Open letter to Sam Presti

[djthesonicsfan]

Congrats. Basically the season went as planned

[kjtruong]

1) I would argue that Mayo and Bayless are not PGs but rather undersized SGs that would probably have to cover the opposing team's PG on the defensive rotation. I would say get a franchise player with the 4th pick...aka Bayless or Mayo. Either is fine, but right now I am leaning towards Mayo, but I'm hopeful that we'll have a choice and we can determine which one is more desirable after some draft workouts.

2) As for a new coach, I don't mind. PJ is fine for now, it's not like he had much to work with last season. We were built to lose. I'll admit that his history isn't too great though. I think Avery Johnson would be a good assistant if we could get him and he can't find a head coaching job somewhere else.

3) Refer to #1, although I'll say that I'd rather have a veteran starting SG at the start of this season and maybe ease a rookie into the role later. I would rather not start a rookie backcourt this season so soon, that's just asking for trouble.

4) Enforcer is Collison at present. I guess we could use a couple more bangers up there. I loved when Fortson averaged nearly a double double for us. I never thought that would be the value we'd get back for Calvin Booth. We could get an enforcer in the draft or a veteran for an expiring or something, I don't think it'll be too difficult. I have my eye on Jeff Foster. He makes his fouls count and can get an acceptable amount of points and boards.

5) Love is not a C. We're not going to get a quality C in this draft unless we trade for a veteran. I guess we could use one of our late 2nd rounders to get some projects, but other than that I wouldn't really think about it. We'll eventually need some sort of a C to deal with the front courts of DEN, POR, and MIN though.

6) I don't know what you mean here. Wilkins is a servicable 6th man on a reasonable contract in my opinion. Griffin is an expiring we can probably trade for something as a filler, Elson isn't on contract, Gelebale also isn't on contract. I could care less about Swift, but we could give him a little money to try and let him redeem himself, he'd make a decent banger I think. Instead of trading Ridnour for an expiring right away, I think we should start him this season ahead of Mayo/Bayless. Let him raise his stock, then trade him and start Mayo/Bayless. Or we could do it with Watson, since he is less likely to want to play backup. Marshall and Wilcox are probably going to be gone by the end of the season.

I heard that we'd be keeping Durant and Green at SG/SF this coming season. Can anyone explain that or at least show where it says we'll be doing that? I wonder the logic behind it. Is it because we have a huge hole at SG if Durant doesn't play the position (assuming we play Bayless/Mayo at PG)?

Theoretically we could do...

Watson/Ridnour
Mayo or Bayless/Wilkins
Durant/Griffin
Green/Collison/Wilcox/Marshall
Petro/Swift/Sene

Other stuff I'd think about...

-Make a big push for Biedrins. I'd offer up to around what Dalembert is getting. Basically pressuring GSW to make a move on him or getting us a very capable young C. If they want we could do a S&T and send them Watson and Wilcox who would fit their system. Theoretically, we could also wait for when they resign their other players and make a push for Biedrins that would make it difficult for them to sign him.

-Get rid of Watson, Ridnour, Wilcox, Marshall, and Griffin for players that can fill holes that the draft cannot or use them to move up in the draft or get more future picks.

-Consolidate draft picks. Although there is a chance that there is a diamond in the rough at pick #50, it is unlikely that we'll get him. Turn as many 2nd rounders into as many 1sts as possible.

[sonic-ben]

#1 Mayo!
#2 in time coach will be gone I do not worry
#3 Rush would be good if not Weaver for defense ... Lester Hudson ?JR Gidden? shooting guards available
#4 enforcer... Dorsey #32 strong rebounder.. physical
#5 Hopefully we Get Thabeet next Year! 7-3 DeVon Hardin in 2nd round this year
#6 have too.... need space in roster

[S0yb3anB0y]

Mayo and Bayless are not your traditional PG but Mayo is more of your floor leader than Bayless. I see Bayless being a bigger bust. Mayo is like Chris Paul in terms of coming out of college. Just keep the pick and select Mayo. He is going to be good and we all know that. We pasted up on Al Jefferson and Josh Smith because we draft "need" Mayo on my board is the going to be just as good as Derrick Rose.

Great Letter.

[yearsago]

DJ: what you have seen of Mayo, he can play PG? He kind of reminds me of having a little stephon marbury game.

[whitedolemite]

Mayo is like Chris Paul in terms of coming out of college.

How?

[Det the Threat]

Mayo is like Chris Paul in terms of coming out of college.

How is Mayo just like Paul, coming out of college?

Paul had shown that he's a true point guard during his two years at Wake Forest and everyone knew what his position would be in the pros. Also, his one incident(when he kicked one guy during a game) wasn't nearly as big of a problem as Mayo's off court problems.

@DJ:

Very nice list, but there are some things i don't agree on.

First of all, Kevin Love is not a center in this league, as he'll probably measure out at around something like 6'9 or even 6'8. He's doing the right thing right now and that is losing weight(he's said to have lost about 15 pounds already), just like Carlos Boozer did before the draft, so he'll be able to play the power forward spot in this league.

Then there's that shooting guard you're asking for. It would be nice to get a guy like Brandon Rush, but Carlesimo has already pointed out that Durant will play the 2 spot next year again and that Green will be our small forward. So i don't think that those two spots will be a priority(especially with Mayo and Bayless being able to play there as well) during this years draft and that's why it think that Presti would only use a 2nd rounder on a guy at that position.
CJ Miles might be worth a shot, but only if he'd sign for something around $3 mil a year.


Though, i'm with you in that we need a real center and someone who can clean up down low. I still think that Presti(if he selects Mayo or Bayless) will work the phones and trade up with that Suns pick and all those other tradeable assetts, so he'll be able to fill the void at the 5 spot with a guy like Robin Lopez.

BTW: Another guy i'd really like on our team(even though he does not really fill a need) would be Joe Alexander. I think it'd be nice to have a guy like him backing up the 3 and 4 spots, while helping us out on the glass(he's a great leaper, rebounder and loves the dirty work) and also providing us with a shooter that can play the 4 and creat some space for others.

[Argyle]

Mayo is like Chris Paul in terms of coming out of college.

Um, what?

I seriously LOLd at this.

[AbdicatedReign]

Courtney Lee!

[S0yb3anB0y]

Mayo is like Chris Paul in terms of prospect. Paul was projected to be the best PG and a possible #1 pick but in his sophmore year, he fell out of being the best player in college. HE was also not the first PG taken.

That's how Mayo is going to turn out. He is going to explode and make CHICAGO, MAIMI, and MINNY regret not picking him. I really feel that Mayo has a good chance to be the best player in this draft because of his skill set. He is a short Kevin Durant.

[CatchNShoot]

This just in:

http://sportspickle.com/features/volume2/2003-0528-nbalottery.html

[whitedolemite]

He is a short Kevin Durant.

This statement is almost as odd as the Chris Paul one. Isn't what makes Durant special his length? He's got good skill and athleticism and ridiculous length, I think the only player drafted last year that had a higher standing reach than Durant was Oden. How special would Durant be if he was 6'5"?

[djthesonicsfan]

Great Letter.

Thanks.

[djthesonicsfan]

#3 Rush would be good if not Weaver for defense ... Lester Hudson ?JR Gidden? shooting guards available

B Rush defends. Just like K Weaver in my opinion. And I respect K Weaver's defense. But B Rush is a way better shooter & K Weaver might even still be there even at #43. I like your idea of JR Gidden.

#4 enforcer... Dorsey #32 strong rebounder.. physical.

Yes, but he's got zero offensive game. He's the second coming of Reggie Evans.

[djthesonicsfan]

DJ: what you have seen of Mayo, he can play PG? He kind of reminds me of having a little stephon marbury game.

Yes. Great handle. Great court vision. Good passer. Coachable. Leader. Size & athleticism. Bball IQ. Excellent perimeter defender. Excellent shot.

I prefer D Rose, but no way I'm upset about OJ Mayo joining the Seattle Sonics. OJ Mayo is going to be a star in the NBA.

[djthesonicsfan]

DJ: Very nice list, but there are some things i don't agree on.

Fair enough.

First of all, Kevin Love is not a center in this league, as he'll probably measure out at around something like 6'9 or even 6'8. He's doing the right thing right now and that is losing weight(he's said to have lost about 15 pounds already), just like Carlos Boozer did before the draft, so he'll be able to play the power forward spot in this league.

I'm not sure I know what "center" means anymore. I think more of "bigs", "perimeter players", "ball handlers" & "distributors". K Love is a big. With skills. He plays next to the basket. He's a solid interior defender. He makes all the right interior rotations every time. He even blocks a few shots. He rebounds. He makes outlet passes. He sets wicked picks. He's the smartest big coming out of the draft since Bill Walton. I don't care if he's only 6'9". He's going to make some team's interior, offense & defense, way better.

You want to use the Utah example? Sure. M Okur. Do you think K Love matches up with that guy? I do. And then some.

I would be happy to put K Love in the post on the Sonics.

Then there's that shooting guard you're asking for. It would be nice to get a guy like Brandon Rush, but Carlesimo has already pointed out that Durant will play the 2 spot next year again and that Green will be our small forward. So i don't think that those two spots will be a priority(especially with Mayo and Bayless being able to play there as well) during this years draft and that's why it think that Presti would only use a 2nd rounder on a guy at that position.
CJ Miles might be worth a shot, but only if he'd sign for something around $3 mil a year.

1. I'm hoping Pajamas gets fired after the trials conclude & new ownership is established.
2. In the end K Durant is a 3 & J Green is a 4. We need a 2. B Rush is a great 2. So is C Lee.
3. I bet CJ Miles signs for what you've stated... if he gets playing time.

Though, i'm with you in that we need a real center and someone who can clean up down low. I still think that Presti(if he selects Mayo or Bayless) will work the phones and trade up with that Suns pick and all those other tradeable assetts, so he'll be able to fill the void at the 5 spot with a guy like Robin Lopez.

Yuck. R Lopez probably won't even be as good as a rehabilitated R Swift.

BTW: Another guy i'd really like on our team(even though he does not really fill a need) would be Joe Alexander. I think it'd be nice to have a guy like him backing up the 3 and 4 spots, while helping us out on the glass(he's a great leaper, rebounder and loves the dirty work) and also providing us with a shooter that can play the 4 and creat some space for others.

Ya, I see J Alexander moving up due to his freaky athleticism, but I like K Durant better.

[djthesonicsfan]

Courtney Lee!

+1

[djthesonicsfan]

Wow. A guy that writes even more than me. Unbelievable.

1) I would argue that Mayo and Bayless are not PGs but rather undersized SGs that would probably have to cover the opposing team's PG on the defensive rotation. I would say get a franchise player with the 4th pick...aka Bayless or Mayo. Either is fine, but right now I am leaning towards Mayo, but I'm hopeful that we'll have a choice and we can determine which one is more desirable after some draft workouts.

OJ Mayo is better. But both OJ Mayo & J Bayless will be great PGs in this league. There's a lot of diversity in how PG is accomplished now a days. Besides, even if either of those two wind up being more valuable as a SG, so what? We need there too. Best player available for sure on a developing team like the Sonics.

2) As for a new coach, I don't mind. PJ is fine for now, it's not like he had much to work with last season. We were built to lose. I'll admit that his history isn't too great though. I think Avery Johnson would be a good assistant if we could get him and he can't find a head coaching job somewhere else.

PJ is a (Please Use More Appropriate Word) monkey & the players don't respect him. Avery Johnson is sitting on a pot of money plus he'd never be an assistant after being a successful head coach. I wouldn't want Avery Johnson. Way too controlling. NBA is a players league. There needs to be that mystical balance.

3) Refer to #1, although I'll say that I'd rather have a veteran starting SG at the start of this season and maybe ease a rookie into the role later. I would rather not start a rookie backcourt this season so soon, that's just asking for trouble.

Your veteran starting SG is a guy named K Durant. At least at the start of the season. As long as C Wilcox is around he's the starting PF. When C Wilcox is traded, K Durant & J Green slide over. I'd rather have a veteran starting center, but it's not likely going to happen. Unless Presti figures it out.

4) Enforcer is Collison at present. I guess we could use a couple more bangers up there. I loved when Fortson averaged nearly a double double for us. I never thought that would be the value we'd get back for Calvin Booth. We could get an enforcer in the draft or a veteran for an expiring or something, I don't think it'll be too difficult. I have my eye on Jeff Foster. He makes his fouls count and can get an acceptable amount of points and boards.

N Collison is tough, but he's not even close to being an enforcer. Fortson was a stupid enforcer. Calvin Booth? Are you kidding me?

5) Love is not a C. We're not going to get a quality C in this draft unless we trade for a veteran. I guess we could use one of our late 2nd rounders to get some projects, but other than that I wouldn't really think about it. We'll eventually need some sort of a C to deal with the front courts of DEN, POR, and MIN though.

Like I mentioned in my reply to Det... I'm not sure I know what "center" means anymore. I think more of "bigs", "perimeter players", "ball handlers" & "distributors". K Love is a big. With skills. He plays next to the basket. He's a solid interior defender. He makes all the right interior rotations every time. He even blocks a few shots. He rebounds. He makes outlet passes. He sets wicked picks. He's the smartest big coming out of the draft since Bill Walton. I don't care if he's only 6'9". He's going to make some team's interior, offense & defense, way better. But ya, we're not going to get him. We're going to have figure another way. Probably involving a package featuring C Wilcox.

6) I don't know what you mean here. Wilkins is a servicable 6th man on a reasonable contract in my opinion. Griffin is an expiring we can probably trade for something as a filler, Elson isn't on contract, Gelebale also isn't on contract. I could care less about Swift, but we could give him a little money to try and let him redeem himself, he'd make a decent banger I think. Instead of trading Ridnour for an expiring right away, I think we should start him this season ahead of Mayo/Bayless. Let him raise his stock, then trade him and start Mayo/Bayless. Or we could do it with Watson, since he is less likely to want to play backup. Marshall and Wilcox are probably going to be gone by the end of the season.

D Wilkins keeps forgetting he's not his uncle. I've seen his ceiling. It's too low. Time to move on. L Ridnour can't stay with his own shadow. This is not a playoff team. The focus is obtaining & developing young talent. Not trying to squeeze out an extra win or two with has been never really was veterans. A Griffin is terrible. And I understand his contract is not guaranteed. Kj, there can only be so many guys on the roster.

I heard that we'd be keeping Durant and Green at SG/SF this coming season. Can anyone explain that or at least show where it says we'll be doing that? I wonder the logic behind it. Is it because we have a huge hole at SG if Durant doesn't play the position (assuming we play Bayless/Mayo at PG)?

Until C Wilcox is traded. Whenever that is.

Theoretically we could do...

Watson/Ridnour
Mayo or Bayless/Wilkins
Durant/Griffin
Green/Collison/Wilcox/Marshall
Petro/Swift/Sene

But that'd be aweful. Besides, what about those 3-4 rookies Presti's getting in the draft?

Other stuff I'd think about...

-Make a big push for Biedrins. I'd offer up to around what Dalembert is getting. Basically pressuring GSW to make a move on him or getting us a very capable young C. If they want we could do a S&T and send them Watson and Wilcox who would fit their system. Theoretically, we could also wait for when they resign their other players and make a push for Biedrins that would make it difficult for them to sign him.

-Get rid of Watson, Ridnour, Wilcox, Marshall, and Griffin for players that can fill holes that the draft cannot or use them to move up in the draft or get more future picks.

-Consolidate draft picks. Although there is a chance that there is a diamond in the rough at pick #50, it is unlikely that we'll get him. Turn as many 2nd rounders into as many 1sts as possible.

+1 on the Biedrins trade. But probably not going to happen. He's good & the Warriors like him.

+1 on getting rid of Watsnour & that other garbage. But get real. An expiring for Watsnour is the best you're going to get. D Marshall and A Griffin are done. Nothing but expiring contract filler in an C Wilcox deal. Or post trade deadline negotiated releases. Dead wood.

There's only room for 3, maybe 4 tops, rookies on the roster. Bennett will like them as cheap filler at the end of the bench. Presti likes the potential on a young team. But there are already other guys under firm contract. So great idea, if you keep the #4. And that #32 because it's the best late 1st due to non-guaranteed money. So that leaves moving the #24 up. That'd be a good trick. Especially if it lets the Sonics snatch B Rush away from Orlando.

[sonic-ben]

-= original quote snipped =-


Yes, but he's got zero offensive game. He's the second coming of Reggie Evans.

Wasn't that the last time we were in the playoffs .... need role players

[Det the Threat]

-= original quote snipped =-
I'm not sure I know what "center" means anymore. I think more of "bigs", "perimeter players", "ball handlers" & "distributors". K Love is a big. With skills. He plays next to the basket. He's a solid interior defender. He makes all the right interior rotations every time. He even blocks a few shots. He rebounds. He makes outlet passes. He sets wicked picks. He's the smartest big coming out of the draft since Bill Walton. I don't care if he's only 6'9". He's going to make some team's interior, offense & defense, way better.

You want to use the Utah example? Sure. M Okur. Do you think K Love matches up with that guy? I do. And then some.

I would be happy to put K Love in the post on the Sonics.

Having watched the Sonics for those last couple of years, to me, "center" means a guy being taller and stronger then Nick Collison, cause that's the best center we had the last 3 years.

There's just something about Love and his game that screams no way to me, as i just don't really believe him being able to translate his game into the pros. I also don't know why we should draft another Nick Collison, with an outlet pass, but lesser defensive ability, as i don't think he's a good defensively as Nick.

Also, Okur probably has about 1 - 2 inches on Love. While he's a solid big in this league, do you really want to have a jump shooting center that doesn't plays defense? I mean, that's exactly what Okur is.

-= original quote snipped =-
1. I'm hoping Pajamas gets fired after the trials conclude & new ownership is established.
2. In the end K Durant is a 3 & J Green is a 4. We need a 2. B Rush is a great 2. So is C Lee.
3. I bet CJ Miles signs for what you've stated... if he gets playing time.

1) Even if there's a new ownership, those guys would have so much to do, like financing a key arena rebuild or a new arena, that there wouldn't be any changes before next summer.
2) Yes, Durant is a 3 and Green a combo forward, but i still don't see the sg position being that important to fill, as Durant will play another year at the 2 guard spot and with cheap options like CJ Miles or a 2nd round pick(some of those guards will fall to #32) available.
That's why i think going for a big with that Suns pick(if we do end up taking Mayo or Bayless with our own pick) would be the way to go. We still got a huge hole at the 5 spot and i'd really like to add a center to the mix, with all those centers available in the mid 1st round this year.

-= original quote snipped =-
Yuck. R Lopez probably won't even be as good as a rehabilitated R Swift.

1) No one knows if there'll ever be a rehabilitated Robert Swift again.
2) No matter if he's not that good or talented as Swift, he's still a very active 7footer that will bring hustle, rebounds, defense and will block some shots(just like A Varajao). That's something we've been missing for quite some time and i don't see what's wrong with adding a guy like that in the middle to later first round. I believe that we'd benefit defensively and our perimeter guys would look way better defensively, as they're able to stay close with their guys, cause they(and the opponents) know that there's a 7footer behind them waiting there to block some shots. Also, R Lopez has shown some improvement on his shot during the season as well.

-= original quote snipped =-
Ya, I see J Alexander moving up due to his freaky athleticism, but I like K Durant better.

Alexander is just a guy i really like, but i really don't see him being in the plans of Presti, as we already got our combo forward in Jeff Green. Though, Alexander brings shooting to the table and would be able to spread the floor for Durant, which is something i'm not sure Green will be able to provide.