Payton, arguably the second-best point guard behind John Stockton over the last 10 years, has been disgruntled in Seattle for a few years. In the last year of his contract, Payton would likely have left Seattle after the season. Forced to embark upon a future without Payton, the Sonics have been shopping "The Glove" all season, trying to acquire another player upon whom they can build their team.
When Milwaukee, coached by Payton's former coach George Karl, came calling, the Sonics' decision was a no-brainer. Now, with Allen and Rashard Lewis, the Sonics have two solid scorers with unlimited potential to serve as a foundation for the team. Sure, the team may not be better off for the rest of this season than it was before the trade, but it will be much better next year than it would be if Payton had bolted to free agency after the season. The Sonics replaced one 20-point scorer with another significantly younger one.
For the Bucks, I just do not understand this trade unless they have solid future plans in place. They already have all-star point guard Sam Cassell, who has three years left on his current contract. How is Cassell, a championship-caliber point guard, going to adjust to playing alongside the league leader in assists? The only way this makes sense is if the Bucks are confident they can sign Payton next year and trade Cassell during the offseason.
Critics of George Karl and the Bucks over the past few seasons have pointed to all of their talent and asked why they cannot put together a good regular season and a successful playoff run. After trading Glenn Robinson before the season, the Bucks have put together a decent season, but I don't think they are going to make any sort of championship-level push without an inside presence. They are an exclusively outside shooting and jumpshooting team, and, even after trading for Payton and Mason, have not really made great improvements to their team.
I'm curious to see how the Bucks deal with their point-guard situation and will be watching closely for a trade involving Cassell immediately after the season ends. Even if Payton re-signs, the Bucks need to get a formidable big man if they want to be successful in the playoffs for this and next season.
Mike Tyson Continues to Entertain
Mike Tyson knocked out his latest opponent, Clifford Etienne, on Saturday night in only 49 seconds. However, it was only the sixth-fastest KO in Tyson's storied career, which has included more ups and downs than Amherst's email access. The pre-fight antics of both fighters made this fight more like a circus than a heavyweight boxing match featuring one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Over 15,000 fans paid to see this fight live and I'm sure thousands tuned in on pay-per-view for this one-round massacre. The real entertainment, however, was after the fight, when Tyson was asked by a member of the media about his other hobbies and interests. He responded by saying, "I like getting high, spending time with my children and drinking."
Over the years the appeal of Mike Tyson has changed from his world championship-level fighting ability to his out-of-ring antics that would make great material for a hysterical comedy. I think a legitimate Mike Tyson biography could become one of the best-selling books of all time. If there isn't already a Mike Tyson biographer, one needs to step to the plate right away.
Can I reserve a copy? I have so many questions about this biography - will it come with a strand of Don King's hair taped to the inside cover? Will they wait until Mike Tyson does actually eat someone's children before they release it to the public? Will the acknowledgements list all of Tyson's children and their ages? If so, will the book be under 1000 pages?
Tyson's life has had more drama, tragedy and comedy than any other person's life over the last 20 years. He makes Magic Johnson and Wilt Chamberlain's sexcapades look G-rated. Wilt claimed to have slept with 20,000 women; I'm pretty sure Tyson has that record beaten already, considering he has about that many children (most of whom appeared on TV with him this week before the fight). Just in the past two weeks, Tyson has been in the sports news just as much as the Middle East situation has been in real news. Who else could get top-story coverage on ESPN because of a tattoo (besides Anna Kournikova, of course)? With rumors swirling about Tyson being out of shape, depressed or psychotic (I don't think that's a rumor), the real reason for his pre-fight jitters could be the tribal tattoo across the side of his face that had not healed yet and could have been a health issue when he stepped into the ring.
I find it amazing that Mike Tyson remains in the spotlight as one of the most well-known athletes in the world even as he advances into his late thirties. He probably has the greatest love-hate relationship with the media and with the fans in sports history. I don't think there is one sports fan (or person in general) in the world who likes Mike Tyson as a person, yet people love to watch him entertain. Stay tuned for Tyson's next press conference, when he will likely unveil his finished facial tattoo and threaten to eat not only his opponent's children, but also his own children.