| 05 October 2010
It feels weird to have an "All Time Top 5" and not select a single one of them. Not even Kevin Durant... tho' I suspect he'll top this list before his time done. But it's not like Oklahoma's a particularly 'new' franchise - it has a history, and it's not a particularly pleasant one for NBA fans residing in America's far North West. Still, that's another story.
So... how 'bout those Sonics, huh?
5. Fred Brown - Downtown Freddie Brown. Brown was the captain of the '79 crew that won the title, and was considered to have a one of the best outside strokes in the game.
4. Spencer Haywood - Haywood and then owner Sam Schulman actually sued the NBA in an anti-trust suit over when he became eligible to play... he definitely started his NBA career (he'd played a season in the ABA) as an unpopular player, but that quickly changed.
He went on to become an extremely good player for the Sonics - one of their only shining lights at the time. In his time at Seattle, he averaged 24.9 ppg and 12.1 rpg - awesome numbers.
3. Shawn T. Kemp - Looking at mere numbers, both Haywood and Xavier McDaniel were better at the power forward slot than Kemp... but neither had the impact on the franchise that the Reign Man did. Possessing thunderous dunks, he - with Gary Payton - formed "Sonic Boom" (one of the NBA's best ever big/little fastbreaks), and their ally-oops are now part of NBA folklore.
2. Jack Wayne Sikma - Centers that shoot as well as Jack Sikma are few and far between. Matter o' fact, there may not be a center that has ever shot the ball as sweetly as Sikma. Career averaged a double/double at Seattle, and averaged over 85% from the charity stripe. He remains the only center EVER in the NBA to win the FT crown!
And who was the center when in 1979 the Sonics won the title? Why, sharp-shootin' Jack Sikma of course!
1. Gary Dwayne Payton - The Glove was the premier defensive guard in his prime. Well... actually, let's call it the way it was: he was the premier defensive player in the 90s. And 8 consecutive All NBA teams? Amazing stuff. More amazing? The Sonics finished above .500 every year in his 12 years there, and made the playoffs 10 of those seasons. Gary Payton could dish, he could score... and sheesh, could he defend. Perhaps the best both-ends-of-the-court PGs of his era.
Next up: the Orlando Magic!
