Ian Thomsen's Mailbag Ian Thomsen will periodically answer questions from SI.com users in his mailbag. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

4 Questions rescued from the spam

4. Now that the Sonics are on their way to Oklahoma City, what city without an NBA team is most likely to get a franchise? Is Vancouver or Mexico City a possibility?
-- Andrew Mcewen, Wyoming, Ontario

Seattle obviously wants another basketball team. Well, why not put an expansion team in Seattle? The "new" Sonics could play in the Western Conference. This opens up a need for a new Eastern Conference team. Why not put the new team in Little Rock, Ark.? We already have a suitable arena (Alltel Arena) and just look at the support the fans give the Razorbacks. Arkansas doesn't have a pro team and it is about time we get one.
-- Jason Wells, Searcy, Ark.

There aren't going to be any new teams domestically. If the league is to expand, it will be to grow new franchises in Europe per commissioner David Stern's vision.

I can't imagine an existing team moving to Mexico City or Vancouver, which lost its franchise to Memphis and isn't going to get another chance. It's in the best interest of Oklahoma City owner Clay Bennett to find a team to move into Seattle over the next five years, which would prevent him from having to pay $30 million in franchise alimony to the city of Seattle for bailing out on his lease. But the most likely home for the next nomadic franchise is Kansas City, which has an arena owned by the Anschutz Entertainment Group, which has deep NBA connections.

3. Obviously, one of Donnie Walsh's goals for the Knicks is to be under the cap by 2010 so that he can go after LeBron James and other free agents. I was looking at the salaries of the current Knicks players for the next several years and noticed that Eddy Curry, Quentin Richardson, Jamal Crawford and Jared Jefferies all have player options for either the 2009-2010 season or the 2010-2011 season. What is the likelihood that any of those players would not accept those option years?
-- Tim, New York

Highly unlikely. Each of those players would have a hard time finding a team with cap space to award him a salary equal to or greater than he is receiving from the Knicks today. Their value may rise as the team improves, but for the moment Walsh is going to have to clear space via trades.

2. When players are bought out of their contracts in the middle of a multiyear deal, how does that affect the salary cap of the team in future years?
-- Anthony, Waco, Texas

The terms of the buyout are applied to the cap. If a player making $8 million per year agrees to a buyout worth $6 million per year, then his value on the salary cap will be $6 million annually.

1. Do you like the Celtics to repeat as champs next season?
-- Glenn T., Lake Oswego, Ore.

They're going to miss James Posey (see below) ... but next week I'll be coming out with my early predictions for the upcoming season.

3 Stories making news

3. New Orleans signs James Posey to a four-year contract worth $25 million. This looks like the perfect signing for a team that needed depth, experience and toughness -- all of which Posey has provided to championship teams in Boston and Miami over two of the last three seasons. While the Celtics won't find anyone to replicate Posey's versatility, they can go into next season expecting even better performances from youngsters Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe and Glen (Big Baby) Davis. As the Eastern version of the Spurs, they'll be able to recruit bargain-priced veterans who want to play for a championship, much as P.J. Brown did last season.

2. Brandon Jennings signs with Pallacanestro Virtus Roma of Italy. The move abroad by this high school point guard has created speculation of an exodus by American teenagers seeking to make quick money while preparing for the NBA draft and avoiding the NCAA rule book. I don't buy this as the beginning of a major trend. European teams with the money to recruit players like Jennings are under pressure to win every game. When those clubs don't win, they fire everybody -- the management, the coach and the players -- at a much faster rate than teams in the NBA. There may be an exception here or there, but for the most part clubs in Spain, Italy or Russia aren't going to throw money at young Americans who aren't schooled in the fundamentals of team basketball.

The only motive I can imagine for the club would be to negotiate a $500,000 NBA buyout in the American player's contract. When the player is ready to go back home, his NBA franchise would pay $500,000 to his team in Europe. Maybe the European teams can make a little bit of money that way.

1. The Nuggets trade Marcus Camby to the Clippers for the right to switch second-round picks next year. How often have we been able to say that the Clippers outsmarted somebody? This was a steal of Auerbachian proportions. They went from having no certain options to replace Elton Brand, to landing one of the league's best defenders as well as one of the NBA's finest community representatives in Camby, who is among the league leaders in charitable work.

I have learned that the Clippers' offer to the Knicks for Zach Randolph last week was much more audacious than first suspected. In addition to Randolph, they wanted the Knicks to send them a first-round pick and $3 million in exchange for Brevin Knight. The Knicks said no.

So why did the Nuggets say yes? They're out of the luxury tax next season, that much is true. But couldn't they have bartered a first-round pick in the deal? How does coach George Karl get the high-maintenance foursome of Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Kenyon Martin and Nenê to band together when management just tossed out its only defender for absolutely nothing? The Nuggets still have a high payroll, no flexibility, a $10 million trade exception they're unlikely to use and a team with zero chance of contending.

2 Professional opinions

I asked two experts to tell me who they liked in the opening week of summer league here.

2. Anthony Randolph, Warriors. "This is a long, multiskilled guy with freaky athleticism,'' a Western Conference GM said. "He can put it down on the floor and he can pass it. He has a good feel for the game. Because of his size [6-10], athleticism and versatility, he can hurt you in a lot of different ways. He plays with a lot of energy too. People were saying that he might be too skinny [at 205 pounds] to have an impact, but in his one full game here he went right at everybody. Look, he isn't going to move Yao Ming off the blocks, but with his speed, quickness and smarts, he'll find ways to hurt you.''

1. Jerryd Bayless, Trail Blazers. "He is a great fit for them, a tremendous scorer,'' a Western advance scout said. "He can spot up for the three-point shot, and he has a quick first step to get to the basket off the dribble or get to the foul line. The other guy I've seen here who does that well is Eric Gordon of the Clippers. They both have NBA bodies with strong legs, and in the lane they know how to shift their bodies and draw contact while still being able to finish the play. Bayless looks like he's built like a running back that way.

"The Blazers are building for the future, and that future may be now. Bayless isn't a true point guard, but he can back up the position a little bit. He's made some nice passes off the pick-and-roll here. And he can play in the backcourt along with Brandon Roy, with Bayless covering the point guards while Roy leads the offense.''

1 Story about Nick Van Exel

1. Seattle, 1993. Van Exel was in Seattle for a predraft tryout with the Sonics. "We had a breakfast about 7:30 in the morning,'' recalled George Karl, a former North Carolina Tar Heel who was coaching the Sonics at the time. "And Nick had made a comment in his senior year about Dean Smith being just an ordinary coach. So during the breakfast I kind of ripped him -- for an hour -- on some of his questionable characteristics in his life. I was really hard on him. He was pretty good about it, but I was really tough on him.''

After breakfast, Van Exel went up to his room to dress for the workout. Downstairs in the lobby, Karl was threatening to cancel the workout and drive Van Exel back to the airport, to punish him for his heresy against the Carolina godfather.

"So I'm waiting for him in the lobby,'' Karl said, "and he walks off the elevator wearing a Duke hat.''

He came out of the locker room and walked right past Karl without making eye contact, his Duke turned sideways on his head.

"He said it was coincidence,'' Karl said. "But he knew what was going on. I said to my assistant, 'That's really bull----! But it's good bull----.' "

Van Exel had an excellent workout for the Sonics, and he went on to have a strong 13-year career for six teams other than Seattle. But this week he has been an assistant coach for the summer league team of the Nuggets, whom Karl now oversees as head coach.

"He's pretty good as a coach,'' Karl admitted grudgingly. "He knows the game.''