Bye Bye Gary
Professional sports is a cruel business. People watch because of the thrill of competition, but at the end of the day, the owners and general managers never let you forget that it’s all about the money.
Gary Payton arrived in Seattle almost the same time I did. The young, brash point guard was the #2 overall pick in 1990, and for the next few years, it wasn’t clear why the Sonics took the ball out of the hands of their very talented incumbent, Nate McMillan (now the coach) and entrusted it to the gifted but erratic Payton, who could play defense with the best of them but couldn’t make an outside shot to save his life. In 1992, we found out why. The young Sonics upended the heavily favored Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, announcing the arrival of a new generation of stars in the NBA. Since that time, Golden State has played Seattle six times a year and has probably won less than 5% of those games. The Oakland-bred Payton simply refused to be shown up by his ex-hometown team.
To Sonics fans, Payton was more than just a star. He was a true personality, a fiery competitor who enjoyed taunting opponents and teammates and staring down anyone who tried to stop him with his trademark glower. In an age of under-performing prima-donnas, Payton showed up to play every night – figuratively and literally. In his nearly 13-year career, he missed two game: one due to injury, one to a suspension. Payton learned early that talent will only get you so far: durability like that is a testament to hard work.
Payton’s tenure in Seattle was bittersweet in that his teams always fell a little bit short of true greatness. In 1996, with Payton and teammate Shawn Kemp in the prime of their careers, the Sonics tore through the league with 63 wins and broke their string of poor playoff performances to make it to the NBA Finals. It was their misfortune to encounter there the unstoppable juggernaut: Michael Jordan’s 73-win Chicago Bulls, the best team in NBA history. Even so, the Sonics stretched the series to six games – though it was Kemp, not Payton, who shined brightest.
Coaching conflicts and management incompetence reduced what should have been a winning dynasty to mediocrity over the next few years, and it became painfully clear that the front office was incapable of assembling a winning team with Payton at its core. As the Seattle Mariners baseball team systematically shed itself of its marquee superstars –Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey, and Alex Rodriguez – Payton became the most visible, longest-tenured professional athlete in town. Even with the increasingly inconsistent play of the Sonics, ticket-buyers could always be guaranteed of seeing a great performance from Gary Payton, night in and night out.
Yesterday, the Sonics traded Payton to the Milwaukee Bucks, along with a popular young player, Desmond Mason. In return, they got Ray Allen, a much younger player with undeniable skills, and in basketball terms, it may turn out to be OK (though my friend Wayne, who follows these things more closely than I do, informs me that Allen is damaged goods and may be sidelined by persistent injuries). Whatever the trade means on the court, it was a bitter reminder to fans that sentiment, loyalty and reward for long service mean nothing in professional sports. It’s a business – nothing more or less.
Tonight, as it happens, the Bucks are in town. Instead of playing his 1,000th game in a Sonics uniform, Gary Payton will suit up for his first as a Milwaukee Buck. You can bet I’ll be watching, and if I were there, I’d be cheering.
9:53:17 AM 
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