A city rejoiced as the words fell from the mouth of NBA commissioner David Stern. Well, two cities to be exact but one felt the impact particularly keenly. For days there had been rumblings that Stern's press conference was to hold meaningful ramifications, one ESPN insider promising it would send shock waves around the league, and the reality didn't disappoint.

“Following the conclusion of the 2010-11 NBA season we are delighted to announce the league will be expanding to 32 teams.”

Las Vegas was the first to be granted entry to the basketball elite, Sin City's glitz and glamour a natural fit for an organisation as bombastic and theatrical as the NBA. The second arrival tugged at the heart strings of many basketaball fans, an absent friend returned to the table as Seattle were granted their team back nearly four years after it had been ripped from the bosom of Seattle and swept away to Oklahoma City. A move made all the more painful by the fact that Kevin Durant was to turn into franchise altering player.

Still, Seattle had it's basketball team back and Gary Payton would finally have a place to hang his jersey. What’s more is that I was fortunate enough to be at the heart of it. “But Raoul how, and while we're here why do you have such a silly name?” I hear at least one of you ask. To address the latter, I was unfortunate enough to have a drunken father who was just educated enough to fall in love with the writings of Hunter S Thompson, and a surname to give him an opportunity he was never going to turn down. As for the former, well drink again plays a part.

Back when the Supersonics organisation was winding down the first time I was a member of the front office, admittedly a lowly member who spent more time making coffee and taking down sub orders than anything basketball related, but a member nonetheless. When the Sonics upped and left I found work in a certain Mr Tony Brown's enterprise, the same Tony Brown who's head of the consortium bringing the Sonics back. I may have exaggerated ever so slightly (“I'm telling you Mr Brown, I was solely responsible for the decision to draft Durant.”) my basketball qualifications to my boss, planting a seed no doubt. Well one works party and an awful lot of scotch later I had been offered the chance to be general manager of the returning Seattle Supersonics. Think of me as Seattle's answer to Chaz, only I pushed my luck a little bit further than he managed to.

To tell the truth I think Tony Brown knew I was a chancer, but the guy doesn't really care about winning and probably figured we were going to lose like hell first year anyway so he might as well have a scapegoat to hang it on. A douche of a GM seems like a handy enough target, huh? Here we go, I guess.

My first port of call, after watching Dirk Nowitzki delight not only his Dallas fans but pretty much everyone in America in leading the Mavs to an upset win over the Miami Heat and big two and three quarters in the NBA finals, was the expansion draft. The place where we'd choose the first chosen few to don the Sonics uniform, likely a mix of decent producers on bad contracts, over the hill vets and raw youngsters.

We won the coin toss for first pick and I surveyed the options in front of us. The first pick was to be a defining moment, unfortunately there was very little in the way of defining talent to live up to it. That said Raymond Felton is a decent producer, has a contract that isn't too restrictive (he's overpaid but it's relatively short at 2 years) and is probably the best of what's available. For their part the Las Vegas Aces take Brendan Haywood. He's a useful player now, but I'm not so sure they'll enjoy watching him hobble around the court in 4 years time, when he's earning the best party of $10m as a 35 year old. Having said that many would criticise our next move, selecting former #1 pick Emeka Okafor, a guy who's owed more than $40m over the next 3 seasons. To them I would say "Hey, shut up you big meanie." I like Okafor, he's a good defender who blocks his fair share of shots and rebounds well. He might be limited offensively but serviceable centres are few and far between in the NBA, and he's going to be a great role model for what's likely to be a young core. In the meantime, Vegas create perhaps the most overpaid front court in the NBA by picking up Elton Brand. He of the $36m contract over the next two years. I guess they aren't interested in free agency any time soon.

On we go till every the board is empty and after the many players that were cut the two rosters look like this -

Las Vegas Aces -
Guards -
Kyle Lowry
John Salmons
Richard Hamilton

Forwards -
Ron Artest
Elton Brand

Centres -
Brendan Haywood

That's a ton of salary committed to guys who are very close to being over the hill. They've already got $30m guaranteed to be locked up in 2013 on just four (very average) players. Seriously though, how good a fit is Ron Artest in Sin City? You know that can only end well.

Seattle Supersonics -
Guards -
Raymond Felton
AJ Price
Eric Bledsoe

Forwards -
Martell Webster
Luke Harangody
Kevin Seraphin

Centres -
Emeka Okafor

As you can see, Felton and Okafor aside we've gone for a conflicting strategy to that of the Aces. Acquiring young, cheap talent and hoping to develop it or package it in a trade. Webster's contract is inflated but contains a team option for next season so we can nix that if needs be. Price, Haragody and Seraphin are flyers, but I'd rather take a flyer on young guys on small deals than the likes of Rip Hamilton and Ron Artest given that we're likely to be a lottery team either way. The one pick up I like a lot is Eric Bledose. He's undersized for a 2 guard and likely projects as a combo guard off the bench but he's just young, explosive and enticing enough to be dangled as trade bait to land something meaningful down the line, hopefully.

There's no rest for the wicked as we go straight from the expansion draft to the coach hiring process. With the 4th pick in the draft this year, and a high lottery pick likely next year the emphasis has to be on evaluating and developing talent. With that in mind the names Mike Fratello, Rudy Tomjanovich and Jeff Van Gundy make up our shortlist. It becomes an even shorter list when Van Gundy and Tomjanovich come off the market, JVG heading to the T-Wolves with Rudy T moving up to Canada with the Raptors. We eventually come to terms with Mike Fratello on a 3 year contract, but only after we've agreed to pay him not a cent less than the $3.75m Tomjanovich is taking home. We hurriedly ink T.R Dunn, Chip Engelland and Dan Dickau as his back room staff, all of whom are amongst the best available when it comes to talent development. For their part the Aces tie up Mike Brown for 5 years.

Fratello is far from a perfect candidate, I'd prefer us to play with more intensity on the defensive end and he tends to edge toward playing vets over inexperienced players. On the flip side that means our kids are going to have to earn their minutes, and a slight sag on defensive intensity isn't really going to be all that worrying when we're likely losing 50+ games anyway.

With our backroom staff decided our attentions turned to the 2012 NBA draft. With the fourth pick analysts suggest we'll take Andy Marshall, a 6-8 power forward out of Kent State. I wouldn't be overly disappointed if this came to fruition, there are one or two players on the board that look slightly better, or with higher ceiling, at first glance but Marshall is a solid pick. Encouragingly there are four players on the board that I really like, so it was with optimism that we headed to New Jersey.

The Detroit Pistons own the first pick in the draft after a particularly underwhelming 2010-11 season. The prospect of pairing a potential superstar with Greg Monroe should offer Pistons fans a silver lining but it doesn't quite look that way when David Stern announces their pick...

1. Detroit Pistons select Shyrone Chandler
There's something akin to an eerie silence around the Prudential Centre as Chandler's name is read out. The man everyone has expected was Brian Coulibaly, a small forward out of Clemson who has put up some gaudy numbers. Or maybe Elton Rowe, an undersized point who nonetheless oozes superstar potential. Plus about another 10 names who were considered better than Shyrone. The analysts are equally stumped. JP absolutely hates the pick, stopping just short of calling for Joe Dumars to be removed from his position, and Chris is almost as vehemently opposed. For what it's worth we didn't even work the guy out, but he looks decent. Never in a month of Sundays is he good enough to go #1 though, a quite baffling selection.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves select Elton Rowe
Oh look, there's a good point guard on the board. Quick, somebody alert David Kahn immediately! I really like this kid out of Kentucky, he's a gunner, can defend and has good playmaking abilities, but he's 5-11. And the T-Wolves have Ricky Rubio coming over this season. Better options on the board for them in my opinion.
3. Memphis Grizzlies select Colin Howland
Another one we didn't even work out. He's a 6-1 point guard out of Kent State, who must have had a scary team last year with his guy at the point and Andy Marshall at power forward. To the surprise of nobody JP criticises the pick, just as he has done the previous two, but Chris likes it here. Mind you he also said he'd spoken to somebody from the Sonics who had told him we were high on Howland. That would be the same Howland we didn't even work out, right? Charlatan.

For our part this leaves us with a dilemma. I'd become quite happy with the idea of drafting Andy Marshall, the kid is skilled and will give us a formidable defensive front court when teamed with Okafor, while offered some scoring. But these surprising picks have dangled a couple of very interesting players under our noses. Jimmy McKeever is a 6-6 shooting guard from Miami who shoots the ball like he's Ray Allen's illegitimate child and possesses good play making skills for a 2. His defense leaves something to be desired but his ability to score the ball and run an offense, as well his size, are enticing. We also have the predicted number 1 pick to consider, Brian Coulibaly. He caught fire from 3 last season but is a balanced scorer equally at home driving as shooting a jumper and occasionally taking his man into the post. His defense is so-so but he's a great rebounder for a 3. I like them all an an awful lot and in the end it's no more than a hunch, but...

4. Seattle Supersonics select Brian Coulibaly
I immediately feel better when Chris and JP praise the pick, Chris even suggested Coulibaly can be a potent offensive threat in the league. I feel a little giddy.
5. Las Vegas Aces select Andy Marshall
If he rebounds slightly better than advertised then they have a straight up monster. What he lacks in shot blocking he's more than going to make up for in other areas,
6. Toronto Raptors select Victor Bradley
7. Cleveland Cavaliers select Kareem Brown
8. Sacramento Kings select Jason Trombley
Sacramento takes a highly skilled but highly troublesome power forward to pair with the highly skilled but highly troublesome DaMarcus Cousins in a highly skilled but highly troublesome front court. Fireworks abound. Ugh.
9. Charlotte Bobcats select Jimmy McKeever
A steal at this point. I was close to taking him at #4. My opinion is once more proved worthless when Chris and JP are cold on the pick, saying he was taken too early.
10. Oklahoma City Thunder select Scott Stevenson
11. Phoenix Suns select Bryen Boardman

We'd spent the time since our 4th pick sounded out a few other organisations about trades, despite our relatively meagre bounty from which to offer up. However we did succeed in putting together a package that another team found acceptable for a guy that I find too intriguing not to pull the trigger on. All will be revealed after the draft.

12. Washington Wizards select LB Holtz
13. Sacramento Kings select Bob Williams
My scouts raved about Williams' play making ablities. With him, Tyreke Evans, Trombley and Cousins on board they have an exciting group going forward. They just need to keep them in check.
14. Indiana Pacers select Craig Buckmaster
15. New York Knicks select Stanislav Zhukov
16. Utah Jazz select Brendan Duplessis
17. Philadelphis 76ers select Ben Houston
18. Atlanta Hawks select Alton Barnes
Barnes has the talent to be going much, much higher than #18. But he's a complete tool. Stunk up his interview here horrendously and will be an instant cancer to any locker room I suspect.
19. Milwaukee Bucks select CJ Womack
20. Orlando Magic select Patrick Tillman
I was vaguely hoping his pre-draft expectations would be on the money and he'd drop to the 2nd round where we could nab him.
21. New Jersey Nets select Haydar Sandalli
22. Golden State Warriors select Anthony Ansley
23. Houston Rockets select Terrell Fox
24. New York Knicks select Edem Riley
25. New Orleans Hornets select Gelnn Alexander
No that's not a typo. His name is Gelnn. Wow.
26. Dallas Mavericks select Tom Arnold
Who actually may be the defending champs starting centre with Brendan Haywood out of town.
27. Sacramento Kings select Shawn Brown
28. Boston Celtics select Tory Brown
29. San Antonio Spurs select Aaron Dwiggins
30. Los Angeles Lakers select Michael Moore
Either this is a really elaborate publicity stunt for a new film or the Lakers drafted a 6-9 centre out of Maryland with a famous name.
31. Portland Trailblazers select Dwayne Haynes
32. Denver Nuggets select Matt Lee

Somewhere around the end of the round we get a really interesting offer from Chicago of Loul Deng for Emeka Okafor. I might have taken it in different circumstances, Loul is the better player certainly and they're both on bad contracts all told, but Deng would only stunt the development of Coulibaly and a certain other player we acquired during the draft, plus I value Okafor's veteran presence in the locker room.

The second round was something of a scramble with us and Las Vegas possessing almost half the picks between us, having picked some up via selections in the expansion draft. I'll tidy that and some trades up in the next update.

Our second round picks largely worked out underwhelmingly. We ended up cutting picks 34, 35 and 40 due to questionable attitudes in the hope of protecting locker room camaraderie, traded two more and as such ended up keeping just two. Clyde Williams (#38) a shooting guard out of Oklahoma who has a good outside stroke and Ivan Clayburn (#48) Arizona State's 6-8 small forward who if I'm honest sticks around just for another non-crazy body.

Trades

There were a ton of trades during the draft so I'll restrict it to those involving the Sonics or that catch my eye.

Pacers send -
Paul George

Trailblazers send -
Nico Batum

Why for Indiana?
With Danny Granger heading out of town (calm down, we'll get to that) Indiana needed a more NBA ready presence at the 3 and gets it by offering up it's incumbent in a straight swap. Batum has potentially phenomenal skill set but has flattered to deceive thus far in his short NBA career.

Why for Portland?
The Blazers finally got sick of waiting around for Batum to develop into the player he infrequently threatens to become. They lose some outside shooting in acquiring George but possess that at the 3 already in Luke Babbit. George brings tremendous athleticism, size and defense, plus a cap friendly contract for the next 3 years.

Winner – Tie.
Ultimately it's that rarest of trades, one that makes sense for both teams.

Supersonics send -
Eric Bledose
Luke Harangody

Timberwolves send -
Wesley Johnson

Why for Seattle?
They lose a probable starter in Bledsoe but Harangody is likely a bust and Johnson's ceiling is ultimately much higher than either man they give up.

Why for Minny?
Johnson was something of a disappointment as a #4 pick, even considered something of a reach at the time. Bledsoe could potentially fill the problem shooting guard spot for the Pups.

Winner – Seattle
I get that Minny isn't happy with Wes but they have to return more for him. Bledsoe's ceiling is your first guard off the bench and Harangody is a non-entity. Johnson probably never lives up to the over hyped expectations of a #4 pick but he can be a solid starter down the line. The only problem the Sonics have is how to split the game time with this years #4 pick Brian Coulibaly.

This is the type of trade I'd hope picking up Bledsoe could facilitate. Johnson was unhappy in Minnesota and the T-Wolves likely weren't over the moon with him after an underwhelming rookie season. He's expected to play the 2 guard to Coulibaly's small forward in Coach Fratello's line up.

Supersonics send -
Chris Johnson

Nets send -
Anthony Morrow

Why for Seattle?
They're deep at the point guard and Morrow offers some dead eye perimeter shooting.

Why for New Jersey?
Johnson was considered something of a steal that deep and possesses good play making skills. Morrow is a dangerous customer from beyond the arc but in reality brings little else to the table.

Winner – Nets
Johnson earns less than a quarter than Morrow and offers the Nets a safe pair of hands to back up Devin Harris.

Supersonics send -
Kevin Seraphin

Nuggets send -
Ty Lawson

Why for Seattle?
Seraphin passes the eye test and is enticing for exactly that reason, but in reality his skil lset isn't NBA ready. Ty Lawson can play a role and comes at a relatively friendly salary.

Why for Denver?
Lawson hasn't broken out like the Nuggets had hoped and remains entrenched behind Chauncy Billups in the point guard picking order. Seraphin offers them front court help where they look short of quality.

Winner – Seattle
Lawson is the better player, we don't think Seraphin ever becomes a steady contributor at this level.

Supersonics send -
Willie McDermott

Mavericks send -
Roddy Beaubois

Why for Seattle?
Because GM Raoul Duke really likes point guards? They probably consider shifting a deep 2nd round pick for a former 1st rounder with potential a sensible move

Why for Dallas?
Beaubois has continually failed to crack Rick Carlisle's rotation and needs a move to freshen up a flagging career. McDermott may have stayed on the board for a long time but the kid can shoot like a trooper.

Winner – Seattle
Okay so they picked up their fourth point guard but I get that they're stock piling talent at this stage. McDermott likely doesn't crack the rotation and I have my doubts whether he even lasts the season in Dallas.

Just some smaller deals that made sense, at least to me. I just didn't see the talent running that deep in this years draft so when New Jersey, Dallas and Denver approached us with decent enough role players in exchange for second round picks we were happy to facilitate them and run off cackling into the distance. We're very heavy at the point guard now though, a further move or two will have to be made there.

Pacers send -
Danny Granger

Kings send -
Shawn Brown

Why for Indiana?
Granger had fallen out with just about everyone in Indy, which isn't the best situation for somebody who's meant to be the face of your franchise to be in. With that in mind the Pacers cash Granger in for the Kings 27th pick, a 7-1 centre who rebounds hard and...well that's just about all he does.

Why for Sacramento?
They flip a limited project big man for one of the premier scorers in the NBA. Not a bad days work.

Winner – Sacramento
The Kings should be locked up for robbery. An absolute steal, and they have a roster that looks dangerously close to being post-season quality.

To wrap up the draft stuff, Coulibaly actually looks pretty good on reflection. Solid outside shot, can score the ball and rebounds well for a small forward. He'll never be a great defender or add much value in terms of steals or shot blocking but he's a relatively acquisition and can contribute straight away.

Elsewhere Jimmy McKeever is a predictably excellent outside shooter and a great passer for a 2 guard. Good value at #9 even if he doesn't possess much upside. Centre Kareem Brown looks like an early contender for Rookie of the Year, he flew completely under my radar but Cleveland's #7 pick out of Wake Forest could put up some gaudy numbers. A capable post scorer, he'll block shots at a decent clip but his real value is on the boards where he's a monster rebounder. Detroit's #1 selection doesn't look any better in the cold light of day. Shyrone Chandler is a lockdown defender but is going to struggle to find a way to score. Could have been a decent pick further down the lottery but he simply shouldn't have been in the conversation to go first. Las Vegas did well with Andy Marshall, who's the best defender in the class despite his lack of shot blocking ability and will find ways to score in the post. He's also a decent, if not quite great, rebounder. Colin Howland is a little further away from contributing than the other top picks but has fine potential if he can round out into a very handy point guard. Likewise Elton Rowe, who's also a step behind the likes of McKeever, Coulibaly and Brown in his development but offers huge rewards down the line potentially. Though having to duke it out with Ricky Rubio for the starting point guard role may stunt his development further still.

Chris Johnson, who we shipped to New Jersey for Anthony Morrow, looks like a great value pick that deep but is pretty much what you see right now, he just doesn't have the tools to further his game beyond it's current level. Our other tradee Willie McDermott is a bust and has been cut by the Mavs.

Summer Roster
Guards -
AJ Price
Ty Lawson
Roddy Beaubois
Clyde Williams
Andy Rautins

Forwards -
Brian Coulibaly
Wesley Johnson
Ivan Clyburn
Aaron Brown
Ryan Richards

Centres -
A.J Pugh
Paulo Prestes

We invite cut draft picks Aaron Brown and A.J Pugh along for kicks, along with some scrubs. Our first encounter is with the Jazz, who are duly despatched 117-96. Paulo Prestes picks up a surprising player of the game with 14 points and 13 boards, with Lawson adding 21 from the bench. Coulibaly goes for 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists while Wesley Johnson and Roddy Beaubois add 13 apiece.

New Orleans are next to fall, losing a tight one 105-103, largely thanks to Wesley Johnson pouring in 31. Ty Lawson helps himself to 12 points and 6 assists while Coulibaly chips in 11. We take our good form into the match up with the Cavaliers, Roddy Beaubois leading us to a 121-103 victory with 28 points and 8 assists. Paulo Prestes has 26 with Wesley Johnson the third member of our team to break 20 points.

Denver can't end our streak, falling 109-93 as Paulo Prestes has another impressively effective game with 16 points and 6 assists. Clyde Williams adds 20 with Ty Lawson's double double adding further gloss. We end an enjoyable summer league stretch by blowing out the Mavs 110-78. Predictably Roddy Beaubois goes off and grabs 27 points, while Brian Coulibaly has 16 after two worryingly quiet games.

Our point guards come out of summer league with most gained, one of Lawson or Beaubois impressing in every game. Coulibaly had some quiet stretches and never really threatened to take over a game, which might be a concern. Johnson blew hot and cold but Paulo Prestes had a fine stretch and may have earned himself a contract offer. Speaking of which, we head into free agency already over the cap, so we're working with exceptions and min salary deals.

The big prizes in free agency are established names like Tony Parker, Zach Randolph and David West. It would be fair to say it's an underwhelming year in terms of superstars on the market but there are a ton of role players available, especially after the expansion draft saw many players picked but swiftly cut and in search of employment. For our part we aren't looking to do much meaningful business. We're desperately in need of a stop gap at the power forward slot but it's relatively pointless to go searching for answer now, and we want to suck as hard as possible anyway to land a nice draft pick. Instead we'll be trying to acquire some vets with good attitudes and high work ethic, hopefully to give an example to our younger guys.

The whole circus kicks off with a few of re-signings, Tony Parker agrees to stay in San Antonio for another 3 years, Caron Butler signs on for a long 5 year stretch in Dallas while Kendrick Perkins extends his stay in Boston by 2 more seasons. As well as re-signing Butler Dallas wraps up more early business by adding Jason Richardson for the next 4 years, setting them back $23m. Kelenna Azubuike's outside shot and...well probably just his outside shot actually, earns him a 4 year, $30m contract from Chicago who really are floundering in their search to fill the 2 guard position. Speaking of overpaid guards, Vince Carter garners a $28m offer from Orlando to continue under performing for another 3 years. Greg Oden extends in Portland for another 5 years, off the back of 2 relative injury free seasons, barring the odd niggle here and there. A centre as skilled as Oden is a steal at $9m a year, so if can remain on the court more than he's off it's a good deal. Yao is another big man staying where he is, inking a huge $90m contract to stay in Houston for another 6 years.

Our first dip into the free agency waters ends in failure as Anthony Parker chooses to spend a year in Milwaukee rather than Seattle, but Paulo Prestes does agree to a year here on a minimum salary contract. Two teams had a particularly busy summer, with Sacramento piecing together a formidable front court unit. First came Anderson Varejao on a 2 year, $13m contract, with Tyson Chandler following soon after on the same length, but slightly cheaper deal. They finished their towering trio with perhaps the most significant acquisition, Zach Randolph signing on for 5 years, at a cost of $74m. The Nets were also busy, re-signing Troy Murphy who'll earn a mind boggling $57m over the next four years and strenghening their team by adding Aaron Afflalo on a one year rental for the mid level exception as well as Thaddeus Young (2 years, $7m). The decision to extend Murphy such a big offer looked (even more) baffling when they came to an agreement with David West on a monster $61m contract for the next 5 years.

The Hornets have been left with a ton of cap space following the departures of West and Okafor and fill it by signing Jamal Crawford, Samuel Dalembert and Rashard Lewis to similar sized deals all around the MLE, thought Lewis gets a year less than his fellow signees who will be with the Hornets for 3 seasons. Marcus Thornton is another name departing New Orleans, the Spurs using the space created by Richard Jefferson's departure via the expansion draft to extend him a huge 5 year, $61m deal. And finally the Pistons front office manages to make an actual good move by signing Marc Gasol for 5 years and $60m, though it may also be the biggest waste of talent given what he's got around him. There were a load of other smaller deals but we'll have a round of anyone on the move who's actually going to get significant minutes in the season preview.

Our only additions to Prestes are Grant Hill, who comes in for the low level exception, and Tracy McGrady for the veterans minimum. They're both way, way past their best as players but have a little bit still in the tank and offer up exactly what we want in terms of an example to younger players attitude wise. To tidy up any more unfinished business we also take up next seasons options on Ty Lawson, Roddy Beaubois and Wesley Johnson.

Your 2011-12 Seattle Supersonics
PG Raymond Felton
SG Wesley Johnson
SF Brian Couliably
PF Grant Hill
C Emeka Okafor
6th Anthony Morrow
7th Tracy McGrady
8th Roddy Beaubois
9th Martell Webster
10th Ty Lawson
11th Paulo Prestes
12th Clyde Williams
13th A.J Price
14th Ivan Clyburn

Wow, is that ever underwhelming.

Good job stealing Wesley Johnson. If he gets enough opportunities I'm sure he will be a quality player for you.

zike_42 wrote:Good job stealing Wesley Johnson. If he gets enough opportunities I'm sure he will be a quality player for you.

Thanks. I hope so, at the very least he should be able to bring back some value via a trade. Although he's had a tough start.

Season Preview -
Eastern Conference

1. Miami Heat (Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, Mike Miller, Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem)
Key Reserves – Carl Landry, Tayshaun Prince, Shane Battier, Shaq

2. Chicago Bulls (Derrick Rose, Kelenna Azubuike, Loul Deng, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah)
Key Reserves – Beno Udrih, Taj Gibson, Ronnie Brewer

3. New Jersey Nets (Devin Harris, Arron Afflalo, Thaddeus Young, David West, Brook Lopez)
Key Reserves – Troy Murphy, Terrence Williams, Derrick Favors)

4. New Orleans Hornets (Chris Paul, Jamal Crawford, Trevor Ariza, Rashard Lewis, Samuel Dalembert)
Key Reserves – Gelnn Alexander, Erick Dampier, Rasual Butler

5. Washington Wizards (John Wall, Gilbert Arenas, Al Thornton, Andray Blatche, Andris Biedrins)
Key Reserves – Yi Jianlian, Kirk Hinrich, L.B Holtz

6. Atlanta Hawks (Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson, Alton Barnes, Josh Smith, Spencer Hawes)
Key Reserves – Rowan Moore, Jordan Crawford, Rudy Fernandez

7. Boston Celtics (Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jermain O'Neal)
Key Reserves – Kendrick Perkins, Avery Bradley, Victor Claver

8. Philadelphia 76ers (Louis Williams, Evan Turner, Andre Igoudala, Kenyon Martin, Earl Barron)
Key Reserves – Jrue Holiday, Fred Jones, Marrese Speights

9. Detroit Pistons (Rodney Stuckey, Carlos Delfino, Jonas Jerebko, Greg Monroe, Marc Gasol)
Key Reserves – Ben Wallace, Charlier Villanueva, Ben Godon, Shyrone Chandler

10. New Yorks Knicks (Tony Douglas, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Anthony Randolph, Amare Stoudamire)
Key Reserves – Timofey Mozgov, J.R Smith, Bill Walker

11. Charlotte Bobcats (Shaun Livingston, Stephen Jackson, Gerald Wallace, Boris Diaw, Eduardo Najera)
Key Reserves – Jimmy McKeever, Brandon Rush, T.J Ford

12. Orlando Magic (Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter, Quentin Richardson, Patrick Tillman, Dwight Howard)
Key Reserves – Chris Duhon, J.J Redick, Ryan Anderson

13. Indiana Pacers (Darren Collison, Craig Buckmaster, Nicolas Batum, Tylr Hansbrough, Roy Hibbert)
Key Reserves – Josh McRoberts, Shawn Brown, D.J Agustin

14. Cleveland Cavaliers (Mo Williams, Ramon Sessions, Marvin Williams, J.J Hickson, Kareem Brown
Key Reserves – Chuck Hayes, Wesley Johnson, Sonny Weems

15. Memphis Grizzlies (Colin Howland, O.J Mayo, Rudy Gay, J.R King, Hasheem Thabeet)
Key Reserves – Xavier Henry, Grevis Vasquez, Sam Young

16. Toronto Raptors (Jarret Jack, Linas Kleizna, Travis Outlaw, Andrea Bargnani, Ed Davis)
Key Reserves – Amir Johnson, Victor Bradley, Leandro Barbosa

Western Conference

1. Sacramento Kings (C.J Watson, Tyreke Evans, Danny Granger, Zach Randolph, Jason Thompson)
Key Reserves – Anderson Varejao, Jason Trombley, Omri Casspi, Bob Williams

2. Golden State Warriors (Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis, Reggie Williams, David Lee, Anthony Ansley)
Key Reserves – Ekpe Udoh, Brandan Wright, Dorrel Wright

3. Houston Rockets (Aaron Brooks, Kevin Martin, Andrei Kirilenko, Luis Scola, Yao Ming)
Key Reserves – Courtney Lee, Hedo Turkoglu, Terrell Fox

4. Los Angeles Lakers (Steve Blake, Kobe Bryant, Matt Barnes, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum)
Key Reserves – Zydrunus Ilgauskas, Michael Redd, Devin Ebanks

5. Denver Nuggets (Chauncey Billups, Matt Lee, Carmelo Anthony, Antawn Jamison, Nene)
Key Reserves – Al Harrington, Jose Calderon, Chris Andersen

6. Los Angeles Clippers (Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Amuni, Blake Griffin, Chris Kaman)
Key Reserves – DaMarcus Cousins, Ryan Gomes, Randy Foye

7. Dallas Mavericks (Jason Kidd, Jason Richardson, Jason Terry, Dirk Nowtizki, Titus Arnold)
Key Reserves – Caron Butler, Shawn Marion, Richard Jefferson

8. Oklahoma City Thunder (Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Thabo Sefolosha, Jeff Green, Serge Ibaka)
Key Reserves – Scott Stevenson, Jeremy Richardson, Eric Maynor

9. Portland Trailblazers (Andre Miller, Brandon Roy, Paul George, LaMarcus Aldrige, Marcus Camby)
Key Reserves – Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Josh Howard

10. San Antonio Spurs (Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, DeJuan Blair, Tiago Splitter, Tim Duncan)
Key Reserves – Marcus Thornton, Peja Stojakovic, George Hill

11. Utah Jazz (Deron Williams, Raja Bell, Gordon Hayward, Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson)
Key Reserves – Mehmet Okur, Tyrus Thomas, Francisco Garcia

12. Milwaukee Bucks (Brandon Jennings, Anthony Parker, Corey Maggette, Drew Gooden, Andrew Bogut)
Key Reserves – C.J Womack, Ersan Ilyasova, Larry Sanders

13. Minnesota Timberwolves (Jonny Flynn, Ricky Rubio, Michael Beasley, Kevin Love, Nikola Pekovic)
Key Reserves – Elton Rowe, Anthony Tolliver, Corey Brewer

14. Las Vegas Aces (Kyle Lowry, Richard Hamilton, John Salmons, Andy Marshall, Bredan Haywood)
Key Reserves – Elton Brand, Ron Artest, Aaron Graves

15. Seattle Supersonics (Raymond Felton, Anthony Morrow, Brian Coulibaly, Wesley Johnson, Emeka Okafor)
Key Reserves – Grant Hill, Ty Lawson, Tracy McGrady

16. Phoenix Suns (Steve Nash, Jared Dudley, Josh Childress, Channing Frye, Bryen Boardman)
Key Reserves – Robin Lopez, Gani Lawal, Hakim Warrick

There's somebody worse than us in the West! Yay! Seriously though, I don't buy that any team run by Steve Nash is finishing with the worst record, even if the talent surrounding him is, to be blunt, rubbish. Out East Miami looks very, very scary. They've added depth to the big two and three quarters and even if they look a little short on big men (Shaq? Puh-lease) they've got more than enough quality to hide their flaws. I find it hard to argue with much, I don't like Philly, Washington or Atlanta an awful lot but the conference is so short on genuine quality outside of the top 4 or 5 teams that it's hard to dispute their claims. Though if the Magic, with the most dominant big in the league on their roster, miss out on the post-season I would be astonished. Check out the #1 selection Shyrone Chandler being 4th man off the bench for his new team too, that pick just looks worse and worse.

In the West there's absolutely no way the Thunder make the playoffs with Kevin Durant sitting for the first 20-30 games of the season, that listed line-up yields a high lottery pick in my estimation. Even with Durantula back the supporting cast isn't good enough to claw back enough wins to make the playoffs. The Warriors still have issues with their front court, they might squeeze into the top eight but no way are they the second best team in the West. Sacramento has gone from being entrenched in the lottery to a genuine threat with a few smart moves, I'd expect to see rookie Bob Williams in the line-up before long too, giving them a genuine pass-first point guard to run the show. Somebody is going to be hugely disappointed come April though, I count at least 10 teams who could reasonably expect to compete for a top 8 berth given the talent at their disposal, a sharp contract to the shallow talent pool in the East.

We start things off with the most brutal of visits as the Miami Heat roll into Seattle to begin the new era of this storied NBA franchise. Despite the fervour whipped up by a sold out revamped KeyArena, we fall well short. The frenzied crowd support proving futile against the bundles upon bundles of superior talent the Heat possess. Wade and Lebron combine for 52 as we go down 105-73, only Brian Coulibaly and Raymond Felton netting double digits as we shoot 11% (11%!) from beyond the arc. Things get worse before they get better when we travel to Houston, once again we're pathetic from downtown shooting just 10% this time on our way to ust 30% from the floor in a 89-63 loss. Morrow's 14 bench points and Wesley Johnson's 16 cold comfort after a grim nights shooting.

With our cold touch in mind it was with little confidence we welcomed a battle hardened veteran Celtics squad to Seattle, and yet it was they who provided us with our first win back on the national stage. Anthony Morrow rediscovered his shooting touch going off for 31 in our 118-91 upset win. Brian Couliably helped himself to his first double double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, with Raymond Felton falling just one assist short of the same accolade having bagged 18 points. The most baffling statstic? We shot a ridiculous 57% from deep.

That assured touch deserted us two nights later in Washington, falling to the Wizards 90-79. Coulibaly once again impressed with 18 though, albeit on poor 6-17 shooting, while Okafor snaffled a monster 20 rebounds in vain. The real headline came in the form of a crushing injury blow, Wesley Johnson suffering a broken elbow in the loss and having to sit for around 2 months. Anthony Morrow is the recipient of his starting berth but his departure from the bench leaves a big scoring void to fill. Orlando rolled into Seattle next and went away with the victory courtesy of a big night from Dwight Howard, carrying his team to a 103-82 win. We might as well have travelled back to Florida with the Magic, as we pitched up in Miami a couple of nights later, only to be blown out 119-77, thanks mainly to a huge 41 point night from Lebron. Couliably again leads our team in scoring with 18 points, but the rookie took 22 shots to get them. I hope this isn't going to become a trend, I can't stand wasteful shooting.

Portland were widely expected to roll through Seattle and take a win back with them but became our second victims of the year instead, falling to an 88-79 defeat. Raymond Felton led the way with 20 points, supported by solid if unspectacular contributions from Coulibaly and Okafor, although the former is still hitting a woeful percentage of his shots. A single road game in Minnesota yields only defeat, Anthony Morrow and Grant Hill the only two Sonics to find any real touch in a 108-92 reverse, before a defeat of Milwaukee earns us our third win of the season. Emeka Okafor deserved real credit for going step for step with Andrew Bogut but it's Felton who again takes player of the game honours, netting 15 points and 9 assists. Brian Coulibaly showed promising signs in going 5-5 from the field for his 12 points. We then won the battle of the new franchises courtesy of a 99-89 win over Las Vegas, Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady reminding everyone they still exist, the former by leading all scorers on 19 points while the latter adds 15 bench points. Brian Coulibaly has another reasonably economical night with 15 points from 9 shots.

We end the month by spliting a back-to-back, losing 109-80 on the road to the Warriors, with Emeka Okafor to thank for making it look even mildly respectable as everyone else floundered, (Coulibaly shooting watch: 3-15), but redeeming ourselves with a 118-98 home win over the TWolves, Brian Coulibaly picking up his first player of the game award following a 23 points (8-15) showing, complimented with 7 boards, 4 assists and 4 steals, just edging out Anthony Morrow's 30 point night.

All in all it's not as bad as I'd feared it might be, especially after Wes went down with his broken elbow. Sure we're bottom of the Northwest (led by the T-Wolves, yikes!) but there are 4 teams with worse records than our 5-8 in the West, and a further 6 in a top-heavy East. Losing Wesley Johnson was a blow as he's one we need to assess in terms of whether he's part of us building on the court or a potentially valuable trade piece, while Brian Coulibaly's erratic shooting is one to keep an eye on. Even with the rookie being the first draft pick and as such proxy poster boy of the new Sonics era, I won't hesitate to dangle him on the block if he keeps shooting below .400. I'm all about economical play.

Players of the month are Dwight Howard and Cleveland's Kareem Brown, who's currently averaging a double double in his first month in the league despite having the work ethic of Boris Diaw after a particularly satisfying Burger King trip.

December started on a high, with our first road win coming in Cleveland thanks to a heart stopping 100-97 victory. Emeka Okafor and Raymond Felton had 21 points apiece, with the former adding 10 boards for a double double. Paulo Prestes 14 bench points and 11 rebounds may just have ultimately proved the difference maker. What followed was almost unmitigated lows though as we contrived to lose 9 of our 10 other games for the month. Dallas were the first to profit, besting us 104-82 in Seattle with Raymond Felton somehow managing to make 38 year old Jason Kidd look like the MVP candidate player of a decade ago.

Then came 3 brutal road games, first a 112-89 defeat to the Kobe-inspired Lakers, followed by a second lost to the Mavs in just a few days, Dirk going gonzo for 47, completely overshadowing Emeka Okafor's productive 27/19 night. Lesson – don't expect Grant Hill guarding Dirk to bring anything other than hilarious consequences. Last was a morale sapping 95-91 loss in Boston. The Celtics avenging our win earlier in the season despite another big double double (16/19) from Okafor, and decent contributions from Felton (18) and Prestes (14/11).

We're avenged once more next time out as Las Vegas win 94-83 in Seattle, though on the plus side Brian Coulibaly finally started playing some basketball in December with 18 points, albeit on 15 shots. We surprise a few people by taking the Magic to OT in Orlando, though run out of steam having done so. Coulibaly's 17 complimenting the front court duo of Felton and Morrow combining for 49 points, we just couldn't contain Howard. San Antonio finally offered some solace as they continued their struggles this season, affording us a 93-85 win, thanks mainly to Raymond Felton's 22 point, 9 assist outing. Though Morrow and Coulibaly adding 19 and 14 helped.

It was however mearly a silver lining in a very big, very black cloud that was December. Las Vegas earned their second win of the month over us 87 to a pitiful 61, only Grant Hill and Okafor squeaking into double digits with 11 and 10 respectively before we rediscovered our shooting touch but still fell 108-101 hosting the Kings. Coulibaly continuing to be maddeningly inconsistent, displaying his talent with a 21 point night while snaffling 3 steals and adding a block for good measure. Okafor and Felton providing the platform for a near miss with double doubles. On a sidenote the Kings look like the real deal this year, Danny Granger is averging nearly 23 points, Zach Randolph is a monster in the post and on the boards, Tyreke adds yet more scoring and they appear to have found perfect complimentary pieces in rookies Jason Trombley and Bob Williams, whose pass-first mentality is perfect for this scoring heavy rotation. As for us? Well we end December as we've spent most of it, on our asses after a 107-96 loss in San Antonio. Brian Coulibaly led our scorers with 20, but took 17 shots to get there, leaving Paulo Prestes as our most impressive performer, taking advantage of Emeka Okafor sustaining a sore wrist on the night by grabbing 16 points and 17 boards. The Brazilian is quietly putting together a nice little season for himself.

So as 2012 dawns the Sonics sit bottom of the Northwest with a 7-17 record, a game and a half behind the almost as hapless Milwaukee Bucks. Two wins from 11 games is obviously extremely poor but we expected to suck this season, what's all the more depressing is our two supposed franchise corner stones have experienced disappointing seasons in different ways thus far. Wesley Johnson still sits for a further 13 days with his broken elbow, while Brian Coulibaly's shooting percentage stubbornly refuses to rise above the .400 mark. Ray Felton and Emeka Okafor are having decent seasons, and Paulo Prestes is exceeding expectations with stellar bench play, but these guys aren't what we're building are future on. Admittedly it's early days but if we approach the trade deadline and Coulibaly isn't showing growth we may have to think about gauging his value around the league. On the (barely) plus side we're spared the indignity of propping up the West only by quite how bad the 6-17 Phoenix Suns are. There are two anomalies in the playoff berths, with the Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves taking up unusual positions in the post-season spots. Out East there are somehow four teams with inferior records to us, the Pacers, Grizzlies, Cavs and Raptors proving to be really good at being really bad. The Heat are at a scary 25-2.

Dwight wins his second player of the month award while the Bobcats sharpshooting 2 guard Jimmy McKeever takes the rookie of the month honour.


Trade

Bobcats send -
Gerald Henderson
Stephen Jackson

Bulls send –
Loul Deng

Why for Charlotte?
Stephen Jackson was unhappy in Charlotte and threatening to disrupt a locker room thats on the bubble for a playoff spot.

Why for Chicago?
Shooting guard has been identified as the position the Bulls needed to upgrade to be a real threat in the post-season, Jackson fills that void and they get rid of Deng's inflated deal.

Winner – Chicago
In truth we think both teams get worse from this move. Charlotte is using Deng as a stretch four so if effectively paying him $40m over the next 3 seasons to play out of position, and Chicago now have Kelenna Azubuike at the 3, losing an awful lot of height, rebounding and defence. That said Chicago shed a ton of salary for the season after next while Charlotte took on a lot without getting any better.

We once again start a month off nicely before it all turns very sour. There was cause for optimism to start 2012 as Charlotte leave Seattle with only a 103-93 loss to show for their exertions, Anthony Morrow scoring 34 as he and Bobcats 2 guard Jimmy McKeever shot with no conscience and defended each other with no clue. We then embarked on a woeful losing streak, 8 games passing before we tasted victory again. We fell on the road in both New Jersey and Dallas, failing to break 75 either night in what can only be described as pitiful performances. The only positive point coming in the form of Wesley Johnson's return to the rotation, the former Syracuse swingman getting 57 minutes of bench action under his belt.

A 92-116 loss at home to the Suns hit us extra hard, not only because of their woeful record but we also lost both our centres to serious injuries. Emeka Okafor will sit for 43 days with a broken leg, while backup Paulo Prestes is sidelined for 46 days with a broken arm. We don't even have a genuine power forward who can man the 5 while they're out so we dip into the free agent pool to ink Dexter Pittman for the rest of the season.

Pittman managed a double double in his first game, and it was one with a definite edge to it as we travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder, the team that wrestled the Sonics franchise away from Seattle. I'd love to say our skeleton squad stood up and brought into the fans feelings of hurt and frustration to make a real game of it. Instead we got blown out 108-83 with Anthony Morrow the only other Sonic making any impression with 17 bench points, Wesley Johnson now manning the starting 2 guard position.

A loss at home to the 76ers followed, the impressive Evan Turner torching us despite Pittman continuing his impressive run, top scoring for us with 19. You have to credit Mike Fratello for at least trying something different, swapping Brian Coulibaly and Wesley Johnson's positions. The result? Coulibaly still shot badly, Johnson shot worse and their opposite numbers were Philly's top two scorers. Not quite a roaring success then. Incidentally despite the team playing so badly Roddy Beaubois' own individual form is so whiffy that the local press asked me to comment on his troubles. It's quite something to stink it up enough to be singled out on a team where four starters are averaging below .400 shooting from the floor, plus another rotation guy. Kudos Roddy.

We then embarked on a 5 game road trip, losing a terrible game 75-89 in New York, though Wesley Johnson found some touch with 16 points before being predictably trounced in blow outs by the Hornets and Lakers. Morrow, Pittman and Johnson all having nice individual nights in one of the two collective disasters. Memphis offered us a brief respite from the losses and reminded us what it was like to care again as we stole a topsy-turvy contest 93-92. Anthony Morrow's 20 and Grant Hill's 17 both crucial foundations but Dexter Pittman's monster 23 rebounds really destroyed the Grizzlies front court. We round the road trip off by returning to familiar form, the Pistons handing us a 118-95 defeat despite Wesley Johnson's 21 and another Pittman double double.

With the team back in Seattle I'm informed by assistant coach T.R. Dunn that Anthony Morrow and Dexter Pittman have been involved in arguments on the road. They've been our best two performers recently but I care about neither enough to get really worked up about it. Pittman likely isn't here next season and Morrow would be gone in a heartbeat if I could get an upgrade. Infact I'm finding it really tough to fall in love with anybody on this roster right now. The word of the moment might be overhaul.

Landing back at home does us little favour as we drop a game to the Clippers 102-84 with the starting 5 somehow contriving to be outscored by two bench players, Martell Webster and Anthony Morrow combining for 39. Which is more than half the total score we manage the next night in a 97-65 loss in Philadelphia, managing just over 25% from the floor as Evan Turner once again destroys us. Hard not to like that kid's game. Houston take advantage of our anaemic play by winning 115-91 in Seattle, despite a Raymond Felton double-double and our final loss of the month is a shootout in Phoenix, the Suns triumphing 122-117 in the spirit of D'Antoni's playoff teams. Martell Webster again having another good night from the bench, top scoring with 24. And on a night where we shot 55% collective Brian Coulibaly still manages to go 4-15, and is still managing below .400 for the season. I'd take something like 80 cents on the dollar to sell him now, his refusal to improve his shot selection is really grinding my gears.

The month ends in baffling fashion, we actually win a game. D'Antoni's current employers fall in Seattle, the Knicks on the receiving end of a 114-95 defeat, Dexter Pittman leading all scorers on 26 with Wesley Johnson not far behind on 22, as well as a nice double double for Felton.

So with February, the month of the trade deadline, ahead we sit at 10-30. Not only the worst record in the Southwest but the least wins in the West. Though Phoenix still manage to sit behind us courtesy of their being incredibly effective at losing games. The Kings are more than holding firm in the playoff spots, currently owning the second best record in the conference, while the upstart Twolves hold off the more fancied Jazz for the 8th seed as things stand. The East still houses some tragic teams, with the Raps stuck on 7 wins and the Cavs and Pacers somehow having worse records than both us and Phoenix, and the Grizzlies aren't much better off. The Heat continue to tear through the league sitting at 37-5.

I've come to the conlclusion that we have to make a move before the 23rd. I just don't enjoy watching this group play, it's occasionally fun when Morrow starts hitting 3s or Paulo Prestes or Dexter Pittman play above themselves but for the most part it's just a roll call of uninspiring middle of the road talent. Emeka Okafor and Raymond Felton might be fantastic guys but they're not getting the city of Seattle talking about hoops. With that in mind we've sounded out a bunch of teams around the league and we've narrowed it down to 2 distinct ways we can go if we decide to pull the trigger. I say if but in truth my mind is all but made up, we're going to shake things up come deadline and the discussions we've had thus far are encouraging, we might just be able to pull something a little bit special off. Watch this space. It's exciting that the calibre of player we're talking about is causing me to hold off so we maintain as bad a record as possible for draft purposes.

Dwight Howard and Jimmy McKeever win their respective player of the month awards again, and it's about time we had a look at some stats methinks.

PPG -
Dwight Howard 27 / Lebron James 26.8 / Dirk Nowtizki 26.2 / Joe Johnson 26 / Kobe Bryant 25.7
As for the rooki es, Jimmy McKeever is well out ahead with 17.6, with Ricky Rubio and his supposed poor touch second with 14.6. Brian Coulibaly comes in next with 12.8 shot at a terrible % with 6 other players averaging double digits. Not bad.

APG -
Chris Paul 10.1 / Deron Williams 9.4 / Rajon Rondo 9.2 / Steve Nash 9.1
Ricky Rubio shows up again in the rookie standings notching 5.3 assists a game, with Elton Rowe another making 10+ points and 5+ assists barrier. Jimmy McKeever is creating well for a 2 guard with 4.5 a game, but the Kings Bob Williams leads the way comfortably with 6.6 assists per game.

RPG –
Dwight Howard 14.8 / Andrew Bogut 13.4 / Dexter Pitmann (!!) 11.5 / Amare Stoudamire, Brook Lopez 11.5
Pus another whopping 8 players managing 10+ a game, including Emeka Okafor in 8th at 11.1. And the rooks? Kareem Brown has 9.7 with the Kings other rookie pick Jason Trombley managing 9.3. Paulo Prestes is the best of the rest on 7.7.

BPG –
Andrew Bogut 4.1 / Dwight Howard 3.6 / Kareem Brown 3.1
Othe than Kareem Brown's ridiculous number, Bryen Boardman's 2.5 BPG is the only other rookie worth noting.

SPG -
Monta Ellis, Tyreke Evans 2.2 / Stephen Jackson, Andre Igoudala, Chris Paul 1.9
Ten rookies managing a steal or more an outing is a decent effort, Coulibaly one of those at 1.1. Bob Williams is the leader though with 1.3 SPG.


Trade

Celtics send -
Ray Allen

Dallas send -
Jason Terry

Why for Boston?
Terry is at home providing a scoring punch as 6th man, giving 2nd year guard Avery Bradley a chance to move into a starting role.

Why for Dallas?
Allen's extra height allows him to provide shooting at the small forward position that 6'2 Terry couldn't offer.

Winner – Tie
Veteran teams trade expiring, sharp shooting vets to tinker with their rotations heading into the post-season. Perfectly acceptable trading.