Saving Seattle: A SuperSonics Dynasty

[trekfan]

October 30^th, 2003

She closed her notebook and shot the biggest man she had ever seen a polite smile. “Thank you for your time, Shaq.”

The big man smiled back at her. “Hey, no problem,” he said in his slow voice. Part of her could believe that, under the tough basketball player, was a big teddy bear. He seemed sweet. But when the lights came on and the ball was in play, there were few players in the history of the league who could stop Shaq.

She admired his ferocity on the court. “So, off the record, how do you feel this season’s going to go for you?”

Shaq stroked his chin as though he was thinking on a tough, philosophical question. “I think this is the end of something,” he finally said, his voice somber. “You know I came to LA seven years ago … lived a dream since, really. But I don’t see us continuing. I think we’re both getting ready to break up.”

Vivian could hear the disappointment in his voice. She offered him a smile. “Well, you seem to do well anywhere you go.”

Shaq’s face softened. “You know it.”

And then the door to the conference room they were in -- which felt small with the giant of a man sitting across from her --burst open. She turned to see a cold-as-ice stare coming from one Kobe Bryant. “What the hell?!” he yelled as he tossed a copy of the LA times at Shaq. “I’m your Robin. I’m your adopted orphan.” Rage was beginning to boil over.

Shaq tensed and stood from his chair, his full height on display dwarfing Vivian and Kobe both. “I’m in a meeting, man.”

“Fu*k your meeting!” Kobe got into Shaq’s personal space, looking up at the big man. “We discussed this; I said this **** had to end. You told me this **** was gonna end.”

Shaq cocked his head to the side slightly. “You wanna get up out of my space, Kobe.” It wasn’t a question. It was a command.

Vivian sat in her chair frozen; part of her knew she should excuse herself and watch this from a safe distance. But part of her, the reporter, knew that the closer she was to this the better a story it would make …

“You best get out of mine,” Kobe shot back, cocking his head to the side.

Shaq smiled. “Robin.”

And that’s when Kobe Bryant swung.

****

Joey and Gil were walking along the long hallway of conference rooms in Staples, stretching their legs before the Lakers game in a few hours. Joey wished he could leave Staples but Gil had told him that if he managed to get out he’d never manage to get back before the game; LA traffic was horrible.

Joey had reluctantly agreed, even though he wished he could at least go visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A number of his favorite actors were there.

“So, kid, you have any vices?” Gil asked, a sliver of amusement in his voice. “Sex, drugs, rock and roll?”

“Who has time for that? I work in the NBA.”

Gil laughed at that and gave him a pat on the back. “You got a good attitude, kid. Don’t get bitter about all the time you spend in the trenches … it’ll pay off.”

“It will?” Joey asked with a bit of disbelief. “Did if for you?”

It was a serious question. A hard one, but Gil didn’t get mad thankfully. He considered it for a moment and then offered a nod. “I’ve been working at something I love for decades now. Ain’t a day I wake up and say to myself ‘I hate my life’. I’ve see a lot of amazing things … you and me, we’re watching some of the greatest physical specimens in the history of the world compete.” A small grin formed. “And it’s pretty damned great.”

Joey opened his mouth to agree before a series of loud sounds began coming from ahead of them. He and Gil shot each other a curious look before quickening their pace to see what the commotion was about. It only took a few moments more before the two of them were standing outside one of the conference rooms, watching two of those physical specimens in a fist fight.

“Holy ****,” Gil mumbled as he watched Shaq slug Kobe across the face; but Kobe responded back with a gut punch that O’Neal clearly felt.

And then Shaq pushed Kobe -- hard. Bryant didn’t stumbled backwards, it was like he was levitating for a moment before his back hit the glass and then the glass gave way.

With Joey right behind it. He didn’t have time to react or brace himself as all 6’7” of Kobe Bryant crashed through the glass with such force that he slammed into Joey and they both hit the floor. Joey’s breath was knocked out of him as a dazed Kobe rolled off him and onto the floor, bits and pieces of glass cracking underneath him.

“Oh my god!” a woman in the conference room exclaimed as she ran out and tried to help Kobe up, but he waved her off angrily. She turned her attention to Joey and offered him a hand.

He stared up at the ceiling, trying to catch his breath, before accepting the hand. Gil took his other hand and the two helped him up.

“Fu*k you!” Kobe repeated as he walked away, glancing back at Shaq every now and again.

O’Neil looked … he looked scary. His face was dark and the good-natured smile he’d usually have was nonexistent. He looked over at Joey. “You all right man?”

Joey nodded, still a bit dazed. He had the breath knocked out of him -- and he had been scared -- but he wasn’t bleeding or otherwise hurt. “Yeah, yeah … I’m good.”

Shaq nodded and went through the door of the conference room. He looked at the lady. “Not off the record, huh?”

She stared back at him and then after a moment said, “It’s not. But you were defending yourself.”

Shaq scoffed. “Yeah, sure; big man throws little guy through window. Big man’s the good guy.” He shook his head, lumbering off down the hallway and out of sight.

Joey stared at the carnage that was left behind and then eventually his eyes found their way to the lady’s. “What the hell was that all about?”

She looked at him and Gil, sighing. “I need a drink.”

“Amen to that sister; I’m buying,” Gil offered. He extended his hand. “Gil Brand. This is Joey Gustavo.”

She accepted his hand and shook it. “Vivian Marshall, Sports Illustrated.” She looked to Joey. “Well, you qualify as a witness to the story … care for a statement over drinks?”

Joey rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t think I have a choice.” He was pretty sure he didn’t; he’d just witnessed Shaq toss Kobe like a doll through a window. If there was any doubt in his mind the Lakers were going to ship him out, it had been erased.

Or maybe, like the glass, it had been broken.

[trekfan]

October 30^th, 2003

She had stumbled onto the story of the year; at least so far anyway. Kobe Bryant attacking -- physically -- Shaq? Something that other centers in the NBA seemed afraid of doing? It was absolute gold. She felt bad that it involved a poor bystander, but the fact that there were witnesses made this story even better. “So, how did you come to the scene?” she asked Joey as he sipped on a cold-vodka tonic.

“Uh, we were out stretching our legs,” he responded, still sounding a bit out of it. She didn’t blame him; it wasn’t often a three-time NBA champion fell on you after being thrown through a glass window by one of the greatest centers to ever play the game. “Gil and I,” he added, pointing at his much older companion. At first she had thought the two were father and son but they had just met today, according to them anyway.

She nodded along and sipped her glass of Riesling. “Okay, and what were your thoughts when you saw the fight?”

Joey didn’t hesitate. “I thought they were going to kill each other.”

She eagerly jotted down the quote. Such gold. Such complete and utter gold. “And when Kobe crashed through the glass and landed on you?”

“Uh … wasn’t so much thinking then.” He rubbed the back of neck once more. “It hurt, but I was just really surprised Kobe came through. I was a bit …” He hesitated. “Look, can I get quoted on this anonymously?”

She paused and nodded. She didn’t like anonymous quotes -- stories always looked better with names in them -- but she didn’t mind if there was a good reason. “As long as you have a reason for it.”

He flushed red for a moment. “Look, I’m not trying to duck anything … I’m a scout for the Sonics. This was my first assignment out here, on my own and … it just wouldn’t be good for me to have my name in the paper.”

She nodded again. “Fair enough.” She’d keep his name out of it; didn’t matter anyway. She was a witness and, unless the Lakers wanted to call her an outright liar, she was going to tell the truth. And the truth was Kobe swung first, even if Shaq had sorta baited him. “Last question: what do you think the Lakers should do now?”

Joey sighed deeply. “I think … I think they should blow this up before they kill each other. I mean, Kobe was thrown through a glass window. It only gets worse from there, right?”

Vivian smiled and took down his quote. “Okay, got to run guys, but thanks for the drinks and the quotes.” She finished the rest of her wine in quick fashion and handed them both a business card. “Give me a call if you think of anything else.” She flipped her notebook around and held the pen out. “Can I get your numbers for a follow-up?”

Gil, who had given his quotes pretty quickly and started drinking, shook his head. “Don’t give it out to the press, sorry.”

Joey accepted the pen after a moment of hesitation and wrote it down. “I’m usually pretty busy during the day but the evenings I got some time … sometimes. Got a machine, so you can leave a message.” He wrote down something else. “Probably be easier to email me, really.” He gave her back the pen.

She closed the notebook and stood, brimming with energy -- or the buzz from the wine -- or both. She had already made a quick call to her editor on the way down to the bar and informed him of the fight. SI had put out a placeholder story on the website, but they were the first to break it. She had enough here to do a decent story but she’d have to do it fast. “Gentlemen, a pleasure. I’ll talk to you soon, hopefully.” With that, she rushed off to head back to her room and type up the story before sending it off.

Her trip to LA had been a success.

****

Joey watched Vivian leave and held his head. He probably should have ordered something that wasn’t a vodka-tonic but he needed to calm his nerves. “Well, now what?”

Gil, who had been drinking like a fish but seemed far better at it than Joey, chuckled. “Game starts in an hour and I guarantee you one or both don’t play.”

Joey nodded. “That makes sense. No need to give them a basketball … God knows how’d they’d hurt each other with that.”

Gil laughed at that and clapped Joey on the back. “We’ll finish up here, grab some food, and watch the game. Maybe Derek Fisher has a career night.”

Joey lowered his head and pressed his face against the table. “Yay, Derek Fisher,” he said with as little enthusiasm he could muster.

This hadn’t been the trip to LA he envisioned. He’d be lucky if the Sonics sent him on another scouting assignment after this.


Like, ever.

[illWILL8455]

Loved the Shaq vs Kobe fist fight! That is so believable as well, considering how sour things got between them at the end. I wonder if Shaq will follow up this fight with a horrid rap diss aimed at Kobe like he did in real life lol!

Great to see Viv and Joey meet. Seemed like things went well, even though Joey was still a little dazed from Kobe crashing onto him lol Hopefully she'll be able to reach him for a follow up where Joey can be more on his game to see if there is a potential relationship there lol

Can't wait for more updates! Great dynasty so far!

[trekfan]

Trading the Big Diesel: Where Does Shaq Go?
October 31^st, 2003
By Dick Jones

Well, if that wasn’t a rush! The Lakers dropped an easily winnable game last night against the Pistons, getting blown out 124-76 as Shaq and Kobe both sat. If you were living under a rock yesterday, let me inform you that the Shaq-Kobe feud has reached new levels of drama: Kobe got thrown through a window by Shaq and the Lakers, at 0-2, look to be this season’s first team to be in “freefall” (a favorite word in the sports media). So, with LA scrambling to sort out this mess, we turn to our crystal ball and try to predict the future. The following trade scenarios operate under three assumptions.

1. The Lakers HAVE to trade Shaq. If Kobe’s going to be their star of the future, Shaq has to go because he and Kobe are trying to kill one another (in as much a literal sense as a figurative one).

2. The Lakers won’t trade him to a team in the West … unless the bounty they bring back is HUGE. The Lakers aren’t stupid; Shaq is the game’s most dominant big man and looks to be that for at least two to three more years; if Shaq uses this trade as motivation to get in better shape, he can double that effectiveness easily. If you’re the Lakers, you have to trade him out East and pray that you don’t see him in the Finals. That’s the ultimate goal to this, to free up Kobe to be Alpha Dog, load up the team to go to the Finals and give Kobe a title without Shaq. Everyone wins, right?

3. The Lakers have to get back at least one young player (all-star caliber) and a first-round pick (which you can simply sub out for another player/players if the cap numbers allow). If you’re trading the most dominant center and player in the game, you got to get back youth, talent, and either future considerations or solid players who can help you win.

Okay, with those ground rules laid out, let’s get started:

Contender A: The Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are desperate to win a title for Reggie Miller. Reggie, unfortunately, entered into the league during the heydays of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, then had to battle Michael Jordan. It’s only been since 1998 that Reggie has had a chance to advance past the ECF and he’s only managed that once. You got to feel bad for a guy who, if he had just entered the league a few years ago on the tail end of Jordan’s run, would be able to look forward to many years of contention.

The East is wide open with Jordan gone; the Pacers, 76ers, Nets, and the Nets again have been the last four East representatives in the NBA Finals. All have been beaten by the West and though the series were close, they weren’t that close. The Pacers need to make a move to bring Reggie that title. What is that move?

Trading for Shaq. The Pacers just recently re-signed Jermaine O’Neal to a good contract; he’s the lynchpin of the trade. Lakers send Shaq to the Pacers for Jermaine O’Neal, Brad Miller/Jeff Foster (whichever one the Pacers feel they can do without; either can play the four decently enough) and a first round pick. You could probably arrange for an exchange of point guards in there as well (Fish for Tinsley) in lieu of the pick from Indiana and then have the Lakers toss in someone like Devean George to make it more palatable.

Odds of happening: 1 in 7. Meets the criteria but requires Indiana to sell out on a younger O’Neal for an older one; considering Indiana’s a small market (Shaq’s deal only has two years left on it after this season), O’Neil’s propensity to leave places, and the games he’s missed over the last season or so, this would be a short-term trade for the Pacers. But, considering how weak the East is (especially at center), Shaq could dominate and give Indiana a title, cementing Reggie’s legacy, his legacy, and Larry Bird’s legacy (as a GM anyway).

Contender B: The Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland? CLEVELAND? Yes, indeed, Cleveland could be in the mix here. They have a young gun in Carmelo Anthony but the town is downright crushed at losing LeBron in the draft. Barring Cleveland landing a top three pick in the next draft, the Cavs will be looking at Shaq. Shaq is a big Alpha and can lead teams to the Finals. He’s done it with the Magic and the Lakers, and neither rosters have been overly stocked with talent; in fact, for Finals rosters, they’re rather barren in talent.


Cleveland sends Carlos Boozer (young big with all-star numbers and potential), Darius Miles (hybrid guard/forward with mad hops and defense), a 2004 first round pick (probably in the lottery), and Chris Mimh for Shaq. Steep? Absolutely. But you combo Shaq with Big Z, Melo, young Smush Parker (he’s got room to grow) and Dejuan Wagner (dude’s just 20) and that’s a team with a present and a future. The trade above is a harsh price to pay, but it’s almost a wash for Cleveland when it’s all said and done. How many of their lottery picks have they actually hit on over the last four years? Melo (and that’s based on a very limited sample size). Boozer was a second-round pick for God Sakes! If the Cavs make this trade they become relevant, recover from the LeBron hangover, and probably make themselves a top-four team in the East.

Odds of happening: 1 in 13. Cleveland gives up a lot in this trade and this franchise -- and fanbase -- has been hurt a ton via bad front office moves. Their history of big men is a sad state of affairs and playing Big Z and Shaq, together sounds awesome; but both have suffered injuries on and off over the last two seasons and we don’t want a repeat of “Backcourt 2000” (where Jason Kidd and Penny Hardaway were supposed to change the Suns fortunes and instead … got traded, barely playing 40 games together). Can Cleveland live with seeing Boozer become an All-Star in LA? Can Boozer -- and any of Cleveland’s youngsters -- ever achieve their full potential as the franchise currently stands? At some point you have to take a risk and roll the dice.

Contender C: The Chicago Bulls

You’re screaming at the screen that the Bulls are a bunch of cheap bastards and wouldn’t dare trade for someone with Shaq’s contract. And usually you’d be right … but the Bulls find themselves staring down the barrel of multiple expensive contract extensions for their young players. Guys like Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry next offseason are up for extensions. Jay Williams after that. Then Dwayne Wade.

Add in the money the Bulls have on the books already from Jalen Rose (slight overpay that ends in two years) and Eddie Robinson (massive overpay that ends in three years) and suddenly all these rookie contracts the Bulls have now look pretty bad in, oh, one to two years. What’s Jerry Reinsdorf (the man who underpaid Michael Effing Jordan for years) to do? Trade away the soon to be expensive young guys for a currently expensive older player -- but one whose contract goes away two years from next offseason. That’ll leave the Bulls players in the 2006 free agent market (and the 2005 market to some extent).

The trade looks like this: Bulls send Tyson Chandler, Eddie Robinson, Eddy Curry and a 2006 first round pick to the Lakers for Shaq and George. Again, the Bulls pay a tough price here; giving up Curry and Chandler is difficult but investing in the veteran Shaq and the young guards (who tend to age much better than big men do) and betting on free agency isn’t such a bad deal. The Lakers get youth but not much All-Star potential.

Odds of happening: 1 in 40. Reinsdorf is a cheap, cheap owner. Shaq has already complained multiple times about his desire to have his contract extended a few more years (which seems ludicrous considering how much he’s making now and how old he’ll be in a few more years) and the Bulls don’t respond well to players who demand more money … except in the case of Michael Jordan, but he’s an exception to every rule. This one probably doesn’t happen unless things get really screwy next offseason.

Contender D: The Boston Celtics

My official dark horse candidate. I thought sticking the Raptors here (Vince for Shaq, but Canada would riot), I dabbled with the Knicks (but they’re cap strapped and have no young assets) and I even considered the Pistons (who have a bunch of good players and Darko, but would they really give up their prized addition one season in? Eh, probably not).

No, the Celtics are my pick and the reason is simple: if you’re Shaq, what better way to stick it to LA then by bringing titles to their rivals, the Celtics? Boston would eat Shaq up; highly quotable, plays tough on the court, loves to eat good food and has a hatred of Kobe. He’s money there. The city would like Shaq but what about the Celtics themselves?

The Celtics haven’t seen a big man as dominant as Shaq since Kevin McHale/Robert Parrish. It’s been awhile for the Celtics. They have Antonie Walker, they traded for Antonio McDyess and Ricky Davis. They have, on paper, a good team. But why not trade Walker, Davis, and a first to LA for Shaq? Not just any Shaq, but hyper-motivated-to-kick-Lakers’-*** Shaq. That’s some serious firepower there with Pierce, McDyess, and Shaq manning your three spots. Have the Lakers send back George if you want to, use the money freed up to dip in free agency and pick up some backups and a decent wing, and dominate the East. Sounds easy, right?

Odds of happening: 1 in 20. The Lakers would hate to help Boston. Boston would hate to help the Lakers (especially if that help leads to Kobe re-signing with the team). But these two teams have overcome their hate in the past to make moves mutually beneficial to them … these aren’t the two most-decorated franchises in the NBA for nothing.

Contender E: I’m Wrong About Everything. Hey, this is just speculation, so there’s a major chance I’m totally off base. But it’s fun speculation, right?

[caneswag907]

Dallas would be willing to move Nash, throw in Finley, Bradley and a 1st rounder and that'd be a solid offer, then again I can guarantee you the Lakers don’t want Shaq in the West. If Indy wanted to pair Redd with Shaq they’d have to let their O’Neal go along with Miller (Miller>Foster personally) but I couldn’t in good conscience trade a 25 year old Jermaine O’Neal. I had the same deal in mind for the Bulls too and if I were the Lakers this is the one I’d go for. Kobe inherits a young corps he can control and Shaq grooms a potential dynasty. Bonus points for you for coming up with that Cavs deal, I honestly didn’t even consider Cleveland. This kind of stuff just gets my wheels turning, I can't wait to read more.

[trekfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by caneswag907

Dallas would be willing to move Nash, throw in Finley, Bradley and a 1st rounder and that'd be a solid offer, then again I can guarantee you the Lakers don’t want Shaq in the West. If Indy wanted to pair Redd with Shaq they’d have to let their O’Neal go along with Miller (Miller>Foster personally) but I couldn’t in good conscience trade a 25 year old Jermaine O’Neal. I had the same deal in mind for the Bulls too and if I were the Lakers this is the one I’d go for. Kobe inherits a young corps he can control and Shaq grooms a potential dynasty. Bonus points for you for coming up with that Cavs deal, I honestly didn’t even consider Cleveland. This kind of stuff just gets my wheels turning, I can't wait to read more.

^YES. I love considering potential trades. In my research to determine what options there were for Shaq before he ended up on the Heat IRL, the Mavs did show interest but the Lakers wanted Dirk. Dallas balked at that (rightfully so, a mid-20s Dirk, who's a big shooter, has an infinitely longer lifespan than Shaq does in a Dallas uniform just by virtue of his play style, which gives him a lot of value -- not to mention his shooting, ect).

The Lakers would absolutely not want Shaq in the West which is why I primarily concentrated on the East. Depending on how the season shakes out, these trade scenarios above may come to fruition sooner rather than later -- Lakers are struggling mightily. We'll catch up to them soon enough, but they might have to jettison Shaq by the deadline with the way the team is performing.

Stay tuned for more as we roll along into the regular season.

[illWILL8455]

I agree with you guys. Trade scenarios are really fun to speculate on. After the fight with Kobe, we definitely know that he'll be going somewhere, and all of the options that you gave are interesting with a lot of storyline potential!

Personally, I'd like to see Shaq go to the Pacers. I am obsessed with loyalty and trying to reward the players who helped build teams up to greatness over the years with a title. Reggie is, and will likely always be the greatest Pacer of all time (unless PG13 stays with them for his whole career and fully recovers from his leg injury, he MAY have a chance to become the best Pacer ever, but not likely) so going all out to bring in a star to try to get Reggie a title would be a great move by the Pacers management.

I do understand that JO is younger, and signed to a new contract, so trading for Shaq would maybe compromise their distant future, but the Pacers management needs to decide if making a push to win a title with Reggie is more important, or if keeping a solid roster to build around into the future is.

The funny thing about this Reggie situation is that it reminds me of the Danny Granger situation during his last years. Granted, Granger was nowhere near as good as Reggie, but he was on his last legs, after giving his all to the team for years and was given away for nothing. Maybe you can trade Reggie away for next to nothing too, and then make a run at a championship without him too lol!

As I mentioned earlier, this is just my personal opinion. I like all of the possibilities of where Shaq could land, and am looking forward to seeing what you have planned! Can't wait for updates!

[trekfan]

Rapid Reaction: Jazz 108, Sonics 101
By Sam Hyde|ESPN.com
November 8, 2003

The SuperSonic (4-1) met the Jazz (5-0) in a game that would determine which of the two teams would advance to five wins straight. The Sonics came out hot in the first quarter behind brilliant shooting from Brent Barry, who scored 11 points in the quarter (finishing with 16 point and seven boards) but after holding a slim 52-50 lead at the half, the Sonics went cold from behind the arc which played a large role in their loss. LeBron finished with 23 points on 7-of-25 shooting while Payton and Marion contributed 13 points each respectively.

MVP: Gilbert Arenas. He finished with 37 points and 12 assists on a night where Gary Payton could not cool off the young hot shot.

LVP: LeBron James. The rookie forced too many deep threes in the second half when the Jazz started pulling away, short circuiting the team defense and allowing Arenas to score at will on the fast break.

Quote of the Night: “I told them to watch out for Gilbert. By the time I did, he had scored again.” -- Brent Barry on Gilbert Arenas’ season-high scoring effort.