Fact - Luke is ready to take a bigger role, and I think with more confidence, 15/8 is attainable. He is the one player I am really excited about this coming season. F/F - Kevin Calabro finally loses his infamous cool and kills Ehlo during broadcast, sometime around mid-February.
On a side note: I heard Billy McKinney is a finalist for the Portland job. Steve Jones agreed to step aside after 25yrs. Arrgh! The irony. I tell ya having lived in Portland for several years they really do have that 'little brother complex with Seattle. KC and Billy were an, uhm, 'unbelievable' broadcasting team. F/F: Since we're on the subject of Vlad...he signs the 1-year tender, has a killer year playing for a new contract and develops into an All-Star with another team. Probably Portland.
OT - apparently Portland got sick of Jones refusing to butter up to management and his penchant for telling it like it was on broadcasts instead of being biased and sugarcoating. Anyway, Ro Hood's question is still in play...
Fiction: At the end of the day he will sign a multi year contract with the Sonics b/c he doesn't want to pass on guaranteed money. Fact or Fiction: Rick Sund will, before his tenure is over, get Executive of the Year with the Sonics.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Iron Shiek:</div><div class="quote_post">Fiction: At the end of the day he will sign a multi year contract with the Sonics b/c he doesn't want to pass on guaranteed money. Fact or Fiction: Rick Sund will, before his tenure is over, get Executive of the Year with the Sonics.</div> Fiction- since when does the media get excited about a slow, methodical approach to team building? Whether it is effective or not, Sund will remain largely ignored by the media obsessed with the antics of Pat Riley and Isiah Thomas. F/F- Seeing his lack of value on the FA market Reggie Evans rents the Better Basketball video series and shows up for training camp with a workable midrange jumpshot.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting psheehy:</div><div class="quote_post">Fiction- since when does the media get excited about a slow, methodical approach to team building? Whether it is effective or not, Sund will remain largely ignored by the media obsessed with the antics of Pat Riley and Isiah Thomas. F/F- Seeing his lack of value on the FA market Reggie Evans rents the Better Basketball video series and shows up for training camp with a workable midrange jumpshot.</div> Fiction. The only shooting I care about Reggie practicing much on is freethrows and layups. He gets those down hes a much better player....just not sure he has a chance at getting those down lol ForF---If the word that we are matching Wilkens is true then he averages over 20 minutes per game this season and eventually starts taking over some/alot of vlades minutes.
Fiction: Where are Damien's minutes going to come from? If Vlad signs the 42 million dollar deal then Damien will be third on the depth chart at small forward. Rashard is going to play most of the game at small forward, Vlad will get his minutes between small/power forward, and the rest of the front line will play frontcourt by committee. Unless Bob feels he can squeeze minutes with Damien at shooting guard then I'm guessing he will be an insurance policy for when someone goes down or we look to make trades. I can't see Damien getting 25+ minutes a game next season. Fact or Fiction: One of the players in our rotation next season will get traded before the deadline.
Fact: Fortson starts acting up and we dump him for cheap to a contender looking for a brute for the post season. Or we trade Rashard after we sign Vlad to a mega-deal that surpasses his own and he goes into a Kemp-esque funk, forcing a trade to hometown Houston for Stro Swift and a 1st. ForF: Collison averages double figure boards this season. I predict 10-10.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Roland Hood:</div><div class="quote_post"> ForF: Collison averages double figure boards this season. I predict 10-10.</div> Fiction, it will be second half of the season before he's ready to take on starters minutes, and his lower totals at the beginning of the year while duking it out for PT will lower his season avg's FoF, sonics have a new basketball only (or at least b-ball exclusive) arena SODO w/in the next 5 years
Fiction. I think the team would move before the city tries to run another complex by taxpayers. Especially with the Sonics being the least popular of the three pro teams. FoF: The Sonics/Blazers rivalry will be revamped and turn into one of the best rivalries in recent memory.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Shard:</div><div class="quote_post"> FoF: The Sonics/Blazers rivalry will be revamped and turn into one of the best rivalries in recent memory.</div> Fiction, the media will hype it up similiarly to when Holmgren first coached against Green Bay - but will quickly lose its luster for anyone not living in SEA or PDX. FoF, Gelebale never suits up in a Sonic Jersey.
Fact: I believe that he will be offered a more lucrative deal in Spain and will decide to remain in Europe until the Sonics offer him a contract that is worth more than the league minimum (which won't happen). We've had more success with undrafted rookie free agents than we've had with our second round picks of late. Plus, as it stands right now, there is no need for him on this roster. Fact or Fiction: The Sonics will again have two representatives in the All Star game.
I think you'll see Gelabale in the Sonics jersey to be honest - management drafted him as a real prospect, not a stab in the dark like Fehse or Morlende. He was a genuine bubble first rounder and I think you'll see him over, whether it be next season or in a few season's time. Anyway... Fiction: We had two reps last season cos we had such a hot start, and Lewis was recognised despite probably being borderline. I don't think we'll have the same fortune this coming season. F/F - Come the end of the season, Swift will be starting, even if it's only for 15mpg.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Sir Desmond:</div><div class="quote_post"> Fiction: We had two reps last season cos we had such a hot start, and Lewis was recognised despite probably being borderline. I don't think we'll have the same fortune this coming season. F/F - Come the end of the season, Swift will be starting, even if it's only for 15mpg.</div> Fiction: Even if Swifty makes huge strides over the course of the season I don't see him starting, even with injuries to our starter (Potapenko barring another FA MLE signing). I think the organization tries to keep the pressure off of him for another season, but will allow his reserve minutes to go up if his performance warrants it. I expect Fortson or Collison to get starts over Swift if Potapenko goes down on the IR. F/F - Ray's assist numbers go up this year in Weiss' more free flowing offense, giving him numbers more like his original numbers following the trade to Seattle due to the ball finding its way into his hands more frequently.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting psheehy:</div><div class="quote_post">Fiction: Even if Swifty makes huge strides over the course of the season I don't see him starting, even with injuries to our starter (Potapenko barring another FA MLE signing). I think the organization tries to keep the pressure off of him for another season, but will allow his reserve minutes to go up if his performance warrants it. I expect Fortson or Collison to get starts over Swift if Potapenko goes down on the IR. F/F - Ray's assist numbers go up this year in Weiss' more free flowing offense, giving him numbers more like his original numbers following the trade to Seattle due to the ball finding its way into his hands more frequently.</div> Fiction. I think the ball will stay mostly in Lukes hands and Ray will just have to do the scoring. it seemed to work better that way I think. ForF---We have 2 guys in the running for 6th man of the year next season. (similar to last year w/ Daniels and Vlade).
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Coolguy777:</div><div class="quote_post"> ForF---We have 2 guys in the running for 6th man of the year next season. (similar to last year w/ Daniels and Vlade).</div> Fiction, Rad has a slim chance to be in the hunt - Collison/Reggie will be start enough games to ruin their chances, no one else has a prayer. FoF, Bob Weiss wins more playoff games in the next 3 years than Dwayne Casey and Nate McMillian combined.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting M_Cage89:</div><div class="quote_post">Fiction, Rad has a slim chance to be in the hunt - Collison/Reggie will be start enough games to ruin their chances, no one else has a prayer. FoF, Bob Weiss wins more playoff games in the next 3 years than Dwayne Casey and Nate McMillian combined.</div> Fact. Tough pick to say but I could see the Blazers not winning a single playoff game for the next 3 years and i still give us the edge over Minnesota ForF---Casey continues his hunt for his Sonic players and gives Flip Murray a contract offer within the next 3 weeks or so.
Fiction. Dwane has had a series of disappointment thus far as a head coach and most of those setbacks have dealt with his inability to lure away Sonics personnel. He couldn't get Dean Demopolous to commit, he lost out on another assistant coach (Johnny Davis, I believe), he was misinformed about Damien Wilkins, and they overspent for Marko Jaric. Glen Taylor went out on a limb to bring in Dwane and as it stands right now he hasn't proven that he done his homework on available prospects. I think that he is done dipping into the Sonics free agent pot. His team has to develop its own identity. Fact or Fiction: All of our restricted free agents will return next season.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Iron Shiek:</div><div class="quote_post">Fiction. Dwane has had a series of disappointment thus far as a head coach and most of those setbacks have dealt with his inability to lure away Sonics personnel. He couldn't get Dean Demopolous to commit, he lost out on another assistant coach (Johnny Davis, I believe), he was misinformed about Damien Wilkins, and they overspent for Marko Jaric. Glen Taylor went out on a limb to bring in Dwane and as it stands right now he hasn't proven that he done his homework on available prospects. I think that he is done dipping into the Sonics free agent pot. His team has to develop its own identity. Fact or Fiction: All of our restricted free agents will return next season.</div> Fiction. Flip murray wont return. Im hoping we can get a sign and trade deal and get atleast maybe 1 or 2 2nd round picks for him. realistically its better for both sides if he moves on. We have committed a decent amount of money to Wilkins and Damien passed Flip last season on the depth chart so I dont see a lot of purpose for Flip to just sit on our bench. Id like to see him get a fresh start somewhere else.
