Team Expert/Cool Guy: Paul Merrill of Supersonicsoul, the Sonics blog for the Sonics people as the blog says.
Questions and Answers:
1. With new ownership from outside of Seattle the chances are pretty good the team may leave. Is there anything that the team can do to stave that off such as winning a championship? Of course, that would be very Disney-like, but you never know. What is the general feeling about this in Seattle?
Clay "Big Boy" Bennett claims he is going to make every effort to
keep the team in Seattle. Do I believe him? No. Would winning a
championship this season help keep the team in Seattle? No, but it
would be one hell of a parting gift.
2. After getting his money, although not quite as much as he wanted, how does Chris Wilcox play this season? Is he still going to play like he has something to prove or rest easy until his next contract year?
Well, people around here have been calling Wilcox the next Shawn
Kemp--I just hope he doesn't put on 500 pounds like the Reign Man did
when he got his big contract.
3. What more can Ray Allen do this season because he seems maxed out in regards to his numbers. Is there still a ceiling for Rashard Lewis or has he leveled off. What about the potential of Robert Swift? Is it breakout year time?
Hey, that's three questions in one--no fair! 1) Without a doubt,
Ray Allen is one of the top offensive players of his generation and
every year he seems to get better, but at some point reality is going
to hit. The post-30 years are not kind to guards in the NBA (see
Payton, Gary). 2) Rashard Lewis continues to befuddle me--so much
talent, so little passion. 3) The fact that we're even talking about
Robert Swift shows how much progress he has made. At the beginning of
last season, he was about two steps away from the D-League. Now,
we're talking about a "breakout" year! Unbelievable. His hair is
going to have a breakout year, I can tell you that.
4. Anything else you want to say about the Supersonics?
Pray for them. If you're a Sonics fan, there is a great group of
folks over at www.saveoursonics.org that are working their tails off
to keep the team in Seattle, so you should go give them some time
and/or money.
5. Who wins the NBA Finals this coming season (besides your team, that is)? Just give me a team name at least.
What do you mean besides my team? Don't you believe in miracles?! I
would say the Sonics because I'm a total homer, but I'm afraid I would
jinx them, so I'll say the Heat repeat (say that three times fast!).
Paul you do a great job and Supersonicsoul is not only informative, but entertaining to read. Support Paul the way he supports the Sonics and check out a very cool Sonics blog.
MY TAKE - Things Go Right If These Three Things Happen:
1. Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis can find some scoring help to relieve some of the pressure on them to put up the points.
2. Chris Wilcox can be that third scoring option because it will add a low post element, as well as a big man that can run the break to the Sonics offense.
3. Either Robert Swift or Johan Petro take their game to the next level. My money is on Swift doing so as he showed promise in limited minutes last season. Petro is still raw and gets in foul trouble.
MY TAKE - Things Go Wrong If These Three Things Happen:
1. The Sonics may not be going anywhere anyway, but if one of Allen or Lewis gets hurt, I don't see them having the depth to replace either player if they are out a significant amount of time.
2. Wilcox gets lackadaisical since he just signed a new contract during the offseason and doesn't play with the vigor he showed last season when his contract was ending.
3. The Sonics leave town with new ownership possibly wanting to take it elsewhere, such as Oklahoma City.