| Cinderella Reloaded Authored by Adam Epstein - July 22, 2005 - 6:06 pm
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Seattle gave the face of the team, Ray Allen, the big bucks solidifying him as the leader of the team for the next five years. However, Allen’s signing was shortly followed by the losses of Mr. Supersonic, Nate McMillan, a clutch playoff performer in Antonio Daniels, and the epitome of inconsistency in Jerome James. Prior to this season these losses would not have seemed too troublesome. Not anymore. “Nate the Great”, after signing an incredibly lucrative contract of approximately $30 million for five years with the Blazers, is now put in the upper echelon of NBA coaches. Daniels became the most reliable Sonic next to Ray Allen in the playoffs, while at the same time hounding opposing perimeter players with unrivaled defense. So what are the Sonics to do?
The Sonics success in the upcoming season rests on the shoulders of two country boys that are ready to play and produce. Luke Ridnour and Nick Collison emerged as legitimate contributors in the playoffs this past season. Luke dazzled fans with electric passes and timely outside shooting, and will now finally move into the starting point guard spot.
Nick Collison greatly impressed observers, particularly in the playoffs with gritty post play and a soft touch from the mid-range. He too will see increased minutes with the loss of fellow big man James. At the same time it is critical that the Sonics make efforts to sign their current free agents. Ronald “Flip” Murray, Vladimir Radmanovic, and Reggie Evans all provide specific specialties, fast paced scoring, three point shooting, and straight up banging beneath the boards, respectively, that helped define the teams persona as it quickly rised to first place. If these players are not re-signed, the improvements of Ridnour and Collison will simply not be enough to keep the Sonics competing for the playoffs spot in challenging Western Conference.
The Sonics’ plan for the rest of the summer must first be to re-sign those free agents. After that, things start to get a little interesting, the Sonics may be left with a little bit of cap-room and could potentially be on the brink of a big trade to land them a legitimate centre. It has been rumored that they have spoken to the Chicago Bulls of executing a sign and trade for Eddy Curry. Curry would add a definitive low post presence to an already prolific offense.
But not only do the Sonics not have the pieces to realistically pull off a trade for Curry, but he does not provide anything at all defensively, which is something the Sonics will be sorely lacking with the losses of Daniels and James. Assuming that Robert Swift, who still looks like an extremely tall kid in a grade six class picture, is nowhere near ready to play, the Sonics must find a defensive centre in free agency.
Perhaps they may be interested in wily veteran Ervin Johnson, or the enigmatic Desagna Diop. Both of these players will be a short- term solution by providing interior shot blocking while they wait for Swift, and the two French men they drafted this year to mature. Picking up Casey Jacobsen would also provide a good backup at the shooting guard spot, and make the Sonics even more lethal from beyond the arc. A likely lineup could look like this:
PG: Luke Ridnour
SG: Ray Allen
SF: Rashard Lewis
PF: Reggie Evans
C: Ervin Johnson
Bench: Nick Collison, Vladimir Radmanovic, Flip Murray, Danny Fortson, Casey Jacobsen
So why is everyone doubting the Sonics? Why is it that everyone thinks that last year’s team was a fluke. Many believe that the losses in free agency are simply too much to overcome. It is safe to say that the Sonic will probably not match their wins from last year. However, the Sonics will once again shock all their haters and earn a solid playoff spot, remember this team provided the eventual NBA champion with the toughest test before the Pistons. Not only do they have the same nucleus, but they are getting younger and are showing that the team will be successful for a number of years to come. So break out the Starbucks, lace up the slippers, because the Sonics are ready to become the surprise team out of the West- again. |
