Feeling a Draft: Part II

MARTELL WEBSTER – SG
Ht: 6’7” Wt: 235 Age: 18
College: Seattle Prep / Committed to UW

At 6’7”, Webster is the ideal size for a shooting guard, almost too tall even. The star guard from Seattle Prep has committed to the Huskies, but after playing well in post-season all-star games, and hearing from NBA scouts, realized it would be well worth his while to explore the draft.

A seemingly mature young man for his age, Webster already possesses a strong jump shot. Built like someone who’s already in the league, Webster doesn’t seem to have the ability (yet) to use it in the post against smaller players. Defensively, he will need to work on his lateral ability, and there are plenty of areas of his game that could use improvement to become ready for the league. Still, at 18, how many guys come in ready to play?

It is expected that Webster will sign the Goodwins as his agent(s), which, of course, does not bode well for Seattle-Webster negotiations should he drop to the #25 spot in the draft (Interesting quote from the PI on Webster’s relationship with the Goodwins, from his great aunt/guardian Beulah Walker: "He's been talking to them," she said. "I told them to back off. I don't trust them."). He started out as going as high as 11th in the draft, but has slipped recently, to the point where draftcity.com has him at the 23 spot to Sacramento. Meanwhile, cbssportsline.com has him at 11th or 14th in their mock draft.

Webster averaged 27.7 ppg his senior year, a remarkable figure that attests to his ability to drain the long ball. It’s this ability that makes me think he’d be a good pick for the Sonics. I can imagine a scenario where Seattle re-signs Ray Allen, drafts Webster, then allows Allen to tutor Webster for the next 3-4 years, as the youngster slowly gets more and more playing time. By the time Allen starts to lose his game, Webster should be ready to step in.

Add in his obvious ties to the area, and it makes a good fit for both parties. He’ll likely go higher than 25, but in case he falls to this spot, he’s got my vote.

Feeling a Draft

Free agency beckons, of course, but the Sonics also have 3 draft picks in the upcoming Stern-a-thon. Who should they take? Should they trade the picks? Does this column have any upside? These are the questions you need to know. I thought I’d take this opportunity to start looking at some of the players the Sonics could possibly pick.

CHANNING FRYE – PF/C
Ht: 6’11” Wt: 250 Age: 22
College: Arizona

Frye is long-limbed, fast for a big man, and relatively agile, making him an effective player on the fast break and in blocking shots (at least at the NCAA level). Combined with the ability to hit a 15-footer, Frye is a more than capable offensive player for a big man. Further, his jump hook is a potent weapon that can score in any league. Add in an 80% rate at the line, a seemingly calm, professional demeanour, a history of playing in front of big crowds and in big games, and Frye seems to be the whole enchilada. Husky fans will no doubt remember his 30-point outing against the Dawgs last February in Seattle, although they’ll probably remember UW’s 93-85 win even more. You also have to like that he’s played well in the tourney, consistently getting double-doubles in the best competition the NCAA has to offer.

The negative is that Frye is relatively lean, and may not be able to bang with NBA centers. Built more like Keon Clark and Chris Bosh, Frye is going to struggle to score in the post when people like Jerome James, Greg Ostertag, Shaq, etc. start shoving. Frye has been able to get away with using his height to get rebounds in college – that won’t work in the NBA, where people like Reggie Evans will give up their first-born son for a board. Labeled as “soft” throughout his tenure at ‘Zona, Frye will have to work hard to overcome that adjective. As draftcity.com mentions, it’s hard to figure exactly how he’s going to score and who he’s going to guard. Likewise, knickerblogger’s comment that Frye’s a “tweener” is apt.

To me, Frye would work best as part of a Twin Towers set-up, alongside a 7-footer with some heft. With the Sonics, Frye would likely be paired with Collison, Fortson, or Radmanovic (assuming the roster stays somewhat intact, a dubious assumption). None of those combinations is good for Seattle, since it leaves nobody to cover the big man down low. In an offense like the Kings’ or Suns’, Frye could be an effective player, but not on the Sonics. He’s not worth a 1st-round pick to Seattle, who would be better off looking for someone with more heft. After all, don’t we already have a thin 7-footer taking up space on the bench?

Who's Coming Back?

Curious to hear what everyone would like to see happen next year. Here's the list of players under contract for next season:

Lewis ($8.5 mil)
Fortson ($6.5 mil in 2005-06, $6.9 in 06-07)
Collison ($1.8)
Swift ($1.7)
Ridnour ($1.6)

Daniels has declined his option for next season. Radman is a restricted free agent. Everyone else is on their own.

So, out of JJ, Allen, Daniels, Radman, Potato, Evans, Cleaves, Flip, and Damien, who should the Sonics be looking to keep? Just as a quick thought, I'm for keeping AD, Radman, and Damien, and ambivalent about the rest. As we all know, I'm against giving Ray the bank, JJ's not likely to be consistent for a whole month, let alone a 4-year contract, Potato is possibly worth a small-value 2-year deal, Evans is a one-dimensional player who has outlived his usefulness, and Flip is seemingly never going to realize his potential.

Thoughts?

Grist for the Mill

With the season over (Ray's shot still isn't hanging in the air, is it?), the Rumor Season starts now. I'll try to cull whatever rumors float out there and share them with you, our valuable readers. Here's a couple:

* According to the Times, Danny Fortson is rumored to be headed for DC in exchange for troubled center Kwame Brown, the former #1 pick in the draft. The enticing 7-footer has displayed ability, as well as getting his butt suspended for the playoffs by a frustrated Wizards' management.

Likelihood: 60%

* The Knicks are interested in McMillan, but it probably won't happen. Likewise, the Rockets want him too. Wally Walker, according to the PI, ain't gonna let it happen anytime soon, though. He has put an embargo on talks to Nate and GM Rick Sund until June 30th.

Likelihood of either leaving: 60%
Likelihood of both leaving: 20%

Post Mortem

I’m not going to go into a big, long, protracted piece on where all the Sonics are headed in the off-season, or who we should keep, what free agents to get, etc.

No, it’s way too early for that. I’d prefer to digest what happened last night and over the past couple of weeks. Too often in North American society, we gloss over what just happened, moving on to what’s coming next while ignoring the opportunity to savor recent events.

With that in mind, here is one man’s list of his favorite – and not-so-favorite – memories from this post-season. Feel free to add yours in the comments section.

· Jerome James wearing a cape made from a garbage bag at the end of the Sacramento series.
· Ray Allen’s off-balance 3 to win game 4 against the Kings.
· The agony in Antonio Daniels’ face as he missed the first of two FTs in the final game with the Spurs.
· The sound from the Key Arena crowd after the Sonics knocked off Sac. for their first series victory in what seemed like 20 years.
· Reggie Evans’ post-dunk, muscle-man, what-in-the-world-is-he-doing? thing.
· Braids. Do I need to say any more?
· The incredible, Maravich-esque move Ridnour made on the Spurs in game 3.
· Being more surprised when Allen missed than when he hit, I feeling I haven’t had for a Sonic since Dale Ellis circa 1987.
· Losing Vlade, then Allen in the span of what seemed 3 seconds.
· Rashard Lewis in street clothes.
· Watching Womanu Ginobili get knocked to the ground. Repeatedly.
· Danny Fortson guarding players 6 inches taller than him.
· The emergence of Nick Collison as the best PF on the team.
· JJ cruising down the lane looking like a Cadillac flying down an alleyway.
· The 1/10th of a second from when Ray’s shot left his hand last night to when it clanked off the rim. For that 1/10th, anything was still possible, the season was still alive, and now ...

High Noon

If there's one line you take away from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, it's Paul Newman's ubiquitous "Who are those guys?" Newman repeats it over and over again, in reference to his pursuers, and usually in exasperation.

I have a feeling the Spurs feel that way about the Sonics this series. Far from a cakewalk, Seattle has posed a formidable challenge to San Antonio, both talent-wise and physically. From Danny Fortson's hard fouls to Antonio Daniels offensive skills, the Sonics have demonstrated they are - while not the equal of the Spurs - at least in the same neighborhood. In doing so, they've given Sonic fans reason to love their team. Damien Wilkins' brilliant game 4, Luke Ridnour's same, AD's consistent play, the courage of Ray Allen, the improvement of Nick Collison, Jerome James' 7-for-7 game 3, great memories every single one.

Sadly, the euphoria we've been feeling may end tonight. As Ray Allen mentioned in the Times today, this could be the last home game any of these Sonics play in Seattle. After all, a win only guarantees a return trip to Texas, where as Fortson said, "I'm sick of that Riverwalk."

What can we look for tonight? The Sonics will inevitably jump out to an early lead, buoyed by an enthusiastic crowd and more than a tablespoon of desperation. The key as in all of the games this series, will be Seattle's ability to free Ray Allen from Bruce Bowen. If the Sonics can find a way to get Allen some open looks early, I have a feeling he could go for 40 points tonight.

After a crushing defeat on Tuesday, I predict Seattle will respond tonight. Vegas says Spurs by 5 1/2. I say Sonics 108 - Spurs 103.

Lewis Out Again

Not that it comes as a shock, but the Times is reporting that Rashard Lewis is out for Game 6 tonight. I'll try to piece together a preview later on today, but I wish I could have written that "the addition of Lewis to the Sonics could well be the piece they need to get their offense on track."

Bank

Here's a little note I got from Ian Cohen, who works on ESPN:

Thought you may like this little thing we whipped up way before the playoffs. We are here in Seattle, but work on ESPN and wanted to challenge ourselves to see if we could make the SPURS cool. We are Sonics fans, but thought maybe other Sonic fans might get a laugh out of this due to the nature of the series.

Check out "Take it to the Bank". It is DOPE!

True Hoop

It seems the Sonics have more fans than we thought!

Henry Abbott, who's written for HOOP, Inside Stuff, and Men's Journal (!), gives The Soul some love over at his excellent basketball site, True Hoop.

TV "journalism" at it's finest

It seems as though the dimwits at KARE-11 in Minnesota can't count to seven.

Thanks to Wayne for the tip!

We can still win this

I know what you're thinking:

"It was a good run, but this series is over."

"The Sonics just got lucky in games 3 and 4."

"The Spurs are an unstoppable force of unstoppableness."

Well, cheer up, sour-puss. This series is far from over.

When the Sonics got off to another fast start this season, everyone expected them to collapse by December again. They didn't. When the Sonics limped into the playoffs, everyone thought they would lose to the veteran Sacramento Kings. They won. When the Sonics got blown out the first two games against the Spurs, everyone thought the Sonics would get swept. They won the next two.

The fact is, the Sonics have defied expectations all season. Just when you're ready to sell your lucky Ray Allen bobblehead on eBay, they do something amazing to pull you back on the bandwagon.

I can't tell you how many times during this series I turned off the TV or radio because the Sonics were getting beaten soundly, and then, out of morbid curiosity, checked back in only to see they'd tied the game.

Could the Sonics use a big boost from Rashard in Game Six? Absolutely. Will the Sonics positively get thrashed without him? No, because if there's one thing I've learned from watching the Supes this year, it's to expect the unexpected.

Street Fighter

Yes, it's going to be a street fight in San Antonio tonight. David vs. Goliath. Ali vs. Foreman. Us against the world. Will there be blood spilled? Probably. Will Danny Fortson sit on Manu Ginobili? Hopefully.

You've seen the stats. You've done the math. Homework is over - it's game time.