<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">On a Wing and a Prayer By Brad Friedman August 12 -- If you're a Sonics fan, you may have mixed feelings about the offseason. The man who once played Jesus returned, but Mr. Sonic did not. Superstar guard Ray Allen and head coach Nate McMillan, the primary components behind Seattle's resurgence last season, saw their contracts expire July 1. Not long after that, both agreed to pacts that would keep them in the Northwest: Allen to a multi-year deal that was signed after the conclusion of the moratorium, McMillan signed on as coach of the rival Portland Trail Blazers. If the loss of McMillan hurts, an Allen departure would have been crippling. "Jesus," as Allen is sometimes called for the character he portrayed -- Jesus Shuttlesworth -- in the Spike Lee film "He Got Game," has been a 20-point per game scorer the last six seasons and is a five-time All-Star. Not many teams financially were in position to vie for Allen's services services, but the Clippers, having lost out on free agent prize Kobe Bryant last summer, had the cap space and desire to bring him to L.A. Ultimately however, the Clippers' desire didn't outweigh Allen's to return to Seattle. "There was a day I talked to the Clippers, and I think the minute I got off the phone with them, I got a phone call from Luke (Ridnour)," said Allen. "Luke was asking me, 'Hey buddy, what's going on? You know we need you back. You have to re-sign back with us. Give me a call and let me know what's up.' "I felt so bad because I felt like I was cheating on him. I felt like I couldn't call Luke back right then because I had just talked to the Clippers, and I didn't want to disappoint him like that." As for McMillan's signing, if it doesn't seem fitting, it shouldn?t. Before joining Portland in July, Mr. Sonic had been with the organization since 1986, when the franchise made him the 30th overall selection in the Draft. In 2000-01, McMillan made the move from Sonics player to assistant to head coach. Last season, he led Seattle to its first 50-win season since 1997-98 and the inaugural Northwest Division crown. "I put it this way: This guy had two lottery tickets, both of them winning," said Seattle general manager Rick Sund after McMillan turned down a Sonics offer to join the Trail Blazers. "He had the state lottery and the jumbo lottery. He took the jumbo." At least in the case of McMillan, Seattle had a replacement in assistant Bob Weiss, who comes highly recommended by the players. The free agent loss of point guard Antonio Daniels, a who signed with Washington, won't be easy for the Sonics, as Daniels' defensive skills and ball control were valuable assets. Rick Brunson, waived by the Clippers this summer and quickly snatched up by the SuperSonics, takes over the backup point guard position behind Luke Ridnour. Like Daniels, Brunson's a defender and distributor, but the career 3.3 point per game scorer isn't quite as athletic or capable offensively. The SuperSonics haven't made any other free agent moves this summer, despite having six players from last year's roster still currently in flux. Vladimir Radmanovic's situation raises the most cause for concern, as he reportedly wants to sign with a club he can be a starter on, and the SuperSonics don't seem to be able to offer just that. </div> Source: Official NBA August 12 2005
Bit of a fluff piece really, nothing in there that we don't know already. Unfortunately, when you have so many restricted free agents, it takes time unless you plan on overpaying. When you get someone like Vlad who turns down 42 million, then there really isn't a lot he can do. As Frank Hughes wrote, if he takes the one year qualifying offer, don't expect the Supes to give him the opportunities to boost his vale for next offseason that he'll want. Management have played their hand well this offseason. Getting Ray back was an absolute priority, and they did that. They gave Nate a very, very fair deal, and were only trumped by Paul Allen's deep pockets. They let Jerome and AD go rather than paying either a ridiculous deal - hard to lose them, but better than paying that sort of cash for two 30 year old roleplayers. Reggie apparently wants five million a year too, but he'll soon find out he isn't going to get that on the open market. The signing of Brunson was a smart one, and they will likely get at least one of Damien and Flip back to fill the fourth guard spot. Pot is coming back too, and Danny is still around for another year. The core of Ray, Rashard, Luke and Nick is still here, plus Swift and Petro are under contract too. It's now a matter of filling in the holes. My prediction is Vlad will end up taking the longterm deal, Reggie will take the QO, one of Damien and Flip will be re-signed and the other sign-and-traded. I'm confident we'll be back in the playoffs next season.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Sir Desmond:</div><div class="quote_post">Bit of a fluff piece really, nothing in there that we don't know already. ... I'm confident we'll be back in the playoffs next season.</div> Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. John Kerry.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Casual:</div><div class="quote_post">Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. John Kerry.</div> Introduced by none other than...Jeff Foxworthy.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Iron Shiek:</div><div class="quote_post">Introduced by none other than...Jeff Foxworthy.</div> I don't get it. Seriously.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Iron Shiek:</div><div class="quote_post">*Explains the beauty of our nation's socioeconomic state*</div> now i don't get it.
