Best Coast Sports

With the______pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, the _______ select Tony Wroten Jr. out of the University of Washington. The man has been dreaming of this moment since arriving on the scene as an 8^th grader in inner city Seattle. Like his teammate Terrence Ross, Tone is going to forgo the rest of his collegiate eligibly and enter the NBA Draft. Unfortunately, the lasting memory fans will have of him is at the free throw against Oregon State and missing four consecutive free throws with a chance to tie or win the game.

There has been rumbling about his decision since the teams collapse in the Pac 12 Tournament and NIT. Many different prolific basketball sources think he should have came back to school due in part to different holes in his game. Chad Ford’s mock draft predicts Tony to be a late first round to early second round pick. I think he made a good decision to leave. Being placed in the right situation, you may see him flourish. Wroten has an NBA type body standing at 6’5 206 lbs. Most point guards in the league are shorter in height and smaller in stature. The quickness factor is the biggest attribute, like the saying goes “fast don’t lie.” Luckily he knows how to use his speed to his advantage. On defense he posses’ quickness to keep his defender in front of him and the anticipation to jump passing lanes and steal the ball. On Offense most defenders have a difficult time keeping up with him in the open floor, but everyone knows he is going left. Aside from shooting the focus needs to be on dribbling and finishing with his right hand, the off hand.

The comparison to a freshman Gary Payton is unreal. The finishing stat lines at the end of their first season are almost identical. In field goal percentage (GP: 45.9%, TW: 44.3%), steals (GP: 1.9 spg, TW: 1.9), rebounds (GP: 4.0 rpg, TW: 5.0 rpg), and turnovers (GP: 3.1 topg, TW: 3.8 topg).

Tony Wroten can be the biggest steal of the draft. Raw talent and quickness as well as basketball IQ make him an easy first round pick. If only he could shoot. If a jumper is developed and the erratic play slows down, you will be looking at one of the best guards in the game. Like mentioned above, a young Gary Payton had somewhat of a loose handle and struggled from the field. Those are things that you can correct with good coaching. Like Wroten, he had the intangibles and the work ethic, which lead to becoming a superstar and an All NBA defender.

It is going to take a lot of work for Tone to change the mind of scouts. Besides countless hours dribbling and shooting in the gym, I expect him to reach out to some of his Home Team friends Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford to help with shooting. If reaching out to them isn’t on his mind, it would not be a bad idea, especially with shooting being the strong suit of both players. The ball is tipped, the clock is running down, let’s see what Wroten can do before the draft buzzer sounds.

One of the best athletes in the NBA today resides in his home town of Seattle, WA. Nate Robinson, the reigning three time slam dunk champion was recently signed by the Golden State Warriors and has been putting up big numbers in the absence of Stephen Curry. The 5’9” scoring guard is averaging 13 points per game, but came up as an emotional spark to lead the Warriors to victory over the Miami Heat scoring a season high 24 points. What he lacks in size, he makes up in toughness and dedication, often playing with a chip on his shoulders. Nate has a documentary series called “State of Nate” where he has recapped his time spent during the NBA Lockout. It shows there is more to him than what is shown on the court. In this episode, Robinson and Tacoma Native Isaiah Thomas prepare for a season by staying in shape and doing what got them to the league, ballin’.  http://stateofnate.com/

The top play on SportsCenter came from Houston Rockets guard and Seattle native Terrence Williams. He received a pass on a fast break from Marcus Morris and threw down an emphatic windmill dunk with Spurs forward Danny Green trying to contest. Williams had three field goals, all of which were highlight reel throw downs. Rockets fall to the Spurs 97-95 to end the preseason 1-1. They will open the season on December 26, 2011 at Orlando.

Best Coast Offensive Performer of the week was none other than San Diego, Calif native Reggie Bush. After becoming a Super Bowl Champion with the New Orleans Saints, he took his talents to South Beach to become an every down back for the Dolphins. Flourishing in his new role, Bush had his best game of his short tenure. A career high in rushing yards of 203 was gained on 25 carries. The dagger was delivered by a 76 yard touchdown run with five minutes left in the fourth quarter putting Miami ahead 30-13, leaving them victorious 30-23. Dolphins will move to 5-9 by winning five out of the last seven following a 0-7 start. Buffalo is going in the opposite direction by losing the last seven games after a 5-2 start.

Defensively, the Seattle Seahawks are becoming one of the most physical/fear defenses in the NFL. With quarterback Jay Cutler and runningback Matt Forte sidelined with injuries, the reserves were not able to match the intensity of the Hawks. Caleb Hanie faced constant pressure by the front seven, being forced into throwing three interceptions, one in the endzone to Earl Thomas and two were returned for touchdowns by Big Red Bryant and rookie Brandon Browner who is amongst the league leaders with six. Impact rookie corner Richard Sherman intercepted the fourth ball of the day, the first from new quarterback Josh McCown. Defensive ends Chris Clemons and Raheem Brock both had two sacks apiece and hard hitting safety Kam Chancellor is making a name for himself with his punishment of receivers and runningbacks. Kam Bam forced a big fumble in the first quarter to set up a Seahawks score. The defensive performers of the week forced five total turnovers to led Seattle to a 38-14 win and 7-7 record. Winners of three in a row and six out of the last seven have fighting odds to make the last wild card playoff spot in the NFC. Bears will go to 7-7 with their playoff hopes blowing away in the Chicago wind.