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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   ADDITIONAL ITEMS • Seattle SuperSonics (External Link) • Schedule (External Link) • Stats (External Link)   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, June 26, 2008 Sonics draft overshadowed by team's courtroom battle By John Sleeper Herald Columnist To those who love sports the way they love God, country and Mom, it's a felony that the NBA Draft is playing little brother in these parts to today's closing arguments in the Sonics trial. More than any flesh market in sportsdom, the NBA draft can make or break a team. Where would the Trailblazers have been had they drafted Michael Jordan (or Charles Barkley or Sam Perkins) instead of Sam Bowie? Remember, they also drafted LaRue Martin when Bob McAdoo and Julius Erving were available. And of course you remember the Clippers picked Michael Olowokandi in 1998 and made him the draft's No. 1 selection, over Mike Bibby, Antawn Jamison, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce and Rashard Lewis. No draft yields more second-guessing, more rumors and more anticipation than the one over which Clay Bennett's co-conspirator, David Stern, will preside today. Yet, the Seattle area is more wrapped up in the trial, which is understandable given what the Sonics have meant to the area and the unseemly manner in which Bennett has orchestrated the swindle. Sports are least interesting in the courtroom. The draft deserves better than this. Forget for a moment that the Sonics seem to be on greased rails, bound for Oklahoma City in either the next few months or 2010. With the fourth pick, general manager Sam Presti holds one of the keys to the entire first round. And that's fun. Rumors have swirled all week that Presti, believing that Chicago will take Memphis guard Derrick Rose with the No. 1 selection, wants Miami's No. 2 pick to get Kansas State forward Michael Beasley, a good friend of the Sonics' Kevin Durant and nearly as talented. Reportedly, Presti is willing to part with Chris Wilcox and the No. 4 selection for the No. 2 pick and Heat center Mark Blount. That makes little sense to Miami, given Wilcox's liabilities in rebounding and defense, along with this tendency to play soft. So don't bet on that happening. Should the Sonics keep the No. 4 pick, it is known that they have taken long looks at Arizona guard Jerryd Bayless, Stanford center Brook Lopez, USC guard O.J. Mayo and Indiana guard Eric Gordon. Each may well be available at No. 4. Most draft gurus predict they'll pick Bayless, although his stock has dropped in recent days. While Bayless is a dynamic scorer, critics say he has neither the size nor strength to guard NBA-level shooting guards. Should a team draft him as a point guard, as Bayless insists he is, followers say he is undeveloped as a distributor and can be turnover-prone. If the Sonics opt for a guard, the name that's come up in place of Bayless is UCLA's Russell Westbrook, a lockdown defensive stopper who is developing his offensive game. Westbrook, however, probably doesn't merit a No. 4 selection, leaving open the possibility that the Sonics could trade down for him. Also mentioned is Bruin power forward Kevin Love, a superb passer who rebounds relentlessly and has solid range on his jumper. Part of the Sonics' draft intrigue is Presti's reputation as a wheeler-dealer he built last year, his first as a GM. He traded leading scorer Ray Allen and a second-round pick to Boston for the Celtics' fifth pick, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and a 2008 second-round pick. He also traded second-round picks with Houston. Presti was active, but critics gave mixed reviews. Boston drafted Glen Davis with Seattle's second-round selection and Allen was integral in the Celtics' NBA title march. The Rockets drafted Carl Landry, a second-team All-Rookie honoree. Presti selected Jeff Green with the fifth selection, but the Sonics finished the season 20-62, the worst mark in franchise history. Green and Durant seem to be the only untouchables on the Sonics roster. They're disadvantaged at virtually every position, which makes Presti's leanings a mystery. Whatever Presti decides, whatever deals he orchestrates, whomever the Sonics select, it's a lot more fun to talk about than whatever happened in court today. Columnist John Sleeper: sleeper@heraldnet.com. To reach Sleeper's blog, "Dangling Participles," click on www.heraldnet.com/danglingparticiples.

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