A few questions from a Heat fan...

[BlaZeN27]

I've always gad a little thing for the Sonics, ever since I the front court days of Reggie Evans and Jerome James .


There were a few things I was wondering about, and I was hoping you guys could help me out.


1) What's happened to Luke? If I remember correctly, he was more then solid back when the Sonics were in the playoffs and had a great deal of promise. He's only what 26? Is there a reason why hes been the backup the past 2 years? Do you guys still have aspirations of him starting again?

2) Do you see Durant playing the 2 guard permanently? Or do you think he eventually gets moved to Small Forward?

3) What position will Jeff Green eventually end up staying at? The 3 with KD at the 2? Or will he play the 4?

4) Obviously the Sonics haven't had a great deal of success developing young big men (Swift, Petro, Sene). But out of those three, which one do you think has the most potential still, and the best chance to become successful?



Thanks!



EDIT: I got two more if anyone feels like answering them, lol.

5) What is your guys view on Collision? He put it really good rebounding numbers, and has a decent contract.

6) You guys have 2 first round picks, and an amazing 4 2nd round picks... What do you think will happen with them? Trade? What kind? Maybe you guys could try an aquire TJ Ford or Jose Calderon while dumping Watson/Luke with some of your picks. I can't see 6 more rookies on the Sonics lol.

[Patches Pal]

1. IMO Luke is still solid. He has been banged up quite a bit and this has resulted in the reduced minutes. When he enters the game you can definately see the pace pick up. He still is a much better creator than Watson. Watson has also improved from the competition between the two of them. Alot of people are down on both of them because they're not Chris Paul.
2. Whether Durant plays the 2 is still TBD. It depends on who the team gets to play the 4 and 5. I don't see any reason why he cannot play 2 permanently but he could also play the 3. Green looks like a better 3 than 4.
3. He looks like a SF to me. He doesn't utilize much of a back to the basket game.
4. Swift had the most potential but his knee injuries could end his career. Sene is also hurt. Petro has come along and is the man at the moment. He needs to improve his defense. Sene needs to improve his offense. Swift seemed to have both but has been unable to stay healthy.

[BBen]

1. If Luke had an offensive or defensive game he'd be great. Basically if he did anything other than dribble and pass I'd love him. Also he tends to play out of control. If you want him you can have him for what it costs to pay D Wade to do a commercial.

2 and 3. Durant is a 3, our coach is a moron. Of course, he can play the 2 if he has to. Also Green would ideally be a 4 once he adds some muscle. He's kind of an A.C. Green type 4 (excuse me for using a player with the same surname but I really do like the comparison).

4. Petro. Swift won't play for the Sonics again most likely since he's just been constantly injured. Why waste money on a guy that can't play for more than 10 games in a season? Sene also had surgery and won't play next year. However, he dominated in the NBDL last year and was co-defensive player of the year.

[djthesonicsfan]

1) He lost his confidence when Hill got Sund to trade for the more aggressive E Watson. L Ridnour needs a fresh start somewhere else. He's done here. The #4 pick will play PG.

2 & 3) K Durant slides to the three & J Green slides to the four when the Sonics trade C Wilcox, probably at the trade deadline.

4) J Petro at #25 has worked out to be a decent pick. Having K Thomas around last season seemed to help him a lot. Lots of thought R Swift had a lot of potential, but knee injuries have slowed him up so much it's unlikely he ever plays another significant minute in the NBA. M Sene was a wasted pick at #10... especially with Brewer selected by Utah at #12.

5) N Collison is an excellent first big off the bench. He'd be great at that role on any team in the leage. We're glad to have him.

6) The Sonics will likely keep 2-4 rookies this season depending on a variety of factors. Not likely on either TJ Ford or J Calderon. Likely either E Watson or L Ridnour are traded for the first lower cost expiring contract offered.

[BlaZeN27]

Thanks a lot for the in depth answers guys, I appreciate it. I like knowing as much as possible about most team.

I don't get why the Sonics wouldn't even consider Brook Lopez though, is it because they've taken 3 straight centers? I like Bayless, but I think he will be awful defensively.

I read somewhere that the Sonics are taking calls for the 4th pick... What kind of trade would you be OK with for the 4th pick? A few good players? Or does it have to be a proven all-star? Would you consider a S&T for someone like Gilbert Arenas or Baron Davis?

[kjtruong]

Thanks a lot for the in depth answers guys, I appreciate it. I like knowing as much as possible about most team.

I don't get why the Sonics wouldn't even consider Brook Lopez though, is it because they've taken 3 straight centers? I like Bayless, but I think he will be awful defensively.

I read somewhere that the Sonics are taking calls for the 4th pick... What kind of trade would you be OK with for the 4th pick? A few good players? Or does it have to be a proven all-star? Would you consider a S&T for someone like Gilbert Arenas or Baron Davis?

We'd take Lopez because he fills one of our core needs...C. I don't really want Lopez, but I can understand the logic behind the pick.

Rules for trading the 4th...
-Qualilty over quantity
-Must get starting quality PG and/or C (maybe even SG if our coach would like to finally move Durant to SF), my guess is both because the draft could net us one and the trade would have to make us better than status quo, otherwise it makes no sense to trade the pick.
-We're perfectly content with keeping the pick and taking Bayless, so this trade has to be very good for us with respect to player(s) we're getting back and contracts we're taking on.

[sonic-ben]

Thanks a lot for the in depth answers guys, I appreciate it. I like knowing as much as possible about most team.

I don't get why the Sonics wouldn't even consider Brook Lopez though, is it because they've taken 3 straight centers? I like Bayless, but I think he will be awful defensively.

I read somewhere that the Sonics are taking calls for the 4th pick... What kind of trade would you be OK with for the 4th pick? A few good players? Or does it have to be a proven all-star? Would you consider a S&T for someone like Gilbert Arenas or Baron Davis?

Make an offer .... we will decide on offer.... what is the value to you

[enamel]

For the record, I've always thought Collison is the kind of bench player that helps a contender become a champion. He is very solid, full of hustle and has a high basketball IQ. He lacks the athleticism to make him a starter at the 4 and the size to be a starter at the 5, but he's the kind of guy that makes key plays. He makes the most of his minutes, and he doesn't need the ball in his hands.

Recent conventional wisdom is that GMs need to put together mega trades to get as many all-stars on their roster as possible. A player in Collison's mold is an underrated alternative-- a great complement to a team with great players.

[slick_watts]

I've always gad a little thing for the Sonics, ever since I the front court days of Reggie Evans and Jerome James .


There were a few things I was wondering about, and I was hoping you guys could help me out.


1) What's happened to Luke? If I remember correctly, he was more then solid back when the Sonics were in the playoffs and had a great deal of promise. He's only what 26? Is there a reason why hes been the backup the past 2 years? Do you guys still have aspirations of him starting again?

2) Do you see Durant playing the 2 guard permanently? Or do you think he eventually gets moved to Small Forward?

3) What position will Jeff Green eventually end up staying at? The 3 with KD at the 2? Or will he play the 4?

4) Obviously the Sonics haven't had a great deal of success developing young big men (Swift, Petro, Sene). But out of those three, which one do you think has the most potential still, and the best chance to become successful?



Thanks!



EDIT: I got two more if anyone feels like answering them, lol.

5) What is your guys view on Collision? He put it really good rebounding numbers, and has a decent contract.

6) You guys have 2 first round picks, and an amazing 4 2nd round picks... What do you think will happen with them? Trade? What kind? Maybe you guys could try an aquire TJ Ford or Jose Calderon while dumping Watson/Luke with some of your picks. I can't see 6 more rookies on the Sonics lol.

1) luke ridnour has good talent and will probably make some team happy when he's traded away. as has been stated, he lost his confidence here when watson was brought in. i do think watson is the superior player (especially defensively) but luke's close and deserves to start for some team in this league.

2) durant will eventually be the SF. the sonics can't compete defensively with durant guarding SG's.

3) green at the PF spot is the idea. he's pretty big already and he's got a wide frame unlike his buddy durant, so he'll still put some weight on.

4) petro has the most skill out of any of the three and has the most potential IMO, he's only 22. he's got to work on his court awareness and shot selection, but overall i think he has a 50/50 chance at becoming an nba starter. sene probably won't be good until we're done with him (much like sagana diop in cleveland). swift's mobility is probably shot and i think he'd be lucky to be a backup in the nba.

5) collison's a lot like anderson varejao only a bit more under control and with better offense. he's had a few 20/20 games here and there.

6) there's obviously going to be some kind of trade with the 2nd rouders. getting one of ford/calderon (probably ford) from toronto would be great, or hinrich from chicago (if they take rose). i think all of those guys are better than bayless, who i feel is overrated. sonics might be better served trading the #4 in the end.

[djthesonicsfan]

I don't get why the Sonics wouldn't even consider Brook Lopez though, is it because they've taken 3 straight centers? I like Bayless, but I think he will be awful defensively.

B Lopez has a very high bust potential. Chris Mihm seems to jump to my mind. Besides, and this cetainly may not be a majority opinion, but our "hole" at center is not as large as it may seem at the moment. First, Petro is still young with upside. He may yet work out. Second, if Swift is able to recover from his injuries, who knows? He was on his way to becoming something before he got hurt. Maybe it's a long shot but I'd like to see him fully recovered before letting him go. Third, there's still those two 1sts next year. And fourth, the Sonics have a legit war chest built up to get a center. Wilcox, Watsnour, loads of 1sts & expirings. Sure, it may be easier to target a PG compared to a center, but back to original point... Lopez has a high bust potential. The only question about either Bayless or Mayo is, will they be all-stars, or just really good?

I read somewhere that the Sonics are taking calls for the 4th pick... What kind of trade would you be OK with for the 4th pick? A few good players? Or does it have to be a proven all-star? Would you consider a S&T for someone like Gilbert Arenas or Baron Davis?

Everything is totally press conjecture at this point because Presti is a totally lock down guy. But if there were a trade it'd have to be for a young player capable of growing with this young Sonics team. Character counts. As does salary. Neither Arenas nor Davis would even be considered. Monta Ellis maybe. But no way Baron Davis.