RAY ALLEN – Signed deal with Sonics 5 year deal with incentives up to $80 million. Will become official whenever the signing period starts. Chance of Return: 100%
VLADY RADMANOVIC -- The Sonics have offered a 6 year 39 million dollar deal for Radmanovic. Talking to Radmanovic agent's Dave Bauman he said they do not have any offer sheets at this time. However, he also says they will not accept the offer the Sonics have made. They want a deal in the line of Bobby Simmons, 9 million a year, and Kwane Brown, 8 million a year or the new Samuel Dalembert deal. The market for restricted free agents has been very quiet. Radmanovic's agent has said that they will take a 1 year tender at 3.2 million rather then accept the Sonics offer. That would make Radmanovic a free agent next year. Radmanovi's agent also says that if they have to take the one year tender it will be the first step out the door for Radmanovic. The Soncis can't trade a player who signed a one year tender. Chance of Return: 100%.
ANTONIO DANIELS -- No surprise Daniels will not be returning. Daniels has agreed to a 5 year deal with the Washington Wizards. Chance of Returning: 0%
JEROME JAMES The sucker has bit and his name is Isaiah Thomas. The Sonics had decided that they were willing to go to three years at the mid-level to keep Jerome, but Thomas put 5 years on the table and James has a new home. Wow what a mistake by the Knicks. This is why you draft 7 footers like Swift and Petro, because getting a center is almost impossible in the market.Chance of return: 0%
REGGIE EVANS Evans is a restricted free agent. Evans's agent is Dan Fagan who his one of the toughest in the NBA. The Evans camp is upset right now because the Sonics are placing the foucs on Radmanovic rather then Evans. The Cavaliers have been very active in pursuit of Evans but have not presented an adequate sign and trade option. The issue for the Sonics is how much time is avaliable for Evans. Nick Collison is ready to take the next step and Radmanovic is likely to return. There are 96 minutes to spread out between small forward and power forward. Lewis gets 38 a night and both Collison and Radmanovic are ready for around 30 a night. That leaves 6 other minutes. Then the question is how much center can Evans and Collison play. Chances of Evans return are increasing due to a limited market, but he may have to sign the one year tender.
Chance of Return: 75%
FLIP MURRAY -- The outside market for Murray is drying up. The rest of the league is aware that the Sonics are likely to match any deal for Murray with Daniels singing in Washington. The Willie Green deal in Philadelphia may be the benchmark for Murray. The Sonics believe that is in Weiss's up tempo game he will be more of the 2004 Murray rather then the 2005 Murray. The Sonics are talking with Juan Dixon. Murray and Dixon may be a bit redundant. If the Sonics sign Dixon, Murray could be a good sign and trade candidate. However, the Sonics are very high on Murray.
Chance of Return: 75%
DAMIEN WILKINS As we anticipated all signs are pointing to Wilkins going to Portland. Accorsing to sources in the NBA the Blazers are ready to extend an offer sheet to Wilkins that could be as much as 18 million dollars over 5 years. Wilkins has a very intense loyalty to Nate McMillan and would be interested in playing in Portland. Wilkins is a restricted free agent. This means the Sonics can match any offer. If this offer sheet is extended the Sonics have to decide what they are willing to lose to keep Wilkins. Juan Dixon or Damien Wilkins? Damien Wilkins or Flip Murray?
Chance of Returning: 35%
VITALY POTAPENKO The Sonics are still talking to Potapenko, but in an ideal world would like a center with more length. That is why they are talking with Dale Davis and others. Potapenko has a market as does any big. If the Sonics fail on Davis, Potapenko becomes a much more viable option.
Chance of Returning: 25%
Seed Newsvine
35 comments:
Why does no one seem to be upset about AD leaving? Doesn't anyone recognize how important he was all last year? He was key in so many factors: consistancy, aggressiveness (who took more floor burns all year than Daniels?)leadership, attitude, ball handling, smarts. How could we just let him walk away - it's like we assumed he was gone and never tried to keep him. Which is a bummer, because at the end of the season he made it known he wanted to come back.
Also, what do the Sonics think they're doing? Talk about bad management - they let all these free agents, including our coach, linger until the end of the season instead of locking them up during the year, so now when we should be focusing on the free agent market, we're just trying to resign our guys. Are we going to stand pat again this year, while losing some of our most important players? Or are we going to wait until there's no one left on the free agent market who's worth anything? I don't understand. When is Wally Walker going to get canned?
Also, why all this attention to re-sign Radman when he's always been unhappy here and ALWAYS been very inconsistant. We should have put this effort into keeping Daniels.
Locke -- what are the odds that the Sonics do a sign and trade with Vlady? I see his skills but if he really wants to start and is going to bitch if he doesn't, that might be the best way to go. Once there are no teams left that are far enough under the cap to give him what he wants, he basically is limited to the one year or long term options with the Sonics or a sign and trade. To me, a long, defensive minded center or a big guy with some back to the basket skills fits better than Vlady at this point. Obviously, those are tough to come by.
5 years for AD was a bad move for the Wizards. He was great last year but his legs looked beat up and the track record of 30+ guards in the NBA is not good. I think both JJ and AD will eventually dissapoint for their new teams.
Having said that, I would have loved to see AD back on a 3 year deal.
David, how can u not be ripping the Sonics management by now.. I can see how they go cheap on the Coach, but the Sonics had 21 millon dollars under the cap the same as the Cavs and they sign Big Z, Larry Hughes and Donnyell Marshall and we sign Ray(which I love) and now the Sonics are claiming there strapped and close to going over the cap. Thats what I hate is people are actually stading for this and not ripping Howard, Wally, and Rick. If this was New York Wally would have been canned by now.
What the Sonics fans fail to realize is that this type of action occurs every year on nearly every team. Sonics managment is doing their job.
You draft smart, build a core and rotate in back ups and fill in a slot or two on the starting five.
Look at San Antonio.. They've had almost a totally different roster all 3 title wins. Only their core of Tim, Manu and Tony have been constant.
As for AD leaving, you cannot be serious Sonic fans.. You're going to offer AD starting money for five years? Just say thanks to Antonio and wish him luck in DC..
Also, whats with everyone still on Wally Walkers ass? The guy got rid or Calvin Booth for Danny! What has he done recently thats hurt this team?
As far as i can see the Sonics are still on the way up. They've drafted well the last couple seasons. Vlady, Lewis, Luke and Nick [We'll see with Robert Swift and Petro..] They've made great free agent pick ups, evaluated talent very well in getting Reggie and Damien for nothing..
Call me crazy but i cant see how current managment is doing a "bad" job.
Nick,
I can't agree with you more, on all counts.
Now that Stro Swift is off the board, I'd like to see the Sonics take a look at a sign-and-trade with the Cavs for Drew Gooden. Last week, one of the Cleveland papers (I believe it was the Akron Beacon Journal) reported that the Cavs were interested in acquiring Reggie Evans for Gooden. Since the Cavs just signed Donyell Marshall, the Gooden trade "smoke" has continued to pour out of Cleveland.
Gooden is in the last year of his deal, has the Kansas ties with Collison, and will likely put forth max effort this year to secure himself a lucrative contract.
I really appreciate the lunch pail effort Evans has provided over the past couple years, but the Sonics could really use a legit low post threat on the offensive end to create more open looks for the shooters.
Gooden's averages last year were 14.4 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 49% FG, and 82% FT. If the Cavs will go straight up for Reggie Evans or even for Reggie Evans and a draft pick, I'd make that deal today.
myk,
Gooden was drafted by Memphis. He was stuck behind Pau Gasol at the 4. Memphis wanted him to play the 3, which didn't work out, so they traded him to Orlando.
Orlando kept him and played him at the 4 for a year until they drafted Dwight Howard. He was then traded to Cleveland by John Weisbrod, who is now a hockey scout and one of the worst basketball GM's in recent memory.
Cleveland just underwent a front office purge with the Paxson regime ending and the Ferry regime beginning. When a front office, such as Cleveland has money to spend, they will try to bring in "their guys".
I personally think Marshall is one of the most underrated players in the game and his signing was a great move.
There have been plenty of guys, such as Jason Kidd, Rasheed Wallace, Chris Webber, who were drafted high and moved around the league before establishing themselves as stars.
Baskeballreference.com lists Gooden's similarity scores to Carlos Boozer, Zach Randolph and Nene of guys who are playing currently. I would love to have any of those guys on my team for $3M.
myk's right. Theres a reason Gooden has bounced around so much in just a couple years.
I like Samuel Dalembert alot, he's just 24 and averaged 8 and 8 last season. Though i have no idea how much he's really worth.
Also, anyone notice that Antoine Walker is an option? The Sonics can make an offer more than the mid level, something the other teams pursuing him cannot.
Dalembert has been rumored to be in the 5 yr, 70M range from Atl. and Philly may match that. He's got decent potential, but not at that number. Chicago has stated they will match any offer for Chandler.
I'm not sure if I feel that Robert Swift is ready for 20-25 minutes per night, so another big is a need. My feel on Collison has always been nice role player/fringe starter.
An interesting thought I've had that probably won't happen would be to bring back GP to back up Luke. I don't know if he would want to come back as Luke's backup, but if he wanted to come back and finish his career out where he started, he's as good of an option as any PG's the Supes may be looking at.
Nick-
You're right losing players to free agency or other reasons occurs throughout the league. You're example of San Antonio is a bad one. The Spurs have had two number one picks(Robinson and Duncan)and it's a lot easier to build a championship team around legitimate big men. Another key point is that the Spurs have done well with scouting and drafting players in the low first and second rounds of the draft. Also, they have signed impact free agents and made necessary trades allowing them to compete for a championship.
The two biggest compliments I can give to Wally and the management team is that they have done very well in the draft and have made some good trades.
Some notable players they've drafted in the last 12 years : L.Ridnour, N.Collison, R.Lewis, B. Jackson(SAC), D. Christie(ORL), V.Radmanovic, M.Blount(BOS), W.Green(PHI), B.Simmons(MIL), E.Watson(MEM), D.Mason(MIL), C.Maggette(LAC).
Wally has made some decent to good trades, but has produced some bad ones, too.
The decent/good: Hawkins for Gill, Fortson for Booth, and Allen, Flip, Ollie, and first round draft choice(Ridnour) for Mason and Payton. The Bad: Grant and Ewing trades.
What have they done to keep talent around? I don't hear many ex-Sonic players make positive comments regarding management. On the otherhand, I hear some great compliments regarding the Spurs organization(AD, S.Elliott, S.Kerr, D.Robinson...).
Overall, the Sonics have done a poor job in free agency. I like the moves they made with letting go of Barry, JJ, and AD; they weren't worth their contracts. Also, orginally picking up Barry, AD, Evans, and Wilkins were decent/good moves. Two of the three biggest blunders they've made(J.McAlvaine, C.Booth, and V.Baker)have haunted the team until last year. Now the Sonics have just the Fortson(Booth) contract to deal with for one more year.
The biggest problem with the Sonics is that Wally doesn't know how to make that next move(trade or free agent) to get over the top. Wally isn't going to build a champioship team with mid-first round or second round picks or the leftover free agents that are cheap. Over the last couple of years, most of the Western Conference playoff teams(San Antonio, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, Utah, Denver) have acquired at least one impact free agent. What's Wally doing? He's waiting for teams to set the market for the Sonics free agent's, while the impact fa's are picked up by teams that are trying to win a championship. In addition, it will only take one team to offer the Sonics fa's a high dollar contract that Wally is unprepared to match. The Sonics could easily lose half of their free agents. That's okay if can bring in a better replacement, but it doesn't look like those players will be available.
I hear from management we're building for the future... When does that future become now? Must we go through another four, five plus years to say okay we're trying to win the chamionship now?
The off-season isn't over and there's time left for Wally, but it isn't looking good. Wally, has all the opportunity in the world to re-make the team as he envisions it. If they don't get a decent center, a legitimate third guard, and sign the majority of their fa's then the Sonics will be a .500 team next year.
Another frustration I have with management is over the arena lease. Did Wally participate in the original negotiations? Did Schultz evaluate the lease when he became the majority owner? While it may be a terrible deal for the Sonics, shouldn't management take some of the responsibility?
Anyway, I hope Wally makes the right moves and puts together a championship team. He's had over 11 years to do it, with no success. How long should it take? As a long-time Sonic fan, I won't be holding my breath.
Nick, can I call you crazy? IMHO, I can't understand how people could view this situation as good or even okay.
Diezel..
"How can u not say Wally is on the cheap..."
I think cheap is a harsh word. I think the Sonics are smart and reasonable with their money.
"..when u could have drafted "Slim" Stoutamire.."
He has a major attitude problem and is totally undersized. This is not the culture the Sonics are about.
"So if u say the Sonics aren't on the cheap you need to really get a clue. When the cavs and the bucks outspend U your in trouble."
Again, no one is saying the Sonics arent "cheap". The Sonics arent going to overpay. The majority of the teams in the league have blown the salaries so out of wack.. New York.. I mean my god New York. Also just because a team spends money on players, doesnt mean they're going to win. You cannot just toss money at players and expect them to win a championship.
Lets look at the top ten money spenders this past year.
1)New York Knicks
2)Dallas Mavericks
3)Portland Trail Blazers
4)Philadelphia 76ers
5)Minnesota Timberwolves
6)Memphis Grizzlies
7)Indiana Pacers
8)Boston Celtics
9)Sacramento Kings
10)Los Angeles Lakers
With the exception of the Lakers, none of these teams have won a title in the past 10 years, some never. Some havent even made it out of the second round! Money does not equal titles..
"I heard Bob Weiss's interview with Locke, and he said he wants to run and gun more?? So we can basically be the Phoenix Suns North."
He also said he wanted to simplify the defensive schemes, because too often last season, players were totally confused. Nate's system was far too complex, with multiple ways of defending the pick and roll [most teams have one or two defensive sets].
Also, i cannot blame him wanting to open up the offense. Luke needs to play an uptempo style. He thrived in a run and gun offense at OU. I see Rashard becoming even more effective in the offense, as teams can hardly leave him one on one as is..but in a faster pace i think Rashard can be down right murderous against other teams.
"The Sonics are a classically squeezed team, certainly they have one of the worst economic arrangements," Stern said.
"For Ackerley, he got a new facility without any investment by giving up revenue streams that normally would have gone to the team, to help us pay off the debt service. That worked for him, and it worked for a while, as long as the team was performing at a high enough level to draw fans."
Yay!
The Sonics not planning for A.D.'s departure will come back to haunt them. I know that he was overpaid by the Wizards, but not drafting a capable point guard or signing a free agent was very foolish. I don't see Mateen or Flip as the answer. They are not ballhandlers like A.D. was. They should have traded up to get Jarret Jack or even Nate Robinson. If they don't answer this problem before the season starts, you can kiss the playoffs goodbye.
My only problem with drafting a PG is that traditionally, point guards take a couple years to develop. Sure there are exceptions, like Telfair last year, but look at Luke Ridnour, Shawn Livingston, Chauncey Billups, Antonio Daniels, etc. who took didn't contribute much their first year.
David, you wrote in a column recently about how great it was to draft big men, which I agree with. Now, for you to come off and rip the pick after writing that seems a bit hypocritical. Petro has Dalembert upside, and while he'll take a couple years to develop, it was a nice pick for their pick.
The Sonics have been successful over the past several years bringing in productive backup point guards. We need to see who they bring in before we crucify them for not drafting Jack. If you look back at Snow, Watson, Ollie and Daniels, we've had a pretty good track record.
Pendergraft is a good judge of talent, and I'd like to see what he can do.
For the record i like Reggie as a solid 7th-8th man. If he recieves an offer as outragous as AD or JJ, he's gone and i really could care less.
Not to harp, but Antoine Walker anyone? Again, im not sure how serious it is..but we DO have the money.
Also, myk...yes the Salary Cap is garbage in Seattle's case, if its true. I'll see if i can call Locke and have him clarify it.
AND, yes, Salim is a headcase. Maybe he will fit in eventually like Ricky Davis did, but it took Ricky quite a while to realize he had to shut his mouth and ball. Also, there were reports that Lute Olson told Salim to declare or transfer towards the end of last season. Yikes!
Let's keep this going! Fun to talk it out in a fairly polite forum with some intelligent fans.
In a 48 minute game, a team has 240 minutes of player time. Looking at a possibility for the 05-06 season, I see Seattle going with a nine man rotation(Ridnour, Allen, Lewis, Collison, Potapenko, Radmanovic, Flip, Fortson, Wilkins).
Minutes/player:
Ridnour- 35
Allen- 35
Rashard- 35
Radmanovic- 35
Collison- 30
Flip- 25
Potapenko- 15
Fortson- 15
Wilkins- 15
Evans- ?
Swift- ?
Cleaves- ?
I would like to see the Sonics trade for a legitimate defensive center or a power forward(like C.Bosh(TOR) and a legitimate third guard(like E.Watson, D.Jones, or M.Jaric).
I remember hearing(maybe from Sund) a plan for the Sonics in where they would build up there roster with 12 good players. Then trade a few of those players for one better player. Does anyone remember that idea? I wish I could find a documented source that listed the details. Anyway, I like that idea. Who wouldn't want a forward that can score and rebound?
If the trade exists with Rad, Flip, Evans, and draft picks; I hope the Sonics can get a center/power forward. If they trade both Evans and Rad then sign Pot or another center(3 mil or less).
Most likely a trade of Rad, Evans, and Flip for Bosh doesn't exist. What they could have done is sign a player like S. Abdul-Rahim. Trade Rad, Evans, and Flip for a decent center and/ point guard. They would still be under the cap.
1- Ridnour(30)
2- Allen (35)
3- Lewis (35)
4- SAR or Collison(30)
5- X (15)
------
Collison/SAR (30)
X (30)
Wilkins (25)
Fortson (15)
Swift
Cleaves
?
X - could be Wilcox and Jaric from the Clips...or a three-way trade could easily be conjured up. I'm not proposing that specific trade.
I was just trying to provide a decent example.
Phoenix would be a good example of what I would like to see the Sonics do. That got rid of their redundant player(Q.Richardson) and brought in a big. Then they went out and signed a third guard.
Most likely the top scenario would be the closest to what the Sonics are planning. I just don't see much room for Evans. Plus,I would hate to see Flip be the third guard and get 25+ minutes/night. I think Wilkins is a better all around player and would prefer to see him get 25 over Flip. Unfortunately, Wilkins isn't a point guard. The above team would score a lot of points, but would lack consistent defense. Even if the core avoided a major injury, the Sonics wouldn't reach 50 wins.
http://bojack.org/ << ernie kent
THESE POSTS ARE INCREDIBLE. YOU GUYS ARE ON IT AND HAVE A GREAT GRASP OF WHAT IS REALLY TAKING PLACE. THIS IS THE BEST BASKETBALL DISCUSSION I HAVE READ IN SOME TIME. WELL DONE AND THANKS.
Reaction to many of these comments.
1) The Sonics couldn't have extended most of these players during the season because you could only give them a 12% raise off their current deal.
2) 5 years for AD is a long time.
3) The Sonics are looking at sign and trade with Vitaly but they have to make sure they have a big man. Ideally they want some more length then Vitaly.
4) Nick's comments about how teams change in the off-season are the best on the board. You find a core set of players usually three (for the Sonics it is 5 right now) and then all the other parts are interchangeable. Most of all they must fit inside salary restraints.
JackW,
The strategy of stockpiling talent, while a good idea on paper, hasn't worked in reality. The team I'm referring to is Memphis, who has stockpiled an arsenal of talented young players, but has not been able to turn several goods into a great. Recently, they lost Stro Swift for nothing and traded Bonzi Wells today for more depth. They've managed to assemble a playoff team, but I don't see them making a championship run as currently constructed.
I would like to see the Sonics gravitate more toward a traditional game based on defense and a well executed half court set. My model for running an organization without a Duncan is Utah. They play Sloan's half court execution and defensive system, they tend to make wise moves in evaluating talent (esp if the fine folks in Cleveland would pull the pins out of their Boozer voodoo dolls)
The problem with my want is that none of the guys under contract are known for playing great defense and they do not excel in a half court game. Hopefully Bob Weiss can institute some type of team defense to cover the players individual defensive deficiencies.
I wouldn't mind trading Vlady at all since he doesn't really seem to want to be here, and he's neither a 3 nor a 4. He may have a break out year where he becomes a poor man's Peja, but I think his value is at its max right now. I'm betting he has a pretty similar year to last year with maybe a half step forward developmentally. While he creates mismatches on the offensive side of the floor, he also creates mismatches for the opposition on the defensive side of the floor.
Jeremy-
Thanks, I was wondering if it was Memphis. What about the Pistons? They made a great trade for Rasheed. I think that's a good example of how it can work.
Typically, I think your right, it's better on paper than the real world. The Sonics had a chance last year to do it. I wonder if there were any opportunities.
Regarding the Jazz, who made who?
Malone/Stockton or the coaching of Sloan? No disrespect to Sloan, but I have to go with the players on this one. Obviously, it's a synergy of the players and coach. But with Stockton and Malone it was like one brain with two bodies. The half-court execution was a classic to watch!
I would like to see more traps and pressure defense in the backcourt. It was fun to watch the defense of Payton, McMillan, Hawkins, Askew, Wingate... in '95-'96. Maybe if the Sonics keep Wilkins and another hustle type player they could bring their defensive intensity up a notch.
Just got back from a week long vacation, Reading ESPN.COM and they have not stopped talking about Antoine Walker coming to seattle. Please tell me this is not true. All the progress Nate made last year about "playing the game the right way" will be destroyed with this move. We already have one player who dominates the ball to get his points and it sounds like they want Flip to play a greater role next year. Please tell me the Sonics are not really thinking about Walker.
JackW,
In the mid 90's, the Sonics had an 8 man rotation. With the salary cap, that's about all that's feasible because of the outrageous escalation of salaries.
Detroit stealing Wallace from Atlanta was a classic rent a player deal as Wallace had publicly said he was going to New York once his contract ended. The Pistons didn't give up good pieces to get him, they screwed the Hawks on a bad trade.
Wallace was also carrying a lot of non-basketball baggage, which is something the current Sonics management team is loathe to do. If they could, the Sonics would be a team of Ray Allen clones in character.
Regarding Utah, the coaching job Sloan did in 03-04 was a master class in coaching. He developed Kirilenko into a star. The reason the Jazz were down last year was injuries to Harpring and Kirilenko, and the meltdown at the point guard position.
Top 5 coaches in the league: Phil Jackson, Larry Brown, Jerry Sloan, Greg Popovich, George Karl.
I would also love to see the Sonics get back to the mid 90's trapping and fast breaking style, but the pieces they have in place aren't conducive to that. No one will ever call Ridnour, Allen or Lewis as a shut down defender, and that's 3/4 of the current nucleus.
I wanted to see the Sonics let Allen go, pick up Larry Hughes, sign Donyell Marshall (obviously I love the job Ferry has done) and add the element of defense back to this team. Dallas has proven over the last several years that you can't win championships if you are only effective at one half of the court. Unfortunately, Sund has embraced the Dallas model to the detriment of the Sonics chances of bring home the rings.
I've been advocating Tyson Chandler for 3 years, but the Bulls aren't going to let him go. We'll just have to hope that Petro and Swift become defensive paint cloggers in 2 years.
There are so many comments. Do you guys want me to re-post the storuy so you can start a new thread or is it better to leave all the comments.
Jeremy-
Good memory on the Detroit trade. I just looked it up to see how it all worked out. At the time, I thought Detroit did get a steal in that trade. In reality, it did cost them some decent second tier players and prospects.
FWIW, Detroit traded: Sura, Rebraca, L.Hunter, Atkins, 2- 1st round picks, and cash. The two picks ended up being Josh Smith(ATL) and Tony Allen(BOS). Sura and Atkins benefitted by getting more playing time. Detroit received: R.Wallace and M.James. Atlanta received: Rebraca, W.Person, Sura, Mills, Josh Smith. Portland received: SAR, Ratliff, and Dickau. Boston received: Atkins, Hunter, Tony Allen, and cash.
Also, R.Wallace was going to be a rent-a-player. He was going to leave Portland, Atlanta, and most likely Detroit. But, the Pistons got him signed. Especially with the re-signing and championship, the Pistons were the biggest winners of that trade. But the other teams got some value out of it as well.
I have trouble with judging coaches. I just have trouble quantifying how well they do their job in relation to other coaches throughout the league. I see when a coach fits and when he's out of place. For me, it's that simple.
An example, would be Karl vs. McMillan. Without going into the decision process, I truly thought it was time for Karl to go. I still liked him and still do, but not as a coach for the Sonics. On the otherhand, McMillan was just warming up as a coach. I was surprised and disappointed by his decision.
I understand Sloan has lots of respect throughout the league. Perhaps he is one of the top five coaches. But this is what I see:
02-03: Malone/Stockton/Harpring/Ostertag/ Collins...47-35
03-04:
Kirilenko/Harpring(31 g)/ Giricek/ Arroyo/ Bell/ Lopez/ Ostertag/ Collins...42-40
04-05:
Kirilenko(41 g)/ Boozer(51 g)/ Harpring/ Okur/ Bell(63 g)/ Giricek/ Lopez(31 g)/ Eisley/ Collins/ Mcleod/ Arroyo(30 g - traded)...26-56
I understand they got hit hard with injuries, but that's where the coach needs to adapt. How often did Sloan have to adapt without Malone and Stockton? Probably not much. They added Okur and Boozer from free agency. Plus, Harpring played almost the full year. I'm not saying they should've made the playoffs. I just think with those three players they should've been closer to the previous year's record. In two years, they've lost 21 games from the win to the lost column. That's not good any way you look at it.
I like Hughes, but he gets injured too often. Hopefully, Allen will avoid that problem.
Too bad we can't trade Radmanovic and Evans for Chandler. You're right, it looks like we'll be waiting for Petro and Swift to grow up.
Jeremy, thanks for taking the time answering the questions and for your comments.
Locke-
Can you create a second page? That way we can still reference the old posts. Thanks.
reaction to all your great comments
* Ideal situation -- at this point i would say Juan Dixon, FLip Murray and Dale Davis and Reggie Evans
* Valady will be back. They will meet in the nexxt 7 days and iron out a deal.
* Their is a reason why Drew Gooden has been on 3 teams and the Cavs are trying to move him.
* Weiss said Swift will play every game but reports around the league are not good on his performance in Summer League
I'd rather see the Sonics go after Zaza Pachulia than Dale Davis. He's restricted, but the Bucks already re-signed Gadzuric.
1. I don't think the Sonics need a longterm answer at C, like a Pachulia or Magloire. They have Swift and Petro on the way, and both should be contributing in 2 years. What they need is a short term patch at the center position, a guy like a Dale Davis.
2. The job Furious George did with the Nuggets last year was incredible. Under George, the Bucks were a perennial playoff contender and made the Eastern Conference Championship with a team that had no business being there. IIRC, he took that series to a game 7. George's personality grates on management and his lifespan in a place is about 5 years, but you can't argue the results.
3. The reason I'm hearing that the Cavs want to trade Gooden is that #23 doesn't like him.
VLADY RADMANOVIC
Locke Chance of Return: 100%.
Mine: 85%
REGGIE EVANS
Locke Chance of Return: 75%
Mine 60%
FLIP MURRAY
locke Chance of Return: 75%
Mine 40%
DAMIEN WILKINS
Chance of Returning: 35%]
mine 55%
VITALY POTAPENKO Chance of Returning: 25%
Mine 40%
what would happen if radmanovic went to europe for a year? the sonics cant prevent that and i doubt they'd having matching rights for this year. but would he still be sonic property if he wanted to come back next year? maybe, but it doesnt seem like he should. that might be an out or just a strategy for rad. i think he could get a $3 million contract in europe so the pay could be about the same as staying. maybe he could just use this as a threat to try to get the sign and trade he realy wants but the sonics havent bitten on and dont really want to. just an angle i hadnt heard considered
deizel said
"That's whats so frustrating about Rashard sometimes no 3 man can check him because he's to big, and no 4 can guard him because he's too quick"
the problem with that is that Lewis can't dribble well. he just doesn't have the handles to use that quickness. but you know who does? he's the other player on the team with a 7 on his jersey, he has two of them. Vlad has handles, you just never saw it because Mcmillan was strict in controling the gaurds.He has the abilities and maybe with Weiss opening up the offense you'll have the ability to see this part of his game.
24 hours later after posted my chances on resigning, a report comes out that seattle may be considering trades for radmanovic (and are having a formal meeting with him to discuss his future) and murray, so estimating that they were less likely to return than locke seems on track. and now locke reports wilkins is less likely to go to portland, which i also expected.
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