SONICS EXPECT WILKINS TO GET OFFER SHEET AND SONICS MAY LURE DALE DAVIS TO SEATTLE

Here is the latest on the Supersonics.
Expectations are the in the next day or two you will see a 5 year 14.6 million dollar offer sheet from the Minnesota Timberwolves to Damien Wilkins. According to numerous reports the Wolves have already used 2.5 million of their mid-level exception to sign Eddie Griffin leaving just 2.5 million to start to offer for Wilkins.
There is a little game of cat and mouse going on here as the Wolves have delayed announcing the Griffin because it allows the Sonics to know what they are going to offer Wilkins in an offer sheet. Remember the Sonics have to use their mid-level to re-sign Wilkins.
Wilkins and his agent Mark Bartelstein have told the Sonics that Wilkins would rather not return to Seattle because he doesn’t want to be behind Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis for the length on the contract. The Wolves have told Wilkins he would start.
The Sonics have the deal done for Vitaly Potapenko and he is going through physicals and all of that before it is announced.
However, the Sonics are not done on the center front. DeSanga Diop is out of the picture as he is expected to sign with Dallas, but the Sonics are still in strong conversations with Dale Davis and his agent Chubby Wells.
Detroit is hot after Davis as well but they may have to use their entire mid-level to sign newly release Michael Finley. Finley to Detroit would be good for the Sonics quest after Dale Davis.
The update on Finley is Detroit, Phoenix, San Antonio and the Heat are all hot after him.
The Sonics have their entire mid-level to use for both Wilkins and Davis and may end up with both of them.
One other note I am hearing around the league that the Spurs are trying to move Brent Barry only after one year with the team.

Locked on the NFL Audio

Sports Radio 950 KJR's David Locke caught up with Seahawks legends Steve Largent and Curt Warner after the Rumble at the Ridge golf tournament and talked everything from golf to politics. David also talked a little football in the extended conversation at TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge with the Ring of Honor members.

Locked on Sports: Bavasi teetering on tightrope

Locked on Sports: Bavasi teetering on tightrope: "When the Mariners lose their 90th game this season, they will become the first franchise to follow back-to-back 90-win seasons with back-to-back 90-loss seasons since Connie Mack's Philadelphia A's in 1916.

Outgoing GM Pat Gillick said someone else needed to take a 'kick at the cat.' Bavasi has kicked the bucket."

FELIX THE GREAT

Felix Hernandez was simply awesome last night. The Royals are awful but everything about last night was real.
Here is how real. One of my best friends is playing with the Royals and I went to lunch with him today. I asked him what the guys were saying. He told me that he asked one of the guys in the clubhouse, a guy who has played around 8 years in the bigs both in the AL and the NL, what he thought of Felix and after a pause he called him the best right hander he has ever faced. The best right hander he has ever faced. That is insane.
He is that good. A few things that jumped out a me really watching him last night.
First, his back side. He is girth is impressive. Furthermore, he really uses it. He gets down and drive and his hips explode to the mound. That is a lot of his power and you would hope that would keep his arm healthy.
He is down in the strike zone. I mean he may have come about the belt once or twice in the game. I was talking to a former big leager today who was explaining to me that on a hard thrower you have to focus on the top of the ball because it will rise up at contact. But Felix is already bringing the ball on a downward plane so that you have no choice but to hit the top of the ball, which is why he is not allowing extra base hits and why he is not allowing fly balls.
Gil Meche still hasn’t figured how to get on a downward plane the way the 19 year old Felix has.
Another item that jumped out was his command of both sides of the plate. Most young pitchers are able to take one side of the plate and they live on it. More often then not for a right hand pitcher it is the outside to a right hander hitter and the inside corner to a left hander. Felix is commanding both sides of the plate no matter if the hitter is left handed or right handed.
Finally it a post game interview with the Torrealba, Torreabla was asked about a 3-2 pitch and what he decided to throw and Felix told him put down whatever you think is right and I will throw it. That is tremendous confidence.
The dude is real. This beyond hope. The are more steps to be taken but this guy is the unattainable #1 starter that every franchises dreams of.

RADMANOVIC NEGOTATIONS UPDATE

Vlady’s side and the Sonics talked yesterday. They are still at a point were they agree to disagree. The Sonics have upped their offer to 6 year 42 million with incentives and the Vlady wants $50 million guarantee. At this point Radmanovic camp is waiting out an offer from some other team. If that doesn’t happen, which seems unlikely, they can sign the 1-year $3.2 million tender before October 1st.
Radmanovic’s camp still believes that the free agent market is robust and they are better off becoming an unrestricted free agent next season. Their belief is that they will be able to get substantially more in the opening market next year then the $42 million dollar offer the Sonics are offering.
The Sonics are standing pat.

Locked on the NFL Audio

David Locke of Sports Radio 950 KJR talked with Seahawk linebacker Jamie Sharper about the veteran's transition into the Seattle defense. Locke and Sharper discuss the championship attitude that helped Sharper to a Super Bowl title with the Baltimore Ravens and how that can be applied to a new team in his ninth NFL season.

Locked on the NFL Audio

Sports Radio 950, KJR's David Locke spoke with new Seahawk defensive tackle Chuck Darby about working his way from the Tampa Bay practice squad in his rookie season to earning a likely starting spot on the Seahawks line, all while fighting off the label as an "under-sized" player.

Locked on the NFL Audio

Sports Radio 950, KJR's David Locke talked with 2-time National Champion Lofa Tatupu about draft-day jitters, playing as an undersized linebacker, growing through the USC system and other news from Seahawks training camp.

Locked on the NFL Audio

Sports Radio 950 KJR's David Locke talks with new Seahawk Kelly Herndon about how the veteran cornerback reached a high level in the NFL, his transition to the Seattle secondary and the goings-on of his hometown of Twinsburg, Ohio.

Locked on the NFL Audio

You heard a Cougar, now you can hear Sports Radio 950 KJR's David Locke talk with a Dawg. David caught up with veteran wide receiver Jerome Pathon and talked about his Canadian roots, the Seahawks receiving corps and his return to Seattle.

Locked on the NFL Audio

Sports Radio 950 KJR's David Locke talks with Wilson High School and WSU product Marcus Trufant about going to training camp in his home state (and younger brother Isaiah's backyard) and the progression of the up-and-coming Seahawks cornerback.

Locked on the NFL Audio

Sports Radio 950, KJR's David Locke talks with Josh Brown about the Seahawks kicking game, Josh's top five movie picks, the best ways to pass time in Cheney and the best ways to get around retail return policies.

Locked on Sports: Steroid scandal means it's time for Selig to say goodbye

Locked on Sports: Steroid scandal means it's time for Selig to say goodbye: "Resign, Bud Selig!

Selig's leadership -- or lack thereof -- has left baseball confronting this steroid-laced disaster. His actions as commissioner of baseball have been either dishonest or incompetent -- or both."

LOCKED ON SPORTS AUDIO

950, KJR's David Locke talks with Seattle Seahawks Quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn about the drops, Senecca Wallace and the loss of Trent Dilfer.

NO OFFER SHEET FOR WILKINS FROM TIMBERWOLVES

In today’s Seattle Times it was reported that the Minnesota Timberwolves will sign Damien Wilkins a 5 year $15 million offer sheet.
I just spoke with Timberwolves head coach Dwane Casey and he said that is not accurate. “There is sincere interest from the Minnesota Timberwolves but there is no formal offer sheet extended to Damien Wilkins.” Minnesota doesn’t want to have its money tied up the seven day period of restricted free agency.
In addition, the report in the Times said that the Sonics are unlikely to match. The word around the NBA is very different. The Sonics have told Wilkins agent Mark Bartelstein that they will match offers for Wilkins.
An issue that has not be discussed is that Wilkins may not want to return to Seattle. Bartelstein has told the Sonics that his client would like to go some place where he can start. With the Sonics Wilkins chances are minimal for significant playing time with Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis ahead of him on the depth chart. Whereas in the other cities that are suiting Wilkins he would have a chance to start.
Minnesota is very interested in Wilkins, Flip Murray and Reggie Evans. At the current time Minnesota can’t afford to have their money tied up in an offer sheet. However, it is fair to anticipate that at some point Minnesota will extend an offer sheet to either Wilkins or Murray. Minnesota will try to make the Sonics decided.
Other teams interested are Atlanta and Denver.

HoopsHype - Interviews - Vladimir Radmanovic: "My status on the team improves with Weiss"

HoopsHype - Interviews - Vladimir Radmanovic: "My status on the team improves with Weiss": "Vladimir Radmanovic: 'My status on the team improves with Weiss'
"

FRANKLIN THE MUSCLE MAN

STEROIDS YES OR NO?

Who would you play the game with? Go to the comment zone and nominate names and see what people say?

Locked On Sports: It's time for fans to play 'Steroids, Yes or No?'

Locked On Sports: It's time for fans to play 'Steroids, Yes or No?': "Sadly, baseball's ostrich approach to confronting a decade-long problem has created an environment in which baseball fans' newest, most favorite game is 'Steroids, Yes or No?' The game is simple. Name the player, check his numbers and then speculate steroids, yes or no? Let's play:"

LOCKED ON SPORTS PODCAST

Every night at 8:05 pm Locked on Sports will talk the NFL. The guests will include Seahawks, fantasy experts, national expters and coaches.
Monday night 950, KJR's David Locke talked with Andre Dyson.

BREAKING NEWS -- FRANKLIN FAILS STEROID TEST

950, KJR is reporting and has confirmed that Ryan Franklin has tested positive for a banned substance and will be suspended 10 games by Major League Baseball. HE will talk with the media around 11:00 am this morning in Detroit.
This becomes another example of how outrageous the steroid and banned substance problem is and was inside Major League Baseball. When a player like Franklin is involved it opens up the entire roster of every team as potential users.
Stay tuned to 950, KJR for more on this developing story.

SONICS TO SIGN RICK BRUNSON AS BACK-UP POINT

950, KJR'S Locked on Sports reports that according to sources inside the NBA, the Sonics have come to a one-year agreement with Rick Brunson. Brunson, 32, is a 8 year veteran in the NBA. Brunson will be the back-up to Luke Ridnour.
Last season the Sonics played a three-guard rotation, however in the 2005-06 season the Sonics are anticipating that they will have a 4-guard rotation. Brunson stand at 6 foot 4 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds. His size is a nice compliment to Ridnour.
Last season, Brunson played 80 games, starting 39, with the LA Clippers averaging 24 minutes a game. He scored 5 points per game and averaged 5 assists. In his 39 starts last season he averaged 7 points, 7 assists and 3 rebounds.
His assist to turnover ratio was an impressive 5.1 to 1.56. This is very similar to what Daniels brought to the floor for the Sonics.
His shooting is not a strong point. He is a career 38% from the field. On the positive side he should be able to stretch the defense as a career 36% three point shooter. Over the past two seasons, Brunson has really added the three to his game and has hit 206 of 547 attempts for 38%
This will be the Temple graduates 7th team in the NBA. He started his career as an undrafted free agent with the Portland Trailblazers. Since he has bounced around, but a great sign of what type of player and person Brunson is that three teams have had him back for a second run.
According to sources the contract is a 1 year deal for the minimum contract. That will not count against the Sonics mid-level exception.


LOCKE’S TAKE –
This isn’t going to wow anyone but it makes a lot of sense. The Sonics have decided to play a 4 guard line-up next season with Brunson backing-up of Ridnour. Brunson is the ultimate back-up point guard. He doesn’t turn the ball over. He is just good enough that he can hurt the other team. He has been through so much as a player that you know he isn’t going to rock the boat wanted more time or more shots. His performance this last year with the Clippers was strong enough that if Ridnour gets hurt he could run the team for a short period of time.
The real issue is with Ridnour’s development and the likelihood that he will be playing 34 minutes a night next season the Sonics have moved into a realm where the back-up point guard becomes an interchangeable part every two years or so. Therefore, Brunson is a very good answer at the back-up position.
Interesting comparison to who AD was when the Sonics acquired him. Daniels last year in Portland he average 3.7 points and 1 assist in 13 minutes a night. I doubt Bronson will be able to what AD did last year for the Sonics, but you would have never imagined AD would have done that when he came to Seattle.

THIS WEEK FOR THE SONICS

The singings and real movement in the NBA is finally going to happen. It moratorium is expected to be pulled on Tuesday and then it is down to business.
Here is what to watch for this week from a Sonics standpoint.
Today, Vlady Radmanovic and his agent, Dave Bauman, will be in town and meeting the Sonics brass. The Sonics currently have a 6 year 39 million dollar deal on the table. The two sides will try to reach a common ground to sign a long term deal. If not Radmanovic will be forced to sign the 1 year tender agreement at 3.2 million dollars. Bauman has said if that is what they are forced to do it is a sign that Radmanoivc’s Sonics career will be over at the end of the year. He says it would show a lack of faith in his client from the Sonics.
Also on Tuesday the not so mystery suitor of Damien Wilkins may be revealed. The Sonics are hoping to keep Wilkins by using a portion of their mid-level exception. According to sources Wilkins turned down a $16 million offer from the Portland Trailblazers. I talked with his agent Mark Bartlestein today and he said, “There are a few teams involved, I don’t want to comment on specifics, because there are still a lot of ways this can go.”
On Wednesday, the Sonics will announce the signing that was the key to the off-season. Ray Allen will hold his press conference and the Sonics will have their franchise piece in tack for 5 years at nearly 80 million dollars.
Flip Murray is a bit of a wild card. The Sonics are planning on signing Murray while his camp is desperately attempting to set his market value by receiving an offer sheet. However, no teams are willing to have their money tied up for 7 days on an offer sheet.
I don’t anticipate much on the Reggie Evans front. Everything sounds like that will linger all the way into September. There is a good chance that Evans is left with the one year tender.
The Sonics will continue discussions with Vitaly Potapenko about returning to Seattle. The advantage of Potapenko is the Sonics don’t have to use any of their mid-level exception.
Lastly, the fringe signing will be the keys for the Sonics. The Sonics have spotlighted various players that they anticipate to slip through the market and could become available very much the way Jerome James did 5 years ago and Antonio Daniels did 2 years ago.

MARINERS PURGE CONTINUES

The Mariners purge continued today as they released Aaron Sele from the roster. The Mariners filled his roster spot by recalling Jorge Campillo from Tacoma.
Campillo has been battling injuries over the past month but, made his first start off the injury last week and will now fill the rotation spot of Sele.
This is the beginning of numerous moves to cleanse the roster of pieces that will not be a part of the Mariners re-birth.
Rumors persist that the Mariners are close to calling up Felix Hernandez from Tacoma and placing him the rotation as well. Some reports have Hernandez pitching in Detroit as early as Thursday.
Once again we are experiencing major league tryouts at the big league level. This is what the minor league system is defined to do. Last year, the Mariners struck out completely in finding anyone who was ready for the big leagues in this tryout period.
Julio Mateo seems to have the most consistent stuff on the staff. Why wouldn’t Mateo be moved into the starting rotation.
Other players that may be on the chopping block include Shiggy, Matt Thorton and Joel Pineiro.

MARINERS TRADE WINN AND OLIVO

The Mariners have made two trades tonight ending the Mariner careers of Randy Winn and Miguel Olivo.
Winn was traded to the San Francisco Giants for right handed pitcher Jesse Foppert and defensive minded catcher Yorvit Torrealba. Foppert, 25, has started 23 games in his major league career with the Giants. He missed almost the entire 2004 season after “Tommy John” surgery. Torrealba, 27, has played just 34 games with the Giants this season. He looks to be a light hitting catcher, but his defensive numbers are outstanding. His career fielding percentage is .996 and he has allowed just 3 passed balls in 206 MLB games.
The Mariners gave up on the corner stone piece of the Freddy Garcia trade sending Olivo to the Padres for two low level prospects. The Mariners received Miguel Ojeda who is soft hitting 30 year old catcher. They also got a AA pitcher from the Padres, Nate Mateo.
Leftfield can not be filled by Chris Snelling as he must spend 10 days in Triple A after being sent down last week.
Neither of the catchers acquired seem to be long term answers.
The real story on these deals is that within one year the Mariners have given up on the key piece of the Freddy Garcia trade. Olivo’s stay in Seattle has been a total disaster and showed no signs of turning itself around. You have to wonder how the Mariners could have missed this badly on a player that they presumably scouted before trading Garcia for him. On the day of that trade we were told Olivo was one of the premier young catchers in baseball. Instead the Mariners now only have Jerremy Reed and Mike Morse for the Freddy Garcia deal.
On the Randy Winn side of the deal the Mariners are banking that Foppert will re-gain his arm strength a year removed from Tommy John surgery. At 6 foot 6 inches tall Foppert has an 8-9 record with a 5.00 ERA in his major league career.
Bottom line, there is not a lot of substance coming to the Mariners in these deals. They said if they made a trade they were going to acquire players that could help the team at the big league level next season. I will be surprised if this does that.

MIKE HARMON OF YAHOO SPORTS ON BASEBALL TRADE DEADLINE

We just had Mike Harmon on Yahoo Sports on 950, KJR about the trade deadline.

Here is a quick summation of what he said.
1) That Jamie Moyer has been approached about waiving his 10/5 rights. The Yankees and the Rangers are the suitors.
2) The Carl Pavano for Randy Winn and Joel Pineiro trade has heated up again.
3) He believes the Mariners should get something done and that Winn is the most likely to be moved.
4) The Red Sox have gotten involved in the Randy Winn talks.

MIKE SANDO'S TRAINING CAMP UPDATE

Here is what Mike Sando just placed on his blog. Check out the link to Sando on the left hand side of the page.

TRAINING CAMP -- DAY ONE |
Time is short here so this will be a bit hurried.

Notes from the morning practice:

Top two picks are close to deals, Holmgren said, but neither player was here at practice. Shaun ALexander could be back as early as Sunday. ... Marcus Trufant is working at RIGHT cornerback, which is new for him. This is because the other guys are more comfortable on the left said. They'll see how it goes. ... Ken Hamlin should be back for the third preseason game. That is the plan, anyway. ... Not practicing: Ryan Dutton, Ken Hamlin, Shaun Alexander, Christian Mohr, Cornelius Wortham, Lofa Tatupu, Chris Spencer, Alex Bannister, Cedric Woodard. Players who have returned to practice after missing minicamps: Rashad Moore, Trufant, Steve Hutchinson, Ryan Hannam, Marquand Manuel.

Posted by mikesando Jul 29, 2005 11:00 am

DO THE MARINERS HAVE A PLAN?

Do the Mariners have any plan at all? It sure doesn’t feel that way. Here is what the plan seems to be. Bavasi and his boys are in the office and they are saying “Hey lets bring up all of these shortstops and then we will throw them around the diamond and see which one plays the best.” “Hey let’s bring up three different catchers and then we let each of them play and little but we will let a 42 year play the most.”
Any reasonable decent organization would know which one of these guys is the guy that they believe is going to be the shortstop or catcher of their club. Good organizations don’t have tryouts at the big league level. That is what the minor leagues are for, to evaluate and know your talent. That should know the guy who is going to play SS and who is the catcher.
They are talking about Betancourt that he reminds them of an Omar Vizquel.
If that is true then why is he possibly being moved to second base. Moreover, the idea that he can go play second for one night at Tacoma and then be ready to come to the big leagues and play second sounds like the biggest seat of your pants disorganization miss run garbage. It is laughable. Let me quote Hargrove directly “Jose is a good player and he's going to get better," Hargrove said. "It's just that sometimes the big-league level is not the best place to work on your game." So why then is a SS working himself into a 2B at the big league level Have a plan. Have an idea. Have an intention.

You can’t ask kids to come to the big adjust to a new high-pressure life and oh by the way would you please learn a new position while you are at it. This is absurd. Who is the SS of the future? Which guy do you think can catch? They should know, they should have decided It makes you wonder if there is any plan at all.

WHY VLADY IS PART OF SONICS CORE?

Last week in the Seattle-pi, I wrote about the Sonics keeping their core together. In response their was a lot of discussion of why I included Radmanovic in the core. I think people are forgetting how valuable Vlady Radmanovic is for the Seattle Supersonics. What has been forgotten in Vlady is what makes the Sonics unique.
Vlady does things that no power forward in the NBA does. He runs like a deer. He is dramatically more athletic then anyone realizes. In fact, he may be the best athlete on the team. He stretches the floor with his three point shooting. His post defense is better then he is given credit for.
His floor presence opens up the game for Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. I would argue that Allen and Lewis’s big years were directly related to their time on the floor with Vlady.
Interestingly enough the player that has to have Vlady around is Reggie Evans. If Evans is on the floor with another big most of his game is negated. His presence clogs the offense when there is another big on the floor and his rebounding dips because the other teams has three or four players around the boards. However, when he is on the floor with Vlady he has one on one rebounding match-ups because the floor is spread.
Numbers tell the dependency on Vlady for Evans. 82games.com charts the +/- rating for playing pairs. (How the team does when two players are on the floor together).
Evans is a negative with every big except when on the floor with Vlady they are the best playing pair on the roster (ignoring the limited time James and Fortson played together only 5 minutes).
Using more of the playing pairs data and Radmanovic’s importance to the Sonics is even clearer. Allen’s best playing pair is Radmanovic. Lewis’s best playing pair is Radmanovic. Ridnour’s best playing pair is Radmanovic. Collison’s best playing pair was Radmanovic. You get the point.
In 59 games when the Sonics had Lewis, Allen and Radmanovic on the floor together they outscored their opponent in 42 of those. That is the triumphant that makes the Sonics a unique team.
Vlady needs to improve on two areas of his game. He needs to be a better rebounder and he needs to get to the free throw line. The rebounding can improve, but I doubt it will ever be a strength. I would envision a Rashard Lewis type rebounder. The increase at the free throw line will come. It is inevitable as he understands the game, improves his ball handling and starts to get a better reputation with officials.
There is no doubt the Vlady is a part of the core of this team. Most importantly he is what makes the team unique.

REACTION TO THE COMMENT ZONE

Thanks to all of you that have been so active on this blog. We have shattered any expectation that I had coming in to the project. One of my hopes was to create a Locked on Sports community outside of the show. That is exactly what has taken place in the comment zone. The comments have been amazingly astute, knowledgeable and on point. I strongly suggest even those that are not making comments to check out the discussion. Great work everyone. I have gone through the comment zones and here are some of my thoughts after reading all of them.

• Two players I would be intrigued with Sonics trying to acquire. Atlanta’s Al Harrington. He is a very good complimentary player and would rebound after an awful year. In Indiana Austin Croshere has been buried. However, I like him and while he earns too much money their might be some way to make it work. He is Vlady but a better rebounder and not as good a shooter.
• Will Conroy is a nice college player and I believe he has enough intagiables that he could make the league. However, he is just another nice college point guard. The idea that he is on par at this moment with guys in the NBA is flat out laughable
• If the Sonics go with a traditional point guard and use Flip as a back-up two guard then Brevin Knight might be ok. Knight is a solid no mistake player. Though he can’t shoot a lick.
• Maurice Evans is going to be available. The Kings don’t plan to re-sign him. However, he may get a fairly decent deal.
• On the mock drafts the Spurs did draft some French power forward. It was not Petro it was the guy they drafted.
• Gadruzic just signed a big deal with Milwaukee. I would love him on the Sonics he is a tall version of Reggie Evans. Equally dysfunctional on the offensive side, but a great rebounder. He is better because of his length.
• At the current time the Sonics don’t have the low level exception to use because they used it last year on Ibo. However, with the new collective bargaining agreement there is a chance that everyone will get to hit the re-set button and the Sonics will get it back. Yes, that hurts.
• I am not sure what the Sonics think of Francisco Elson but that is the player, not Nene, you would get in a sign and trade.
• The Sonics make a lot of decisions based on their computer program that evaluates players. And emphasizes different things for different types of players. Brevin Knight seems like the type of player the Sonics would have valued higher then most via their programs. The concern is Knight’s numbers are skewed from playing in Bernie Bickerstaff’s system which promotes no turnovers and easy point guard assists. Notice both Brevin Knight and Jason Hart had better numbers then they usually do in that system.
• I side with the majority of you on Flip Murray as the replacement to Antonio Daniels. However, AD didn’t move my meter when he arrived.
• Antonie Walker is not a player that usually fits any of my qualifications of what a good player in the NBA stands for. However, I am intrigued that it might work here in Seattle.
• I don’t think Rashard’s upcoming numbers are having much impact on the Valdy negotiations. The Sonics are stricter then most teams at keeping things in line with money to performance and that is why the Sonics are holding ground on Vlady.

WILKINS REBUKED THE BLAZERS

950, KJR'S Locked on Sports has learned that Damien Wilkins turned down a $16 million dollar deal from the Portland Trailblazers. Therefore, there must be another team that is offering Wilkins a big money contract.
The popular opinion around the league is that Atlanta may turn to Wilkins. The Hawks have made inroads to Joe Johnson, but the Suns have altered their roster to make sure they can pay Johnson what offer sheet he receives.
The Sonics are positing themselves to make sure they can match offers to Wilkins.

BREAKING NEWS -- BLAZERS NAB DIXON

950, KJR and Locked on Sports has learned that free agent guard Juan Dixon has accepted a 3 year contract from the Portland Trailblazers. According to Dixon's agent Calvin Andrews the deal is for just under 3 million dollars per year. The Sonics had heavily pursued Dixon in free agency.
The Sonics never made an offer to Dixon. It is believed that the Sonics were a bit hamstrung with the amount of moveable parts they have at the current time. In addition, any offer to Dixon would have allowed the Blazers to offer Wilkins and the Sonics no ability to match Wilkins. It could be said the Sonics choose to keep Murray and Wilkins rather then sign Dixon and Murray.
This still leaves the Blazers with just over 2 million dollars of their mid-level exception available for other players. The Blazers had intended to extend an offer sheet to the Sonics Damien Wilkins. However, Wilkins turned down a $16 million offer .

This increases the likelihood the Sonics will turn to Flip Murray as their back-up guard.

SONICS CAP SITUATION

There seems to be a lot of confusion on the Sonics cap situation let me try to clarify. The Sonics have not fully determined if they are going to be under the cap or over the cap. However, in all likelihood they will re-sign Radmanovic and stay above the cap.
Therefore, they have the $5 million exception to use to acquire talent. The Sonics current players, Radmanovic, Murray, Evans and Potapenko, can re-sign without using any of that $5 million. This is called having Bird rights.
However, if the Sonics re-sign Wilkins his money must come from the $5 million because he doesn’t have Bird rights since he has only been in the league for one season.
A few other notes. Players that are restricted free agents can have their contract matched by their current club. That is why the Sonics feel comfortable they will be able to keep Radmanovic, Evans and Murray. It also means that any thoughts of the Sonics getting Tyson Chandler or any other restricted free agent are pie in the sky.
I hope that makes some sense.

TRUE SHOOTING % and GOOD/BAD%

In the comment zone we were having a discussion about shooting and who is really that good.
These are the numbers I use to evaluate players offensive ability. One is their true shooting %. This accounts for free throws. This is why a player like Vlady comes out very average.
The other number is close to John Hollinger's brick %, but basically it accounts for time on the floor. It tells me in the simpliest form whether or not this player helps his team score. Basically, Chris Weber scores but it takes him so many shots and so many shots considering his minutes on the floor that I believe he hurts his team.

HERE ARE THE SONICS NUMBERS
League Average is TS%- 53% and Good/Bad nummber average is ..01

TS% -- G/B
0.68 -- 2.00 -- fortson,danny
0.57 -- 0.82 -- lewis,rashard
0.58 -- 0.64 -- potapenko,vitaly
0.55 -- 0.59 --- allen,ray
0.57 -- 0.52 --- collison,nick
0.56 -- 0.43 -- daniels,antonio
0.51 -- 0.13 -- evans,reggie
0.53 -- 0.07 -- radmanovic,vlad
0.53 -- 0.05 -- james,jerome
0.53 -- 0.01 == LEAGUE AVERAGE
0.50 -- -0.22 -- swift,robert
0.50 -- -0.31-- ridnour,luke
0.50 -- -0.39 -- wilkins,damien
0.41 -- -1.12 -- cleaves,mateen
0.43 -- -1.71 -- murray,ronald

Just a note Juan Dixon was a .52 -- -.19

Locked On Sports: Sonics in strong position to remain solid at the core

Locked On Sports: Sonics in strong position to remain solid at the core: "Nate McMillan, Jerome James, Antonio Daniels and now possibly Damien Wilkins. The Sonics exodus continues, and with each departure, the panic meter has crept up.

Now take a step back and relax."

SHAUN ALEXANDER SIGNS ONE YEAR DEAL

I have confirmed with the Seahawks that they have signed Shaun Alexander to a one-year contract. Alexander will report to camp on Friday.
In exchange the Seahawks agreed not to franchise Alexander in 2006 and not to trade him without his permission.
This is a brilliant move on both sides. Alexander had nowhere to go and had no leverage to negotiate. Moreover, the Hawks had not shown any interest in signing Alexander to a long-term deal.
From the Hawks standpoint you are seeing the influence of Tim Ruskell. Having a football guy in charge of football, Ruskell understood that he had to have his full compliment of players in camp on Friday. In addition, if Ruskell is going to set this increased standard of behavior you can’t go into your first camp with one of your stars playing by different rules.
It is huge to have Alexander in camp. Ruskell has never seen how he reacts day to day in the locker-room, at practice and on game day. At the end of the year, Alexander becomes a free agent. However, between now and then the Hawks can negotiate a long term deal if the two sides can agree on a price.
Overall, a terrific move for the Hawks and a clear sign that Tim Ruskell is changing the Hawks.

SONICS FREE AGENCY BREAKDOWN

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%

DAMIEN WILKINS WILL GET AN OFFER SHEET

Updated: July 25th at 4:30 pm.
According to sources in the NBA the Portland Trailblazers will extend an offer sheet to the Sonics Damien Wilkins. Contract details are not clear, but word on the street is that deal is significant. Translation the Blazers are over paying Wilkins in order to make sure the Sonics don't match the deal. I talked with Wilkins agent on Monday and he said they have not signed anything yet and they are looking at their options.
The Sonics had Juan Dixon in town all weekend and are hoping they can get him signed. The issue is whether or not Flip Murray and Juan Dixon would be redundant. Murray is a restricted free agent.
Last season Wilkins averaged just 6 points per game in only 29 games played. In the playoffs he got extended time due to the injury to Rashard Lewis. In the playoffs he averaged 5.6 points per game in 19 minutes per game. Wilkins shot 44% from the field and 27% from three in both the regular season and the playoffs.
If the deal is substantial the Sonics should let him go.

LANCE ARMSTRONG

I am not sure what I watched this weekend on the final day of the Tour de France. All I know is that I understood it was historical and that it was worth getting up early to see the same way that Wimbledon used to be when Borg played McEnroe.
Athletically I am not sure what I watched. Was it DiMaggio 56 game hitting streak, was it the Celtics of the 60’s, was it Jordan or was it Edwin Moses running the hurdles.
Really that might not matter. What I do know is that I was watching the first great sportsman of the 21st century. I was watching a man, who has changed the world, changed people’s lives, changed the face of cancer and changed the way we all face a challenge.
I was watching a man that started a phenomenon with the $1 yellow stay strong bracelet and now 50 million later the bracelet has become a way to have your voice heard.
I was watching a man who on Oct 8th of 1996 faced the microphones with less then a 50% chance to live and testicular cancer that had spread to his brain tell us that “I want you all to know that I intend to beat this disease, and further, I intend to ride again as a professional cyclist," Lance said at a news conference on Oct. 8, 1996, in Austin, his face steeled with determination. "I want to finish by saying that I intend to be an avid spokesman for cancer research and awareness, particularly testicular cancer, once I have beaten this disease."
And boy has he ever, and with such vengeance. He taught us to stay strong.
Athletically who he is and where he ranks may not matter. Instead, he has had an impact and he has touched real lives.
Over the past two years I watch a family down the street where their yellow bracelet as their young 8-year-old son battled cancer. I watched as the dad started bike racing as a release and way to reach out to the power of Lance.
Lance Armstrong has changed our world – he is why breast cancer survivors run marathons, why people under treatment still swim their daily laps, he told us you could beat the most evil of disease. He told us that the human spirit is the strongest in the world not some venomous evil diseases.
The most recent Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer it stated that the risk to U.S. citizens of developing cancer and dying from it was in decline. It added that survival rates for patients of many cancers were on the rise. The tens of millions that Lance’s foundation has raised have to be a part of it.
But you have to wonder if his power on a bicycle is most of it. Where Lance Armstrong ranks, where his achievement place him in the athletic sphere are irrelevant.
What we watched yesterday was a real life metaphor; we watched a faith giver.

CAN FLIP MURRAY BE THE GUY?

The Sonics brass believes that Flip Murray can fill the role of the departed Antonio Daniels. After watching Murray last season it is hard to believe that is true. However, the Sonics contest that much of Murray's issue last year was uncertainty. He missed training camp and the first 20 games and by the time he was ready to return the Sonics were rolling and had no place for him. Therefore, for the rest of the year he pressed, never played in rhythm and suffered because of it.
The Sonics will tell you he can take it to the basket and draw fouls in a way no one but Ray Allen can do on this team. They believe that his ability to score off the bench is a game changer.
The detractors, of which I am apart, believe he is sloppy with the ball. He can't play inside an offensive structure and scores at the detriment of his teammates. Their is no way he can replace Daniles remarkable assist to turnover ratio. Murray averages 1.4 assist to 1 turnover. It is not his game to be that player. Moreover, as much as I believe that Daniels is overrated defensively Murray is a less good defender then Daniels.
Who do you side with?
The Sonics back much of their belief in numbers. And the numbers are impressive.
Over the past two seasons when Murray has played over 20 minutes he has produced.

FLIP MURRAY
2003-04
Type ----G Pts Reb Ass --- FG% 3p% FT%
20+ min 58 15.8 3.1 3.0 -- 44.4 30.8 71.8
25+ min 40 18.5 3.5 3.5 -- 46.3 32.9 70.6
30+ min 21 21.6 3.7 4.2 -- 46.4 34.8 67

2004-05
Type ----G Pts Reb Ass --- FG% 3% FT%
20+ min 20 13.6 3.6 2.2 -- 38.0 27.8 72.1
25+ min 16 14.8 4.1 2.5 -- 38.3 27.9 72.7
30+ min 9 18.0 4.0 2.9 -- 40.0 30.8 70.3

Last Two Seasons
Minutes Pts Rebs Ass -- FG% 3p% FT% A/T
20+ min 15.2 3.2 2.8 -- 42.8 30.0 71.9 1.4
25+ min 17.5 3.7 3.2 -- 44.1 31.4 71.1 1.4
30+ min 20.5 3.8 3.8 -- 44.5 37.2 67.8 1.4

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTIONS

http://preseason.stassen.com/consensus/2005.html#pac-10
collects all the pre-season rags and puts together the pre-season consensus. Last year their #1 and #2 teams were USC and Oklahoma. Here is what they have for the nation and the pac-10 this year.
HERE IS THE PAC-10
1 Southern Cal
2 Arizona State
3 California
4 UCLA
5 Oregon
6 Washington St.
7 Oregon State
8 Arizona
9t Stanford
9t Washington
National Top 25
1 Southern Cal
2 Texas
3 Tennessee
4t Louisiana State
4t Michigan
6 Oklahoma
7 Ohio State
8 Virginia Tech
9t Florida
9t Iowa
11 Miami-Florida
12 Florida State
13 Louisville
14 Georgia
15 Purdue
16t Auburn
16t Texas A&M
18 Pittsburgh
19 Fresno State
20 Arizona State
21 Texas Tech
22 Boston College
23 California
24 Boise State
25 Virginia

VLADY RADMANOVIC NEGOTATIONS UPDATE

UPDATE ON VLADY RADMANOVIC NEGOTATIONS

I just got off the phone with Vlady Radmanovic’s agent Dave Bauman about Vlady’s contract situation. It is clear that signing Radmanovic will not be easy for the Sonics. Bauman feels that Radmanovic should be a starter and that he is worth starter money in the NBA. Moreover, he sees Radmanovic as a star that is about to explode and wants him paid like the star he is going to be. All agents have this request.
The Sonics have made an offer to Radmanovic and it is a 6-year offer in the range of 39 million dollars for the contract. According to Bauman, this deal does not equal what Radmanovic is worth. Bauman sites the deals just signed by Bobby Simmons, averaging about 9 million a year, and Kwane Brown, around 8 million a year, as deals that represent the market for Radmanovic. Most importantly, Bauman says that Radmanovic would not sign the 6 year deal and would instead sign a 1 year deal at 3.2 million and become an unrestricted free agent next season.
He also says that he has two sign and trade deals that would pay Radmanovic that kind of money. Bauman insists that the negotiations are not adversarial at this point. He will be flying to Belgrade tomorrow to meet with Radmanovic to give him the details face to face.
. The Sonics can match any deal that Radmanovic receives. If Radmanovic doesn’t get an offer that his camp believes equals his value they will take the one year tender and become an unrestricted free agent.

BOB WEISS TO BE SONICS HEAD COACH

Bob Weiss will be the next head coach of the Seattle Supersonics. This has been widely speculated for the last week and will come to fruition today at a 1:30 press conference.
As 950, KJR and Locked on Sports reported on Thursday night Howard Schultz and Weiss had dinner. That dinner was the final hurdle for Weiss to become the new head coach. A night earlier Schultz dined with Wally Walker, Rick Sund and other major players in the organization and was convinced that Weiss was the correct choice for the job. Schultz always wants to grasp as much marketing as he possibly can and had to be convinced this was first the correct basketball move and secondly could be sold. After meeting with the major players and Weiss he was entirely convinced.
Weiss became the lead candidate when he received a ground swell of support from the Sonics players and namely Ray Allen. As we reported on Thursday the players universally talked about trust and understood that Weiss had been the innovator of the Sonics offense.
After the press conference I will file another report and tune in tonight at 7:00 pm for more information and opinions.

SONICS COACHING UPDATE

As of 4:52 pm on July 14th, 2005

Despite reports to the contrary, last night the Sonics brass held a meeting to discuss the coaching situation. As a result of that meeting, Howard Schultz will meet with Bob Weiss to discuss the job this evening. There has been a tremendous ground swell of support from the current Sonics players for Bob Weiss as the head coach. Universally, they all talk about “trust” as the key ingredient when talking about Weiss. As one person said it has been so strong it almost feels organized.
The Sonics Ray Allen is at the forefront of the players endorsing Weiss.
The question is how much should the players be heard? Have the players earned the right to have be heard? Do the players deserve the continuity that they are asking for?
Tonight’s dinner between Schultz and Weiss could go a long way to determining this.

WHY WEISS SHOULD BE THE SONICS COACH?

Here are the reasons why hiring Bob Weiss makes sense. …
· Continuity – Do you really want to start over? The instinct for everyone is that new is better, but in this case it may be the opposite. The organization is headed in the correct direction and hiring someone other than Weiss means having a completely new staff. I am not sure that is a good thing. Moreover, Jack Sikma is preparing and trying to find out if he is a head coach in the NBA and Weiss is the perfect bridge.
· Innovator – Weiss is an incredible basketball mind. The Sonics philosophy of score early score late last season is very much a Bob Weiss production. Weiss has never received the credit that he deserves in his role of forming the team and the concepts of this team offensively.
· Relationships – The players have had a ground swell of support for Weiss. Almost every player has called and thrown their name in for Weiss. The reason is trust. Really this team is about Ray Allen. Allen signing a 5-year contract holds the keys to the franchise. He and Weiss get along and he and Weiss understand each other and relate well to each other. Despite being one of the older coaches in the NBA Weiss relates incredibly well with the players.
· Experience – Weiss peaks off the experience chart with knowledge of the game, circumstances in the locker-room, how players react, etc. Every coach has to get his team through the two or three storms in a season and Weiss will not be surprised by any of them.
· Levelheaded – For all the guys I work with. Weiss is the most consistent levelheaded guys in the league. Often coaches are like a roller coaster. Weiss is the opposite.

NATE MCMILLAN EXPLAINS HIMSELF

Last night at 8:00 pm Nate McMillan left me a message telling me he had accepted the Portland Trailblazers 5 year offer to be their head coach. At the conclusion of the Storm game last night I spoke with Nate for about 10 minutes.
Here is how he explained his decision to move to Portland …..

More than anything else he wanted to thank the fans, thank the city and thank everyone who has given him 19 wonderful years in Seattle.
He said that after 19 years on the same stage it was time for a change. That he had made up his mind at the beginning of the season that it was time to move on. Throughout the year he prepared himself for the end of his time in Seattle. He mentioned that he fore shadowed this at the start of the season when he talk about “his last ride” with the Sonics.
He mentioned that this was an opportunity to see who he is as a head coach. A challenge outside of an organization he knows as well as Seattle.
I asked him what it was that Portland brought to the table. He mentioned an opportunity. He paralleled the Blazers today to where the Sonics were a few years ago. He said that he is young enough to take on the challenge and with a 5 year offer he could make it happen. He did agree that the difference is that Portland has no all-star.
He wouldn’t tell me about how much the contract was worth.

That is the gist of what Nate said. However, my sources out of Portland tell me the money difference between what Nate got from Portland and Seattle is negligible. This is shocking but according to my source the 5th year of the contract is a team option and the money doesn’t surpass six million a year until the final year which is non-guaranteed.
If this is accurate then one week ago when I spoke with Nate and he said it wasn’t about the money he was telling the truth. The difference in the Sonics offer and the Blazers offer is not significant when you account for state income tax.
So how come Nate left? What is really bizarre is that two weeks ago it was reported that the deal was close to being done and the word out of the McMillan camp was that the deal was close to getting done.
His message to me was that he wanted a new challenge. He wanted to prove himself somewhere new and he wanted to prove his value. It is clear that after 19 years of a relationship that scares lingered, no different then any relationship. However, for Nate some of them were significant enough to feel it was time for a change.

WHERE DO THE SONCIS TURN?

The Sonics will now embark upon a coaching search. Howard Schultz is going to go get a guy that he believes can win a championship. Rumors around the NBA had Shultz interested in Phil Jackson when he was considering a return. If that is in fact true it tells you he will go to the top to find a championship man.
The early names that should be mentioned include Phoenix Suns assistant Marc Ivaroni, former Chicago Bulls Head Coach Doug Collins, Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo, former Maverick Head Coach Don Nelson and current Sonics assistant Bob Weiss.
Ivaroni was a lead candidate for the Blazers job until they hired Nate McMillan. Ivaroni has an established coaching back ground as an assistant. He has a strong relationship with Wally Walker.
Doug Collins and Don Nelson are both favorites of Sonics General Manager Rick Sund.
Tom Izzo has been floating his name around NBA circles for the last year or so. He has interested in both the Minnesota job and the Detroit job. He is a college mate of Howard Schultz and the two maintain contact today. Schultz has gone to Final Fours to support Izzo. College coaches generally fail in the NBA, however Izzo is thought of as one of the brightest names in the business.
Weiss is a far better coach then people realize and his role in the team’s success was larger then he is given credit for. Weiss has been a head coach in the NBA and has been stuck with some poor teams and had relative success. He knows the personnel and is at the core of the score early score late philosophy of this team. He is a much better candidate then the most people realize.
Finally what about Lorenzo Romar? He is an incredible man. He has played in the NBA and has shown his coaching talents. He could be a long-term answer.

Locked on Sports: Allen's embrace graces Seattle

Locked on Sports: Allen's embrace graces Seattle: "Rejoice, you don't have to throw out another outdated jersey. Seattle sports fans have been jilted before. You have embraced and loved superstars only to have your heart broken and stomped on."

SONICS SIGN ALLEN -- THE BREAKDOWN

SONICS MANGEMENT STEPS UP.
Obviously it is an incredible day to be a Sonics fan. After much consternation and concern the Sonics management stepped up. Here is how it all came down.
• In early February the Sonics made a final offer to Ray Allen that was around $75 million dollars. It was about their third final offer. Lon Babby the agent of Ray Allen thought they were close and asked for a little up to $80 million at which point the Sonice never responded.
• The two sides talked again before the July 1 free agency but nothing came about.
• Therefore, Allen went out on the market. By Saturday Allen told the Sonics he had two offers and possibly a third that was in the range of $80 million.
• The NBA has a rule that allows a team to call another team and find out what they are offering. The rule is in place so that teams don’t have to totally rely on agents and what might be untruths from agents. Teams don’t have to tell, but it customary that they do. Therefore on Sunday the Sonics used their contacts to find out that the offers were legit.
• On Monday they called Lon Babby, Ray Allen’s agent and decided to end the process. Concerned that those two or three teams could actually push the price higher they came with a $80 million offer that could reach $85 with high end incentives and the deal was done.
• Ray Allen agreeded to a 5 year deal. It is really a sign of good management on both sides. The Sonics front office which was often been the victim of great ridicule deserves tremendous credit for how they handled this negotiation. True to their word Allen was their #1 priority and they answered the bell

WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE TEAM
This signing keeps the Sonics in the elite of the NBA. Allen is one of the truly special players in the NBA and he will carry this team to wins. It gives this team an identity to build around. The deal is a good deal. It allows the Sonics to still get done all of the other things they anticipated in the off-season. They should be able to match whatever offer comes in for Vlady. They should be able to sign a solid back-up to Luke, they should be able to make a choice between Reggie Evans or Jerome James or another front court player that is on the market.
The concern on the deal is how will Allen perform when he is 33 and 34 years old on the backside of this deal. History indisputably says that he will slide and struggle. If anyone can beat Allen would be the one, but I wouldn’t bank on that. Instead, the Sonics have positioned themselves so that as Allen ages, Ridnour, Collison, Lewis and Vlady all move into their prime and should be able to cover his weakening. It is an incredibly bright future for the Sonics.
FIRE UP !!! This is really a great day and a huge relief. The Sonics answered the bell. Allen wanted to stay. He has his team and that is what he wanted. Seattle has a superstar that they can embrace and is worthy of being embraced. The Soncis should be near the top of the West for the next half decade.

NATE
I would expect that Nate will be in the fold in the near future. As of 2:00 today the Sonics had not talked with Nate since he returned from his weekend in New York. Portland is putting on the full court press and Paul Allen is at the forefront of that full court press. Allen is telling Nate that he will be his man, that they will together take the Blazers to great heights. I wonder what Mike Holmgren would tell him about how that really plays out?
Bottom line on the Nate end is that the Sonics have done everything to make it a palatable return for Nate. They have offered very good money. They have re-signed the superstar that is at the core of the franchise. When I have talked with Nate he was very concerned about where the franchise was headed, would they step up, did they have a plan. Those questions have been answered now it is time for Nate to carry the Sonics to new heights as a head coach.

BRET BOONE CUT -- A YEAR LATE

Bret Boone’s release. This is another example of terrible management by the Mariners. This is a move that should have been made in the off-season. Not making this move in the off-season shows a real lack of initiative and makes me wonder where the plan is. First off, on the field his play diminished greatly in 2004. His defense was no longer special, his bat lots its spark and his average slipped 30 points. Why anyone is surprised that the fall continued amazes me? Why do the Mariners always have to move a player a day late. The correct move was to turn second base over to Lopez when the year started. Moreover and maybe most importantly, Boone was a determinant in the clubhouse. As long as he existed in that clubhouse it was his clubhouse and every day he struggled the atmosphere in the clubhouse got worse. When the Mariners signed Beltre and Sexson it was time to turn the clubhouse over to the new guys. Instead the crossing of eras took place and it is the #1 reason why the Mariners are terrible again.
Boone had a great run in Seattle it just should have ended at the end of last season and no one had the premonition to get it done or no one had the guts.

SHAWN ALEXANDER WHINING AGAIN

Whaaa, Whaa, Whaaa – Shawn Alexander – Whaaaa – let’s make this short and simple. Alexander will cost the Seahawks a game or two next year. He will holdout, come in out of rhythm and the Hawks will have to coddle him back into the lineup and it will cost them a game or two, he is a selfish taltened I guy and is downer to have on your team. Signing to a long term deal is a bad idea because running back die at some point and this hold out garbage is going to cost the Hawks games. It is just a lose-lose situation.

SONICS RE-SIGN RAY ALLEN

According to ESPN.com Ray Allen has re-signed with the Seattle Supersonics. Allen singed a deal that is very close to the 5 year $75 million dollar deal that the Sonics offered at the deadline and before the free agency period. The contract may push towards the $80 million mark.
Obviously, this is enormous for the Sonics future. This allows them to put the finishing pieces on their roster for 2005-06 with Ray Allen as the centerpiece.
In addition, this is the type of commitment that Nate McMillan was looking for from the Sonics. In my conversations with McMillan he was very concerned about where the Sonics were heading. This answers all the questions.
Give the Sonics tremendous credit for reading the market. The Sonics held strong to their offer on two fold. First, they read the market and realized that a 30-year-old shooting guard was not going to garner the maximum deal. Moreover, the Sonics set a plateau for how much they were willing to offer, because they didn’t want to over commit to one player and be unable to fill the rest of their roster. The Sonics held to that number and now should be able to re-sign the other players that they need to without putting themselves in luxury tax jeopardy.
Look for McMillan to re-sign in the near future. If McMillan does not want to return the signing of Allen will allow the Sonics to have their pick of whatever coach they would want.

A'S HUMILATE THE MARINERS

Compare the A’s and the Mariners and it will floor you. How is it possible that the A’s are so dramatically better then the Mariners and I mean in every way. The Mariners have every advantage in the world and instead they are getting smoked by the A’s.
For a while you could say they got lucky with the Big Three of Mulder, Hudson and Zito, but those days are over. The A’s are kicking the Mariners around in every aspect of the game. They develop talent, they improve as the year goes on, they acquire players to fill gaps, they find unsung players, they have an organization deep enough to fill gaps. They have built an organization that doesn’t have gaps. That is bad enough but when you consider hoe short-handed they are compared to the Mariners it is flabbergasting. The Mariners should send out an apology letter for incompetence.
The A’s have lost Mulder and Hudson, they have lost about every bullpen guy you can imagine, they have lost Giambi, Dye, Tejada and they are still better then the Mariners. Their organization has 1/3 the resources the Mariners have in player salary and organizational structure and they are thumping the Mariners. The A’s have young players that are developing up and down their roster. They have a star in Bobby Crosby, they have an offense that has come to life and the Mariners spend huge money and have the worst offense in the game. The A’s pitching staff looks imposing. Harden, Blanton and Saarloos are all improving while Meche, Pinero and whoever else you want to choose are stagnating or fading from out site. It is completely embarrassing!!!!!
The A’s have a legitimate future, the Mariners have a future based on unrealistic optimism that is based in a myth.

IS BRYAN PRICE THAT GOOD?

Another thought came to me as the Mariners were getting humiliated by the A’s. Sure we can throw everyone under the bus after this type of week, but one in specific I was wondering about. What happened to the brilliance of Bryan Price? His staff walks 9 guys yesterday. Pineiro and Meche have not developed or improved at all. Freddy Garcia leaves and is a stud again. None of the young guys that came to the team last year improved or settled down under the tutelage of Bryan Price. This guy was supposed to be the genius. I think he is probably a good pitching coach and the pitching staff has done a decent job this season considering what we anticipated, but all of the things that Price was being giving these oddles and oddles of credit for haven’t happened in 2 and half years. Moreover, the organization that he is charge of is destroying pitchers at an alarming rate compared to the amount they develop.

THE MOST RECENT NEWS

According to sources, the Jazz and Blazers deal has been finalized. The Jazz will recieve the #3 pick. The Blazers will get the #6 and #27 from the Jazz and a first round pick in the future. No players are involved.
The Jazz are likely to select Chris Paul, despite the major speculation on Deron Williams.
The Blazers will likely take either Martell Webster or high schooler Andrew Bynum.

TWO MOCK DRAFT SCENARIOS

Here are the two scenarios that are being banded about the league as of 2:30

SCENARIO #1
1. Milwaukee – Andrew Bogut
2. Atlanta – Marvin Williams
3. Utah – Chris Paul
4. New Orleans – Deron Williams
5. Charlotte – Charlie Villanueva
6. Portland– Martell Webster
7. Toronto – Danny Granger
8. New York – Channing Frye
9. Golden State – Hakim Warrick --
10. LA Lakers – Gerald Green ---
11. Orlando – Antonio Wright --
12. LA Clippers – Rashad McCants
13. Charlotte – Raymond Felton
14. Minnesota – Francisco Garcia
15. New Jersey – Sean May
16. Toronto – Andrew Bynum
17. Indiana – Jarrett Jack
18. Boston – Yaroslav Korolev
19. Memphis -- Andray Blatche
20. Denver – Joey Graham
21. Phoenix – Johan Petro
22. Denver – Roko Ukic
23. Sacramento – Martynas Andriuskevicius (andrus-kavious)
24. Houston– Ike Diogu
25. Seattle – Luther Head
26. Detroit – Fran Vazquez
27. Portland– Wayne Simien
28. San Antonio – some French power forward
29. Miami – Nate Robinson
30. New York – Monta Ellis

SCENARIO #2
1. Milwaukee – Andrew Bogut
2. Atlanta – Marvin Williams
3. Utah – Chris Paul
4. New Orleans – Deron Williams
5. Charlotte – Raymond Felton
6. Portland– Martell Webster
7. Toronto – Gerald Green
8. New York – Channing Frye
9. Golden State – Ike Diogu
10. LA Lakers – Fran Vasquez
11. Orlando – Danny Granger
12. LA Clippers – Hakim Warrick
13. Charlotte – Charlie Villanueva
14. Minnesota – Francisco Garcia
15. New Jersey – Rashad McCants
16. Toronto – Andrew Bynum
17. Indiana – Sean May
18. Boston – Jarrett Jack
19. Memphis -- Andray Blatche
20. Denver – Yaroslav Korolev
21. Phoenix – Johan Petro
22. Denver – Roko Ukic
23. Sacramento – Joey Graham
24. Houston– Luther Head
25. Seattle – Martynas Andriuskevicius (andrus-kavious)
26. Detroit – Julis Hodge
27. Portland– Wayne Simien
28. San Antonio – some French power forward
29. Miami – Nate Robinson
30. New York – Monta Ellis

LATEST NEWS + RUMORS ON THE NBA DRAFT

SONICS FANS PLAYERS NAMES YOU WANT TO HEAR BEFORE THE #25
• CJ Miles
• Monta Ellis
• Roko Ukic
• Marko Illic
• Chris Taft
• Wayne Simien
• Audray Blatche


LIKELY PICKS
• Luther Head is being talked about at 19 to Memphis or 24 to Houston and is unlikely to get to Seattle.
• Roko Ukic is still strong talk going 16 to Toronto
• The Clippers at 12 will likely take either Rashad McCants or Raymond Felton. This means that they will pass on Yaroslav Korolev who many had thought they promised.
• Charlotte wants to leave the draft with Charlie Villanueva and Raymond Felton. Therefore, they may take Villanueva at #5 to secure him.
• Talk is the Spurs have made a promise to a French Power Forward that will surprise people with their first round pick. Will this be another Spurs special.
• Boston will not be taking Monta Ellis as many people have speculated.
• Nate Robinson’s name is strong in Phoenix at #21.
• Ike Diogu is slipping but most people think he can’t get by the #21 pick at Phoenix.
• Hakim Warrick likely will go #9 to Golden State but if he slips he won’t get by the #15 pick of New Jersey.

RUMORED DEALS

• Denver has both #20 and #22 and is talking with the Clippers about acquiring the #12 pick of the draft. IMPACT: The Clippers have reportedly promised Yaroslav Korolev with the #12 pick. It would be unlikely that Korolev would get past Indiana #17.
• Portland will move the #3 pick of the draft. There are two options that seem most likely. According to a good source in the NBA the most likely is the Jazz acquiring the #3 pick and Ruben Patterson. Patterson has said he won’t report. The Blazers would get the #6 pick and Gordan Giricek and Kirk Snyder. Under this scenario the Jazz would take a point guard. Most people believe it to be Deron Williams, but I have heard from inside the league that it would be Chris Paul. The Blazers at #6 would take either Martell Webster or Andrew Bynum
• The other Blazers scenario is that Charlotte moves the #5 and the #13 pick for the #3 pick. I will be surprised if Charlotte makes this deal as an expansion team two first round picks would seem more important than one player. The Bobcats would take either Paul or Williams at the #3 pick and the Blazers would take Martell Webster at the #5 and see if Bynum would slip to #13 which seems unlikely with the Lakers at #10.
• Every indication I have is that the Utah/Portland deal is the one that will happen.


DRAFT POSITION ISSUES
• Ike Diogu cancelled workouts with Boston who sits at #18 and Memphis would sits at #19. He cited fatigue, however it leads you to believe he has been promised above #18 in the draft. However, Locked on Sports latest projection has him at #21 to Phoenix.
• Chris Taft’s, power forward from Pittsburg, final two workouts were with Seattle and Houston. Taft has not been impressive and is likely to slip out of the first round.

THE 7 ON THE SONICS BOARD

Guards
Luther Head – Illinois. They really like this kid. Winner. Super decisions with the ball, quick first step, a little bit small to be a combo guard – If I had to guess this is my guess.

Jarrett Jack – Georgia Tech -- Sonics would be very pleased. Good scorer. Great size can play the 1 or the 2. Loose with the basketball and assists to turnover ratio is an issue. Minneosta could take as early as 14.

Nate Robinson – Washington --- They are legit in their like for him, they are concerned about how he fits on the roster. Could go anywhere from 22 to 50. There is a chance he could be their for the second round pick and that seems to be the mentality of most teams.

Julius Hodge – NC State – Legit three position player. Sonics believe in taking players late in the draft they can play multiple roles. If the player isn’t a starter then make sure he can play multiple roles. Pendergraf compares him to Nate. Can defend the 1,2 or 3. Has no shot. It is a really significant issue. Could slip to the 2nd round.

Forwards
Linas Kleiza – Missouri -- left after his sophomore year. Had the best workout of any of the players that worked out for the Sonics. Wowed them. He can play both the 3 or the 4, and is truly a 4, but a bit undersized at a questionable 6’8. Sonics believe that he can become a 3-4 type. Will be on the board. I believe he is higher on the Sonics board then most teams

Wayne Simein – Kansas – Much better shooter then people realizes. He can stretch the defense to about 15 or 17 feet. He had good rebounding numbers in college. A bit undersized. His durability was a problem at Kansas. Will it be an issue when he is in the NBA and is playing less minutes.

Martynas Andriuskevicius – Lithuania – If he is on the board the Sonics will take him. He is a 7 foot 2 Ralph Sampson type who is more of a 4 then a center. He runs well, has great hands. He is still a ways off, but it seems inconceivable that his talent can slip to Seattle. Denver with 20 and 22 will probably take him or Phoenix at 21.

LOCKED ON SPORTS: MOCK DRAFT

As of 10:00 pm June 27th, 2005

1. Milwaukee – Andrew Bogut
2. Atlanta – Marvin Williams
3. Utah – Chris Paul
4. New Orleans – Deron Williams
5. Charlotte – Martell Webster
6. Portland– Andrew Bynum
7. Toronto – Danny Granger
8. New York – Channing Frye
9. Golden State – Hakim Warrick
10. LA Lakers – Gerald Green
11. Orlando – Sean May
12. LA Clippers – Yaroslav Korolev
13. Charlotte – Raymond Felton
14. Minnesota – Francisco Garcia
15. New Jersey – Ike Diogu
16. Toronto – Roko Ukic
17. Indiana – Charlie Villaneuva
18. Boston – Johan Petro
19. Memphis -- Antonio Wright
20. Denver – Fran Vazquez
21. Phoenix – Martynas Adndriuskesius
22. Denver – Joey Graham
23. Sacramento – Jarett Jack
24. Houston– Wayne Simien
25. Seattle – Luther Head
26. Detroit – Ersan Ilyasova
27. Utah – CJ Miles
28. San Antonio – Julius Hodge
29. Miami – Andray Blatche
30. New York – Randolph Morris

SONICS FANS 9 NAMES

Keep an eye on these 9 names for the Sonics selection at 25

Jarrett Jack
Luther Head
Nate Robinson
Julius Hodge
Alan Anderson
Joey Graham
Martynas Andriuskevicius
Wayne Simien
Linas Kleiza

Check back for some analysis on each player.

JUNE 24'S LATEST NEWS + RUMORS ON THE NBA DRAFT

TRADE RUMORS
1) I am still hearing that the Lakers are going to acquire the 3rd pick of the draft from Portland. The Blazers would get Caron Butler and the #10 pick and the Lakers would get #3 pick and Rueben Patterson.
2) The Blazers are involved in another rumor as well. The Celtics moving Pierce for the #3 pick and Damon Stoudamire. The Blazers/Lakers deal seems stonger.
3) The Knicks/ Phoenix trade is still active.

LOCAL INTERESTS
• Marvin Williams is the #1 or #2 pick of the draft
• Martel Webster continues to float from #8 to #13
• Nate Robinson looks more and more like a second round pick. However, there is talk about him in the late first round. He is being banded about from 25 to 50. Nate tested as the #1 physical athlete at the Chicago camp. He measured at 5’7. Universally, everyone in the NBA thinks he can play and will play. Maybe not a rotation player, but an impact player at times. Moreover, they think he will have a long career. Yet, teams are reluctant to pull the trigger. The Sonics are considering him at 25.
• Ronny Turiaf played very well in Chicago and measured well. He will be drafted and could be a high second rounder if someone takes a liking.
• Tre Simmons had a terrific camp in Chicago and has moved into the second round of the draft
• Will Conroy after a strong work out at the first camp was disappointing in Chicago and will be a free agent.


NBA DRAFT RISERS
A common theme here is high schoolers. The new collective bargaining agreement has a clause that lets you move players to the NBDL while retaining their rights. This increases the value of 2nd round picks and is making teams more willing to gamble on high school prospects.

1) High School product CJ Miles is on fire. He is being talked about in the top 20 of the draft. More likely the 6’6 shooting guard will be 20 to 30. He will be working out for the Sonics on Saturday.
2) High School product Andray Blatche, a 6’11 prospect, may have moved into the top 20. The word is he denied Boston a workout and the Celtics are sitting at #18
3) Luther Head may have worked himself into the first round of the draft with solid workouts.
4) The big mystery is still where has 7 foot high schooler Andrew Bynum been promised.

NBA DRAFT FADERS
1) Julius Hodge. Despite a great body and a versatile game his inability to shoot is really hurting his stock.
2) Joey Graham. He has a great body. One of the best ever. However, his disappearance in the NCAA tournament and lack luster workouts is a question.
3) Chris Taft. The Pittsburg power forward has slide more and more ever day. The Sonics will work him out on Saturday.
4) Kennedy Winston. Once a first rounder now is a 2nd round pick.

JUNE 22nd LATEST NEWS + RUMORS ON THE NBA DRAFT

HOT RUMORS
1) According to an NBA source, the Los Angeles Lakers have acquired the #3 pick of the draft from the Portland Trailblazers. The Lakers have also acquired Reuben Patterson in the deal. What is not clear is what Portland has received in exchange. It is expected that they would get the #10 pick plus a player from the Lakers. Portland is said to be very high on Martell Webster.

2) The word in NBA circles is that the Sonics will take Jarrett Jack at #25 if he is still on the board. It is not a promise but what one person in the league said the Sonics are Jack's backstop.

3) The Charlotte Bobcats have a promise for Charlie Villanueva at the #13 spot of the draft

4) The story talked about most of the day is that Knicks moving Kurt Thomas to the Suns for Q Richardson. This deal makes sense for the Suns since they need to move salary to re-sign Joe Johnson

5) Denver is looking to move one of their two first round picks if not both out of the first round.


PROMISES OR GUARANTEES
This is when an NBA team promises a player if they are avaliable that they will take him at the spot. These like all other promises are often broken but they make projecting the draft more interesting. These are all based upon scuttlebutt none are known.

1) Charlotte to Villanueva at 13
2) Clippers to Korolov at 12.
3) Sonics to Jack at 25. A very loose promise.

PLAYERS SLIPPING

1) The top of the list right now is Joey Graham out of Oklahoma State

PLAYERS RISING
1. Monta Ellis a high school point guard
2. Danny Granger may go as high 4
3. Channing Frye has solidified himself as a top 10 pick

NBA MOCK DRAFT

As of June 23rd at 5:00 pm -- Place your comments below

1. Milwaukee – Andrew Bogut
2. Atlanta – Marvin Williams
3. Lakers– Deron Williams
4. New Orleans – Chris Paul
5. Charlotte – Gerald Green
6. Utah – Fran Vasquez
7. Toronto – Danny Granger
8. New York – Channing Frye (is it a promise)
9. Golden State – Hakim Warrick
10. Portland – Martell Webster
11. Orlando – Raymond Felton
12. LA Clippers – Korolev
13. Charlotte – Charlie Villaneuva
14. Minnesota – Sean May
15. New Jersey – Ike Diogu
16. Toronto – Antonio Wright
17. Indiana – Rashad McCants
18. Boston – Monta Ellis
19. Memphis – Joey Graham
20. Denver – Julius Hodge
21. Phoenix – Johan Petro
22. Denver – Illysova
23. Sacramento – Jarrett Jack
24. Houston– Wayne Simien
25. Seattle – Roko Ukic
26. Detroit – Fransisco Garcia
27. Utah – Ryan Gomes
28. San Antonio – David Lee
29. Miami – Andruw Bynum
30. New York – Randolph Morris