David Stern, Our Balls Are In Your Hands

Well, today's the big day, isn't it? The Sonics stand at a gigantic fork in the road this morning and afternoon: Path 1 leads to Durant or Oden, Path 2 leads to dozens of other guys.

If you think about it, it's sort of the same feeling you get during a Game 7 in the 3rd quarter. You know, when you're staring at the tv, thinking to yourself, "I've been watching these guys all season, through the dregs of February and everything, and now there's only 18 minutes left in the season. I should really pay better attention."

That's kind of how I feel now. We've been watching the Sonics for 40 years (not all of us, mind you), and now the future of the franchise could lie in a couple of ping pong balls in New Jersey. With the #1 or #2 pick, Bennett most likely keeps the team here, a stadium magically appears, and all is right with the world as the Sonics cruise back into the playoffs.

With a #3 or lower pick, Bennett possibly sells the team, moves the team, or goes to court with the city. None of those are particularly appealing.

Thankfully, according to Bill Simmons, we are the most deserving of any team in the draft to get the #1 pick. I'm not sure how to take that; does that mean we're the homeliest girl at the dance, or just the most deserving of getting some good luck?

Whatever the case may be, please put in some good thoughts towards New Jersey this day. The Sonics need your help, and if you're at all interested in watching basketball in Seattle down the road, it may all just start today.

Supersonics Savior Sabey?

Our favorite Sonics reporter, Frank Hughes, reports that local real estate stud David Sabey wants to buy the team. Please. God. Make it so.

Seattle SuperSonics chairman Clay Bennett has been offered the opportunity to sell the team to local real estate developer David Sabey, according to three sources, but for now has rejected the proposal.

Also, Seattle Storm chief operating officer Karen Bryant three months ago broached the topic of purchasing the WNBA team from Bennett, according to sources, but was rebuffed because Bennett thinks he has more leverage with both entities together.

Sabey was part of Howard Schultz’s ownership group, which sold the Sonics and Storm to Bennett last July for $350 million.

Sabey recently purchased 55 acres of land at the south end of Boeing Field for $91 million that, sources say, he wants to use as a site for a new arena.

Read the rest here.
(Story found on the great Seattlest site)

This story sounds too good to be true, so I'm going to keep the fine champagne on ice for now, but if this goes down, I am going to give David Sabey the biggest man-hug of all time.

Lotterrific

4 days and counting until the future of the Sonics is revealed ...

Tuesday is the big day, of course, and it's entirely possible the Sonics walk out of the NBA's Seacaucus, New Jersey studios holding onto either Kevin Durant or Greg Oden, and, thus, an improved future.

But let's be reasonable. It's much more likely Seattle will be picking 5th or 6th than 1st or 2nd. That being the case, who should the Sonics be taking, or should they be dealing the pick away entirely? (Remember, Rick Sund isn't here anymore, so allay those worries about Seattle taking a 15-year-old handball player from Madagascar).

The more I look at it, the more I think that Corey Brewer is the answer for the Sonics. He's a defensive-minded small forward with a decent offensive game (he'll have to improve in this area to be a star at the NBA level), and, perhaps just as important, he's been around winning teams for the past two years, something about which not a soul on this Sonic team can boast.

But what about Rashard Lewis, you ask? Sadly, I'm leaning more and more to the idea that even if Lewis wants to stay (which none of us know for sure), we might be better off seeing him head elsewhere. The Lewis and Allen combo is not going to produce a championship in Seattle, and a sign-and-trade deal for Lewis might be the best way to salvage the relationship.

Feel free to discuss my incompetence at your leisure.

(Sonic) Uni Watch

Get your stinkin' hands off of Gus Williams' jersey!

Ever read Uni Watch at espn.com? A great column, one of the better reads on the internet.

Paul Lukas, the author of Uni Watch, posted a nifty article a couple of weeks ago with a brief write-up on the best reasons for wearing each jersey number from 0 (Al Oliver, Rey Ordonez) to 99 (Wayne Gretzky, Turk Wendell).

Naturally, it got me to thinking about Sonic jersey numbers. With my trusty Sonic media guide in hand, I set out to find the best player at each jersey number in team history. Here we go:

0: Olden Polynice. Accept no imitations.

00: Benoit Benjamin. Only for his marvelous performance against the Blazers in the 90-91 playoffs.

1: Gus Williams. Sorry, Sherrell Ford, but when a guy gets his numbered retired, I think he gets the honor.

2: Gary Payton. Everybody remembers GP as #20, but he started out as #2.

3: Some interesting fellas here; Dana Barros, Greg Kelser, Burnin Vernon Maxwell, Eric Snow, but the best 3 in Seattle history is the best 3-point shooter in Seattle history: Dale Ellis.

4: Currently Nick Collison rocks the 4 (although he plays the 5, curiously), but Sedale Threatt gets the nod; tip of the cap to Al Wood, if only because he got traded for Dale Ellis in a steal of a deal.

5: Avery Johnson, many moons ago, as part of the greatest collaboration of PG talent in NBA history (AJ, Nate, Threatt, John Lucas, all on the same squad).

6: Only one candidate, Moochie Norris.

7: Rashard, and if he sticks around, it’ll eventually be retired.

8: Well, you’ve got the white folks (Scott Meents and Luke Ridnour), and you’ve got the not-so-good Eddie Johnson and Kevin Ollie. But how can you not pick Lonnie Shelton?

9: I hate to give him 2 awards, since he doesn’t deserve it, but clearly Dale Ellis is more deserving than either Randy Livinston or the Potato, Vitaly Potapenko, right?

10: When your nickname is Mac-10, you get the award. Sorry, Bob Love.

11: Detlef Schrempf, not surprisingly, took a very efficient number for his jersey.

12: Ick; Drew Barry, Damien Wilkins, Quintin Dailey, Art Harris, Nick Weatherspoon, Bob Weiss... do I have to pick someone? I’ll go with Dailey, only because he once ordered – and ate – a hot dog on the Sonics’ bench.

13: Slick Watts, of course. A Sonic, and Seattle icon, through and through. Big Snacks and Kendall Gill get honorable mention.

14: Greatest sign in Sonic history: “Sam, Sam, Sam for Mayor!” Sam Perkins, Big Smooth, slowest deep threat in team history.

15: Yikes, 11 guys to sort through. Well, toss out Gerald Henderson, Gelabale, Lucas, Flip Murray, Bud Stallworth, Aaron Williams, ... who do we have left? Ahh, Vinnie Johnson (love The Microwave) and Eddie Johnson (the good one). I’ll go with EJ, simply because I loved the way he was able to score in any situation.

16: Tom Burleson. No other competitors.

17: The Fiddler! Vincent Askew makes an appearance.

18: Mo Sene, because he’s the only guy to ever wear this number in team history.

19: Lenny Wilkens. Hey, he’s Team President, right? Right?

20: The Glove gets some decent competition (James Bailey, Maurice Lucas) and some not-so-decent competition (Jon Sundvold, Eugene Short), but, seriously, this ain’t even an argument.

21: A lucky 13 folks have worn this number, from Gerald Paddio to Danny Fortson to Butch Beard to Ricky Pierce. And don’t forget Dennis Awtrey or Ruben Patterson, an Odd Couple if there ever was one. I’ll take Pierce, coming off a screen, and then ambling on down the court.

22: Oh, Jim McIlvaine, you overpaid stiff, you. Sure, logic says Danny Young or Pierce or even Bill Hanzlik were better, but who remembers them, when you helped to bring down an entire franchise?

23: In his second incarnation with the Supes, OP went for 23, but I’m going with Danny Vranes, the Sonics’ most-recent #5 pick in the draft, in the hopes it will remind the front office not to opt for undersized small forwards from the WAC.

24: Wow. Over here you’ve got Dennis Johnson, DJ, RIP, Finals MVP and all that. Then in that corner, you’ve got Tommy Chambers, All-Star MVP, best dunking white man you ever did see. And let’s not forget Spencer Haywood, who actually had the jersey retired in his name this year. Can I wimp out with a 3-way tie? I guess not; got to give it to Haywood, because he was better than either of the other two (though not by much).

25: What, a current player? What’s this? Earl Watson, come on down. I’ll give special mention to David Wingate and, sadly, Rich King.

26: None

27: John Johnson, the original JJ. Averaged a Pippen-esque 5.3 boards and 5.2 assists in the championship season, then upped those numbers again in the playoffs. When you look up unsung in the dictionary, John Howard Getty Johnson stares you right back in the face.

28: None

29: Mike Wilks, for the greatest end-of-the-season run in 3rd-string point guard history. Let’s hope David Locke’s favorite underdog gets a nice, fat guaranteed contract from somebody next year.

Alright, that’s enough for one day. I’ll finish up with numbers 30 and up later this week. If you’ve got any arguments, or if I’ve omitted anyone, feel free to post them in the comments section and we’ll try to make the corrections.

Good Ol' Stu

Let me lend a little bit of perspective on the adjudicator of the Horry v. Nash situation.

Stu Jackson was, in all reasonable analysis, the worst general manager in the history of the NBA, if not the worst GM in the history of professional sports. In fact, if you studied the case long enough, you could make the argument that Jackson might have failed more successfully at his job than anyone in the history of anything.

Foisted upon the good people of Vancouver by David Stern in a case of affirmative action gone bad, Jackson wasted first-round picks on Bryant Reeves, Antonio Daniels (#4 overall!), Steve Francis (who had already indicated he wanted to play in Vancouver about as much as David Stern wanted to be commissioner of the Palestine Liberation League), and Stromile Swift (#2!). Oh, and he also refused to select Steve Nash in the draft, even though Nash would have been an immediate hit in Vancouver due to his Canadian heritage.

Not satisfied with that unprecedented level of crapitude, or perhaps sensing that he was hopelessly inept at finding quality college players despite possessing high level picks, Jackson punted, and dealt a #1 pick to the Detroit Pistons ... for Otis Thorpe. And this wasn't prime-time O.T., either, this was 35-year-old Otis Thorpe, the Otis Thorpe that Jackson peddled to the Sacramento Kings for Michael Smith and Bobby Hurley. Um, yeah.

So you have to forgive me if I'm not the slightest bit surprised by Jackson's lousy decision-making in suspending Stoudamire and Diaw for Game 5. You see, after Jackson was ousted from Vancouver, Stern allowed him to crawl back to NYC and become the league's suspension czar. It was either that, or Stern would have to admit that he (Stern) had made a horrible mistake in letting Jackson be a GM, and you know David isn't keen on admitting mistakes.

The outrage shouldn't be that Jackson made a bad decision. The outrage should be that that an imbecile like Jackson is even allowed to have a job in the NBA at all.

Sonics talk to Cleamons, Rambis

According to the LA Times, the Sonics have asked for permission to speak with assistant coach Kurt Rambis. In addition, the Times reports the Sonics have already interviewed Jim Cleamons, likewise a Laker assistant coach.

In other coaching news, Sam Mitchell's boss, Bryan Colangelo, is refusing permission to other teams to speak with Mitchell about coaching their teams. If you're a Sonic fan, this is a good thing. Bryan, you can have Sam, we don't want him.

Rambins and Cleamons are certainly below the radar of potential candidates, but you've got to like anyone who's gone through the Phil Jackson school of coaching. Both of them have previous head coaching experience (Rambis in LA, Cleamons in Dallas).

Digesting NCAA Stats

Many, more (okay, much, much more) well informed, writers have penned articles on the conversion of NCAA statistics to an NBA level. Kevin Pelton, Richard Lu, all sorts of people have looked at this issue, and I’m not going to even begin to put forth the effort required to do that for this year’s class – it’s just flat-out too much work for something I get paid zilch for.

And, yes, the fact that the fourth year of the Rockford Files comes out on DVD next week will severely impact my ability to finish the task. Sorry, unless I’m gettin’ paid $200 a day plus expenses, I’m not going to tackle a statistical job like that.

Back to where I started now. Rather than comprehend the stats, I thought it might help to get us started by just looking at exactly what those statistics are. I’ll bet if you asked 100 people – NBA-fan people, that is – how many points Greg Oden averaged at Ohio State, maybe 10 would give you an answer that was close to his actual total (15.7), and even fewer would tell you he averaged just shy of 10 boards a night.

And that is precisely my point. We all know about these guys, but unlike NBA stats, NCAA stats are like the Book of Genesis – everyone has a vague idea, but most people just use it to confirm their own theories. Yes, we all know Oden’s a good shot-blocker, but how many did he average? It’s fine to say that NCAA stats don’t matter, and an argument can be made that there’s no point in paying attention to them. After all, if they did make a big difference, why weren’t Chris Corchiani or Bobby Hurley (all-time assists leaders) all-stars in the NBA? But shouldn’t we as fans have a decent idea of what these fellows did in their recent history?

I’m hoping this article will be helpful in getting Sonic fans to know a little bit more, statistically speaking, about the incoming draft class. I’ll try to focus on the top dozen or so players, since that’s the area from which Seattle will be picking. Possibly, I’ll look at how last year’s class did, and what we can learn from that as well.

For now, though, we’ll start by just looking at the raw numbers, and then start to delve into my amateur analysis in later articles.

Oh, what, you wanted another article about the arena? Like you haven’t heard enough about that topic already?

Below, I’ll give a brief look at the players, but if you want the complete look at all the players, you can click on the picture to the right.

Everyone wants to talk about Durant and Oden, for obvious reasons. Oden shot a much higher percentage (62 to 47), but was much worse at making free throws (63 to 82). Oden was also a better offensive rebounder (4.9 to 3.4) and shot blocker (4.5 to 2.1). Durant took a lot more shots (20.6 to 13.3) and generated more overall rebounds, steals, assists, while committing 1.5 less fouls. All are numbers you would expect, given Oden is a center and Durant is, well, I don’t know what he is. A small power forward? A powerful small forward? A powall forward?

On to the other guys (i.e., who the Sonics will be stuck with). Rather than go in-depth on each player, I’ll just throw out the leaders (all numbers are per 40 minutes):

Category	Player
Points	Al Thornton, 25.3
FG %	Roy Hibbert, 67
Boards	Joakim Noah, 13
FT%	Thornton, 79
FTA	Noah, Thornton, 7.7
3PM	Thaddeus Young, 1.7
3P%	Acie Law, 46
Offensive Boards	Hibbert, 4.1
Assists	Mike Conley, 7.7(Law had 5.9)
Steals	Conley, 2.8
Blocks	Hibbert, 3.7
Ast:TO	Conley, 2.8
eFG%	Hibbert, 67

Of note: Joakim Noah made one three-pointer all year (you could win plenty of bets with that one), Corey Brewer was a pest on defense (2.6 steals), Jeff Green really is the all-around player he's been getting credit for, and Brandan Wright, a 6'10" power forward, averaged fewer fouls than point guard Acie Law.

Ageless

I’m sure you know all about Julio Franco – a man who has defied age and continues to play major league baseball, even though he’s closer to 50 than 20.

The stories you read about Julio Franco focus on his amazing endurance in relation to other baseball-related themes (e.g., he started playing before Cal Ripken’s streak started, he’s older than Rickey Henderson, etc.).

But when it comes to comparisons, sometimes you only truly appreciate the awe-inspiring when it is taken out of its usual context and placed alongside foreign objects.

That being the case, let’s put Julio Franco in a broader context. Franco’s first season in the majors came in 1982, the same year as the Falkland Islands War, the first artificial heart, and the release of the Commodore 64.

But back to hoops. The 1982 all-rookie team in the NBA – remember, this is Franco’s first season – included Jeff Ruland, Isiah Thomas, Kelly Tripucka, Jay Vincent, and Buck Williams.

Think about that for a second ... Julio Franco and Buck Williams both broke in the same year. Buck Williams!

It gets better. That spring, while Franco was plying his trade with the Phillies alongside Pete Rose and Steve Carlton, the Sonics were featuring one Danny Vranes, like Franco a rookie, and, coincidentally the 5th overall pick in the draft that year. Of course, it should be mentioned that Danny Vranes is younger than Julio Franco.

In other sports news in Seattle from '82, Mike Tice made nine catches in his second year with the Seahawks and the team simultaneously saw the end of the Eras of Zorn and Patera. I should mention that Tice, now long-retired from playing and a former head coach, is younger than Julio Franco.

I could go on, and this is the second time I’ve written about Franco (the last being two years ago), but the man is inspiring. From his 5,000 calories a day to his sojourn in the Mexican Leagues ... Julio Franco, we salute you.

Spring has Sprung

Spring in Seattle used to mean one thing: Playoff Basketball. However, that ain’t the case any more, and it’s amazing the difference at this time of year between being a fan of a playoff team and being a fan of, well, the Sonics.

While people in the fortunate places can stew over matchups, momentum, and all the rest, we’re bored as heck. That’s right, bored as heck.

Seriously, are you wound-up about the #5 pick in the draft? I’m not. This team is so utterly mired in mediocrity that unless that #5 pick turns out to be a player/coach/GM who can dunk from the 3-point line it isn’t going to make a huge difference in wins and losses next season.

Likewise, I’m a little less than thrilled about the coaching possibilities being mentioned. Sam Mitchell? You mean the same guy that “guided” the Raptors to 60 wins in his first two seasons? Honestly, don’t you feel that this year’s Raptors were more than a little reminiscent of the 2003-04 Sonics, a team that went from crap to king to crap again faster than you can say Big Snacks?

Add in the Man Behind the Curtain, Lenny Wilkens, and you can see why Sonic fans are on the blase side this spring. Rather than arguing about how we’re going to be able to pawn Earl Watson and Johan Petro off on some unsuspecting sucker, we’re wondering about who the heck is going to be in charge of everything.

It’s an unsettling spring in Seattle. From Oklahoma Clay to Lenny’s version of “The Apprentice” to Rashard Lewis, everything’s up in the air.

There have been better springs in Seattle, for sure, but I don’t think there have been any worse.

We Feel Your Pain

A moment, if you please, for the Mavericks fan.

I know, empathizing with Mark Cuban after a playoff loss is like feeling sorrow for Donald Trump on a bad hair day, but I’m not referring to the Dallas owner, I’m talking about the fans.

You see, Mavericks fan, we know how it feels. At this moment, the entire country is in love with the team that took from you what was rightfully yours. This upstart #8 seed with raucous fans, a ragtag group roster of underachievers, has stolen your entry in the second round; kept you from traveling to the NBA Finals to reclaim what the officials took from you last June.

Sonic fans feel your pain, Mavericks fan. We feel it every time the networks re-run that clip of Dikembe Mutombo clasping the ball to his chest while lying flat on the Colisseum floor. We know what it’s like when the country gets enamored with the underdog, and roots for the lowly seeded upstarts to knock off the expected champion.

You think we don’t still feel the disgust of watching John Elway, that horse-faced jerk, taunting us from the sidelines while the Nuggets began their comeback in Denver? Please, Mavericks fan, don’t insult us.

And Mavericks fan, don’t expect the pain to gradually subside – it will not. If your team fails on a scale such as this, the pain lingers. First, an open wound for a couple of years; then, a deep scar; and, finally, a mark that never leaves.

Like I said, a moment for the Mavericks fan.

Oh, and Maverick fan? Just be thankful your team isn’t owned by someone from Oklahoma.

Danny Fortson: Cyborg Smasher #2, Page 2

Cover / Page 1 / Page 2

Yes, we're still working on this dumb thing. And the comics too.

Who needs the excitement of the NBA Playoffs? Pffft, not me! No, who needs postseason basketball excellence when you can be drawing an obscure comic strip (a WEB COMIC, no less) about an obscure, 3rd-rate power forward without a team, all for no pay and little, if any recognition!

Remind me why we started doing this again? Oh, that's right.

The Love.

Here's Part Two of the FINAL ISSUE of
"DANNY FORTSON: CYBORG SMASHER."
Please, lord, let me be done with this before 07-08 training camp...
Rated PG-13 for language, man boobs

Glove(s) Off?

It’s all speculation right now, but some writers in the Miami area are predicting that Alonzo Mourning and, more importantly, Gary Payton could be headed for Del Boca Vista after the Heat were swept aside by the Bulls.

Well, if the Sonics are leaving town, it only makes sense for Payton to retire as well. In a perfect world, the Sonics would bring Gary back for one last season in Seattle before he calls it quits. Considering the 07-08 campaign is shaping up to be pretty dismal – what with the moving vans backed up to the Key Arena parking lot and all – would it really be that bad of an idea?

It’s possible the Sonics deal either Earl Watson or Luke Ridnour this summer. Mike Wilks was great in his short stint at the end of the year, but the Sonics could really use a guard with some decent size coming off the bench; why not Gary?

It’s a pipe dream, I know, but Payton remains the greatest player in team history (sorry, Paul, Ray Allen isn’t even close), and it would be a wonderful move for the fans to bring him back to Seattle, if, of course, he’d even want to play here.

But let’s say Gary calls it quits; what will he be remembered for? I don’t mean statistical rankings or playoff wins, I mean what will YOU remember about Payton?

Personally, the enduring images of Gary Payton are many:

-Backing down an opposing point guard the way an old man backs up his Buick – with a “I don’t give a shit what you think, I'm backing this thing up” attitude

-The gum chewing; nobody chews gum harder and with more intensity of Gary Payton

- The defensive posture; the way he cinches up his shorts before he got into position, as if to say, “Alright, motherf$)*#er, let’s go!”

- The way he backpedals down the court after sinking a 3, arms raised jauntily by his side, bent at the elbow, with the intensity of a spring training jog

- The trash talking – always the trash talking, especially when his head tilted slightly to the right as he talked, as if he was trying to get the words to move upwards

But most of all, the winning. Gary Payton – at least in Seattle – seemed to be about winning. It’s not something common to Seattle athletes; we are, after all, home to Edgar, Ray Allen, and Steve Largent. Classy men all, but you never associated in-your-face intensity and attitude to those gentleman the way you did with Gary.

Well, I could go on for paragraphs more, but let’s cut it short. Gary Payton might be retiring soon. What will you remember?