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Opinion: Gary Payton would be super as a non-Sonic By
Bryan Beall He was struggling through a horrendous rookie season, just another lottery bust who could not hit a jumper, yet even then, even as he averaged a meek 7.2 points per game, Gary Payton was completely confident. "Players like Magic Johnson and me only come around once a decade," he said at the time. His mouth has not stopped running since. Paired with the abnormally athletic Shawn Kemp, a man whose slow-motion highlights looked like cinematic accomplishments, Payton elevated the Seattle Supersonics into NBA prominence. Payton could always defend, his smothering, relentless defense earning him the nickname "The Glove," but with each passing year, GP developed new elements of his game. Payton's shooting, although awkward looking, became more effective. He began brutalizing smaller point guards on the post, hooking them with his forearms, banging them with his knees. He could pass through crowds, off backboards, or around his back, and would often hang the ball in the air so Kemp or another high-flier could punctuate fast breaks with ferocious alley-oop dunks. Moreover, Seattle won, battling Barkley and company in the Western Conference Finals in '93. Winning a team record 63 games in '94. Pushing the Chicago unbeat-a-Bulls to six games in the '96 NBA Finals. All that is over now. Seattle axed George Karl, the coach who created and controlled Seattle's best teams; traded Kemp, who subsequently ate and snorted cocaine all the way to Portland's bench, and replaced dependable veterans with sporadic young talent. Only Payton remains from the 1996 team. After running Coach Paul Westphal out of town and being suspended by former mentor and new coach Nate McMillan for disrespectful conduct, the volatile point guard was on the trading block. However, he refused to play for the Eastern Conference, or any team that was not a contender. His demands left only a handful of teams that could acquire him, and those franchises either declined to make trades when they were already in contention or could not absorb the salary hit of Payton's $14 million plus yearly contract. So Payton excels in the midst of mediocrity, forgotten among names like O'Neal, Bryant, Iverson and Carter. The Sonics are battling for the seventh of eighth seeds in the West, the chance to be obliterated by the powerhouse Lakers or Kings. The team has lost to league bottom dwellers such as the Charlotte Hornets and the Chicago Bulls. They lack size, rebounding and perhaps most importantly, experience. GP's prime wastes away. He should be the centerpiece of a championship-caliber club; instead, he leads a team that features an underachieving and unstable Vin Baker (who once missed 22 free throws in a row), and Rashard Lewis, who never developed his skills in college. Despite this, Payton is averaging 22.2 points and a career best 9.1 assists per game. More impressive still is the way he has put up numbers. The notorious trash talker has led by example this year; there have been no fits on the court or bitch sessions off it. Just game winners against Orlando and Charlotte, a triple double against Detroit, and 43 points against the L.A. Clippers. At the age of 33 Payton may be maturing with his game, or maybe he is just quietly playing out the remainder of his contract that has an out after next season. It is a fork in the road Sonics fans are already anticipating. Will GP stay in Seattle, endearing himself to the city while remaining ringless? Or will he ditch town and become an instant contender on a team such as San Antonio? There have been archetypes of both scenarios. John Stockton and Karl Malone have had their chances with Utah, but will be left with car dealerships and cash instead of rings. In contrast, Clyde Drexler toiled on Portland for over a decade before winning two championships with Houston. Not everyone was as lucky as Clyde the Glide was. Charles Barkley started in Philly, contended in Phoenix, and finished his career playing for a has-been Houston team. He was always a step too late, but at least he was trying to play for a winner. Payton should get out. He has served his time in the wet Northwest; put up numbers, carried teams, and been an icon for a city. He is a relic from a team that was good but should have been great. Playing for a contender would give new life to his career, not because he would be playing any differently, just playing within a different context. If Payton could win a championship, his comparison to Magic would not be far off. It will not happen in Seattle.
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