Latest report: Rashard not signed yet, Payton very unhappy

They want him to retire as a Sonic, but won't give him an extension??? WTF??

 

On the issue of payton, I side with the Sonics on this one. The guy
has been a thug and a punk all his career. I hope the Sonics do
not give him an extension, and hopefully no other team will throw
a ton of money at him either. Yeah, I know he's talented and blah
blah blah, but I think that it's guys like him who are more of
what's wrong with the NBA than what is right with it.

Look at the attendance figures in the league over the last few
years. When the biggest 'superstars' the league has are people
like iverson, payton, sprewell, etc etc etc, it's no wonder the NBA
has been getting increasingly desperate to find the 'next' MJ.
They are finally starting to realize that putting a bunch of whining
selfish jerks up on the pedistal formerly occupied by Bird, Isiah,
Magic, Dominique, Barkley, (not saying all these guys were angels,
but they understood the principles of marketing in a way these
guys today do not seem to understand or even care), etc, may in
fact not be a good idea.

When your tickets are becoming so expensive that the clientele
necessarily has to become more upscale, the NBA have finally
realized that putting a product on the floor that is heavily
composed of street-gang thug wannabe's is going to make the
customers stay away in droves and spend their entertainment
dollars elsewhere.

Payton could be in a position now where he would be receiving
everythign he ever wanted, 'love'-wise, money-wise, or anything
else he thinks he deserves. All he would have needed to do would
have been to at least make a show of being a 'nice' guy. Just be
someone that the money-spending fans would have felt an urge
to like, to want to be around him, and to want him represent their
city and team. But no. When the fans think of him now, they
think of a whiny, sour, complaining, unpleasant person who thinks
he 'deserves' their 'love' (money), and can't for the life of him
undestand how he could be so poorly treated. Heck, I could even
be totally wrong about the guy. He could be the nicest, sweetest,
warmest person in the world, but, especially in the NBA, the old
saying 'perception is reality' does apply. The guys 10-15 years
ago understood that. That was when the NBA was in its period
of phenomenal growth and popularity. But now it's all about how
many tats a guy can get, how much jack he gets, and the fans,
who pay for all this, are forgotten, ignored, or worse, treated with
contempt by the very people who provide their lifestyle.

Happily, now, however, a new development: for every one of
these selfish punks, there arrives another Nowitzki, Nash, Hilario,
Stojakovic, Ming, Nachbar, Gasol... watch as the league's
popularity increases even more with every foreign import. The
fans will start coming back, just watch and see. The league has
begun to recognize this as true. And it won't be long before the
NBA has become so focused on the foreign guys that the home-
grown kids will need to be something extra special to take the
attention away from the latest German import. And I am not
talking about Iverson-special - I am talking Grant Hill special, Tim
Duncan special, Shane Battier special, David Robinson special,
Steve Francis special (yes! how many other NBA players do you
know of who actually did go back to school and get their degree
after coming into the league as underclassmen? I can name only
Stevie off the top of my head.. I definitely count him among one
of the good guys in the league). Kids for whom character is at
least as important to the league as how high they can jump or
how hard they can dunk.

So payton is unhappy? Good. I applaud Seattle, and I hope they
stick to their guns and let him walk when his contract is up. Maybe
some of these other thugs and punks will get the hint, and
maybe some of these kids who are still in school will start to figure
out which players to hold up as their role models, and which ones
to not.

The league will be so much better, and more fun to watch..

 

Well, I don't know how thuggish Payton is in general, but he sure comes across as more than a little whiny in these quotes. He seems to imply that he's not going to give a 100% effort, even though he's still under contract. No excuse for that in my opinion, even if his current employer may be acting somewhat ignorantly.

Also, with comments like these, he effectively reduces the Sonics' potential trade leverage, a la Quitten.

 

Vince Carter would be another one Nero (finished degree after being drafted early).
Part of the problem is they are coming out of school so early for the astronomical money that's out there now a days. To be honest I can't blame them. But the repercussions are that we used to know these guys for 2-3 years while they became ballplayers while in college. Although there are exceptions (Duncan, Battier, Laettner, Williams) who stayed in school long enough for not just the basketball afficionado to know them but the country to know them. Now most people don't have a clue who these guys are that are being drafted.
Magic, Bird, Hakeem, Kareem, Jordan, Big E, Isiah, Ewing, all of these guys were household names before they ever stepped on an NBA floor.
How many people ever even heard of Yao before he was drafted much less seen him play. Even Griffin was hardly a household name at Pitt. I think I seen him play once before I started hearing things about him just before the draft. And most of those were negative. Fact is the media find it much easier to pull out the dirt on these guys and play it over and over than it is to tell us the good stories on the vast majority of these guys. Why work to get a story when a Rodman will just give you one. Unfortunately dirt sells.

 

[church lady voice] Isn't that special?[/church lady voice]

Jerry Stackhouse did it as well.

 

9/19/02

Lewis close to re-signing

New agreement with Sonics could be done as early as today

By DANNY O'NEIL
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Rashard Lewis is still in Seattle negotiating a contract.

More important, he likely will stay as discussions between the Sonics and the unrestricted free-agent forward have accelerated to the point that an agreement is expected as early as today.

"We're optimistic things are moving in the right direction," said Wally Walker, Sonics CEO and president.

Lewis has met with Walker, general manager Rick Sund and owner Howard Schultz. He also met with coach Nate McMillan and Dwane Casey, the associate head coach.

Carl Poston, Lewis' agent, arrived in Seattle yesterday and was speaking with team executives last night. The negotiations are believed to center on incentives in the Sonics' seven-year contract offer. The deal includes $15 million in bonuses that Lewis can earn by his performance in addition to $60 million in guaranteed salary. It's also believed the contract contains an out clause in which Lewis can choose whether to become a free agent after the fifth year.

Signing Lewis would likely mean the end of the Sonics' interest in free agents Lee Nailon, Walt Williams and Popeye Jones, who have visited Seattle in the past month. The offer to Lewis would almost certainly result in the Sonics paying a luxury tax for exceeding the salary cap and make the team more reluctant to add any more salaries to the payroll.

Lewis would be the Sonics' 12th player under contract for next season, although forward Vitaly Potapenko -- acquired in the Vin Baker trade -- is coming back from knee surgery and may not be ready to start the season.

The signing of Lewis would complete the team's off-season agenda, which has been carried out almost exactly to the team's plans with the trade of Baker and the re-signing of free agents Jerome James and Ansu Sesay already accomplished.

Of the four free agents the Sonics designated as a priority, only Earl Watson, the rookie guard from UCLA, left in the off-season. He signed with Memphis for three years at about $4 million, terms the Sonics couldn't match because of the collective-bargaining agreement.

Seattle traded Baker and Shammond Williams to Boston for Kenny Anderson, Joseph Forte and Potapenko.

The biggest boost from that deal is Seattle unloaded the four years and $56 million remaining on Baker's contract. Anderson will be paid $9 million this season, but then becomes a free agent, which gives the Sonics financial flexibility next summer.

 

Rashards contract offerfrom the Sonics...$60 million

Rashards contract if he accepts the MCE elsewhere...$4.5 million

Plane ticket from Houston to Seattle to negotiate...$300

A 10-pack of bic pens to bring to the contract signing just in case the 1st nine pens run out of ink...$1.99

No more Rashard threads in the ROCKETS forum....

priceless

 

If Payton leaves and Rashard becomes the cornerstone franchise player on that team, the Sonics may end up w/ Lebron James in June.

 

Nero's impassioned and well-written post aside, I can see both sides of the issue. The Land of the Luxury Tax has changed many a free-spending team owner. So maxing out a 34 year-old Gary Payton seems risky. Especially if he just reverts to his pre-contract extension self (and maybe he is).

But Payton has played his heart out and played extremely well for, what?, 13 or so years, and he has 3-5 good years left in him. He deserves some respect.

Doesn't Starbucks own the Sonics? I mean, do they really have to worry about the luxury tax? You can't swing a dead cat w/o hitting a Starbucks.

So, will the Sonics re-sign their star or, realizing they need a makeover (i.e., rebuilding, adding a power forward) trade Payton to, say, the Pacers (ESPN's idea)?

 

Gary Payton's whole career.

"WAH...WAH....WAH....WAH....and even more WAH !!!!!!!"

What a punk !!!

No respect...my ARSE..I am proud of the Sonics organization for finally standing up to that mental midget.

DaDakota

 

Nero,


how do you not mention shaquille o'neal in your post? shaq is one of the most likeable guys in the league. he's a model citizen, he's charitable, respectful, aspires to be a law enforcement officer (sincerely! not just some media spin!) and went back to LSU and got his degree! never has he been in any trouble with the law. never known to have a bad temper. he is the gentle giant. he is part of what is RIGHT with the nba today.

also, vince carter went back and got his degree from north carolina. remember the orlando v philly game where he left the day before game 7 to go to his graduation ceremony? that's priorities. that's admirable. vince is also part of what is right with the nba. you've NEVER heard of him badmouthing teammates, even when publicly provoked by assmouths like charles oakley. you've NEVER heard of him criticizing management, even when they picked up that fossil named olajuwon. he is a model citizen and charitable person, as well.

kobe bryant, as much as i think he's a silver spoon arrogant brat, is also a great example of a guy who is intelligent, a model citizen, and generally a good role model.

 

Nero, exactly how is Payton thuggish?? Because he is competitive and talks trash on the court?? Francis does it. MJ and Reggie were notorious for it.

I see where you are trying to go with your post, but that was a horrible way to start.

 

Nero,

The word "Thug" is pretty strong for somebody that you know nothing about personally. Just because someone talks trash and is not as 'well rounded' as society has standardized, does not mean that he is a bad person. Violation of the law defines a thug, not what they wear, what their hairstyle is, or how many tatoos they display.

John Gotti and Al Capone were thugs...

BTW nobody goes to baseball games either, is the prototypal baseball player a THUG too?

"Street gang thug wanna-be's?"

Dude, you trippin.

 

And what do you know personally about John Gotti or Al Capone?

 

What is up with people constantly calling Gary Payton a "thug". The guy hasn't done anything off the court to be considered a thug, and unless you injure somebody purposely or do something dangerous I can't consider you a thug on the court. Charles Oakley is a thug. Gary Payton IS NOT a thug. Maybe he has a bad attitude at times but the guy isn't a "thug". I can see people calling him a punk at times, when he freezes guys like Ruben Patterson out of the offense a few years ago for selfish reasons, but a thug? Either way he deserves and extension, and if they're not going to give him one trade him. I don't care what people think of his attitude, the guy is a winner, a future Hall-of-Famer, and when given a strong supporting cast has proven he can do big time things with the Sonics. Payton's attitude is no different then Hakeem's attitude during his career but people overlooked it because of his championship rings. If Payton had won a ring I seriously doubt people would be calling him a crybaby. I side with Payton on this.

 

Oh I've watched a 'Biography' or two. Gangster err... Thug week is my favorite.

 

If being a thug is wrong, I don't want to be right

GP deserves the max for what he does for his team. If Seattle wants to go in a different direction, well then they should tell their star player because he has given that franchise everything he has on the court. Stop being greedy Seattle! I side with Payton also. Give the man what he wants!

 

Where has Gary Payton and these other guys you're talking about shown signs of being "street-gang thugs". I mean really, where have these players shown that? I mean this is the problem I have when people take shots at NBA players. The first thing they do is call them thugs and claim they're gang members, or act like they're in a gang. I mean if there are people staying away from the NBA because the players "act like street-gang wannabes", then that is on the people staying away because they have bigger issues then basketball.

 

Ok, first, let me apologize for being overly harsh.

To respond: Roxtxia, I totally agree with you. GP has undeniable
talent. He's the kind of talent you always wish was on your team
instead of on the other guy's team. The only thing I can say
about that is, if GP does NOT get the big-money extension he
wants, ostensibly as a 'reward' for all his years of service, such as
what a few other stars have received as their careers were
winding down, then I believe he has no one to blame for that but
himself. I do not believe it is possible for it to come as a surprise
to him that his behavior and comments though the years would
affect how people feel about him, and engender a reluctance to
invest such an altruistic 'reward' in his waning career. He wants
to imply that he might 'punish' the team by not giving 100% effort
for their transgression, that's his choice. But it's certainly not
going to win him any more of the 'love' (money) he so craves.

Verse: I didn't mean to imply that no other players had gone back
to get their degrees, only that very few had, and the few that did
do it did not gather the headlines that the murdering and wife-
beating and drug busts did. A lot of that blame lies at the feet of
the media, obviously, but that's a whole different fish to fry. In
any case, I wish there were more players like the ones you
mention. I'm sure there are, and maybe when the foreign player
invasion reaches a critical mass, the media will start paying more
attention to those 'good guys' instead of always accentuating the
negatives. As for Shaq, well, I just do not care for the guy, but I
can say that he has at least understood a bit more about his
position as a role model and someone who people will not feel so
negative towards the idea of him receiving one of those 'reward'
contracts at the end of his career.

Rocketspimp: I don't know exactly how to respond, except that
maybe it has to do with on-court demeanor more than anything
else, when I use the word 'thug'. I guess a lot of people have a
lot of different interpretations of the word. I don't mean it in the
light of, say, someone who is liable to jack your car and pop you.
To me, basketball is a game, in fact in my opinion it is the most
fun game to play of all the major popular sports. Whenever I play,
I am almost always smiling, praising whoever is on my team, and
yes dogging whoever the opponent is. And I play hard, and once
in a while things can get intense. But I never forget I am playing
a game, and I always have fun, and it is always more fun when
the other people are having fun too. And I cannot honestly
remember ever seeing GP look like he was playing a fun game. He
has always looked mean, sour and unpleasant. Guys like that
show up to play once in a while, but it's not fun to either be on
their team or to play against them. Their only gratification comes
from beating others at the game, showing off their superior 'skillz',
and inflicting as much belittling embarassment on others as they
can. Maybe I am wrong about GP in this respect, I admit it is only
my thoughts on the impression I have gotten from him over the
years. But that's what he reminds me of.

Another Brother: As I said in my original post, I could be totally
wrong about GP. he could be a terrific guy. And I admit 'thug' may
be a bit harsh a word. However, if he wants to cry about what
he perceives as a lack of 'love' (money, respect, etc), then he
should have learned a long time ago, if he truly cared about that
'love', then in the world of sports entertainment, in which he has
been long employed, perception = reality, and that perception
dictates where those dollars (love) go and in whose pockets they
will end up. MJ learned it, Shaq learned it, many others learned it
as well. If he has never cared enough to at least make an effort
to come across in a positive light, then no one should feel sorry
for him. Heh and as for baseball, well, this is not really the place,
but as everyone knows, that sport has its own set of terrible
problems to solve.