Judge's Statement

Here's what Judge Marsha Pechman had to say via statement regarding today's ruling:

The parties have settled the case. Details of the settlement will be released by the parties.

Roughly translated:

Because neither side was capable of coming to an agreement until their game of chicken had both cars teetering on the edge of the cliff, I was forced to preside over this nonsense for a whole week when I could have been watching Judge Judy DVDs instead. Thanks alot.

Settlement in Works?

I saw this first on the Daily Oklahoman, and my first thought was, "Well, there isn't a grain of salt big enough to take with that sketchy story." A settlement? Sure, it's nice to ponder, but the attribution in that story was rather light.

Now, however, we have some more information. From The Seattle Times:

"It looks like [a settlement], but I'm afraid what little I know is sworn to secrecy until after the mayor's press conference," said [Seattle City Councilmember Jean] Godden.

From the PI:

"A spokesperson for City Attorney Tom Carr said their office was not aware of [the settlement]and was not planning any comment until a scheduled 5 p.m. press conference by Mayor Greg Nickels."

Wait and see.

Dear Marsha

cartoon: Raf / words: Paul

Dear Marsha,

I know you're probably pretty busy today, with your big Seattle vs. Sonics decision coming up this afternoon, but I just wanted to drop you a quick note to tell you thanks for all your hard work. Going into it, you probably thought it was going to be an open and shut case. You and me both, sister!

I mean, a lease is a lease, right? This should have been like an uncontested, open-court dunk from the Reign-Man. Instead, the city looked more like a drunken Squatch, fumbling, stumbling and bumbling its way into a humiliating self-check on the rim. "Poisoned well?" Ouch.

But I'm hoping you can see past the feeble attempt by the home team (we Seattle sports fans should be used to that) and see the bigger picture: Clay and his boys entered into a lease they had no intention of honoring. If you decide for Team Bennett, it's basically telling them that if you've got enough money, then the rules don't apply, further emboldening other fat-cat corporate scumbags to do the same thing.

Now, I know I'm a little biased here. I can recite every SuperSonics roster since 1978. I have an Xavier McDaniel action figure. I not only remember Vincent Askew, but I can do an uncanny imitation of his layups. I'm a fanboy's fanboy.

But this decision isn't just for die-hard Sonics fans — it's for every sports fan in the country. If this can happen in Seattle, one of the biggest media markets with some of the most loyal fans in the country, it can happen anywhere. Siding with the Bennett Boys is saying it's OK for David Stern and the NBA to blackmail fans and non-fans alike into paying millions of dollars for needless new arenas. It's telling them it's OK to squeeze out the working class fans to make room for high-priced suites for corporate goons who couldn't care less about basketball. It's telling the fans "You don't matter".

At 4pm today, when you post your decision, you are either going to side with common, hard-working citizens or spineless, corporate pirates. I hope you make the right decision.

Sincerely,

Paul Merrill

p.s. Did I tell you how lovely you look today? Also, your hair smells terrific.
---

O Canada

So I take a four-day vacation from the site to enjoy the wonderfulness of Canada Day, and what do I miss?

- Sonics watch Serge Ibaka walk away to Spain - an event not entirely unexpected.
- Mickael Gelabale and the Sonics severe their ties
- Earl Watson broke his thumb, and will likely be out for up to four months, possibly putting the brakes on the expected Luke Ridnour Sweepstakes, but possibly not
- The Sonics announced their summer league roster

And, finally, today is the big day, court-wise. Judge Pechman will announce her decision at 4 pm via the court's web site, and speculation is running rampant.

Obviously, everyone is an expert in these sorts of things, regardless of their knowledge of the case. Personally, I have no idea whatsoever how she will rule, but that doesn't preclude me from offering a guess. After all, what is a blog for if not for uniformed guesswork?

So, allow me my two cents to say that Pechman will rule for the team, with an outside chance she goes totally off the map and doesn't issue a ruling at all, instead rolling this case up with the Schultz lawsuit. Call it pessimism, call it fatigue, call it what you wish, but while I'm not entirely convinced one way or the other after a week's worth of testimony, I just have a gut instinct that's how it is going to fall.

Feel free to chime in with your expert opinions in the comments section.

And Then There Was 1

As you might recall, Sam Presti dealt away two second-round picks from last year's draft. Those picks turned out to be Glen Davis and Carl Landry, both strong contributors to their teams.

Yesterday, the Sonics began the day with four (!) picks in the second round of the NBA draft. Of those four picks, the Sonics did the following:

#32 - traded to Detroit for #29 pick
#46 - traded to Detroit for #29 pick
#50 - DeVon Hardin, not traded
#56 - traded to Cleveland for cash

All of which means, in the past two seasons Presti has had six second-round picks available to him, and, of those six, he has traded away five, receiving in exchange a future second-rounder, an end of the first-rounder, cash, and Jeff Green's left arm (an approximation of what the pick's value in the Ray Allen trade).

And so, to close the book on last year's draft-day dealings and put an end to my extended ramblings, the Seattle Sonics essentially traded Carl Landry for half of DJ White. Not exactly a sweet flip.

Hold the Mayo

Boy, it's too bad the Sonics didn't have something of value to deal to Minnesota, so that they might have walked away from the draft with 3rd-most talented player (OJ Mayo) in exchange for a guy they didn't want (Kevin Love).

You know, maybe a large expiring contract, or perhaps a defensive-minded point guard who can shoot the three.

Yeah, you always hold onto guys like those until a great deal comes along and sweeps you off your feet.

Rounding Out the Draft

To finish off the night, the Sonics added two more picks in the second round.

#20, Devon Hardin, Cal, Center
#26, Sasha Kaun, Kansas, Center

Please, try to reign in your enthusiasm.

Before I sign off for the night, a few thoughts:

-I can live with the Westbrook pick. He's not going to help the Sonics as a 30-minute-a-night guy immediately and he's not a true point guard in the sense of Paul or Williams or Kidd, but he has loads of talent, great speed, and, worst case, he's a top guy off the bench.

-The Ibaka pick mystifies me. My only hope is that Presti worked out a deal with the guy ahead of time, and the whole "don't pick me" routine was an act to scare other teams away. Honestly, I don't buy that as the truth, but it's the only thing keeping me from thinking this was a total farce.

-DJ White isn't a star by a long shot, but he has some low-post ability, works hard, and is still better than almost anyone else on the roster down low.

-The 2nd rounders? No clue.

-On the whole, I give the draft a very early grade of a B-. Normally, in school, a B- is okay, especially in a class where the notes and homework are killing you. But this is a B- in a class like PE; there's no way with 6 picks the Sonics should be coming out of here with such a craptacular haul. Seriously, are you more or less excited about the Sonics' future after today? At what point do we start thinking, "Hey, is Sam Presti ever going to deliver on his genius label? How much of a line of credit do we extend to this guy?"

Sonics Add DJ White

Climb back down off the ledge, and add "Genius" to the "Boy Genius" label for Sam Presti again (for awhile there, I was beginning to think he was more of the former and less of the latter). The Sonics have selected DJ White from Indiana with the 29th pick of the first round.

Seattle dealt their #32 and #46 picks in the second round of this year's draft in order to pick up White with Detroit's first round pick (got that?). White is a good back to the basket player, he's a senior, and he instantly becomes one of the two or three best post players on offense on the entire team (yeah, we're that bad, folks). Seattle still has two remaining second-rounders available.

With the #24 pick

The Sonics confound me. Serge Ibaka? Wait a minute - didn't he tell every NBA team that he didn't want to be drafted in the first round? Isn't this a complete and utter waste of a pick?

More to come, but I'm utterly confused by this pick. It's not that Ibaka is untalented or unworthy of being selected this high, it's that he specifically told teams to not take him until the 2nd round. Either Sam Presti is a genius that knows of a way to pry Ibaka from Europe, or the Sonics just threw away the #24 pick in the draft.

Still Pickin'?

No Sonic trades to report as of yet, and with the #24 pick looming, will the Sonics go for foreign-born talent here, just to help Clay Bennett avoid spending more than $0.01 more than he has to while he's in Seattle?

DeAndre Jordan is still hanging around (please no, please, please, please), as is Kosta Koufos.

Three names stand out for me: CDR, Courtney Lee, and Nicolas Batum. I know Batum's a SF and Seattle needs a SF like they need Clay Bennett, but the guy has massive potential.

Russell Westbrook at #4

That's the pick. Here's the bio from nbadraft.net.

He's a big-time transition player, and now he's a Sonic.

Reasons to be excited:
- Westbrook is tenacious, fast, and a good defender. He can guard any PG, and most SGs. He can get in the lane and score and can run the offense relatively well.

Reasons not to be excited:
- He shot 17 of 31 at the line this year. He made 31 3's in his NCAA career, or as many as some guys make in a couple of weeks. He doesn't have a good outside shot.

Hey, wait, don't the Sonics already have a UCLA point guard who can't shoot?

Start Your Guesswork

So, who are the Sonics going to take? We're 15 minutes from the Bulls making their choice, so that means about 30-40 minutes till the Sonics make their selection.

Or are we? Maybe we'll have to wait about 1 hour until the Clippers/Sonics pick at #7.

I'm guessing the Sonics move down, pick Brook Lopez, and all of us start throwing things at our tv screens.