Kevin Durant's play last night will definately get him some attention. He played well within the flow of the game and did not press nearly as hard as some significantly more established players. I loved his steal where he basically used his length to poke the ball between Michael Redd's legs and take the ball coast to coast.
Update: Robert Swift has officially been cleared for full contact!
As mentioned earlier it is expected that Robert Swift will be cleared for full contact today. Swift is in the Sacramento area for a bit but will return next week and hopefully start full scrimmages. Also note that Swift is eligible for a contract extension and continues to have his name mentioned prominently as a "future cornerstone". I would not be suprised if they try to lock him up but it will be tricky to figure out the dollar value.
In a small blurb last week it was announced that Karen Bryant will be moved back to full time duties with the Storm. I think this is a good move for both Karen and the team. Karen's passion is undeniable but she was simply overburdened by having both sets of responsibilities and I don't believe that they ever gave her enough support to do her job with both teams. Additionally she was, at heart, a WNBA person and I know that some members of the front office felt that the Sonics suffered by having too close to "equal" emphasis placed on the Storm. The Storm are very important but people need to know where their bread is buttered and the NBA is the big money league.
There was an ESPN article last week citing " Bennett representative" Dan Mahoney. My understanding is that Mahoney will be replacing Bryant in the PR department and could concievably relocate here to do so. Mahoney, who I have not met, is a member of The Gooden Group, an Oklahoma City based Public Relations firm that handles all of Clays business down there.
Many would see this "outsourcing" to OKC as a bad thing, but I don't. It certainly could be indicative of the fact that they are simply planning on moving the team and don't care about Seattle but if that's the case then this is the least of our problems. I'll say that by every account the Gooden Group is very good at what they do and the basketball product and community relations in Oklahoma City were extremely well managed. My guess is that Mahoney handled that and was freed up when the Hornets moved back to New Orleans. Also I feel that the PBC has really suffered from not having someone on the ground here to firsthand get a sense of where things are and where they are going. If Mahoney comes in with a direct line of communication to ownership and is able to create more of a bridge between this region and the Bennett camp. That would be a very good thing.
Lastly I think you'll continue to hear trade rumors percolate for the entire summer. Look for them to last until at least late August when Wally Szczerbiak becomes eligible to be moved in a multi-player deal. It seems like Delonte West is being discussed regularly as a part of next year's team while Wally, who was acquired in the same draft day trade is simply left out of the conversation. People are connecting the dots and feeling as if Szczerbiak could be moved before he ever dons a Sonics jersey.