Detlef Schrempf, may be one of the most versatile players in the game, next to Jordan, Pippen, Penny and Hill. He plays small forward, but at 6-10 he overpowers most players at the position. http://www.hostultra.com/~lbrooks2/nba/schrempf.html He played college ball at the University of Washington, where he finished among the school's all-time top 10 in eight categories. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/detlef_schrempf/bio.html
