Pundit Predicts Sonics in Playoffs

David Berri, who contributes to the great "Wages of Wins" column in the New York Times, takes an in-depth look at the Sonics and how they might return to the playoffs sooner than you'd think.

Read it here.

(Thanks to Andy Liu for the tip!)

Sonics Delonte West rocks NBA Live

From Sportsgamer.com:

Yesterday, EA SPORTS hosted the NBA LIVE Summer Camp taking place at the EA Canada studio in Vancouver, BC. NBA stars Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics), Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns), Channing Frye (Portland Trailblazers) Randy Foye (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Delonte West (Seattle Supersonics) were all in attendance to have their go-to moves authentically represented in NBA LIVE through motion capture.

(read the rest here.)

No word yet whether they motion-captured Delonte's clothes hanger dunk.

Save Our Sonics Pre-Season Party Today

One of my favorite clubs, Mainstage, is hosting a "Save Our Sonics" petition signing party today from 4-7pm. They'll have live music and, most importantly, kick-ass Happy Hour deals. Mainstage is right across from the Sonics team store at Key Arena.

I'll also be hosting a benefit comedy show for S.O.S. there on Tuesday September 18th. Stay tuned for more details!

Vladi-Vladi, he likes to Par-tay

Apparently, it was "turn back the clock" night in Belltown last night.

According to the Seattle Weekly's "Buzzer Beater", former Seattle Supersonic Vladimir Radmanovic was recently seen kickin' it Eurostyle at a local club.

Sadly, fellow eastern-block stiff Peja "Manjaks" Drobnjak was nowhere to be seen.

Big Mouth Strikes Again

"Only two things give me pleasure in life: Stealing NBA teams and my collection of Adolf Hitler's golf clubs."

Another day, another cover-up from the Bennett camp.

The News Tribune reported yesterday that a Sonics employee has leaked details about yet another secret meeting:

Seattle SuperSonics chairman Clay Bennett told his employees that Oklahoma City is ready to foot the bill for the team to relocate there next season, a source within the organization said.

That information was passed along to Sonics employees during a meeting with Bennett on Wednesday, an employee who attended the meeting told The News Tribune on the condition of anonymity.

And exactly how far would OKC be willing to go?

During the 40-minute meeting Wednesday, the team employee said Bennett provided the group with details of what Oklahoma City is willing to pay for to woo the Sonics:

• Any legal fees involving the team’s fight to break the KeyArena lease.

• Whatever the settlement is to the Seattle Center to buy out the lease.

• All relocation fees the NBA would force the team to pay other owners.

• Costs of physically moving the team’s staff and offices.

• Costs of upgrading the city’s current arena, the Ford Center, to make it NBA-ready.

• Costs of building a new arena, and when it’s finished, keeping the old facility running.

Read the rest here.

Of course, Bennett immediately went into red-alert denial mode:

Bennett told The News Tribune that his comments were a hypothetical response.

“The context of my response was after being asked the question how could Oklahoma City possibly be a competitive market to Seattle,” Bennett said. “And my answer is because Oklahoma City is a medium marketplace that highly values the opportunity to obtain an NBA franchise, not unlike any community or any state would value the pursuit of any other highly additive economic development opportunity, such as the value of a manufacturing plant or corporate headquarters."

Rrrrright.

Meanwhile, our pal, Henry Abbott at True Hoop has a good take on the story:

I don't know where the Sonics belong. Maybe Seattle ultimately sees this team as worth it and maybe it doesn't. But I feel Sonic fans are at least owed an honest attempt to keep the team -- not a process that has long smelled it like it might have been on rails out of town. Getting a good arena deal is a complicated process that takes multiple willing partners.

It's like building a house. If the guy who pours the foundation doesn't show up, and all your framers, roofers, electricians, plumbers, and sheetrockers etc. are all standing around doing nothing, do you really have proof that you can't get it done? Or do you have proof that you need the foundation guy to try harder or get replaced?

Read the rest here.

Goodbye, Glove?

Pat Riley confirmed what most of us expected on Friday, that Gary Payton will not be back in Miami next season for the Heat.

GP's coming off the 17th season of his career, a career that has made him 1) the greatest player in Sonic history and 2) a World Champion. Not bad for a kid from Oakland with a penchant for talking smack.

I'll save the post-mortem for Payton's career for when it happens, so allow me to ask this question of the Sonics' management: Is there any way you can make this happen? To Sam Presti, et al, does the good feeling generated by signing Payton to a one-year contract trigger anything within you?

Let's be honest, Payton isn't bringing much to the table these days, and he won't have a big impact on the team's won-loss record. But in a season where the team's interest in winning is secondary to player development, is it such a sacrifice to bring in one of the most beloved players in team history? Considering the horrific public relations job undertaken by the current ownership group, wouldn't it help to mend a few fences?

Perhaps I'm being overly sentimental and not seeing the NBA for the business which it surely is, but this is a game, after all, and the greatest reason teams make money is through making fans. I can't think of any signing this off-season that would make as many fans as signing Gary Payton would.

Sonics' Staff Grows

As reported previously by Gary Washburn at the PI, the Sonics added Mark Bryant and Scott Brooks as assistants on Thursday, and retained Ralph Lewis from last year's staff. In addition, Brian Keefe of the San Antonio Spurs was named Player Development Assistant. You can read the release from the Sonics here. Keefe was previously the video coordinator for the Spurs, which I believe is a role that Sam Presti used to hold, if I'm not mistaken.

Dee-licious

So, Aubrey McClendon got his knuckles rapped by the league for his ill-chosen words about the Sonics and Oklahoma City.

How badly rapped? Try $250,000 on for size, ya big Okie.

What do you think bugs McClendon more:

A) That he got embarrassed on a national scale, or

B) That he just gave $250,000 to an ultra-liberal organization (the NBA) that repeatedly endorses gay folks, Democrats (seriously, look at who David Stern donates to and think about the kind of folks he probably hires at the NBA offices), and all the other things that McClendon is against?

8 Reasons

There is no uncertainty surrounding the Sonics' performance this season. In years past, there has been an unknown element to what will be as summer wound its way into fall - a cloud of mystery that has clung to this franchise like an unwelcome guest on a three-day weekend.

But that cloud has lifted. This is not to say that the cloud has been replaced by sunshine - far from it. It is much more likely that the Sonics will win fewer than 30 games than greater than 40, and the odds of the Sonics reaching the playoffs in the spring of 2008 are practically nil.

All of which makes the upcoming season all the more intriguing. For the first time in my life, I've purchased tickets in advance, a partial package of games that ensures I can watch what will likely be the worst team in Seattle basketball history (non-Seattle U. division; sorry, Chunk). Kevin Durant was probably 75% of that decision, but there is more to it than that.

There is something about this franchise now, something that hasn't been there since Shawn Kemp was traded away, a sense of optimism. It's ironic that this optimism has blossomed from the waste laid by Clay Bennett and Aubrey McClendon, but it is true nonetheless - Sonic fans are excited about their team. If one can close one's eyes to the arena saga and imagine a world where the universe ends at the edge of a basketball court, then it is truly a great time to be a Seattle SuperSonics fan.

It's early, I know, but here are 8 reasons why I'm excited about the Sonics this year. Feel free to add yours.

1. Kevin Durant. A 6'10" shooting guard with the wingspan of a condor who can dunk, rain 3's, block shots, and a motor that runs at only one speed, high? I think I can get on board with that.

2. Delonte West. Call me crazy, but as each day passes I like Delonte West even more. I linked to a youtube clip yesterday, but there are a dozen other funny clips of the guy. And that's not even mentioning his aggressive defense. Guys like Delonte have character, and character is something this team has been in sore need of for a long, long time.

3. Robert Swift. I know, he's never done anything in the NBA, but he's transformed himself from a wafer-thin high schooler to a guy who can push back against the biggest centers in the league. Maybe he'll be a bust, maybe he won't, but look at it this way: Robert Swift is younger than Brandon Roy, JJ Redick, and LaMarcus Aldridge. I think he's still got a shot.

4. Sam Presti. I'll go to my grave insisting that Tim Duncan means more to the Spurs' success than any ethereal "culture," but even a crab like me has to admit that Presti has made more good moves in three months than the previous GMs in Seattle made in ten years. We're all drinking the kool-aid, Sam, so pass me another glass.

5. Jeff Green. I went out on a limb a couple of weeks ago and wondered if Jeff Green could be this generation's Nate McMillan. Heady praise for a guy who has yet to play a game in the league, but watching him in the summer league got me excited to root for a player who cares more about winning than posting stats.

6. Kurt Thomas. What's not to like about Kurt Thomas? He's big, he pushes people around, and he's got an expiring contract. Love, love, love.

7 and 8. OJ Mayo and Derrick Rose. If the Sonics really are as bad as they could be, the Ridnour/Watson debate will resolve itself quite nicely next June.

Good News

Actually, good news is understating it a bit. Much to the delight of Sonic-lovers, the Seattle City Council appears ready to adopt the initiative that Brian Robinson and A Deal Is a Deal have championed - that is, to force the Sonic ownership to adhere to the remaining three years of their lease on Key Arena by not permitting the city of Seattle to accept a buyout.

Kudos to the Times for getting this story, as I don't see it anywhere else in the local media. Even more kudos to Brian for providing the kindling that lit this fire under the normally slow to ignite city bureaucracy. What comes next? The easy answer is to say everything is done, and that there is nothing left for we fans to do but to sit back and enjoy Clay Bennett's misery.

But that's not enough, honestly. I encourage every fan who comes to this site to write to the mayor's office, or their local councilman/woman, or both, and insist that they take up this cause. It's really a no-lose proposition for the politicians in that they get to bathe in the glow of standing up to the "outsiders," and I can't understand why any councillor would oppose it.

On the team's front, it is reported (also in the Times) that the Sonics are looking at adding Mark Bryant and Scott Brooks to the coaching staff. As you might recall, Bryant played for Carlesimo at Seton Hall (as well as in Portland), and has been rumored to be a candidate for the job since early July. Apparently, Alaa Abdelnaby, Terry Dehere, and Anthony Avent had prior obligations and were unable to join the staff.

Delonte West: Player

Any Sonic fan will enjoy viewing this youtube clip of Delonte West, in which you will learn about:

1. Delonte is just a player, man

2. Socks

See for yourself, but I think Delonte West may be the funniest Sonic since Predrag Drobnjak.

Predicting Chris Wilcox

Back in the 1980s, when the Seahawks were the kings of Seattle, I remember a reporter asking Chuck Knox, why there were so few good tight ends in the NFL. The coach’s response was classic Knox – terse, and to the point: “They’re all power forwards in the NBA.”

The taciturn one made a good point, in that power forwards and tight ends are very similar physically – tall, strong, fast, powerful. Heck, if you fit all those qualifications, would you rather average 20 points a game in a “non-contact” sport, or catch 3 balls a week while being besieged by maniacal linebackers? Not exactly a tough call, there.

Anyways, to my point, in a way Sonic power forward Chris Wilcox has some similarities to former Seahawk tight end Jerramy Stevens. I don’t mean off the field, that would be an insult to Wilcox, but rather on the field. Both are immensely gifted physically, both were picked in the first round because of their potential, both attended successful big-time college programs ... and both have been disappointments in their pro careers.

Last season, though, Wilcox demonstrated that his stellar stint the previous spring was not a mirage as he averaged career highs in points, rebounds, and assists. Of course, it helps when you average a career-high in minutes, but even his per 40 minute numbers were pretty much at or above his career numbers.

So what’s going to happen to the former Terrapin this season? (Speaking of which, Wilcox makes it four Sonics with ties to Maryland, joining Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Delonte West. Odd.). Well, after five seasons in the league, I think it’s safe to say that we know what we’re getting with Chris Wilcox. Other than a fluky two-month span in Seattle in 2006, Wilcox has shot between 51.4% and 52.9% from the field, made 6.7 field goals per 40 minutes, averaged about 7 defensive boards per 40, 1.5 assists, a steal, .75 blocks, a couple of turnovers, and a few fantastic dunks.

There are a few mitigating factors for his production this year, however.

1) Minutes. With Durant and Green on board, and with Robert Swift taking some center minutes away from Nick Collison, Wilcox will likely see his minutes decline from 31.5 to around 28 or 29.

2) Shot attempts. It’s possible that Wilcox will get more attempts this year, as Allen and Lewis won’t be around to hog the ... err, lead the offense. There are about 35 shots a night missing from the lineup this season with Allen/Lewis gone, and even if Durant takes 20 a night, that still leaves plenty for everyone else to divvy up. Figure that Wilcox’ drop in minutes will be matched by an increase in looks. At the very least, he won’t have to stand around waiting for Allen to come off of screens 4 trips out of 5.

3) Free throws. Wilcox boosted his FTA/48 quite a bit last season, and hopefully that’s a trend that continues into the coming season.

That’s about it for analysis. Wilcox – for as frustrating as he’s been as a pro – has actually been pretty consistent, so it’s not difficult to guess what he’s going to do this season, assuming Sam Presti doesn’t deal him away mid-season. Where does it all leave us? Here’s how I figure it, on a per-game basis.

29 minutes, 13 points, 6.5 rebounds

And that’s Chris Wilcox, a 25-year-old power forward who will throw up the odd 25/15 to get you excited, then follow it up with a week’s worth of 11/4s to drench you in the cold water of reality. And considering his lack of interest in playing defense, and the Sonics’ revived interest in same, this season may be our last chance to see him in action.