well, the Sonics traded Gary Payton... ugh.. but what Really adds to the stomach-punch is the fact that also included in the trade was Desmond Mason... suddenly, I don't feel so good...

on the positive side, we got Certified All-Star Ray Allen back from Milwaukee (as well as a conditional 1st-round draft pick, and a couple back-up guards). I don't know much about Allen, except that he was one of the "bright young up-and-coming stars" of the NBA a couple years ago, and he starred in the movie "He Got Game."

In a seperate trade, the Sonics shipped off Kenny Anderson, who never really had a role on the team, to New Orleans for 4/5-man Elden Campbell, a "savvy veteran." I don't know much about him either, except that he has, at times, been a solid low-post scorer and rebounder.

So, The Franchise is gone. It's a sad day in Seattle Sports, truly. Payton was one of those rare guys, in Any professiona sport, that just plain, flat-out Brought It Every Night. He played hard and rarely missed a game. On the floor, he was Everything you wanted, as a fan, out of a player...