Amidst the furor surrounding the Sene pick, here’s a quick look at how the ’06-’07 roster is shaping up.ON CONTRACT (9)
Allen, Lewis, Fortson, Watson, Wilkins, Collison, Swift, Ridnour, Petro
EXPECTED TO SIGN (2)
Wilcox, Gelabale
ROOKIES(2)
Sene, Brown
The Israeli guy is under contract for one more season overseas, so he won’t be wearing green and gold next year. That adds up to 13 players, broken down this way by position:
GUARD
Allen, Ridnour, Wilkins, Watson, Brown
FORWARD
Lewis, Fortson, Collison, Wilkins, Wilcox, Gelabale
CENTER
Sene, Swift, Petro
Teams typically carry 14 or 15 guys on the roster, so the Sonics are still a couple short, three if Brown doesn’t make the team. It’ll be interesting to see who Seattle goes after in free agency, or if they deal Fortson’s expiring deal to pick up two players. Either way, even after Wilcox signs, the moves are not finished.
(As an aside, did anyone read Steve Kelley’s article in the Times today? As you would expect, it bemoaned Seattle’s drafting a project player rather than a proven commodity. I had to laugh at his idea of selecting Marcus Williams “who just might develop into a better point guard than Luke Ridnour.” Brilliant, Steve, let’s add another PG when we’re already paying EARL WATSON FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. Ugh.)
29 comments:
"The Israeli guy is under contract for one more season overseas, so he won’t be wearing green and gold next year"
This guy is a steal !
he was very good in the Euroleague this year
I see Mikki Moore sticking around for another year.
It's possible, but with all the big guys already here, I don't see how he fits. If he's willing to play for 1 mil. like last year, it could happen. The Sonics could probably use another veteran off guard who can shoot to come off the bench in case the Omen continues to misfire and Gelabale doesn't adjust as they expect.
Kelley's advice was for the Sonics to overpay to get Nasr Mohammed. He's an idiot.
If Portland can acquire Brandon Roy for Sebastian Telfair and cash, why couldn't the Sonics have dangled the #10 pick and a player? The NBA is becoming a league of athletic swing players, with centers being much less important.
A three-guard rotation of Allen, Watson, and Roy would be awesome for years and would fit great with Rashard Lewis. Re-sign Chris Wilcox, jettison Luke Ridnour, platoon Swift and Petro, and they might even make the playoffs. But no....they choose the definition of a 'project', with Rashard's contract coming up and Key Arena in flux.
I live on Queen Anne hill and I love a competitive product at Key Arena. But thank goodness I grew up a Chicago Bulls fan - John Paxson is the best GM in the NBA! Hired in April 2003, and look what he's done in 3 years.
No one is really talking about Denham Brown.
The only thing that stands out for me, other than his 4 years at UConn, is he did play with Nash on the Canadian team and he did quite well.
From that I immediately see him being able to play well with Ridnour.
Yup, I am an anonymous poster.
If its swing-men you need, I hear Eddie Griffin just came . . . errr . . . came available.
I'm sorry, but between the three centers and Gelabale, this team has just too many "prospects" to do any damage next year.
And btw, make fun of Kelly if you like, but what would've been wrong with Ronnie Brewer? He's essentially the Omen only, well, much better. He could've been the first guy off the bench for Allen and Rashard, and is strong enough with the ball to bring it up from time to time. Also a very good perimeter defender.
(Also, Kelly ripping Sund for this line was spot on:
"We had the luxury of not having a special need."
Um, Rick, here's our special need -- we could really stand to get better at every position other than 2. And some quality depth would be nice also.)
Sigh...
Kelley is a tool. He must have pictures of someone at the Times doing something real bad, 'cause no way an intellect that small gets a job at any paper, not even that piece of rag Seattle Times.
I'm leaning toward being OK with this draft. Not excited about any of the other options left. Would like to have seen Lewis & Ridnour dangled for a better pick (anyone really!) but that ain't gonna happen with this management. Them's the breaks.
Last post as smallie. Back to anonymous for me.
Mikki Moore opted out of his contract.
Thanks for the tip, c-dub. I think Moore must have seen the writing on the wall with the drafting of Sene; there really isn't any room for him here.
The big question is, of course, who are the Sonics going to pick up in free agency? Thoughts?
I'm a Celtics fan and a bunch of us over at www.celticsblog.com are advocating a trade with the Sonics. We like Rashard Lewis, Ray Allen and Danny Ainge has a thing for Robert Swift. Some of us would like Danny Fortson back. We figure Wally Szerbiak's days are numbered here in Boston we have a bunch of point guards and wing players now like Sebastion Telfair, Rajon Rondo, Delonte West, Tony Allen and Gerald Green. Plus we have a ton of upcoming draft picks. I was wondering what Sonic fans think.
this sonic fan thinks Green is the only name that is remotely interesting, but i'd be happy to take him and a lotto pick or two for Lewis.
hey, guy who lives on Queen Anne, there is a completely different set of circumstances for Portland than Seattle, including most importantly the fact that they suck and we are close to contending.
there were 2 drafts occuring the other night-- the one for the top 8 players, and everyone else. We couldn't get into that one, so I'll take this guy's upside as much as anything out there.
"The NBA is becoming a league of athletic swing players, with centers being much less important."
Funny, I recall 3 of the 4 teams in the conference finals had top notch post games, including the champs. And in a league "of athletic swing players" a shot blocker who can alter their drives in the lane becomes that much more important.
A three-guard rotation of Allen, Watson, and Roy would be awesome for years and would fit great with Rashard Lewis.
Irrelevant. A 3 guard rotation that includes a guy we couldn't get to draft is pie in the sky, and in the long run Ridnour is the better PG in the "new" NBA that features all your swing players.
Re-sign Chris Wilcox, jettison Luke Ridnour, platoon Swift and Petro, and they might even make the playoffs. But no....they choose the definition of a 'project', with Rashard's contract coming up and Key Arena in flux.
Maybe not. Maybe they chose the definition of "best player on the board that we like." Most pundits had him going around 15 AT WORST in the final days leading to the draft.
And that team you just came up with might make the playoffs... but it will never advance far w/o trying to do SOMETHING.
This, folks, is SOMETHING. And I believe SOMETHING is better than NOTHING.
Jettison Ridnour?!? wow. Is this "Trader" Bob Whitsett posting anonymously?
I live on Queen Anne hill and I love a competitive product at Key Arena. But thank goodness I grew up a Chicago Bulls fan - John Paxson is the best GM in the NBA! Hired in April 2003, and look what he's done in 3 years.
Fine. Everyone strikes gold once in a while-- but I ask you, if Chicago was in the West, where exactly would they stand? Somewhere between the Clippers, Houston and Seattle. Which puts them in the thick of the playoff hunt for a 6-8 seed.
Whoop de damn do.
Who are they going to pass by and win their division? Detroit? Cleveland?
Good luck with that.
Yo t-dawg! Hah! Say-er? Say-who? Say-nay?
Sure got your goat. The fact is that Seattle could've drafted anyone after Shelden Williams at #5 if they’d been willing to flash the cash. You say acquiring Brandon Roy is ‘pie in the sky’, yet there were 3 trades in the first 7 spots and 15 trades in the first round. Portland acquired Brandon Roy for Sebastian Telfair and cash. Cold hard facts – don’t shoot the messenger.
The Sonics needed to do something to show the team and the fan base that they're committed to winning. Instead they showed that they should be committed.
As you wrote – the Sonics are close to contending. Therefore, with the tenth pick in the draft, they’ll pick someone who can put them over the top, right? They’ll pick someone who can contribute next year, right? They wouldn’t pick a project who won’t have an impact for years, if they’re close to contending….would they?
Oh, yeah, that’s right. It’s the Sonics. I guess they would.
Where would the Bulls stand in the West? What’s the definition of ‘moot’? It means – so hypothetical as to be meaningless.
Let’s ask – how did the Bulls do against the NBA Champion Miami Heat? Well…the Bulls won two games in the playoffs against Heat. Seems the Bulls did as well as the Pistons and the Mavericks in that respect, and were two games better than the Nets. Tell me please – how many games did your aforementioned Clippers, Houston, and Seattle win in the playoffs? They won two also – against Phoenix, who lost to Dallas, who lost to Miami.
Meanwhile, the Bulls got the two best defensive players in the draft to add to their top defense. They picked two players that can start contributing immediately as rookies (unlike Mr. Sene), not to mention the only player considered to have the upside of a superstar (Tyrus Thomas). They’re almost $20 Million under the salary cap. And unless Isaiah Thomas pulls off a miracle in New York this season, the Bulls get the Knicks’ lottery pick next year! Can you say Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, or Joakim Noah?? Ha ha!!
Who are the Bulls going to pass in their division? Detroit? Cleveland? You’re exactly correct. They’ll have passed them all by season after next. Word to your pappy.
I’ll take Jerry Reinsdorf, John Paxson, and Scott Skiles over the Sonics’ Ship of Fools any day of the week, thank you very much.
You’re still upset about 1996, aren’t you??
P.S. If you think Luke Ridnour is better than Brandon Roy, you've been sitting too close to all those bongs in Bellingham or something. Luke would be a better bullfighter, the way he gets turned around by the better guards in the league.
First, this draft pick reminds me of a Denzel line: "This s--- ain't checkers, it's chess!" (My apologies if I'm not perfectly quoting.)
I never said Ridnour was better than Roy, you misinterpret there. But I do believe he is a better pure point. But that is irrelevant to the bigger picture. And I'm from the bustling metropolis of Onalaska originally, which is south of Olympia and nowhere near Bellingham.
The longer reply said the Sonics could have gotten Roy if they would have "flashed the cash." What cash would that have been? Future draft considerations? That idea has worked out SO WELL for the Knicks, hasn't it? Want to give up Rashard before the season even starts, and ONLY get a draft pick? Want to trade Ray Ray? Raise a white flag before the season starts?
AND, you also agree with me that the Sonics are close to contending. But then you come back with:
"Therefore, with the tenth pick in the draft, they’ll pick someone who can put them over the top, right?"
That player didn't, in my mind, exist at 10. He doesn't exist at 1. The Sonics need more than one pick to put us over the top. There are some fantastic teams in the west, as good as I remember seeing in my lifetime (i'm 30.)
"They’ll pick someone who can contribute next year, right?"
Why, when all he will ever do is contribute a little?
They wouldn’t pick a project who won’t have an impact for years, if they’re close to contending….would they?
Yes, they would. And it was brilliant, and the best part about proving that to you is I get to use "Yoooooouuuuur CHICAAAGO BUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLSSSSSS!"
You see, if I recall part of the brilliance of the position the Bulls are in now is that they had a pick they received from NY (along with another, egads!) that they got FOR A CENTER!!!!!
The Sonics, as far as I am concerned, can pick athletic talented centers and mold them into players from here till eternity. The center position is the most critical and difficult to effectively fill for a contender. The Bulls took a chance a while back and drafted 2. Seemed to work out pretty well for them, they netted 1 with 2 lotto picks for the other, correct?
We can do the same thing, only we now have 3 not two. And I would put money on this guy eventually having the biggest impact of the 3. In fact, I think 5 years down the road, he will be a player other teams have to game plan around.
Nobody available at 10 is as likely to be that guy. And I believe the price to trade for Roy (or Foye, who I like equally) would have been too high.
Finally, why draft a "Ronnie Brewer" who COULD come in and help when a) wilkins is supposedly a stopper and b) that euro guy (turkish i think) that we already have is supposed to be the real deal defensively as well.
So... you are left with a 7' guy with sick potential and the opportunity to improve yourself TREMENDOUSLY down the road because of him, instead of drafting another guy that will be a 8th to 12th guy on an upper tier NBA roster.
I'll gamble. I'm suprised, being a Bulls fan and seeing how one major ingredient to their ascent is drafted centers, that you are so adamently against it.
Now... the only thing that is left is 2 years from now (maybe even one) finding the next Isaiah to make that trade for Petro or Swift or Sene.
Finally, yes. I am still pissed about '96. Wouldn't you be if the best team your franchise ever had ran into debatably the greatest team of the greatest player that ever laced his high-- err, midtops.
Hey anonymous, I have three words for you that put the Sonics in contention:
Gel
A
Bale
'nuff said.
heh heh... just reread your piece.
You mean, "moot" as in, "I think I really love her but the point is probably moot."
Look, I believe the best possible scenario for the Sonics would have been to simply not get hot at the end of the year and push out of the top 8 picks. But that didn't happen, and I kind of like the team in its present form. I think the F.O. sees the same thing. Why not take this chance then on (thanks, Hubie) T.U.P. (Tremendous Upside Potential, for the 4 of you in the world of NBA hoops that are unfamiliar with the term.)
"I had to laugh at his idea of selecting Marcus Williams “who just might develop into a better point guard than Luke Ridnour.” Brilliant, Steve, let’s add another PG when we’re already paying EARL WATSON FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. Ugh.)"
Totally disagree with you Nuss. The Sonics reasoning for drafting Sene is that they were satisfied with the current roster. Why on earth couldn't they try to draft an improvement? I predict Marcus Williams WILL be a better point than Ridnour. Brewer IS better than Damien Wilkens and probably Gelebale.
It's easy... simply draft the improvement and trade the redundant. I'm sick and tired of the mediocrity.
Howards hometown paper loves the 53rd pick!! Sonics pub halfway around the world!!
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1150885908120&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
i wouldn't touch marcus williams with a 10 foot pole right now. between the computer theft (that happened within the last calendar year, for chrissakes!!) and the being out of shape during his workouts for teams, speaks of a guy with tons of basketball ability but nothing of the soul and intelligence of a professional.
c'mon. anybody else steal 1,000's of dollars worth of computers lately? within the same year that you thought you might become a professional athlete?
the sign of an intelligent person is to risk everything for a quick buck, isn't it? i'm guessing that little mishap cost him at least 5-10 spots in the draft.
smart guy. sign him up for my team, please.
Although I would have loved the Sonics to have made a play for Roy, they didn't! Get over it! Besides, Nate and Roy are peas in a pod. They belong together.
I think Sund's comments made a lot of sense. Who in the draft is going to start in front of our current line up? (Assuming we sign Wilcox) No one. Maybe a guy like Brewer would have moved a head of Wilkins, but Wilkins is cheap, has a good attitude and is glad to be here. Its not enough of an upgrade to mess with good chemistry.
The Sonics are in the dreaded rebuilding mode and the player to help the team to make the next leap was not in the draft and, probably, is not available in the FA market. The Sonics are on the cusp of the playoffs and that has not changed. Looking for upgrades is exactly what the Sonics should be doing and did with Watson and Wilcox. We cannot get back to the championship in one step.
The Sonics can't decide what they want to be, and therefore have no idea where they're going!
If they're in a rebuilding mode - they should trade (or should have traded) Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, and Chris Wilcox while they have maximum value. That way they could stock up on good draft picks (2007 is supposed to be like '84', '96, and '03), while guaranteeing a high lottery pick from their own lousy season(s). Start dumping salaries for high picks and, in a few years, top free agents.
Or, if they're contending, they'd trade the draft picks and spend money to get a solid, if unspectacular, center to play with Luke/Earl, Ray, Rashard, and Wilcox and to defend Duncan et al. (I hear that Ben Wallace, Joel Przybilla, and Nazr Mohammed were available). Of course, signing Wilcox would be a done deal. They could've signed Wilcox and Przybilla, thereby weakening the Blazers at the same time.
But no, we have the Sonics front-office instead - listlessly drifting between contending and rebuilding, destined to make the playoffs every year with a few good players but never acquiring that one superstar nor the deep bench required in the absence of a superstar.
The Sonics will be good enough to just barely make or just barely miss the playoffs, but never good enough the win the Finals nor bad enough to get a LeBron or D-Wade.
Enjoy your purgatory, fellas.
You are way over-reaching there. First, they do have a plan, it just isn't fully materialized yet. The plan is to DEVELOP young centers, hopefully in time to play with RayRay.
However, I have no doubt that if they see that the development will take too long, they will trade RayRay and go the true full rebuild mode.
Why completely rebuild when in theory you aren't that far away if everything clicks? The team took the eventual champion spurs to 6 games and the spurs were damn lucky to get that last one. That was only one season ago.
Joel Przybilla? Seriously? He and Nazr Mohommed are your answer to taking the next step? No no no no no! The Sonics are finally doing it the right way by developing centers with far more potential than those 2 guys-- Swift and Petro and Sene have the potential to be top 10 centers down the road.
And as far as Ben Wallace-- forget it. He has 0 offensive ability and is a complete liability at the FT line. I simply don't want to trust a guy like that to be on the floor for me late in a playoff game, where FT's win championships.
Nope... the Sonics are, for once, on the right path. They aren't signing crappy mid-level centers with no upside. They are developing a couple guys who might just be ready to make an impact THIS YEAR!!!
Man, in re-reading this post and the comments - it's just amazing how gullible you guys and other Sonics fans (I'm having trouble finding them nowadays) really are!
Smith and Petro 'might just be ready to make an impact this year'? Shah, right. I won't hold my breath.
From Pete's original post:
"It’ll be interesting to see who Seattle goes after in free agency"
Hmmmm...ever heard of that guy named 'Nobody' who plays for 'No team'?
"...or if they deal Fortson’s expiring deal to pick up two players."
Hah! Dream on! Who would take Fortson, and who's going to deal with the Sonics (other than to take advantage of them)? To get someone to take Fortson - you'll need a halfway-decent GM, first.
"Either way, even after Wilcox signs, the moves are not finished."
Please explain this one. You mean - after Wilcox signs with another team, or after Wilcox signs with the Sonics? What moves? What moves have the Sonics attempted?
I'll bet at least half the teams in the NBA have been involved in free agency, and the only mention of the Sonics pertains to how far apart they are from Wilcox in negotiations.
But from the post and your comments I'd be led to believe that the Sonics are on the cusp of a championship, while rebuilding, with two centers ready to play with the big boys this year, while they're locking up Wilcox long-term and making waves in the free-agent market.
None of that is true - but I'd hate to spoil your fantasies.
Actually, I'd venture there are about 20 teams that would like to have Danny Fortson - not because of his talent, but because his $6 mil. contract will expire at the end of the season, freeing up huge space in the cap - something every team wants. It's no different than when the Hawks traded for Terrell Brandon, even though he was injured and basically unable to play, just so they could get his soon-to-expire contract.
By moves, I meant the Sonics have a few extra roster spots that they need to fill.
As for Petro and Swift, take a look at their numbers. Considering their ages, they actually played decent last year. I don't think it's a reach to think that one of them could average 8 or 9 points a game with 6 or 7 boards - which is about average for an NBA center.
Put Petro and Swift's number together, and you have an above average NBA center.
I'm not excited about the Sene pick, but I certainly don't think its a disaster. I guess that Sonic brass thinks Gelabale is the solution for depth at the 2-3 position.
Next year will be interesting fo the Sonics, as a bunch of the young players (Ridnour, Swift, Wilcox) have to step up, but I don't think thats out of the question. This could be a really good team if players continue to develop.
-Benno
that anonymous hater must be drinking some playoff kool aid somewhere. i seem to recall the sonics fans were feeling that way after losing to the definite eventual champ spurs.
i didn't forsee phx being so good this year, and wonder if they can keep it up.
will the mav's combust over cuban's craziness?
ain't the spurs starting to look an awful lot like those last barkley/hakeem houston teams? talented but old and easily banged up?
the clippers, i like. but, last i checked, they're still the clippers.
kobe and rad-man? i hate to even bring up such a horrible situation, but there is a possibility 2nd fiddle in LaLa Land Lamar Odem may never be the same person (or player.)
I live in Denver. They are talking about jetting kenyon (potential plus) and signing a rehabilitated Shawn Kemp. Doesn't that nearly automatically exclude them from title talk?
'sota? Only so much KG can do, and even if Foye is the next Wade they still don't have the surrounding cast.
Nope, anonymous, you have to acknowledge that we have a shot. Not favorites, but last I checked nobody predicted George Mason in the final four, with UCLA playing Florida for the championship. Playoffs are a funny thing, and I'd say any team sporting a hot RayRay and Rashard with a fired up supporting cast has a shot.
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