Wilcox to Stay?

I think anyone who writes/blogs (man do I hate that word) about the NBA should have a laminated card taped to their computer monitor. On it, they should have in bold-faced type:

"DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING ANY AGENT OR GM SAYS DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, ESPECIALLY IN REGARD TO FREE AGENT NEGOTIATIONS."

This in light of the accumulating evidence that 1) Chris Wilcox will sign a 3-year deal for $20 million with the Sonics and 2) Drew Gooden will sign a deal with the Cavaliers. As of 1 week ago, all evidence pointed to neither of these events taking place, and yet, here we stand, with both likely to go down by mid-week.

Of course, to Sonics fans, this is a great thing. Signing Wilcox to a 3-year deal at that price is fantastic. Even if he turns out to be a 2-month flash in the pan in a contract drive, the Sonics will soon be rid of his contract. If he turns out to be a stud, well the Sonics just signed a double-double caliber PF for about $7 million a year. Not bad.

With Wilcox seemingly in place, it's now time to start looking at the Sonics' roster and starting lineup. Here's the roster as of today:

Allen
Lewis
Fortson (!)
Watson
Wilkins
Collison
Ridnour
Sene
Swift
Petro
Gelabale
Wilcox (?)

Fortson's playing status with the team is TBD, but he's on the roster regardless. No matter how you cut it, the Sonics have a couple of roster spots to fill. It seems likely that Noel Felix is sitting pretty for one of them, leaving one open. I've thought that a 3rd-string PG will likely fit that bill. Any thoughts out there on who the Sonics should pick up? To get you started, here's hoopshype.com's list of available free agents.

The other Eddie Johnson

It appears former Seattle Supersonic Eddie Johnson might be a child molester.

Not the "EJ" Eddie Johnson (pictured on the left) that we know and love, of course, but the "Fast" Eddie Johnson of the '87 Sonics. Read the whole story at Seattlest.

Thanks to Seth for the tip!

Happy Birthday, Rashard

In honor of Rashard Lewis' 27th birthday today (hey, doesn't it seem like he's been in his 20s for about 13 years now?), here are 5 facts about Rashard Lewis that even most die-hard Sonic fans probably don't know:

1. Rashard's most comparable player at age 26 is James Worthy
2. Despite not making the All-Star team in '05-'06 after making it the year before, Rashard stats are identical for the 2 seasons, perhaps even better for this past season
3. The last 10 guys picked in the 1st round of the '98 draft, while Lewis sat in the green room and stewed: Roshown McLeod, Ricky Davis, Brian Skinner, Tyronn Lue, Felipe Lopez, Al Harrington, Sam Jacobson, Vladimir Stepania, Corey Benjamin, Nazr Mohammed
4. Of the 31 guys picked ahead of Lewis in the draft, only 5 have scored as many points (Bibby, Jamison, Carter, Nowitzki, and Pierce)
5. At age 26, Lewis averaged 20 pts, 5 boards, 2 assists, and 1 steal. At age 26, Worthy averaged 20 pts, 5 boards, 4 assists, and 1 steal.

Rashard's a tough guy to pigeonhole. 6'10", he's a great outside shooter, yet he can also run the floor. He's not much for defense, but he's tall enough to shut down any SF in the league. He's been in Seattle longer than any Sonic, yet he's not nearly as popular as guys that have arrived since his debut. In sum, he is a conundrum, a tall small forward whose phenomenal talent has left Sonic fans always wanting more.

But maybe, just maybe, we should just accept Rashard for what he is - a classic 3. Great scorer, acceptable defender, capable of scoring 20 points every night, and a borderline all star. I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't mind having a guy like that on my team.