The NBA Rapidfire Report: C-Webb Out, Dirk Out, Sonics Out, Walsh In

This week we’re covering some interesting tidbits from around the league. C-Webb is officially retiring after many would say he’s already been gone for years. The Sonics are closer than ever to moving but may not take their name with them. A possible (and looooong overdue) change in Knicks’ management and an injury takes down the reigning MVP and possibly his team’s playoff hopes. Horn me!

The Sonics appear to be leaving Seattle along with the rights to their name. What would you name the new franchise in Oklahoma City?

Andrew Kneeland: Oklahoma City Octopus. Needless to say, I don't want the Sonics to move. I was just starting to like them before word came out of the move. Now I'm bitter for no real reason.

Andrew Ungvari: The Thieves, the Heartbreakers, the Beneficiaries, the Robber Barons, or the Innocent Bystanders.

Chad Ridgeway: The Oklahoma City Oakies. It’d be like the even more redneck version of the Houston Texans.

Joe Willet: Possibly the Oklahoma City "It's About Times" since they have been trying to get a team for the last few years.  Or "The True Second Team" since they are the second team Oklahoma City wanted. 

Ptownsblazin: This is a good question. I think the Sonic name deserves to be left with the City of Seattle so coming up with a good nickname is difficult. The Cyclones or Cowboys could be two nicknames that come to mind quickly.

Reddog: Oklahoma City Cowboys, Oklahoma City Wranglers.

WildWilly: Oklahoma Mountain Boomers. Their state reptile is the Mountain Boomer. No team has gone with a reptile team logo and I think it would be cool and can get a cool logo from it. Unless you want to consider a Raptor a reptile, which is debatable.

How sad are you that Chris Webber is retiring and what will you remember most about him?

Andrew Kneeland: Not very sad, as I won't affect my life very much at all. As for a favorite memory, that "fake" timeout he called while with Michigan was priceless. They lost the Championship game to North Carolina because of him.

Andrew Ungvari: What I'll remember most about Chris Webber is that he was a guard in a big man's body. He was as skilled as any big-man but he never wanted to take the big shot. The timeout he called in college will always be a part of his legacy but he got over it instead of letting it destroy him. Am I sad he's gone? Not really. In reality, he's been gone since he had microfracture surgery in 2003.

Chad Ridgeway: It’s sad, with shades of a Karl Malone-like ignominious retirement. I’ll remember his cheesy commercials with Vlade Divac. I’ll remember that he was a headlining big man during the glory days of the Western Conference power forward, with him as the best scoring PF, ‘Sheed as the best defensive PF, KG as the most versatile PF, and Duncan as the best all around PF.

And I’ll remember that he could never, ever get passed the Lakers.

Joe Willet: I'm not exactly sad that he is retiring because of the drop-off in productivity, but he has been an important player to the NBA.  I'm going to remember a strong defender.  I'm going to remember a man that could score whenever he wanted to, and grabbed rebounds also at will.  I'm going to remember a man that dominated the NBA inside for 14 years, and a future Hall of Famer.  Anything less would be insulting.

Ptownsblazin: I feel it was time for Webber to hang them up so I am not sad. He recovered decently from his Microfracture Surgery but was obviously never the same afterwards. He will be remembered as one of the best PF's of his generation and is a fringe HOFer but I feel his most memorable moment will be his biggest blunder the infamous Timeout in the Championship Game of the NCAA tournament.

Reddog: As a Michigan fan, I'll always remember the timeout.

WildWilly: Sad to see one of the best PF's of our generation and won’t be recognized for what he did for Sacremento will be leaving the NBA. The guy is a sure HOF player and will be put in prob for his college career alone. He led his teams further then most players have ever lead there teams. And sadly we'll all remember him for his shortcomings and his big choke in college.

Now that Dirk is out are the Nuggets in?

Andrew Kneeland: I was expecting a close race, but it appears that it will be even closer now, doesn't it? I think that Golden State will pass Dallas, and Denver will give the Mavs one huge scare, but Dallas will hang on with the eighth seed.

Andrew Ungvari: Yes...unless the Mavs can win in Denver tomorrow night. It would not only increase their lead over the Nuggets to three games but it would also give them the season series, thus making the lead more like four games.

Chad Ridgeway: The Mavs were already on a downward spiral. They’ll miss the playoffs. Avery will be fired. And as the regular season winds down Mark Cuban’s expression will become more and more demented.

Joe Willet: Dirk’s injury takes out a major scoring threat for the Mavs.  Also, they face mostly strong competition over the final stretch of the season. The Nuggets, on the other hand, have a pretty easy schedule, playing about half of the games against strong teams and the rest against mediocre teams.  I don't think that the Mavs will reach the playoffs, mainly because of this major loss. They won't be able to score, and relying on Jason Kidd isn't exactly the best offensive strategy. The Nuggets, on the other hand, have Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, and Marcus Camby.  They are going to be strong in the playoffs, and the Mavs players probably won't enjoy watching it in their respective homes.

Ptownsblazin: This is a very tough question. The Mavs do have a two game head start for that playoff spot and even with Dirk going down they still have a solid group of guys to squeeze into the playoffs. So I have to say no the Nuggets won't get in at the expense of the Mavericks. I think the Mavericks may fall to the eighth seed but I think they will find a way to make it in.

Reddog: Out, unless he's back in a week. Josh Howard can't carry the whole load.

WildWilly: If Dirk is only out two weeks Mavs will make the postseason. I notice many people trying to write them off, but I don’t see Nuggs overtaking them unless Dirk is out longer and the injury is more serious than originally thought. Hell, maybe Avery will wise up soon and let Kidd run the offense, but if he doesn't it will be a quick first round exit.

Over or under: Donnie Walsh will help the Knicks to a winning record in three years?

Andrew Kneeland: It's possible. Give any horrible team three top draft picks and they will be borderline decent again. Isn't it called Newton's Law of Draft Day?

Andrew Ungvari: It'll take exactly three years. Unless he can trade two from the group of Zach Randolph, Eddy Curry, Jared Jeffries and Quentin Richardson, the Knicks won't have any cap space until the summer of 2010. Had they not traded Steve Francis for Randolph they would have had that space next summer when Steph Marbury's contract expires. The only thing that the Knick's can hope for at this point is that Walsh can draft two or three players until then that they can build the team around when they finally have cap space. Historically, Walsh was very good at drafting players with picks between 15-30. It will be interesting to see what he can do with a top-8 pick.

Chad Ridgeway: Under. LeBron is coming in two years.

Joe Willet: One winning season if he does everything right over the next three seasons.  He is going to need two years to find a way to unload over-sized contracts and convince good players that the days of coming to New York just for the cash are over. Basically, it is going to be harder than selling ice to Eskimos.  If he couldn't do it in Indiana, I have trouble thinking that he will do it in New York with about 10 trillion times the pressure.

Ptownsblazin: I have to go Under. Walsh has made some memorable trades while running the Pacers (Jermaine Oneal for Dale Davis comes to mind as a Blazer fan) and he is the right man for the job in my opinion. I think the Knicks can be a winning team but I don't see them being anything more than first round fodder in a couple years but that will go a long way to erase the memory of what has been an embarrassing franchise for several years. I think Walsh's first move should be removing Isaiah but if he keeps Isaiah it could mean a little longer in the turn around.

Reddog: The Pacers have fallen on hard times recently and the Knicks are even worse - more than 3 years to fix this mess, if he's even capable of fixing it - overrated in my opinion. It's not like the Pacers are anything special.

WildWilly: Donnie Walsh should help this team win in two years. They have some good young players but are filled with player who can’t play with each other very well. Expect him to get a big player as soon as Marbury's contract is up. NY fans have created a website to draw Lebron in and he can be the biggest thing that happened to NY if he decides to go. And I don't see Zeke coaching much longer, which will be another positive.