Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

[trekfan]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

Man this is awesome. Congrats on the two peat. Hopefully we can get a third! How much different is it for you getting to play with Westbrook talent and general athleticism to the Jack and Jennings. I guess you slowly trended in that direction. But Russ is light years ahead of Brandon

^Like another planet. Jennings is, arguably, a better shooter (like, of the three anyway) but Russ is just an explosive player of outstanding potential. He's not perfect -- he tends to turn the ball over a bit much for my liking and can go out of control if he's not being used well, but overall, he's an incredible player. I love playing with him and will keep him around as long as I can.

[trekfan]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

New Year, New Homes: NBA Trade Season Begins

January 2nd, 2018

By Vonny Lee


With the new year barely a day old, three NBA trades have taken place and potentially changed the playoff races in both conferences. Here's the breakdown.




The Pacers had to make a move, especially with how woeful their record is, and Larry Bird gamely obliged. He sent Ellis to Denver for reliable veteran Gerald Henderson and the Nuggets 2018 1st rounder, top-8 protected. The trade took place only two days after the Pacers and Nuggets met, where, according to league insiders, things came to a head within the Pacers locker room after their win. There were many heated words and feelings exchanged, after which Ellis was benched for the next game against the Grizzlies.

The Pacers won that one in a rout, 116-94, and that was enough for Bird to pull the trigger. Ellis was moved to Denver, who are surprisingly in the playoff race and, even without Mudiay, are competing night in and out. They needed a serious burst of offense if they were going to compete in the West and found that in Ellis, who'll come in and immediately draw attention from opposing defenses. Long-term, Ellis may not be a good fit, but he has an opt-out clause after this season and, in what many predict is a weak draft, the Nuggets simply don't need another young player. This is the first year they've looked like a real NBA team in many seasons and the organization is all in on the playoffs.



Similarly, another team all-in is the Knicks, who signed Chris Paul this offseason to win a title sometime soon, not merely get to the playoffs. Paul, antsy at the way his teammates had performed, was not-so-subtly hinting via his agent that he'd like to see the organization make a move. James Dolan and the Knicks did just that, trading away a bounty to fetch Elfrid Payton -- Paul's likely successor down the line -- Robert Covington -- a solid youngish player signed to a cheap deal who can stroke it as a tall three -- and former Knick Jordan Hill, who returns to the organization that traded him away for a broken down Tracy McGrady in 2010.

The Magic reaped some serious rewards here, however. They took on Lopez's contract, which isn't pretty but runs out in 2019, picked up reliable backup Jerian Grant, and then picked up a 1st from the Knicks for this year -- only top-3 protected -- and a 1st from New York in 2020, only top-5 protected. The Magic are likely to see both those picks conveyed and the Knicks are officially all-in for this year, the next, and the one after -- right when Paul's contract runs out.



Shabazz Muhammad finally got his wish and was traded away to a team where he could start -- that team being the LA Clippers, a hometown squad if there every was one. Not quite the Lakers, the Clippers were in desperate need of help at the three as both Deng and KCP struggled to establish any sort of rhythm shooting-wise. Shabazz arrives and instantly steps in as the starter, there for his scoring and passable (sometimes) defense. Muhammad, like a few other players on the Clippers, has DPOY DeAndre Jordan there to clean up his mistakes and, playing with Griffin and Teague, the collective should be greater than the whole.

For the T'Wolves, they grabbed the Clippers top-5 protected 2018 pick, very likely to be conveyed, and Deng (who's contract comes off the books this summer) as well as KCP, who's yet to really find a home in this league and could use a little coaching up -- a perfect pet project for Doc Rivers. The Timberwolves younger players now must watch a former member of their squad play on another team and the way the team responds, particularly Rubio, Wiggins, and KAT, will determine if they're ready to step into the playoffs or if they need yet another year of seasoning.

[BlindSideNZ]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

Haha that Knicks trade. I feel they should trademark those kind of deals. Maybe I'm just biased, Payton hasn't done a lot in his real life game to really impress. (Absolutely open to correction on that as I don't watch too many magic games). Just had to have a bit of a giggle when I saw how loaded one side of the trade screen was.

I do like that clippers trade. Love Shabazz especially on 2k and as much as like like KCP, Shabazz should definitely help the clippers out. There's something about that SF position they can't get quite right. On the other side I'm surprised at the Wolves. It's almost like a step backward. Shabazz being a home grown talent that they've moved on from to develop a new project.

[trekfan]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

Haha that Knicks trade. I feel they should trademark those kind of deals. Maybe I'm just biased, Payton hasn't done a lot in his real life game to really impress. (Absolutely open to correction on that as I don't watch too many magic games). Just had to have a bit of a giggle when I saw how loaded one side of the trade screen was.

I do like that clippers trade. Love Shabazz especially on 2k and as much as like like KCP, Shabazz should definitely help the clippers out. There's something about that SF position they can't get quite right. On the other side I'm surprised at the Wolves. It's almost like a step backward. Shabazz being a home grown talent that they've moved on from to develop a new project.

Yeah, that Knicks trade screams "NEW YORK" and it was all them. IRL, Payton really hasn't done much to justify a 1st, but in 2K he's a solid contributor at 8 PPG and 8 APG with about 28 MPG. He's not stellar, not by any means, but as a lead PG off the bench, he'll be plenty fine for the Knicks. They're really going to try and prep him to take over for Paul, but the Magic straight gave up on him -- they have a guy in the wings who's putting up similar numbers and is three years younger on a rookie deal. Adios, Elfrid. The Knicks managed to give away the albatross contract of Lopez, get back the more versatile Jordan Hill, and pick up Covington -- he's on a cheap deal, is just 27, and is a shooter who plays solid defense AKA the perfect Melo placeholder until Melo returns.

As for the Wolves, the team needed to punt on Muhammad. As good as he was off the bench he really didn't like playing off the bench; LaVine got promoted to a starter in the offseason at the two, which left Shabazz a non-starter on a team he previously started for. Guy's morale was taking a hit and he needed a new home. Deng and KCP are both guys who are more than fine with coming off the bench and, for the Wolves, it may not be the last move they make -- Rubio continues to dominate the ball but his stats are not pretty (10.8 PPG on 37 percent shooting, 34 percent from deep, with only 6.9 APG and 5.4 RPG) and his value is taking a hit. I think Rubio is the next to go, if the Wolves can find a taker, because right now the NBA is very PG heavy thanks to recent drafts.

Two teams to keep an eye on for the trade deadline: the Jazz and the Spurs. The Jazz still need to find a solution to the Exum problem (dude wants $11.5M a year and for what? 11.5 PPG on 39 percent shooting from the floor and deep? No way) and the Spurs might be looking at a lost season as the team continues to struggle playing with LMA, who's not as seamless a fit within the Spurs culture as his stats would indicate.

[trekfan]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return



January 3rd, 2018

"Pass the potatoes?"

Wordlessly, the potato bowl was sent his way as the ticking clock in the background was the loudest thing in the dining room. It was quiet. It was really quiet and Max knew why.

He scooped out a big spoonful of potatoes and stuck it on his plate, then dropped the bowl onto the table loudly. "Come on Mom, just one night. One night, please?" He felt like he was 6-years old, beginning for an extra hour of TV.

His mother, with Gill and Laura to her right, Teddy to her left, and Max straight across from her, gave him what he and Gill had termed 'The Mom Eye'. The Mom Eye was a half-stare, half-glare, all seeing drilling into the soul of her target. It was the single most-powerful tool she had and easily ranked in the top-five of 'Lethal Adult Weapons', next to the belt and the dreaded bar of soap.

Remembering all that, Max smirked widely.

His mother broke -- thank God age had mellowed her a bit -- and threw up her hands. "Fine, you can talk basketball."

"What were the Magic thinking?!" Teddy yelled across the table, a burst of energy unleashed. He stood up in his chair and pointed at a nearby window. "Why send Payton to the Knicks? He was good!"

Laura tugged on Teddy's shirt. "Theodore, sit down."

Teddy frowned and plopped down in his chair, unhappy about being constrained.

Max rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, Orlando was clearly ready to move on from him." He gave Teddy a look. "You do realize he's not related to the Glove at all, right?"

Teddy threw rolled his eyes. "Duh." Now 8-years-old, the kid was developing quite a bit of a sarcastic edge, which Max didn't much mind.

Laura, however, wasn't that big a fan. "Theodore," she warned again, and Max could hear that she wasn't going to warn him anymore.

Teddy sighed. "I mean ... yes, I know." He kicked the table leg. "It's stupid, though. He played awesome defense. He made people look so dumb!"

Max leaned back in his chair and shrugged. "Hey, the Magic got a good bounty for him; no skin off their nose."

Gill shot Max a look. "I'm not basketball fanatic," he tossed a glance at Teddy and then looked back at Max. "At least not like you two. But what about Ellis to the Nuggets? That could be a problem for you, Maxxie."

Max made a face. "Don't revive that nickname."

Gill grinned. "Teddy's whining like you did when the Sonics traded Shawn Kemp."

Max nearly shot out his chair. "That was the most bull --" He caught a glare from his mother and Laura.

He gritted his teeth. "That deal stunk," he quickly said -- not his true feelings, but he wasn't about to piss off two moms at the same time. He didn't have a death wish. "The Sonics should have pacified him in some way, given him some sort of way to get more money. He deserved it and Seattle was wasting cash on other, lesser players." Max shook his head and refused the urge to smack the table. The Sonics of the late 90s weren't smart with their money or their players -- it was the beginning of the end of that Finals team, really, and they wasted many of Payton's prime years because of it.

Gill, pleased to have gotten Max a bit riled up, laughed. "You're still mad about it."

"A fan never forgets that stuff." Max let out a sigh. "But as to the Nuggets ... they might be a problem. I question going all-in on the playoffs this year, but the team seems to be rallying. They really just lack a go-to scorer with Mudiay down, so Ellis is a natural fit there." Max sipped his water, the added, "But I don't see them as a problem if they make the playoffs. Ellis has never been efficient in post-season play."

Teddy raised his hand. "Why did the Sonics trade Reign Man?"

Max took a deep breath. Sports wounds were always the hardest to get over. You could heal a broken heart, you could fix a broken leg, but trying to forget a team -- and a key player on that team -- was nearly impossible. That 97-98 team could have been so good with Kemp and instead it was jut a big 'What-if'. "Well, let's start from the beginning ..."

And he told them all the whole tale.

[BlindSideNZ]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

Trek, buddy. You are a pro. You know just when to hit us with a nice little family piece. This is one of my favourite posts so far quite honestly. Love the character development. Seeing that you are planning on going 80 years also might we see little teddy grown into an older teddy and find himself in an NBA front office down the line?

[studbucket]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

Is Max still dating? I noticed no girlfriend in that family dinner. Or did Clay steal his girlfriend?

[BlindSideNZ]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

Is Max still dating? I noticed no girlfriend in that family dinner. Or did Clay steal his girlfriend?

I actually noticed this too and wondered the same thing.

[trekfan]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

Trek, buddy. You are a pro. You know just when to hit us with a nice little family piece. This is one of my favourite posts so far quite honestly. Love the character development. Seeing that you are planning on going 80 years also might we see little teddy grown into an older teddy and find himself in an NBA front office down the line?

^Yes, Teddy will end up down the line being in a role with the Sonics. It's a generational/family story as much as anything.

Glad the post was well-liked, it was just a spur of the moment thing, I had the scene in my head and wanted to see how it looked on digital paper.

Is Max still dating? I noticed no girlfriend in that family dinner. Or did Clay steal his girlfriend?

I actually noticed this too and wondered the same thing.

And, yes, Abby is still in the picture. Next story post will cover where she's been at recently, as well as a MAJOR development (which tackles some serious subject matter). That post will have far reaching ramifications for Max, the Sonics, and the NBA down the line ... but we'll get there. Going forward Abby will be a more prominent character in Max's and the story's life.

Before that, we have the game of the week -- Sonics vs. Suns. Big matchup, the Suns are still doing well (22-11 I believe) and Seattle has surprisingly held together so far (26-7 I think?) as Jeff Taylor is seeing some minutes and doing just enough to keep us afloat.

As always, stay tuned

[BlindSideNZ]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

That's what we like to hear! I feel comfortable enough to speak for everybody when I say that lol.

Extremely excited to read what happens next!

[trekfan]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return



Seattle got a big win tonight against Phoenix, sending the Suns to 22-13 while the SuperSonics went to 26-7, making this the fourth straight game they've won since RHJ went down with an injury. And boy, was this a sweet game.

After coming off a close 107-100 win against Cleveland two nights before, the Sonics welcomed the Suns into their building. This marked the second game these two squads have faced off in, but the first that Markieef Morris played in (as he missed the first due to a tight hamstring). Morris was itching to get in on the action and the Sonics fed the stretch-four big early, letting Morris get in rhythm.

The Suns had no real answers for him. Phoenix scored the first bucket of the game, a deep triple from Devon Booker, but then Seattle promptly answered with a Westbrook drive inside for a ferocious slam. The first quarter was a lot of that in the first two minutes, as the team's resembled turnstiles on defense and dynamos on offense.

But then Seattle got a block, a bucket, and and-1 which gave them a four point cushion and the Sonics promptly built that up to a large 12 point lead at the end of one. The Suns, however, weren't out of it and went to Spencer Dinwiddie and their rookie Ivan Raab for offense in the second, and the two players answered, trimming Seattle's lead to just 7 points going into the half.

In the third, the Sonics came out ice cold and the Suns came out firing, led by Tobias Harris and Eric Bledsoe. Seattle went to Morris for offense, but he started missing shots. A blown dunk by Noel, a missed layup by Westbrook, and a rimmed out shot by Malik Newman gave the Suns three golden opportunities and they converted on two of them, trimming the Sonics lead to just three points with only a few minutes gone in the third.

Lionel Hollins took a quick timeout, subbed in Gortat and Jeff Taylor, and put Westbrook, Newman, Taylor, Morris, and Gortat out on the floor. The plan was simple: feed the Polish Hammer and the Sonics guards did just that. Gortat was hungry, as he takes a particular pleasure in beating his former team, and he abused Tyson Chandler, Alex Len, and the rookie Raab in the post.

Gortat's steady post-presence allowed the Sonics to settle down, stave off the Suns, slow the pace, and get Westbrook going. By the end of the third, the lead was 85-72 for the Sonics and momentum was on their side.

The final frame was a slaughter as Seattle's deep shots finally began to fall and the Suns defense, barely holding together, just couldn't keep up with the Sonics and their brutal offense. Lance showed up in this quarter to finish off the Suns, Westbrook fell one rebound short of a triple-double, and the Sonics took the game easily.

Malik Newman once again impressed, scoring 17 points and dishing out 15 (I said 15!) assists while knocking going 2-3 from deep and playing solid defense. Newman is, once more, making the case that he needs to be a starter and not merely a sixth-man off the bench.








Around the League

The Denver Nuggets are now 17-16, above .500 for the first time in forever thanks to their newest edition, Monta Ellis, in just 30 minutes of play a night, has helped the Nuggets win two straight in convincing fashion (against the Jazz and Pistons) and he's become the offensive hub of the team. The trade seems to have worked out for him, just as much as it's worked out for the Pacers (now winners of two straight as well).

The Celtics continue to be a source of frustration and amazement. After taking a game against the Bucks convincingly, they nearly lost a strugglefest against the young Magic, winning 86-84 thanks a last second shot by Gordon Hayward (who went only 1-6 from deep but his one make was the winner). Boston is only 16-17, but they're just a half-game back of the final playoff spot out East and Boogie continues to eat boards -- he inhaled 22 of them in this game.

[trekfan]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The post below contains a discussion on a fairly serious (and often divisive) subject matter. This is not a commentary, in any form, on my part and this post should not be taken as such. If you're sensitive to topics like that, then feel free to go past this -- I'll do a quick recap in the next story post of what happened here.

But really, I think this is fine and I hope you folks do as well.



January 16th, 2018

He clicked off the TV with a sigh, but couldn't really muster more than that. A loss, but not a bad one -- Denver had their number that game and got an unusual amount of points from their bench. Fact was, tonight, he wasn't really worried about the team. They sat at 30-9, first in the conference by 2.5 games, and they welcomed OKC to their home floor tomorrow. It was going to be a big game, another big one in their short history -- the Thunder were, for better or worse, part of their history as much as the Sonics were theirs.

Neither team, organization, or fanbase liked that. And the player were beginning to reflect that, too.

Max should have been thinking about those things, but even the upcoming game with the Thunder wasn't that important ... they still had two more left this year, they'd likely meet in the playoffs again and that would be when the real test would occur.

Tonight, his mind wasn't on Seattle or OKC or any basketball business. Tonight, his mind was on Abby.

The last five weeks she had in Dubai, as she had been offered a short stint there as a pilot of multi-millionaires (or billionaires, in some cases). It was a trial run, a test, but she had spoken of it as a just a case of wanting to travel a bit. It hadn't raised any red flags when she left.

But plenty of red flags went up in the ensuing weeks. She responded less and less to his calls and his texts. She was tense -- not as carefree as usual -- and Max, if he was reading the signs right, knew that she had made a decision he wouldn't like. He'd had time to prepare himself for the news she was bound to break to him tonight.

They were through and she was going to Dubai.

She had asked him to wait for her when she got back and she'd be through that door any minute now. He'd make it easy on her, he wouldn't make it harder -- he'd miss her. He loved her ... they'd been together over a year. She appreciated his passion for the Sonics and he appreciated hers for flying.

But it wasn't going to work, not across multiple countries. There was no way he could be dipping out of the USA to visit her and she wouldn't do that with him either; it would put a major dent in both their passions and careers.

God, I wish it was different.

The door opened and Abby came in, her luggage rolling along behind her. Her keys went into the bowl on the side table and he stood from the couch. "Welcome back," he said as cheery as he could, but it sounded forced to his ears.

She took off her gloves and slipped off her shoes. "It was warmer in Dubai." She tried to smile, but only managed to get halfway through it before it turned to a frown. "Max ... we need to talk."

Here we go. He had mentally prepared himself for the events that were about to transpire, but hearing her say those dreaded words made his stomach twist into a knot. "Of course." He sat down.

She walked into the living room and sat down on the coach next to him, but not close to him. Her body language signaled to him that she didn't want him close and, as much as he wished he could deny it, that hurt like hell.

She pinned a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear, her eyes staring at the ground. "I'm not sure where to begin."

He took a breath. "You're staying in Dubai, aren't you?"

She looked up at him, surprise on her face. "What?"

He nodded. "It's okay, I guess it. I figured --"

She put a finger to his lips and shook her head. "No. I'm not going to Dubai. To hell with Dubai, Max, there's nothing there except tall buildings, rich *ssholes, and lots of sand."

He gently removed her finger from his lips and stared at her. "But ... what?"

She threw her head back and launched from the couch. "It's not Dubai. It's ... it's us."

Worse. She hates you. His moment of hope came crashing to an end as he fumbled for more words. "Us?"

She put her face in her hands. "Not us," she said through them, her words muffled. "God, I'm so stupid." She took a deep breath and removed her hands from her face, her eyes teary. "I practiced this, in my head, all the way over here ..." She closed her eyes. "I'm pregnant."

The entire world stopped spinning at that point. Stunned -- he was absolutely stunned into silence. Normally he could get off a word, a question, a phrase, but this? Now? Here?

He pushed his lips together, trying to say a word, but only came up with air. There was nothing.

And then a spark. Something from the deep recesses of his brain, a memory so old it was in black and white, but it was something his father had told him when he first went off to college, as a 'just in case' bit of advice.

"When a girl tells you she's pregnant, you do two things, son: one, you assume it's yours and that means it's your responsibility. Two, you tell her how much you love her, because if you didn't you still wouldn't be there."

"I love you."

Tears in her eyes, she shook her head. "What?"

"I love you," he repeated, the three words as true as any words he had ever spoken; so true, in fact, they acted like a backdoor reboot of his brain. His mind began to fly again, questions coming to the forefront. "But, I have to ask ... how?"

She chuckled, sniffling as she did it. She rolled her eyes sarcastically. "How? Sex is how."

And he laughed. "I mean ... God, what do I mean?" He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling out of breath. "Just ... we're safe. We took precautions."

She sat down beside him and took his hand with hers, squeezing it. "Not the last night I was here ... we had a lot of wine. Four or five bottles between us."

He blushed. "I ... I thought we fell asleep."

She blushed back. "We didn't." She squeezed his hand again. "You were sorta awake."

"I thought it was a really good dream." He hung his head, letting out a groan. "I mean ... Jesus, Abby."

She put her hand under his chin and raised his head up. "Hey, it takes two. And I had just as much fun." Her face grew darker. "But we have to figure out what's next."

He stared at her. "What's next? Is there a doubt?"

She looked away and gave a small nod. "I ... I've considered an alternative."

Alternative? "What does that mean?"

She forced herself to meet his eyes. "Max, we're not ready. I'm not ready. I never imagined myself as a mother, ever. That was a life for my siblings, for my friends, for other women. But me?" She bit her lip. "I'm a pilot."

He leaned back, his hand growing limp in hers. "Abortion?" The very idea ... the very thought ... it twisted his insides into knots upon knots.

She nodded once. "It's my decision."

It was as much a statement as it was a threat. He heard it in her voice. And, by every right, the choice was hers.

"It doesn't have to be." He closed the gap between them, their faces inches from one another. "It takes two, remember?"

She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "Not in this ... not like this. I ... I can't be a mother." She stood, ripping herself away from him, and headed to the nearest window, gripping the edge of the windowsill. "Damn it, Max, I never wanted a kid!"

Nothing matters if I fail here. Nothing. He was intensely aware that every ounce of his experience as a human being, as a GM, as a software developer, and as Maxwell Newman was about to be put to the test. This wasn't going to happen. Not like this.

"Abby," he said soothingly, maintaining his place on the couch despite how desperately he wanted to launch off it and be near her. "You're not alone here. You have me. You have every resource at your disposal. Everything you need, you can get right here."

She whipped around, tears staining her flushed cheeks. "Can you prevent the changes that I'll go through? The morning sickness, the pain, the weird cravings and sleepless nights? Can you give me back my body, exactly as it was, before this?"

*hit. She had him there. "No, I can't do that. No one can, as far as I'm aware."

"No, no one can," she spat at him. "This baby is going to wreck everything about me and ... and I don't want it to. I don't want it to ruin me."

He stood from the couch now, his face questioning. "Ruin? You can't be ruined. You're exactly what I love."

She looked away, back out the window. "Don't say that. Don't say you love me. You're only saying it because I'm pregnant."

He took a few steps closer, dropping his voice to a softer tone. "Not true. I've known for awhile now that I've loved you ..." He shook his head. "And I've been thinking of asking you to marry me."

That got her attention. She turned around, her face slack. "Marry?"

"I know we unofficially agreed that marriage probably wasn't for us, but ... well." He reached into his pocket and took out the ring case. He was prepared to just take this back tomorrow, but for tonight he wanted it in his pocket, at the ready, just in case the opportunity presented itself. Truth be told, he was planning to wait till her birthday in February to propose ... but it was all out there now.

He handed her the case and she opened it, a gasp escaping her. "It's beautiful."

He gave a shrug. "Honestly, it was 'Ricka who helped me pick it out. She deserves 50 percent of the credit."

She cried more tears. "*** **** it, why can't you just not be honest?"

He gently took her by the shoulders. "I'll the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but when it comes to you. Anything less would do you a disservice."

Silence as she stared at the ring, then at him. "So ... you really do want to marry me?"

"Really do."

"And ... the baby?"

He smiled at her. "And the baby, too. I promise, neither of you will ever need to worry about anything. I'm not hurting for money."

She laughed at him and wrapped her arms around him. "Okay. We'll do it. Marriage, kid, the whole enchilada." She looked into his eyes. "But I'm still going to fly."

He grinned. "I'm still going to ... basketball?"

She laughed at him and nodded back. "You have yourself a deal."

[unkram]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

Congrats, Max!

And now Teddy has some competition to the reigns of the organization...I foresee a Jim/Jeannie Buss scenario down the line! :wink:

[BlindSideNZ]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

Absolutely magic Trek!

As you opened with its a touchy subject but I've been there before and I believe that you told it as truthfully as it could have been told.

So congrats to the Newman family. Such lovely news.

One last thing, though.

"I'm still going to basketball" is one of the best lines I have ever heard/read in my life.

It most definitely fit the situation perfectly.

[trekfan]

Re: Second Coming: A SuperSonics Return

Congrats, Max!

And now Teddy has some competition to the reigns of the organization...I foresee a Jim/Jeannie Buss scenario down the line! :wink:

^Your foreseeing-ness isn't far off, but isn't quite on point. There is a definite family situation with the team far down the line (like, 20+ seasons), so it's not an immediate thing and it's much, much more complicated than that.

But we'll get there. Promise.:wink:

Absolutely magic Trek!

As you opened with its a touchy subject but I've been there before and I believe that you told it as truthfully as it could have been told.

So congrats to the Newman family. Such lovely news.

One last thing, though.

"I'm still going to basketball" is one of the best lines I have ever heard/read in my life.

It most definitely fit the situation perfectly.

*bows* Much obliged. I'm glad it came off well and true to life.

The line about the basketball was just something that popped into my head on the first draft and it worked. Perfectly dorky, but funny, and fit right within the mood, so I kept it. I'm happy it worked as well as it did.

Stay tuned tonight for Thunder vs. Sonics, Game 2 of the regular season series and likely a story post between the Newman brothers (Gill has some thoughts, yo).