Kemp Ready For New Heights
Shawn Kemp isn’t nearly as exciting this season as he has been in the past, and the Seattle SuperSonics couldn’t be happier.
Kemp appears to have reached the same understanding that Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon did several seasons ago, an understanding that is a big reason the Rockets are the NBA’s two-time defending champions. What Olajuwon, and now Kemp, have realized is that just because they have the talent and the athleticism to score despite being double-teamed doesn’t mean they should, that letting the teammate left open by the double team shoot, in the long run, is better for the team.
Or, simply, that sometimes less is more.
Seeing Kemp grasp that is why coaches and general managers around the league are beginning to believe the Sonics will go much further in the playoffs this season than the first round.
“One of the things Shawn wanted was to touch the ball more,” Sonics Coach George Karl said, “but I told him he’s got to give more quality back for that to happen. You can’t throw the ball to someone 20 times if he’s going to be selfish with half of them. He had to deliver more to get more, and he’s done that.”
Kemp not only has learned to pass the ball back out when he is double-teamed, he also has improved the quality of his passes.
“My teammates used to joke about my passes, saying they never knew when they were coming or where they were going,” Kemp said. “I could be pretty wild. When I played over the summer, I just practiced on putting the ball on a guy’s chest.”
The result is that Kemp is significantly more efficient. He is on pace to reach career highs in field-goal percentage (57.9), points (21.6) and rebounds (12.4). His assists average (2.4) hasn’t risen dramatically because when he passes out of a double team, the ball generally is swung to the other side of the floor before a shot is taken.
“He doesn’t force things anymore, and I guess that is a sign of maturity,” shooting guard Hersey Hawkins said. “It has opened things up for everyone else. And when your best player is unselfish and is willing to give up the ball, that sets the tone for your whole team.”
Positive news
Sonics coach George Karl was pleased Sunday by the medical report on reserve center Frank Brickowski. An arthrogram revealed no muscle tear in Brickowski’s sore right shoulder.
“Everything came back negative, which is a positive,” Karl said.
The source of Brickowski’s pain is arthritis, for which there is no known cure. In an attempt to relieve the joint inflammation, Brickowski was injected with cortisone, which requires 48 hours to take effect. It should enable him to play Wednesday against Denver, after a four-game absence.
“It’s good news, for sure,” Brickowski said. “Not good news that it’s arthritis, but good that it’s not a tear. As long as I can play, I’m happy.”
Karl wants aggression
Karl was pleased with a few moves by center Sam Perkins that he hasn’t seen in a while. During the first half against Dallas on Sunday, Perkins drove the lane and pulled up for a short jumper, then cut through the lane for a layup off a feed from Ervin Johnson.
On Friday, during a 100-97 overtime loss to the New York Knicks, he faked out Knicks center Patrick Ewing drove the lane and dunked. Later, he juked Anthony Mason and sank a 13-foot jumper that appeared to be the winning basket until Ewing forced the overtime with six seconds left.
“I’m totally into being aggressive,” Karl said. “I think Sam, Hersey (Hawkins), Vinnie (Askew) and Nate (McMillan) are all too hesitant to me. I’d rather see them shoot a shot or fake and drive and run someone over than be hesitant.
Perkins, whose usual offense is limited to 3-pointers and low-post moves, said his driving dunk and his medium-range jumper were just a case of reacting to the shot clock and the defense.
Because Perkins is saddled with a dislocated finger on his left (shooting) hand that won’t heal until he stops playing next summer, a greater mix of moves might help him improve his percentages - 40 percent from the field and 34 percent from the 3-point line.