stupendous

The Sonics have got a total makeover... GP, and Desmond Mason for Ray Allen, Kevin Ollie, and Ronald Murray (?).... ALSO, they traded Kenny Anderson for Elden Campbell...

Do you think this makes them better or worse??

projected lineup:

PG- Kevin Ollie
SG- Ray Allen
SF- Brent Barry
PF - Rashard Lewis
C- Elden Campbell

I really don't know what to make of this, might be a great opportunity for Kevin Ollie but if he starts I might say he is the least capable starting PG in the league or at least most unproven, Ray Allen is just Tremendous, and Campbell is a solid player. I think this makes them a more solid team personally. Could the Sonics possbly be interested in one of our many PGs?? Damon, AD, J-Mac?? If they aren't they should be.


http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0220/1511870.html

Schilly

Seattle also exchanged $22mill in salary relief for $9mil in Salary relief...So much for going after Kidd, They'll now be over the cap in the offseason.

Trader Ed

I was just about to post that Schilly.. I was looking at the figures at work...... shhhhhhh! You scooped me again. LOL

I wanted Ray Allen on our team... as well as Rahim... but to no avail. After I see these kind of dealsl go down I am miffed as why would could not of offered better packages.

Man I think Sonics got good deals myself, but wonder about their point guard situation too. They also take on Allens contract wchich is almost identical to Damon's. 2 more years and lots of $.

__________________
"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts..."

Heart, desire and hustle! Its the fire within that makes a champion.

jackiejackal

No ring for the greatest point guard of all time.

Minstrel

If Seattle didn't feel like they were on the same wave length with GP, as has been suggested for a while, then they sure got pretty good value for him. Payton, in his prime, is a considerably better, more valuable player than Ray Allen...but when you consider that Payton is starting to get old and Allen is considerably younger...I think the Sonics made a good deal. They have a star/superstar guard to replace Payton, and he's younger.

I also like their dealing Anderson for Campbell. Neither is any great shakes, anymore...but Campbell is larger. You need as much size as you can get to compete in the West.

Desmond Mason, I'm sure, the Sonics wish they could have kept, but they have various talented projects. Rashard Lewis still being the main one.

If Seattle can actually snare Gilbert Arenas with the $7-8 million that they'll have to offer, Seattle will have a pretty impressive backcourt, with Arenas (who looks like a star-in-the-making) and Allen (a star). And, of course, they have Rashard Lewis, the ever-up-and-comer, at small forward. If they can find a good inside presence, they could finally have the pieces in place to field a power.

__________________
You'll never live like common people
You'll never do what common people do
You'll never fail like common people
You'll never watch your life slide out of view
And dance and drink and screw
Because there's nothing else to do.

Ed O

As previously mentioned, I don't think Seattle will have anywhere NEAR $7m or $8m for Arenas. Adding Ray Allen's $13.5m for next year almost certainly puts them above the cap:

Allen: $13.5m
Rashard: 7.6
Potapenko: 5.7
Barry: 5.4
Booth: 5.4
James: 5.0
Radmanovic: 1.7
Forte: 1.1

Total (assuming they revoke their rights to Elden and don't exercises an option on Drobnjak, who's reportedly off to Europe): 45.4 million.

That puts them into the same boat as the Blazers with respect to Gilbert Arenas: no chance. They also need to fill four more roster spots...

I think the Sonics must like their chances picking a point guard in the lottery this season.

Trading for Campbell was a mistake, IMO. He's just about done, and even when he was healthy and in his prime he had motivation issues. They woulda been much more competitive this season if they hadn't done the KA deal.

Seattle's starting 5 looks like something like this:

PG: Barry/Ollie
SG: Allen
SF: Lewis
PF: Drobnjak/Evans/Radmanovic
C: Campbell/James

I don't see them sliding Barry to the 3 and Lewis to the 4 as the result of their trades today.

The main concern from Seattle's perspective (maybe even bigger than the PG concern) is Ray Allen's health: he's had a series of injuries this season and last, and while he was an iron man before last year, if Seattle got damaged goods, they're in a WORLD of hurt.

Ed O.

Trader Ed

Magic Johnson has several...

__________________
"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts..."

Heart, desire and hustle! Its the fire within that makes a champion.

Minstrel

Actually, what was "previously mentioned" was that the Sonics won't have anywhere near the money to pursue Kidd.

So Cal Blazer Fan wrote:

"No way they get Kidd. With both Payton and Anderson coming off the books, they had cap room to pursue him. Now they just have Campbell's $8 million coming off the books - they'll be at about $32-33 million in team salary.

That leaves room for an offer of $7-8 million for Arenas, but no room to offer Kidd the MAX deal that he'll get from others."

So, evidently, that puts your numbers and So Cal Blazer Fan's a bit at odds. I'd be interested to know which numbers are right...Seattle at $32-33 million or Seattle at nearly $45 million.

__________________
You'll never live like common people
You'll never do what common people do
You'll never fail like common people
You'll never watch your life slide out of view
And dance and drink and screw
Because there's nothing else to do.

HOWIE

Strange, I went to see Payton play last Saturday as a Sonic and now he will come to town one week later as a Buck! What a crazy chain of events!

__________________

hasoos

1) Seattle got a younger scorer to last them many years.
2) Milwaukee got Payton, a better defender, which is something George Karl has wanted.
3) Desmond Mason was included in case Payton walks. If Payton resigns, he is a bonus, but he was included to make sure Milwaukee got a good talent if Payton walks away from contract talks.
4) Payton will probably play SG in Milwaukee, not point. Him and Cassell should make a good veteran, dangerous back court. George Karl has always been all about having a good back court.
5) Seattle although now not as good as I felt they were, wasn't that good to begin with besides a brief winning streak in the beginning of the season. This does little to make them worse except get rid of some leadership. It may make them better in the fact that Ray Allen carries a better attitude to the team then GP has been carrying the last few years.
6) Milwaukee will definitly make the playoffs in the east now.
7) Seattle will definitly not make the playoffs in the west now.

__________________
Hasoos

Ed O

My numbers are from NBAZone.net's Bucks salary page and NBAZone.net's Sonics salary page. Also, Schilly has already pointed out that Unless the Sonics were expected to be 20 million dollars under the cap before the trade, or unless Schilly's numbers were off, there's no way they would have $7m to offer Arenas.

I would be interested to know if SCBF knows something here that I don't, but I expect that he just did his math wrong.

Ed O.

PorterIn2004

I must say, I'm amazed how much more we're talking about this trade than either Sonics or Buck fans (at least on this board). Go us!

That said, I realize that Redd is ready to have a coming out party but, I'd seriously consider starting Cassell at the 1 and Payton at the 2, at least defensively speaking. Payton would have a better shot than pretty much anyone else they have to slow down folks like T-Mac. Then, on the offensive end, they could do something like what we tried with Pip and Damon.

In any case, I now have more incentive to follow both the Bucks and the Sonics. Here's to a fun rest of the season, whatever happens.