Another Damn Seattle Supersonics Dynasty

[studbucket]

I was about to cheer that GPII was picked, then saw he was traded. The fanbase can't have liked that move!

[MattyIce]

Quote: Originally Posted by MattyIce

Love Julian Phillips, a lot of raw talent there. He could mold into a very good player for you. He has played well in limited time in my Bulls season

And I realize now he went to Vegas, my bad lol.


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[RolePlayer]

Quote: Originally Posted by R1zzo23

Wow, those rosters are crazy due to the amount of players that teams were able to protect. To see Julian Phillips and Leonard Miller as the top picks for each franchise is mind blowing lol. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

It's definitely going to be a tough year for both expansion teams, although I'm actually pretty excited about the challenge. I also think trying to find and develop a few diamonds in the rough from the current roster into the types of players who can start on an NBA playoff team will be a fun process.

Quote: Originally Posted by studbucket

I was about to cheer that GPII was picked, then saw he was traded. The fanbase can't have liked that move!

I debated keeping him around as he'd be a solid rotation player for us but felt on a developing team he wouldn't be a great fit and would take away minutes from young guys.

The fans likely would've liked to have GPII in Seattle but hopefully former Sonic Jeff Green and two second-round picks to use or trade will cheer them up.

Quote: Originally Posted by MattyIce

And I realize now he went to Vegas, my bad lol. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I really like Julian Philipps as a prospect also, I really wanted him on the Sonics. I felt like he was the best prospect in this terrible expansion draft though, and thought Vegas had to take him with the first pick.

[RolePlayer]

Venom Sign Killian Hayes, Sonics Sign Sharife Cooper and Jarret Culver

Anthony Slater August 12th, 2023

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With the expansion draft through, the Vegas Venom and Seattle Supersonics are now allowed to sign free agents. Since we are currently in August, few notable NBA free agents remain unsigned. Despite this, this week both expansion teams made signings, adding to their roster and including players who will likely be in the rotation when the NBA tips off in October.

Venom Sign Former Detroit Pistons Point Guard Killian Hayes

The most notable signing from either team was the Venom picking up former Pistons point guard Killian Hayes. Hayes had recently been cut from the Pistons after requesting a trade earlier this Summer. When Killian Hayes was drafted several years ago, he was seen by some reporters as a future all-star and potentially even the best player in that year's draft class. So far in his NBA career, however, he hasn't lived up to that early hype.

In three years in Detroit, playing heavy minutes, Hayes was a poor and inefficient scorer. He also struggled as a shooter, shooting under 30% from deep every season. There have been flashes at times, such as last year when he scored 28pts against the Indiana Pacers.

Many fans have felt Killian Hayes did not deserve another chance; however, with the Venom having few options at point guard, Hayes will likely be getting one last shot to prove himself as an NBA-level point guard.

The Venom signed Hayes to a two-year, twenty million dollar contract, with a team option at the end of the year.

Former 6th Pick Jarrett Culver signs with Sonics

When Jarrett Culver was drafted, some were calling him the next Jimmy Butler. He was considered someone who could be an NBA-level defender out of the gate, with offensive weaknesses that could be improved upon as he developed as a player. Once drafted, Culver struggled, however, being an inefficient scorer who shot under 30% from three. After playing 24 minutes per game his rookie year, he quickly saw his role diminish over the next three seasons.

In 2022, Culver spent most of the season in the G-League, where he played well, averaging 17 points and seven rebounds a game. His shooting slightly improved to where it had been, and his defense was more consistent.

This is what drew the interest of the Seattle Supersonics, who signed Culver to a one-year, six-million-dollar contract that has a team option for 12 million dollars next season.

The Sonics felt Culver's play had improved while in the G-League, and that there was some untapped potential still in him. The Sonics currently have a wide-open backcourt, and Culver will have the opportunity to possibly play significant minutes again this year in Seattle.

Sonics Sign G-League Star Sharife Cooper

When the Atlanta Hawks drafted Sharife Cooper 48th overall in 2021, many considered him potentially to be the "steal of the draft." Many fans did not understand how the highly talented, creative guard prospect who excelled as a playmaker at Auburn could have slid so far in the draft. Cooper proved his supporters right initially, playing extremely well in the Summer league.

Once actual play began, things did not work out how Cooper and his fans expected. He only played in 13 games, averaging 3 minutes per game and 0.5 points a game for the Hawks.

He's spent most of the past two years in the NBA G-League playing for the College Park Skyhawks and Cleveland Charge. There, Cooper has been the star many had thought he could be, averaging 20 points and 7 assists over his two years in the G-League. Cooper's flaws which kept him off an NBA court have also shown, however. At only six feet tall, he struggles on the defensive end, and he has also turned the ball over constantly, averaging 4 turnovers a game last season. He's been a streaky three-point shooter as well, something teams have concerns with due to his already existing limitations with his height.

The Sonics decided to take a chance on Cooper and signed him today to a two-year, ten-million-dollar deal with a team option after this season. In Atlanta, Cooper was stuck behind Trae Young, in Seattle, Cooper will be competing with Keon Ellis and Jared Butler for point guard minutes this season, giving him an opportunity to go right into being an NBA rotation player.

[R1zzo23]

Point guards are so hard to find so no shock one of the expansion teams took on Killian Hayes. Like that Seattle signed both Culver and Cooper to attempt to resurrect their careers’.


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[marshdaddy]

Have to wonder if the league's decision to make it so difficult for the expansion teams to be good will backfire on them. The teams are likely going to be awful, like 9-win Bobcats awful. And it's not going to be one team, but two. I can understand that owners didn't want Seattle coming in and scooping up all the great free agents with the allure of revitalizing the city, but they're going to get two teams that are just going to get steamrolled. Not ideal.

[RolePlayer]

Quote: Originally Posted by R1zzo23

Point guards are so hard to find so no shock one of the expansion teams took on Killian Hayes. Like that Seattle signed both Culver and Cooper to attempt to resurrect their careers’.

I can't lie, I really want to see Killian Hayes turn his career around, when he was drafted in real life I was high on him. I'm hoping somehow he lights it up in Vegas and becomes a star.

I think both Culver and Cooper are interesting players, both have skills thought could make them good NBA players but also have major weaknesses.

Quote: Originally Posted by marshdaddy

Have to wonder if the league's decision to make it so difficult for the expansion teams to be good will backfire on them. The teams are likely going to be awful, like 9-win Bobcats awful. And it's not going to be one team, but two. I can understand that owners didn't want Seattle coming in and scooping up all the great free agents with the allure of revitalizing the city, but they're going to get two teams that are just going to get steamrolled. Not ideal.

The NBA I feel has to be really hoping that Seattle's fanbase excited by the teams return and the market of Vegas will be able to carry these teams early on. Each of these teams will likely go down as two of the worst teams of all time. Then at seasons end, an obstacle both teams will face is the 2024-2025 draft where there does not appear to be a franchise-saving player in the mix.

[RolePlayer]

'We're All Battling': Supersonics Training Camp Full of Position Battles

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SEATTLE -- While the NBA did not award the expansion teams many favors, one they were given was the ability to start their training camps on September 27th, the date when teams with international preseason games camps begin, rather than October 3rd, the date when most teams' training camps start.

The Supersonics' camp has reportedly been extremely competitive, with players battling to earn minutes and a prominent role to begin the season for the team.

"We're all battling out there, most of us came from situations where we didn't have many opportunities. We know here that everything is open, that we all got a chance at playing big minutes if we earn it," said Sonics point guard Keon Ellis.

The position battle to be the starting point guard has been the most competitive, with Jared Butler, Keon Ellis, and Sharife Cooper. Each player presents a completely different skill set. The ultimate decision on who starts and who comes off the bench may come down to which player first-year head coach Charles Lee feels better fits the system he is working to build. Butler has a more all-around game but is not strong in one particular area, Ellis is a tenacious perimeter defender with limited offensive ability, and Cooper is a great playmaker while also being a major liability on defense.

At shooting guard, second-year wing Caleb Houstan is competing with former 6th pick Jarrett Culver. Both offer somewhat similar skill sets, having the potential to be great wing defenders with limited scoring ability. Houstan will likely have the nod over Culver due to his shooting ability and size, however.

Small forward may be the only position where a clear starter is already in place. Regardless of whether he is the best player for the job, the Sonics, according to several sources, are planning to give Emoni Bates the opportunity to begin the year as the starter at small forward. The Sonics are hoping to hit the lottery with Bates and tap into the promise he once showed as a high school prospect.

When it comes to who will be the starting power forward, the battle is between rookie Leonard Miller and Darius Bazley. Miller was the Sonics' first pick in the expansion draft, and the Sonics have high hopes for him; however, Bazely has experience being an NBA rotation player before. Bazley is also still young at 24 and has shown flashes in the G-League. Jeff Green, one of only two former Supersonics in the NBA, will also be in the power forward rotation; however, it's expected he will not receive the bulk of minutes.

The center position seems to be locked up if the roster remains how it is currently constructed. Moses Brown is the favorite to be the starting center, with Mouhamadou Gueye expected to back him up. ESPN's*Adrian Wojnarowski has reported, however, that the Sonics are not content with their current big men and plan to seek other options in free agency or through a trade.