The easiest thing to do would be not to give the new 3 any minutes. No reason to really - and maybe if they didn't rotate and trap everything, teams wouldn't get 3 balls all night. A little man-to-man would be refreshing, but it's zone or lazy traps - although last night I thought they closed out well.

As far as Swift - I think it's time to part ways. Dude obviously has nothing in his knees that say he can run up and down a wood court everyday - he has the most fragile knees for a 7-footer I have ever seen. I think he should decide what he wants to do and if it's play hoops, he should make sure he is 100% comppletely healed and he should play some D-League and put up some numbers before he trys the NBA again. In 4 years, I think I have seen him grab 7 or 8 boards and maybe get a put back...it's annoying for him as I'm sure it is us and his team, but he needs to not give it a try until he can do it without tearing something.

However were guarding Roy, Aldridge and Outlaw did not do a very good job, as the trio scored more than 20 points each! That's so much about the Sonics defense! Whenever the players still outscore the defensive player, it isn't good defense, even if the Sonics player scores about the same. The Sonics should go back to the drawing board and look at the game on tape and strengthen the defensive strategy and that makes good teams better and hopes for the playoffs!

21 plus feet of nothing. That's what we've got now in our center spots, and I agree it is time for Swift to go. He'll never make it in the League. I don't agree he should go to a 'D' league team--largely because there really is nothing to develop. An interesting stat would be to divide his total minutes played in his 'career' into his salary and see how many dollars per minute were wasted on this pick.

Swift's dollar per minute idea is a good one Tom...so I calculated it

In four years, Swift has played a total of just 1,157 minutes. And the Sonics have paid him 7,894,553 dollars. Yes, thats right, 7.89 million $.

7,894,553 divided by 1,157 minutes equals 6,823 dollars per minute. Thats sickening! The majority of Swifty's minutes were garbage minutes where the game was already decided.

Beyond that repulsive stat, what disgusts me more than anything was the decision by Rick Sund/Wally Walker and co. to draft Robert Swift over Al Jefferson. If you remember back to that years draft, the Sonics management was seriously considering those two options. Jefferson, a Mississippi high school legend, averaged 40+ points per game. Swifty, an awkward So Cal big man, had a decent game in the McDonalds All-American game that was enough to garner a high draft pick. I went to the Sonics draft party at the practice facility that year and when the pick was announced I was sooo effing mad.

Can you imagine the Sonics with Al Jefferson, Ray Allen, and Rashard Lewis? That should have been our nucleus.

>

Which is why the state of the Sonics is so bad right now. A lot of dumb decisions in the front office. If this was the late 90's, no way Howard would be crying and selling the team. But mediocre management has left the fans with this mess. Listenting to KJR's replays of the games with SK and GP brought shivers up the spine.

But hey, I think David Stern has done SEATTLE SONIC fans a HUGE favor by opening his trap. There's been more headlines and talk about the state of the team than ever before. OKC may just rue the day Stern flapped his gums. The flip side is, why would Bennett sell Kevin Durant and the future make up of this team after Presti has garnered so many picks? No way, unless he gets one hell of an offer ($450-500M??). He'd be a fool to part with this gold. My question is also, how to keep Sam? He has done a great and gutsy job ala another MA boy, Theo. Took real nerve to make these moves and I'd like to keep him. I am dissapointed though that his integrity is so low as to work for a man like Bennett at any price, hijacking a team and blowing up the fan base intentionally. SAM! You can get another job. You don't have to work for this blow hard. Keep your integrity, see through the facade, don't tell us you can't see what is happening behind the scenes. Is such loyalty to Clay worth your integrity? I think you know exactly what you are doing....

Why do you think it is so difficult to gut the team and stockpile mostly low first round draft choices? How big of a freakin genius do you have to be dump your best players for journeyman and draft choices when other teams are actually trying to win games now? Personally I think they could have gotten a lot more for Wally if they didn't limit his minutes and shots and tell him to shut his mouth when he tried to be a leader. Just think what they could have got for him if they would have let him play and get 20pts/game. Sort of outsmarted themselves on that one. Durant and Green and some low first round draft choices far from guarantee future success, especially in the Western conference. Bennett would have to be even more stupid than I think he is to not trade the "potential" of this team for New Orleans.

Sorry DPJ, but I think they did excellent to get rid of Wally's huge contract, for a role player at best. What does Wally bring? Some heat off the bench and a pricey contract, not much else. How was that going to fit into the Sonics future. IMHO, great move, addition by subtraction. Nice guy, but way overpaid.

Wally was scoring 13+ pts a game in 23 min. Do the math- if he play 35min/game he's scoring 20/game. Do you really think they wouldn't have got more for him if he was averaging 20pts/game - there would have been a bidding war for his services. Don't forget Wally was once an all-star and he's healthier this year than he has been for awhile. The problem was they didn't want Wally taking shots and minutes from the "chosen one" Durant. His contract was basically irrelevant to teams looking to win the next 2 months. Presti and PJ also didn't want to win too much this year either. Then the city might have actually gotten behind this team and things would have gotten stickier for Bennett then they already are. Glad to hear you're so ecstatic about Bennett saving himself some money by dumping Wally's contract - you're a real fan!

If the math is so easy, why didn't other GM's compute the same thing and knock our door down? You can have as many draft choices as you like but only so many players can tke the court and bench. The salary cap is hard and fast.