Stating the Obvious: Vegas is off the table for another decade.

SEATTLE - Not that you needed anybody to tell you this, but, referee Tim Donaghy's alleged gambling must have set Las Vegas back at least a full decade before they could be considered as a home for an NBA franchise.

I get the timing, I'm not sure why Nickels

SEATTLE - This past week Clay Bennett blew into town, asked the mayor, Greg Nickels, to have a meeting, then left town after issuing a strange proclamation stating that the mayor had something to do with the city, and the basketball teams play in the same city. Gosh, thanks for figuring that out Clay. Maybe next time you want to do something like this try calling ahead of time, they do have phones in OKC that reach wayyyyyyy out to the left coast. Can you really not plan a trip where you are pushing a press release about the mayor of Seattle and not manage to arrange ahead of time to actually meet him? Really?

Call me crazy, but, having the local morning sports radio talk show host bitterly complain to you about the way you've gone about communicating with the rest of the world might be hard for you to figure out (see above). Maybe issuing a press release, getting on an airplane, flying out here, and hoping for a few hours of the mayor on what only looks like a whim, really is a poorly coordinated media and political attempt at pushing the ball forward. It was clumsy.

Stranger yet, why Nickels? What the hell has Nickels got that could possibly get something to happen in this city of that kind of size? Have you seen the tunnel video, because that's what he's got to show for his muscle right now. You're asking the guy that doesn't run his own school district or transit system, to educate the masses, and get people moving on this.

You should be going where the other sports went, to the county. Ron Sims said nearly two years ago that the Seattle Center needed a complete overhaul, to make the entire facility a world class center for the entire county. But the mayor was too busy dreaming of 6 billion dollar tunnels, and a new grassy park for Helpfest, to waste his political capital on that old place.

Whatever you do next Mr Bennett, try calling first.

Art Thiel is Blazing Saddles; Brian Robinson had his Feelings Hurt

SEATTLE - Art Thiel finds the perfect analogy for the Clay Bennett flyby trashcan rattling:

On the one-year anniversary of the announcement of his group's purchase of the Sonics, Bennett told those he met he was still waiting on action for a proposed Sonics arena. He reminded everyone that he was serious about relocating the franchise starting Oct. 31, even though it would spoil the basketball season and cost him perhaps as much as $50 million in fees and penalties.

The moment recalled the famous scene from Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles," in which the new sheriff, played by Cleavon Little, escapes a lynching by holding a gun to his own neck and threatening to shoot if he isn't released.

"Oh Lordy-lord, he's desperate," Sheriff Bart says of himself.

"Do what he say. Do what he say."

The townfolk are duped, and Bart walks away.

Marvelous as was the scene, the analogy is imperfect: If something isn't worked out in Seattle, holes get blown in the wallets of the city as well as Bennett.

The absurdity of the dilemma was inadvertently underscored when Bennett, answering a question in a meeting room at the Washington Athletic Club, said in his years as a venture capitalist that included "well over a hundred" major deals, he said, he's never been involved in one like this.

Read the rest here in the SeattlePI

Great job Art, very funny, and I mean it when I say: Greg Nickels as Hedley Lamarr; Lamarr's object of desire being a viaduct replacement (insert euphemistic joke here) and object of political failure (viaduct) playing the role of Lili Von Shtupp.

. . .

Brian Robinson at Sonicscentral/SaveOurSonicsandStorm is without humor today, a little hurt feelings, a little blame the people that should have been doing the heavy lifting. That shouldn't have been you Brian, they pay PR people to do this, and I don't think getting a special feeling by being around THEM, and getting juicy details you can't repeat to your "readers" is payment enough. They blew it with you, the free advocate, and that's putting it lightly.

During the course of the last year I have spent a great deal of time advocating on Clay Bennetts behalf. While I don’t regret that decision I have certainly re-thought it a number of times.

. . .
Early next week A Deal is a Deal, PAC will be filing an initiative designed to enforce the Seattle SuperSonics lease through the 2010 season. After EXTENSIVE legal review we believe this option to be legally binding and virtually assured to pass. The time it takes to get it on the ballet will depent on the number of volunteers and financial contributions we recieve. Most likely the campaign will kick into full gear coinciding with Basketball season and we will publicly ask the mayor to restrain from subverting the will of the people until this matter is voted on.

Read the rest of that, there: SonicsCentral.com

Sonics trade for Two First Round Draft Picks, and Kurt Thomas

SEATTLE - The Seattle Times is reporting the the Sonics have made a trade using the trade exception if had from the Rashard Lewis to Orlando deal; using the exception to accoire two first round draft picks as the price of absorbing the final year in Kurt Thomas' contract.

Sonics acquire Phoenix Sun's Thomas

Seattle Times staff
Friday, July 20, 2007 - Page updated at 10:28 AM

The Sonics today acquired forward Kurt Thomas from the Phoenix Sun.

The NBA team used its trade exception acquired in the deal with Orlando for Rashard Lewis.

In today's deal with Phoenix, Seattle also picked up two future first-round draft picks.

Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company

According to the trade notes at NBAdraft.net the Suns have these to first round picks:
"Phoenix receives a 2007 Cleveland first-round pick. (Rajon Rondo trade 062806) (top 10 protected through 2010 and unprotected after) via Boston receives a 2007 Cleveland first-round pick. (Jiri Welsh trade 022405)"

This is the pick the Suns used to select Rudy Fernandez at #24 overall.

"Phoenix receives Atlanta's 2007 first round pick (Joe Johnson trade 081905) Protected through 3 in 2007 and no protection in 2008."

If you remember, the Hawks kept the 2007 pick because it was top 3 protected (maybe you didn't catch that while celebrating the Sonics #2 lottery prize). From now on it is unprotected, so, next year it looks like the Sonics might have the Hawks #1 pick.

And, it looks like the Sonics will get one of the Sun's first round picks.

Good job Sam Presti, that Hawks pick could be really big for the Sonics.
[edited and added below at 1:13pm]

Well, too bad we didn't get the Hawks pick. That really would have made the trade meaningful to me. As it is, we get something much, much lower, and a broken Kurt Thomas. Weeeeee!

I've Got Spam from David Locke

SEATTLE - I'm not sure how or why David Locke has my email address. It could have been from several years ago when I subscribed to his blog/news thing, which I quickly unsubscribed from since it didn't provide any actual information that I didn't already know or didn't find useful. Still, that doesn't really explain why the spam I was sent was a straight email where my email address was on display along with the other 188 addressees.

Gosh David, thanks for sending my email address to 188 strangers, you idiot. Do you not know how to use a simple email program? It's called a blind carbon copy "Bcc", it allows you to send many people a message without exposing email addresses to everybody that receives it. I don''t know you personally, nor do I personally know any of my 188 new best friends.

Now that I've called David a dumbass, let's find out what treasure was so valuable that my email address was expendable (links omitted, he doesn't deserve it):

Hello Friend.

I hope this finds you well.

First things first -- Locked on Sports the web edition is back.

One thing I truly missed while with the Seattle Supersonics was the connection to the amazing Locked on Sports community that we built together in 8 years at 950,KJR. My termination from the Sonics has allowed me to bring that back. Therefore, Locked on Sports the web edition is back and rolling. We will cover all sports and all discussions no differently than before. The same research, numbers, analysis and opinions that made Locked on Sports are back.

Please sign up for the RSS feed on your RSS reader if applicable.

The goal is to do some really fun things with the blog, interviews, live blogs, video and other new technologies I can't disclose. More importantly, what do you want from the Locked on Sports blog?

I passionately want to re-build the Locked on Sports community and expand it. I am very impressed with many of the Sports bloggers in town and I plan to integrate their work and support their efforts. My goal is for the comment zone to become the Seattle Sports fans and beyond forum. I will take those comments that resonate and move them into the primary blog for further discussion. You are vital.

What are my plans?

Many people have asked what my plans are for the future. Honestly, i don't have the faintest clue. I am fortunate that my contract still has some time on it so I have the luxury to look. This little turn of events was not in the plans. However, I have believed for a long time that the sports world and the sports fan is evolving and I want to really investigate that and figure out where it is going and what a sports fan wants. In addition, I am going to look at all possibilities both in and out of broadcasting and in and out of sports.

For the time being I am going to re-build what we lost over the last 15 months at Locked on Sports.

Thanks to all of you who have sent nice comments or who have dropped positive words on the messages boards around the world.

See you at Locked on Sports -- the wed edition. I look forward to re-building Locked on Sports.


David Locke

Oh, thank god, I've been called upon to help somebody make a great blog by providing the unimaginative some ideas so he can make his blog better. Umm, well, if I had a great idea for a blog I would act on the idea myself. I'll guess that a fair amount of my new 188 close email buddies would do the same.

Please, David, don't ever email me again, you idiot, you bring nothing to the table as far as I'm concerned.

The Self-Transcendence of Gary Payton: A Will to Win

SEATTLE - Last night while watching the Seattle Supersonics play a summer league game against the the Portland Trailblazers I couldn't help but notice Jeff Green tightrope walk the sideline, running full speed, keeping the ball in play. I don't even remember what the result of the play was, I'll watch it again on DVR, and it doesn't really matter.

Last night while watching the Seattle Supersonics play a summer league game against the the Portland Trailblazers I couldn't help but notice Kevin Durant jab step and hit a twenty-footer effortlessly. I'll watch it again on DVR.
It isn't too often that you get to see a generational shift in a sport, but that's where I was last night. While watching young players do things at their size and age that shouldn't really happen I just accepted it, drink the kool-aid everybody, just drink it.

There was a timeout, both Durant (who I will just call Kevin from here on out) and Green, were walking off the floor, and I couldn't help but think that those two kids need a herdsman, a chaperone, a guide for the eventual ego trip this will be a component in their future. Good kids, or not, they are entering a man's world, a millionaire athlete's world. If only there was somebody that had been down that path, at that level, that had done the right things, the wrong things, and now knows the difference.
As if somebody had fed me moldy rye bread Gary Payton appeared on my television. GP was talking and all I could think was that he's matured. He said something about Green having good defensive footwork and that "he (Green) could guard anybody", that he didn't want to coach, he's thinking about playing one more year, that he'd like to work in a front office job somewhere, that he would like be back in Seattle. I'll watch it again on DVR.

I would like nothing more than to have the guy that was on television last night, the mature Gary Payton, keeping the kids out of trouble on the road. Gary knows what trouble looks like and I think he's at a point in his life where he could help other's avoid it. It would be good to have a guy that could step out on the floor once in a while to coach the kids out of a complete meltdown, when a veteran team turns the refs against the kids, when things don't go their way, when somebody has to have the ability to change the nature of the behavior of the players and refs on the floor, what's the right way to play the game, and not get screwed. I think Gary would be great not getting screwed insurance for the kids.
Gary doesn't have to start, or play a lot, but he appears to want to be wanted, to close the circle, and give something back. I'm all for that guy I saw last night.

There is one thing Gary could do that wasn't something you could measure in individual plays, but it appeared in the wins the not-so-good Sonics of the Vin Baker era. The Sonics had no business beating the Lakers as often as they did. The Sonics had no business beating Golden State consistently as they did. There was a point in a game, any game, where you could feel the intensity rise, and all of the Sonics players connected to it, next thing you know the defense clamps down and the best shot the Sonics could produce was taken, playing the right way. Not too many players have a will to win that extends beyond their personal desire, that transcends the physical abilities of normally ordinary role players that were on the floor at the time. If Gary could pass that gift on to the next generation of Sonics players then I think we could all be the better for it; second overall to second overall, from a guy that could guard anybody (the last point guard to be defensive player of the year) to another guy that can guard anybody.

I asked back in May to bring back the winner, sign Gary Payton for his last year. I didn't know that Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis would both be gone, I thought that they would sit on Ray for another year.
It will be come abundantly clear in the middle of the season, on the road, that you should have signed a veteran, the difference between any veteran and Gary, is that Gary cares what happens after his playing days are over, he cares about Seattle, it transcends.

I Could Go For an Arena Right About Now

SEATTLE - Seriously, I could go pretty far for an arena, all the way to Auburn. I might have to stay overnight in a new hotel.
Come on Muckleshoot!

http://www.muckleshoot.nsn.us/

So Long to Rashard Lewis, Hello Trade Exception

SEATTLE - Where do I begin? First, I'm very happy for Rashard Lewis. He is set to make 126 million dollars over the next 6 years thanks to a sign and trade deal completed today between the Seattle SuperSonics and the whOrlando Magic. The Sonics will sign Lewis, trade him, and receive a conditional second round pick as the Orlando part of the trade.

Orlando had the salary cap room because they renounced their free agent rights to Darko Milicic. They have salary cap room; that's why the salaries between the parts of the trade didn't have to match, the Magic absorbed Lewis' salary and stayed under the salary cap (that's what happened Percy, they didn't have an exception, they had cap room). A byproduct of the trade is a trade exception for the Sonics. The Sonics sent out a giant salary that Orlando absorbed, creating a 11+ million dollar trade exception (possibly up to 14) that the Sonics have one year to use as a tradable commodity, like a salary placeholder.

The Sonics could use the trade exception to absorb the salary of a player from another team, and send along the Orlando second round pick in the exchange. For you armchair GM's out there, the salary cap is $55,630,000, and the luxury tax is at 67,865,000, you might want to go take a look at the teams over the tax line to see if there is somebody you could see playing for the green and gold.

I like Lewis, he's a very good player, but not great. So, I kind of feel bad for the Magic fans. At the end of that contract will be the sixth year at around 25 million dollars. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a boat anchor. Lewis is worth half that, why? Because he plays on one end of the court. Too harsh? Ok, he's worth 2/3 of that at the most. His defense is not even average, and yet he's getting maximum money.

That's a dumb signing. Orlando was one of the few teams that had any cap money. The Sonics were not about to pay Lewis that much, and as we have seen, the Sonics didn't want a bunch of ending contracts in a sign and trade deal. So, a sign and trade with another team wouldn't have been the best option for the Sonics. It was a limited pool of possible teams, no matter what Lewis' agent said.
Orlando outbid themselves.

So Much for Lewis and Casey, Welcome P.J. Carlesimo as the Sonics Coach!

SEATTLE - As quickly as the potential signing of Rashard Lewis to a reasonable contract fell through so did my supposed best fit coach, Dwane Casey, for a SuperSonics roster that would have featured Lewis, Kevin Durant, and Jeff Green. The whOrlando Magic flashed the cash, a maximum contract offer, no matter what that number turns out to be, toward Lewis. I can't blame Lewis for taking it, or the Sonics Sam Presti for not matching or beating it.

Rashard Lewis may be worth a max contract to the Magic, and quite possibly only the Magic, but he's not worth that to the Seattle SuperSonics. The Magic have increased their talent pool, good for them, Lewis is a very good player, not great, very good. Unfortunately for the Magic, they are not going very far until Dwight Howard stops acting like a spoiled child. I believed that before they attracted Lewis, and I believe that as long as Dwight Howard lives and breathes. Still, Orlando will win some games, and go to the playoffs quite a few times in the east, which really isn't saying much.

I really don't like Howard, have you noticed? He's a very good player, dominating, and a not so good person to play basketball with. He thinks the team got Lewis for him, it's all about him, and when it isn't, even for a few plays, I don't think he's going to act like a professional.

Back to the Sonics; no Lewis, no Casey, that is the connection I made. The reports out today that the Sonics will announce on Thursday that they have hired P.J.Carlesimo.
I wonder who Carlesimo will hire as assistant?
Another coaching candidate, Scott Brooks, was released by the Sacramento Kings (just sayin', he's out there).
Good Luck P.J., no matter where this job takes you.

Shopping Day! WoooHoooo!

SEATTLE - Today, July 1st, is the first day that teams can talk to free agents in the National Basketball Association. Players can not officially sign contracts until July 11th, so we will hear a variety of rumors, some of them about the Seattle SuperSonics Rashard Lewis.
I'll cut to the chase.
Lewis could sign with Orlando as a free agent and leave money on the table. How much money is going to be discussed this weekend with Rashard Lewis and the Sonics general manager Sam Presti, and owner Clay Bennett. It will be as least one more year on a contract, that's what N.B.A. rules allow. No matter what Orlando offers, they can not offer that extra year.
So, the money says Seattle.

On Thrusday the Sonics traded away Ray Allen, that would make Rashard Lewis the veteran leader, not the co-captain. The veteran leadership spot is Lewis'.

The Sonics used the Boston 5th overall draft pick the received in the Allen trade to select Jeff Green. The Green, a 6 foot 8 swingman (I'm not counting your thick socks), can swing between the shooting guard spot and small forward.

The Sonics took with their pick, second overall, Kevin Durant. Durant is 6 foot 10 and the only freshman ever selected as the Associated Press consensus All American. Right now he is a small forward, he could grow into the power forward position.

Rashard Lewis is a 6 foot 10 small forward that could play some power forward, and may end up there before the end of his next contract. Home run hitters end up at first base, tall and skilled small forwards end up playing some power forward. It's the Cliff Robinson career path. So, he has a position in the starting line up, Lewis is uncle Cliffy Jr.

That leaves the type of roster you play, and the coach to call those plays, being the weight that tips the lewis scale. If you are going to play a tall, shot blocking center, that's Robert Swift, and play 3 interchangeable players in the power forward, small forward, and shooting guard positions, then you want a coach that believes in rotating, trapping in the half court, and length. George Karl wants too much money and he's busy with the Denver Nuggets for the next few years, so, you get an associate, a Karl jr: that's Dwane Casey.

I think, if the things above are logical to Lewis, that the Sonics hire Casey, sign Lewis, and then move on to focus on the point guard position.

This could be over in a week.