With the quality of depth in this year’s draft class, whittling down the options will be a difficult task for the Seattle SuperSonics. Looking for size inside? Stanford’s Brook Lopez or UCLA product Kevin Love could fit the bill.
How about quickness and scoring ability? Arizona’s Jerryd Bayless and O.J. Mayo certainly fill that need.
A lock-down defender? Enter UCLA’s Russell Westbrook.
Further hampering the team’s deliberations is the limited amount of floor time available for evaluation for a majority of players being drafted in the lottery, with at least 10 freshmen projected to be taken in the top 15 picks of the draft. That’s not a good scenario when you’re planning on paying a lottery pick millions of dollars to be part of a foundation of your rebuilding franchise.
“A lot of the projected lottery talent are freshman and younger players,” Seattle general manager Sam Presti said. “And with that comes a smaller window of opportunity to evaluate their body of work. So that may contribute to the challenge of separating those players for different teams.”
With Seattle building around franchise cornerstones Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, probably three players will be highlighted on the team’s draft board when the Sonics’ turn comes around – Mayo, Bayless and Lopez.
Mayo may be the most unlikely person available when the Sonics make the fourth pick overall. Miami general manager Pat Riley reportedly is enamored by the 6-foot-4 guard and believes he would be a good fit playing next to Miami’s franchise player Dwyane Wade.
So the Heat, with the No. 2 pick behind the Chicago Bulls, may be considering the unthinkable, mulling the possibility of selecting Mayo over Kansas State’s Michael Beasley, who is considered perhaps the best overall player in the draft.
If Mayo somehow gets past Miami, he also is considered a consensus pick by Minnesota at No. 3.
However, T-wolves president Kevin McHale also is high on Love, and may consider taking the UCLA big man to fill a need on Minnesota’s frontcourt, leaving Mayo to fall in the Sonics’ lap.
The versatile Mayo can play both point guard and shooting guard, would be a nice fit playing alongside Durant and has the ability to be a solid defensive player.
Lopez would fill Seattle’s most dire need by giving the Sonics help inside. The Stanford 7-footer has soft hands and polished moves around the basket. However, some NBA scouts question his athleticism, particularly his ability to defend NBA centers inside. Adding further trepidation is Seattle’s track record for drafting centers long on potential and short on productivity, with young centers Robert Swift, Mouhamed Sene and Johan Petro all yet to develop into steady contributors.
Arizona’s Bayless was considered a lock for Seattle at No. 4 early in the draft evaluation process, but according to some mock drafts Bayless has dropped over the past week and the Sonics may pass on him.
The Sonics reportedly coveted Bayless because of his quickness getting up and down the floor and his shooting ability. Ultimately, Bayless still could be the team’s selection, serving as the point guard of the future. The Heat has warmed to Bayless heading into today’s draft.
So who do the Sonics want with their first pick? Only Presti knows for sure, and the tight-lopped Sonics executive hasn’t given any clues, saying only that the Sonics will add a player that will help in the team’s progression from a franchise-worst 20-62 record to a consistent winner.
“We understand that we have a young core,” Presti said. “And we’re going to continue to build on that foundation that we have. We need to upgrade in several areas, especially when you finish the way we did (losing 16 out of 17 games in March and April).”
Seattle should be an active participant in this year’s draft with six picks, and two trade exceptions totaling $4 million to use as leverage in a trade. Presti said he’s already been fielding calls, and already has shown a willingness to take risks, as exemplified by last year’s draft-day trade that sent franchise player Ray Allen to Boston for Green, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West.
“We have to evaluate all of our options,” Presti said of looking for deals to move up or down in the draft. “We have to listen. When the phone rings, we have to pick it up. We call other teams.
“We look to improve our ballclub any way that we can. But unless something really strikes us and we feel like it’s going to make us a better team, we’ll have that pick. But up until the last pick, you kind of have to be ready for anything.”
Eric D. Williams: 253-597-8437
blogs.thenewstribune.com/sonics/
Sonics selections
The Sonics have six picks in this year’s draft, including the fourth and 24th overall picks in the first round. Seattle also has picks 32, 46, 50 and 56 in the second round.
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