The morning after
OK so the Sonics didn’t get a top two draft pick Tuesday night at the NBA Draft Lottery meaning they more than likely won’t have a shot at drafting Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley. But like Oklahoman columnist Berry Tramel wrote today, it’s a disappointment not a death sentence.
There is still quality left at No. 4, with guys like O.J. Mayo, Jerryd Bayless, Brook Lopez, Kevin Love and Eric Gordon being the most likely options for the Sonics. That’s assuming they don’t trade up, down or out.
Here is how productive each of those players were last season…..
O.J. Mayo: Guard, USC, Freshman, 6-5, 200 pounds – 20.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.5 spg, 44.2 FG%
Jerryd Bayless: Guard, Arizona, Freshman, 6-3, 200 pounds — 19.7 ppg, 4.0 apg, 2.7 rpg, 1.0 spg, 45.8 FG%
Eric Gordon: Guard, Indiana, Freshman, 6-4, 215 pounds — 20.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.3 spg, 43.3 FG%
Brook Lopez: Center, Stanford, Sophomore, 7-foot, 260 pounds — 19.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.1 bpg, 1.4 apg, 49.6 FG%
Kevin Love: Forward, UCLA, Freshman, 6-10, 271 pounds — 17.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.4 bpg, 55.9 FG%
And here’s a link to Q&As with some of the representatives at the lottery courtesy of DraftExpress.com. A snippet of the Q&A with Kevin Durant….
“Honestly, I was a little bit shocked. It would have been nice to get either of those guys going one or two, but I’m happy with what pick we have. I know, probably starting this minute, management is going to be looking at guys that we (can potentially) take with that pick.”
Since everyone seems to be into mock drafts, it’s worth noting that ESPN.com, DraftExpress.com, SI.com and NBADraft.net all have the Sonics taking Bayless at No. 4.
At No. 24, NBADraft.net has the Sonics taking Kansas guard Mario Chalmers, DraftExpress has the Sonics taking an international center named Alexis Ajinca and ESPN.com and SI.com both have the Sonics taking an international power forward named Serge Ibaka.
Sticking with the mock draft angle, here’s a draft simulator from RealGM.com that I have enjoyed toying around with for years. If you’re a hoops junkie like me you could find yourself spending a lot of time messing around with different draft scenarios.
Here’s a Chicago Sun-Times article quoting Derrick Rose on the possibility of playing for his hometown team.
Also, Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley is not a fan of the lottery…..”It’s a typical situation,” he said. “We’ve been in the lottery so much and have never gotten the No. 1 pick. It doesn’t make any sense. Last year, I said it was a screwed-up system. This year, I think it’s a screwed-up system.”
Longtime NBA scribe Sam Smith weighs in on the lottery, saying in this piece that a flurry of off-season trading could soon begin now that the official draft order is determined.
Miami Herald columnist Israel Gutierrez suggested last week that the NBA change the lottery system. Miami Heat officials might agree with him now that they’re drafting second despite having the worst record in the league this season.
-DM-
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Comments
In the wake of self-documented fraud by the current ownership group and riding parallel to the ref scandal, just the threat of an ant-trust lawsuit against the NBA will get a backroom deal to keep the Sonics at home and to (maybe) give OKC another franchise. I say “maybe” because Stern is maybe off the Bennett bandwagon and Bennett misreprensted to the BOG the likelhood of a buyout per the Seattle “A Deal is a Deal” ordinance.
Best of luck.
You are correct, a buyout is not in the cards but I have to think Stern and Bennett are still buddies. When Bennett wakes up and smells the Starbucks he could make this all go away buy just asking Stern to do his job and broker a solution for both cities.
DM,
Numerous legal experts have stated that Seattle has a far greater chance of winning the suit that they’ve filed than the one that they didn’t. An aside, Schultz has a far greater chance of winning his lawsuit than he does winning the City’s lease lawsuit. When are you people going to wake up and realize that the Sonic’s relocation to OKC has long since unravelled?
It appears that the good people of OKC have realized this, judging by the lack of comments in this blog.
The fact is the people of Oklahoma City dont comment on this blog becuase they dont feel like getting in a pointless argument with a bunch of grown children crying over the possible loss of a leisure activity. We are quite sick of your pointless ramblings and moaning about the possible loss of this franchise. It seems you are all quite confident that the team is not leaving Seattle so BE confident and quit trying to justify your stance with usless ridiculous rhetoric. Your arguments are weak and your stance is pointless. Do you honestly believe that you, me or anyone else really knows whats going to happen?
It’s moronic posts like the the ones the three of you have typed here that make your city look pathetic. You are representing your city when you post here whether you want to or not and from what I have read, Seattle, with all its boasting of stellar intellectual capital is full of a bunch of poorly educated whiners.
“usless ridiculous rhetoric. Your arguments are weak and your stance is pointless. Do you honestly believe that you, me or anyone else really knows whats going to happen?”
Actually, I believe it was an Okie on this board ( I’ll leave names out of this) who specifically stated that he didn’t care about the facts of the situation, didn’t want to know who the key players were, or the climate of future events. Sounds pretty ignorant and “uneducated” to me, bro.
Here is the reality of the situation as it stands. Aubrey McClendon got butchered in depo…you guys really need to find someone to teach him to lie better. The sad fact is he has put Clay in a bad spot, in the end Clay is going to have to throw him and Tom Ward underneath the bus without getting dragged under as well.
The reality is, with the ridiculous motions filed and denied by the PBC’s camp, and these depo’s are destroying any and all credibility that the PBC has with Judge Pechman. That’s not a shallow assumption Grendel…that’s for real. The fact is, you all including Clay and Stern, having been treating this as some joke. However, (possibly) in the coming months Judge Pechman is going to rule on a FRAUD case, if she finds in favor of the Plantiff (Schultz) not only will the fraud tag be placed on his name..along with Aubry and Tom…but they will also be guilty of perjury. K….that’s pretty serious to me. The FACT is, things are not looking very good for you guys, in fact it is getting worse day by day as more info comes out. Not to mention we have a great deal of insiders that you all just don’t have.
“a bunch of grown children crying over the possible loss of a leisure activity”
That’s a petty shot, especially when you consider that the only people in this fight right now…..are those who have lived and died with the Sonics through the good time and the bad. You sir, are the joke. The Seattle SuperSonics have never been a “leisure activity”. Now, I don’t agree with the “Okie-joke” name calling, but I don’t appreciate someone labeling our passion for this team to be anything other.
I’d rather be labeled a whiner or a “baby” than a LIAR and a FRAUD. Go ahead and defend your boy, it’s clear that your INTEGRITY is worthy selling for a professional sports franchise.
it’s gotten to the point where we all need to chill out, and wait for the courts rulings. we have all been rehashing the same arguments for months.
AND JOEY REALIZING THE FUTILITY OF “ALL” HIS ARGUEMENTS, INCLUDING, NAMECALLING WANTS EVERYONE TO CALM DOWN!lol!! WE ARE GOING TO FIGHT UNTIL THE END, AND, WE WILL CONTINUE TO SPEND OUR TOURIST DOLLARS ELSEWHERE (RE:SOFTBALL $$). MR GRENDAL, IF ALL OKIES THINK LIKE YOURSELF, WHY AM I STILL GETTING PHONE-CALLS FROM YOU PATHETIC OKIE’S WANTING MY 3 SOFTBALL TEAMS TO COME TO YOUR “DUSTBOWL”, INSTEAD, OF WHERE I HAVE REQUESTED THEM TO MOVE WITH MY SPONSOR MONEY, TO THE STATE OF TEXAS!! I WISH I COULD COPY PASTE SOME OF THESE PATHETIC EXAMPLES OF CORPORATE BEGGING. MOST OKIES ARE STAYING OFF THE BLOGS, DUE TO THE FACT, THEY REALIZE THE BIG PICTURE….IF YOU PISS OFF A COUPLE OF MILLION PEOPLE IN AN ESTABLISHED METRO AREA, IT IS GOING TO EFFECT THE BASIC ECONOMICS OF A SMALL-MARKET CITY LIKE OKIE CITY. ALL YOU VOTERS THAT VOTED WITH CLAY-BOY SURE WISH YOU HAD THAT VOTE BACK, ESPECIALLY, AFTER SEEING AUBREY’S DEPO!!!! POORLY EDUCATED WHINERS?? WHY ARE ALL YOU “DUSTBOWLERS” MOVING HERE OR VACATIONING HERE THEN??? HERE, LET ME ANSWER THAT FOR YOU MR. GRENDEL, ITS CALLED QUALITY OF LIFE, BABY!! SEE YA’ALL IN JUNE!!
MIKE U.
mike, im not giving up! im simply suggesting that we wait for the courts rulings! were sort of in a holding pattern.
and i think i speak for everyone on this one. NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR GOD DAMN SOFTBALL TEAM!! oh wow, your now going to texas instead of oklahoma. is there a difference? there are several middle aged beer league softball tournaments, right here in the state of washington.
JOEY, IM 42 AND PLAY “d” IN USSSA WORM!! AND IF YOU COULD GET THOSE CARPETBEGGERS FROM CALLING AND WASTING MY TIME FOR A MEASLY $30,000 IN ROOMS MEALS, ETC, I SURE WOULD STOP. THE EXAMPLE IS JUST 1 OF MANY SEATTLEITES WHO CAN DO A LIL FINANCIAL DAMAGE TO YOUR LIL CITY, BUT, WHAT IM HEARING, A NUMBER OF TEAMS FROM OTHER STATES ARE FOLLOWING BIG MIKE’S EXAMPLE LIL JOEY. YOU MAY NOT CARE (A LOWLY EMPLOYEE OF A DIRTBAG C-STORE), BUT, A FEW BUSINESS OWNERS (SOME YOU HAVE PROBABLY CLEANED HOMES FOR), KEEP EMAILING ME AND CALLING ME. AND BELIEVE ME JOEY, GOD DIDNT HAVE A THING TO DO WITH THIS!!lol! ACTUALLY, I MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN YOU AND PHILLIP MIXEDUP. MY BAD. AND THE ONLY MIDDLE-AGED LEAGUES ARE ON THE NORTH-END, RIGHT ABOUT WHERE YOU LIVE. I PLAY WITH THE BIG BOYS, AND, SPONSOR YOUTH TEAMS LIL MAN!!! SEE YA’ALL IN JUNE!!!
MIKE U.
“t’s gotten to the point where we all need to chill out, and wait for the courts rulings. we have all been rehashing the same arguments for months.”
You just might want to remember that more depos are coming out on others in this case and it keeps looking worse and worse for OKC.
But of course the Oklahoman will not cover that.
Also, I like how Sherman’s blogs are outro. Especially, the “It’s time to make a Deal” one……that blog was way off. He should keep the title of it and re-write the rest.
oh geez, i stand corrected. mike u plays usssa league!!!
like i said before, NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR GOD DAMN SOFTBALL TEAM!! a bunch of overwieght middle aged hacks, who couldnt make the high school team!
p.s. mike stop watching bull durham!
josh, your right. the oklahoman’s coverage is very suspect! everyone in the state of oklahoma seems to have thier head in the sand regarding this issue.
i hope pj the whore, has bought a house in the dustbowl! because when we retain the supes. he will be ran out of town!
The Sonics will be fine. It will take a while for the new owners to repair the damage done during the brief but destructive Bennett era but in the end the team will be rebuilt and contending again.
What you should be writing about now is how to motivate those in OKC that want the NBA to start pushing for a settlement that gets an NBA team in OKC and leaves the Sonics in Seattle.
Until that becomes the driving force nothing will be settled and the nightmare will drag on for years and in the end OKC has everything to lose and nothing to gain by sitting back and waiting.
Take the time to step back and look at the big picture and you will see that having 100% assurance of a team at some future date (be it expansion or relocation of a team from a failing market) is better than a long shot at prying loose the Sonics.
Despite the hopes of some in OKC there will never be a cash only buyout accepted if for no other reason then it lets Clay walk away a winner and Seattle’s elected officials have to go into an election year explaining why they sold out the team.
Put yourself in the other persons shoes. If someone managed to buy the Oklahoma Sooners and wanted to move them would Oklahoma EVER roll over and let it happen? Of course not. They would fight to the very last breath to keep what is theirs.
Lastly, even if it is possible to find a way to shaft Seattle so you can have their team wouldn’t you rather do it the right way, the moral way, and not be part of a slimey deal?
As we know in Seattle the people CAN and DO make a difference when they choose to get active. Start the conversation and start pushing for a solution that benifits all and you will be amazed to see what happens. Don’t be used as a tool because you won’t stand up for what is right.
(SOS, why in the world would the Sonics owners settle and give up the team they own now? You’ve heard about a bird in the hand, right? Or maybe you remember Clay Bennett saying at the BOG meeting in New York on April 18 that he and the ownership group are “committed more than ever to the business, and we’re thrilled with the opportunity to bring the team to Oklahoma City.” Numerous legal experts have said Seattle has a far greater chance to win the lease litigation rather than the Schultz suit. But no matter what happens in the lease suit the court can’t make the current owners sale. Only a rescinded deal could take the team out of the current owner’s hands. That or them selling, and based on the above quote that seems unlikely. -DM-)