View Poll Results: Should the Sonics trade Desmond Mason (and filler) for Donyell Marshall (and filler)?

robyg1974 · 07-24-2002, 01:34 PM

Gary Payton has spent his entire career in Seattle. He has had opportunities to leave, and he never has. How excited is he about getting rid of Vin Baker? Answer: EXTREMELY EXCITED. And who appreciates Payton's value more than the Sonics do? Answer: NOBODY.

So don't worry, Payton will get re-inked eventually, it'll happen.

As for Rashard Lewis! NBA players are starting to realize something, an extremely recent development--the money just isn't out there like it used to be! When was the last time a guy like Rashard Lewis became available on the open market--and the most anybody could offer him was $4.5 mil/yr? Answer: NOT ANYTIME RECENTLY, that's for sure!

The point here is, Rashard Lewis AIN'T gonna get the max from Seattle, he AIN'T gonna get the max from ANYBODY! He can think he's "worth the max"--but a player is only WORTH what his prospective employers THINK he's WORTH! PERIOD! If the best offer Lewis can get is from the Sonics--say, three years, $20 mil--well, Rashard, THAT'S WHAT YOUR WORTH!

This isn't a radical concept, actually. Let's say I bought a share of AOL stock three years ago at, what, $60/share. Now it's down to, say, $12/share. Guess what it's worth? Is it worth what I WANT it to be WORTH? NO! It's worth what the MARKET says it's WORTH! Which is $12/share! PERIOD!

IN OTHER WORDS: Rashard Lewis can re-sign for one year and see what kind of offers he gets NEXT summer, OR he can take whatever the Sonics are offering right now, suck it up, and try to deal with the fact that he's ONLY MAKING $6-$7 MIL/YEAR!

Either way, Rashard Lewis will be back in Seattle in 2002-03, and so will Payton. They have FINALLY gotten rid of Vin Baker's godawful contract, and all they really have to do is swallow Vitaly Potapenko's contract for the next three seasons--WOW!

The REAL QUESTION is this: do the Sonics let Kenny Anderson's contract expire after next season, thus freeing up $9.2 mil and allowing them to make a run at one of the 2003 free agents? OR, do they dump Anderson's contract on a team eager to get rid of payroll in exchange for some inside help?

In other words, do you make a deal for Donyell Marshall (via a sign-and-trade) and Greg Ostertag in exchange for Anderson and one of yr SGs (either Brent Barry or Desmond Mason--I vote for Mason)? Or do you go with Vladimir Radmanovic as yr starting PF next season and see how THAT goes?

The thing is, not only would Donyell Marshall be a great fit for Seattle--he's a PF with a SF's game--BUT, like Rashard Lewis, he can be had at BARGAIN BASEMENT PRICES because this is the summer of 2002, the worst summer to be an NBA free agent EVER! A guy like Marshall USED to go for $7-$8 mil/yr--but, like Lewis, the most Marshall can get from a team besides the Jazz is about $4.5 mil/yr. Why not have the Jazz sign him to three years, $17 million ($5.2 mil next year, then $5.7 mil in 2003-04, then $6.2 mil in 2004-05), then have the Jazz sign BRYON RUSSELL--who is nothing spectacular but who ALSO is suffering the same fate as Lewis and Marshall (no money to be made!)--to a rock-bottom deal (three years, $6 million--more than he's going to get from anybody else, and the dude is a nice veteran backup, a nice role player with plenty of "championship experience"), then make the following trade:

Kenny Anderson, Desmond Mason, and Vitaly Potapenko to the Jazz; Donyell Marshall, Bryon Russell, and Greg Ostertag to the Sonics

Why not? The Jazz want to dump Ostertag's contract (which isn't great, but it's not as bad as you think--just two more years, $7.8 mil next year, $8.7 mil in 2003-04) AND they want to get a decent cheap young player in return for Marshall and Russell. Anderson's contract is up after next season, so all the Jazz are REALLY doing to get Desmond Mason (their "SG of the future") is swallowing the remaining three years on Potapenko's contract (three years, $17.1 mil--slightly more than Ostertag's two years, $16.5 mil, but less per year). I mean, do the Jazz REALLY want Donyell Marshall to be their go-to guy in the post Stockton-to-Malone era (which is COMING RIGHT UP people, only one more season of Stockton-to-Malone, then they're both goners!)? You know?

And the Sonics are getting a nice PF who totally fits into their season along with a couple of other Jazz veterans who are QUITE FAMILIAR with playing an up-tempo game! And come ON, is Greg Ostertag THAT BAD? Isn't he better than Calvin Booth and Vitaly Potapenko and this Predrag Drobnjak fella? HELL, is he really worse than JEROME JAMES? Take a look at James' stats, then take a look at Ostertag's stats--who is the better player? And HELL, his contract is up after just two more seasons. In FACT, after next season, he'll have just one more year left--which makes him an extremely valuable commodity to a team that wants to dump payroll!

Anyway, I'm going to show you the Sonics lineup AFTER this proposed Jazz trade, then I'm going to show you the CURRENT Sonics lineup, you tell me which one you prefer:

PG Gary Payton--Joe Forte
SG Brent Barry--Bryon Russell
SF Rashard Lewis
PF Donyell Marshall--Vladimir Radmanovic
C Jerome James--Greg Ostertag--Calvin Booth--Predrag Drobjnak

Team payroll for 2002-03: $52 million

OR

PG Gary Payton--Kenny Anderson--Joe Forte
SG Brent Barry--Desmond Mason
SF Rashard Lewis
PF Vladimir Radmanovic
C Jerome James--Calvin Booth--Predrag Drobjnak--Vitaly Potapenko (who is out for the year, I think)

Team payroll for 2002-03: $53 million

I even actually like that four-headed center after the Jazz trade--that's 24 FOULS TO GIVE, people! That's ONE way to deal with Shaq and Duncan!

**Ghost** · 07-25-2002, 03:36 AM

I would not make that trade if we have yo give up mason beacause he will be a lot better than barry and right now he is a lot better than barry but you can't acutally say that cause of the stats but give mason the mintues and he will deliver the goods.

Also I think we should deal anderson and one of our centers for a above average point gaurd if possible. Like anderson and predrag for clippers 2nd round pick next year and melvin ely or chris wilcox either one is fine with me but i doubt we will trade any of the players we just got in the baker trade cause that dose not make sense cause why not of just of made it a three team deal.

robyg1974 · 07-25-2002, 12:47 PM

DUDE, you think the Clips are going to trade either Wilcox or Ely for KENNY ANDERSON? What? There are ANY NUMBER of superior PGs in this league--and the Clips are as cheap as they come--any guy who just got drafted in the lottery is worth a HELL of a lot more than Kenny Anderson--and Predrag Drobnjak is obviously nothing special.

And if Desmond Mason were a better player than Brent Barry, well, THEY PLAY ON THE SAME TEAM--don't you think Mason would be getting more minutes than Barry? Did you not even pay attention to the season Barry had last year? The dude had a MONSTER SEASON! Trust me, Brent Barry has more trade value than Desmond Mason, Brent Barry is a significantly better player than Desmond Mason.

The thing is, people just ASSUME that, just because a guy is young and shows promise, that he will NECESSARILY become a STAR in this league. Not necessarily true, not at ALL. Take a look at some of the bloated contracts around this league--there are any number of contracts you look at and say to yourself, "Now WHY did somebody give that guy a big longterm contract?" The reason these dudes have these big longterm contracts is because some organization made the same assumption that you are making--that a young guy with "upside" is FOR SURE going to turn into a STAR.

And, if you give a guy with "potential" a big longterm extension, WELL, what incentive does that guy have to FULFILL that potential? The answer: NONE! Brent Barry has already fullfilled HIS potential, he's a TERRIFIC player--same thing with Donyell Marshall, you know what you're getting, he's a proven veteran commodity, and this summer, you can get him at a rock-bottom price. Is Desmond Mason ever going to be a STAR in this league? It remains to be seen. My guess is that he becomes the next Bryon Russell--which isn't bad at all, Russell was a nice player, a key player on a championship contender for several years--but Russell was NEVER a STAR!

Anyway, thanks for posting, get yr boys in here, we need some action in this here Sonics community, WASSUP!

robyg1974 · 07-25-2002, 02:57 PM

Two things:

1) Don't worry about my "moderator" status--if you feel like disagreeing with me and calling me an idiot, go right ahead, it won't bother me. I want the users of this Sonics forum to feel free to say whatever they want--as long as we refrain from racism, xenophobia, homophobia, etc., that's fine--name-calling is FINE BY ME--okay?

2) What's the deal with the name "Princetolakers"? Are you talking about Tayshaun Prince? Because he didn't get drafted by the Lakers, you know.

Later.

**Ghost** · 07-25-2002, 04:05 PM

It's like a prince to the lakers not t-prince but that is ok and if you want marshel that much than trade barry we need to keep a good young core as in mason lewis forte.

cmd34 · 07-28-2002, 10:08 AM

Plus you guys could probably just sign Marshall. No need to trade a promising young player like Mason.

robyg1974 · 07-28-2002, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cmd34
Plus you guys could probably just sign Marshall. No need to trade a promising young player like Mason.

Dude, you're right. Unless the Jazz tops Seattle's offer, and the Sonics still want him.

In any event, I think Marshall is a nice fit in Seattle's up-tempo offense, and he (along with every other free agent this summer) can be had for cheap, so yeah, make him an offer, if the Jazz match it, you can just go from there. You know?

robyg1974 · 07-29-2002, 06:40 PM

Do you fellers think that the Sonics should make Donyell Marshall an offer? Maybe the full midcap exception? Huh?

View Poll Results: Should the Sonics trade Desmond Mason (and filler) for Donyell Marshall (and filler)?

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