ARG!!!!
I posted a long and detailed message and somehow the server times out and deletes it…try number two.
It is hard to fill the gaps on these dog days where the biggest Sonics news is the potential workout of 2 year removed veteran Doug Christie. Last year I was optimistic that Christie could fill a veteran role on this team after it was reported that he had a series of very competitive workouts in the summer. When I asked a senior member of Sonics management(who is no longer with the team) why Doug never even got a shot in training camp it was summed up very nicely with this highly insightful response:
â€He can’t play. He’s got nothing left.â€
So if Christie does get an invite this year don’t get too excited. He is no longer the defensive genius that he once was and he will not start at SG. Simply he’d be a guy for our bench who could provide veteran advice and maybe a few minutes of play in spurts. Not huge news.
What is huge news to me is the teams continued willingness to make sound investments in the organizational braintrust. Last week they added Paul Rivers from Detroit as an upgrade to their video scouting department and this week or next the Paul Westhead signing is expected to become official. While I cannot really say I know what either of those guys will bring to the table I can say that the team continues to be able to convince people to leave good situations and come here. Ownerships investment into the basketball operations staff is really solid and worth giving them some credit for. A bizarre side note is that the team has put $1 million into renovating the Furtado Center despite the fact that, even if they don’t move it is scheduled to be torn down as part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation development. The Furtado is a dump and this facelift will add more of a first class feel for players, management, and media.
With Kirilenko demanding a trade and Jermaine O’Neal still sitting out there do we have a chance for one more big deal this summer? There are only 3 weeks left but perhaps the Sonics could get in on something, possibly as a third team. I’m not certain how Kirilenko fits for our team especially given his huge contract. Still a package of Wilcox and Watson matches up nicely with him and perhaps those players, or Wally Z could be part of something involving other players. I actually think Wally would be used very, very well in Jerry Sloans system.
Last tidbit is this news that the NBA stole a key Microsoft employee to build the China market. Do you really think they want to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into building an Asian fan base and then leave Seattle for OKC? The most convincing element of Clay Bennetts “I really do want to work something out in Seattle†speech is when he gets going about the NBA’s desire to expand that market. You can really get a sense that he has looked at its potential value and is floored. I think any strengthening of the leagues position in Asia is good news for our Sonics.