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jrrompy · 08-27-2002, 10:51 PM

I mean, with all the guards the Sonics now have, Mason, Barry, Anderson.
Do they even have a need of Forte??

I personally think he has potential, and he played really good for the Celtics summer league team.

He is only 20 years old and it seems like he has the potential for for decent NBA career if a team gives him a chance.

What does everyone think??

robyg1974 · 08-27-2002, 11:08 PM

Forte shouldn't play at all this upcoming season for the Sonics, not unless someone either gets injured or traded. But the team WON'T re-sign Kenny Anderson after the 2002-03 season, so he should be able to get some PT as the team's backup PG during the 2003-04 season.

Of course, if the Sonics blow this team up sometime over the next few weeks by trading Gary Payton and Rashard Lewis, all bets are off! HOPEFULLY it won't come to that!

Forte was TOUGH at UNC. Wasn't he hurt all last year?

jrrompy · 08-28-2002, 10:32 PM

Forte wasn't hurt last year, I heard he just didn't perform and was very immature. He had a few disagreements with the Boston coaching staff so they put him on the IR all year.
This year, he went all out and played really well in the summer leagues, but then went to Seattle.

But I see Seattle with too many guards, thats why i had concern over his development. He was a top player in college and given opportunties he will become a very good NBA player too.

So you think he will be another benchie this year, and then maybe next year get a chance with Anderson gone??

Just wanting to hear peoples opinions on him as a player, and whether they think he will be used.

robyg1974 · 09-01-2002, 04:33 PM

Well, right now, he is behind a lot of dudes on the Sonics' depth chart. If Gary Payton, Brent Barry, Kenny Anderson, and Desmond Mason all play for the Sonics next year as expected, well, I don't see how Joe Forte will touch the floor for that team. Again, he was freaking TOUGH at UNC, last year was a lost season for the guy, and he ended up in the WRONG place in Seattle. Seattle didn't necessarily WANT this guy, the Celtics HAD to trade him in order to dump some more salary.

He WILL get a fresh start in Seattle, though, and he WILL learn a lot playing with/for Payton, Barry, and Nate McMillan. The Sonics WON'T re-sign Kenny Anderson after the 2002-03 season, so Forte will get an opportunity go get around 20 minutes/game of backup minutes in the 2003-04 season for the Sonics. But next year? No minutes for this guy.

jrrompy · 09-01-2002, 11:20 PM

Yeah I had the feeling that would happen.
Unless the Sonics lose Lewis and Payton in the near future, he will be benched again barring injuries.

Did you watch many games of him at UNC? I heard he was very very good there, and some said he would be a very very good pro.

Since it looks like he will lose another season (this year with the Sonics) do you think he would have better experience if he had stayed at UNC until he graduated? Thus becoming a sure top10 draft pick.
Or will he gain more basketball knowledge and experience scrimmaging against Veterans like Payton/Anderson/Barry and McMillan I guess??

robyg1974 · 09-02-2002, 12:20 PM

I don't think there's such a thing as "coming out too early." If you're good enough to play in the NBA, you're good enough to play in the NBA. Jermaine O'Neal was MUCH better off sitting at the end of the bench for a few years than he would've been starring at the University of South Carolina. The pro game is different than the college game (or the college GAMES, as there are any number of different approaches to playing basketball), and the sooner you can get in the pros and start learning what the pro game is all about, the better.

So Forte would be better off sitting on the bench for his first two seasons in the NBA than starring at UNC. From a pro basketball point of view, that is. Starring at UNC, leading his team to the Final Four, becoming a part of the Tar Hell basketball family (STRONG ties there, as you know), making first team All-American? Is it worth the tradeoff? Well, maybe not, but pro teams don't care about that $hit, they care about what you can do in the pros. From a personal standpoint, from an emotional standpoint, from a life experience standpoint, from a longterm standpoint, maybe he should've stayed. But from a pro ball standpoint, and certainly from an ECONOMIC standpoint, the sooner you can come out, the better, I really do believe that.

Although it's pretty nice to have a guy sitting at the end of yr bench who has a good shot at starting for you sometime down the road, don't you think? Lots of teams have COMPLETE NOBODIES sitting at the end of THEIR benches, you know what I'm saying?

And Forte makes $1.0 mil next year REGARDLESS. It's hard to complain about THAT!

**Ghost** · 09-02-2002, 04:28 PM

I have lots of faith in forte and i hope they trade anderson to the kincks or something.like anderson and booth for spreewell.

jrrompy · 09-02-2002, 10:18 PM

Of course there is nothing wrong financially from 'coming out too early' into the NBA. However, the NBA is alot less patient with players who do not perform. Fair enough it is a professional sport, and the coaches aren't there to babysit players who just want to f-around.....but there have been some recent examples of guys who thought they were NBA ready and ended being ready for bench warming.

Forte I think was one of them, I still think at least one more year at UNC and he would be a starting rookie for a team. Omar Cook is another college player who looked to have the PG skills to be a good NBA player, but he couldn't shoot, and now he is off to Europe.

But I totally understand what you are saying, the bench of the Sonics is very stable for years to come.

Any other thoughts??

btw, I have lots of faith in forte too.

**Ghost** · 09-03-2002, 06:13 PM

Go forte Go. I also think there should be a rule or something that everyone should at least go to college one year and not come out of high school and have no college degree.

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