Oh, the Sonics ownership, they talk a good game. Ever since they took over, we've heard all sorts of talk about how important it is to connect with the community and embrace the team's history. There's been a logo change and lineup changes, and the embracing of a new crop of young stars supposedly poised to supplant Gary Payton as the Sonics' leader.

However, there appears to be one thing I would consider as an extremely important value along the same lines as those Howard Schultz et. al. have embraced that has been casually tossed aside by ownership. Since I'm sure even saying the word would cause quite a stir in case anyone in the organization is reading, I'll avoid using it and leave it up to the reader to figure out what I'm talking about when I say the L-word.

Not long after the new ownership group took control of the Sonics from Barry Ackerley did they demonstrate their lack of the L-word with regards to Payton. Though he has spent his entire career in Seattle and most Sonics fans at the time imagined he would certainly retire a Sonic, Payton found himself coldly placed on the trading block shortly after the season when Schultz and part-owner/CEO Wally Walker announced during a press conference that the team had no untouchables.

While the organization may contend that they never intended to trade Payton, the fact is that he was allowed to dangle in the uncertain wind of trade rumors most of -- if not all -- last summer despite repeatedly announcing his desire to finish his career in Seattle.

This summer has seen little more certainty for Payton about his future as it appears extremely unlikely that the Sonics will grant him the contract extension he desires and -- based on his 12 years of service to the team and stellar performance last season -- deserves.

There are few players in the NBA more clearly warranting the L-word than Payton. Only four players -- Indiana's Reggie Miller, San Antonio's David Robinson, and Utah's Karl Malone and John Stockton -- have longer careers played with one team than Payton's with the Sonics. And when Payton was last a free agent during the summer of 1996, just after Seattle had advanced to the NBA Finals, he turned down what may have been a more lucrative deal from the Miami Heat and ardent suitor Pat Riley to remain in Seattle.

Despite this, depending on what transpires over the next 12 months, the Sonics may quickly discard Payton in favor of a younger replacement in next year's star-studded free agency.

And if Payton has not been deserving of the Sonics ownership's L-word in their eyes, who exactly is?

A younger player who was deemed unworthy of the L-word last summer was forward Ruben Patterson. You may disagree with my assessment, but I see Patterson's legal entanglement and eventual Alford Plea on charges of attempted rape as a battle between the importance of the L-word and Schultz's repeated proclamations about creating a family-friendly team. The choice was rapidly evident, with Schultz all but criticizing Patterson in the media and reports indicating that Patterson's Sonic career was over. After signing a deal with Portland last July, Patterson returned Schultz's verbal serves, blasting the owner for refusing to stand by his player.

While I'd be hard-pressed to argue against the Sonics' decision on Patterson based on a history of legal trouble -- earlier in the year he'd plead guilty to assault in connection with an incident in his native Cleveland -- that does not change the fact that when the L-word was placed in direct competition with the issue of character, the L-word lost.

Last summer also provided a lesser example of the L-word being largely ignored by the Sonics when Emanual Davis surprisingly bolted to sign with Atlanta for a similar deal monetarily to what he was expected to command in Seattle. Reportedly, Davis was upset that the Sonics had not showed him enough respect in their free agent process, setting him aside on the back burner. That's not entirely an issue of the L-word, but it's close enough to count in the organization's pattern of behavior.

After taking a vacation for the regular season, the L-word again popped up as the Sonics prepared their playoff roster. Though both guard Earl Watson and forward/center Art Long had been with the team throughout the season, they were left off the playoff roster in favor of late-season pickups Randy Livingston and Ansu Sesay.

Both Watson and Long seem to have reacted to their post-season demotion angrily. Long did so immediately, reportedly leaving the Sonics prior to their series with the San Antonio series, ending any chance that he would be brought back next season.

Watson, meanwhile, was more patient in paying back the Sonics for their lack of the L-word, upsetting part of their plans for free agency this summer last Friday by signing an offer sheet for the Memphis Grizzlies that will pay him $4 million over the next three seasons. Signing elsewhere doesn't necessarily say anything about how Watson felt about the Sonics -- who also failed to show Watson the L-word in attempting to deal for a pair of backup point guards, New York's Charlie Ward and Boston's Kenny Anderson, in separate rumored deals for Vin Baker -- but the fact that Watson signed a deal that the Sonics could not match seems to indicate a lot.

After all, if Watson was merely looking for the most money he could make (at least in terms of per-season average), he could have signed an offer sheet for two years, allowing the Sonics to match and Watson to get his money while staying in Seattle. And if he was merely looking for more playing time, while the Sonics may not have many minutes to offer next year if Payton and Anderson are filling the point, the Grizzlies are not exactly a team that offers obvious playing time themselves. Both of Memphis' regular point guards last season, starter Jason Williams and reserve Brevin Knight, are under contract for next season.

Now it's possible that Watson knows something we don't about the future of either Knight or Williams, and perhaps he wanted the security of a three-year contract. But doesn't it seem more likely that while Watson said all the right things after his slight by the Sonics, any of the L-word he may have had for the Sonics disappeared? And that he wanted out of Seattle, with Memphis simply the best destination? Either way, this is two straight years that a Sonics point guard has surprised fans and the media by suddenly leaving, and can that be just a coincidence?

The capper this summer, however, is without question the negotiations with free agent forward Rashard Lewis. When he last entered free agency, Lewis made a prescient observation about there being no L-word in the professional sports. (Unfortunately, I can't for the life of me find this quote on the internet. But I swear he made it.) Then Lewis went out and disproved this when he accepted a lower salary over the two years of the deal he eventually signed with the Sonics than he could have made by taking a six-year deal from Toronto or waiting on the Chicago Bulls, who might have paid him the money they gave to guard Ron Mercer, who proved a major bust in his time in the Windy City before being dealt to Indiana last February, where he is now a reserve. At the time he signed, Lewis made the following comment: "I like the organization a lot. As long as they show me the L-word, I can show it back."

Lewis was willing to take slightly less money two years ago not only because he liked the organization, in particular coaches Nate McMillan and Dwane Casey, but also with the understanding that he would recoup the money when he re-entered free agency -- this year. The Sonics now have "Bird rights" to Lewis, meaning they can exceed the cap to sign him for any amount up to league's maximum salary, slightly more than $10 million.

Whether it was promised him by the team then or not, Lewis came to expect that he would either get that max contract or something closely resembling it this summer. That much was evident from a February interview with Frank Hughes of the Tacoma News-Tribune, in which Lewis told Hughes, "If (the Sonics) want to negotiate by not giving me the max, or whatever they want to give me, I am going to look at my options regardless. . . . I feel that if I can go back home (to Houston) or go somewhere closer to home and get the same amount of money, then that is something I would do."

Many Sonics fans were outraged by Lewis' salary demands as well as a comparison to Lakers star Kobe Bryant. The consensus amongst fans at the time was that Lewis' starting salary should be nearer $7 or $8 million per season, equating to a total deal of seven years and something between $70 and $80 million.

As this summer began, it became apparent that because no other team is in a position to offer Lewis anything in the ballpark of what the Sonics can offer, a deal along the lines of what Sonics fans placed Lewis' value at was what he would probably end up with. And the Sonics gave little indication that they would do anything otherwise, repeatedly telling media that Lewis was their number one priority this summer (as well he should have been).

But then everything changed last Thursday, July 18, when the Sonics re-signed restricted free agent center Jerome James to a three-year deal believed to pay him $15 million. When the contract was announced, many Sonics fans assumed the best -- that the team had everything figured out and would quickly finish signing their own free agents and perhaps trading Vin Baker to Boston. I made this blind-faith assumption myself. If you read my last column, written Thursday evening, I concluded from James' signing that either the tax would be waived by the NBA to extend the CBA's duration (as had been rumored), the tax threshold was higher than had been previously assumed, or the Sonics were willing to pay the tax.

Well, as I wanted to title my angry column about James had he left, score one for the cynics.

As has become rapidly evident from the print media, largely a Saturday story from Hughes, none of those possibilities is confirmed by the James signing. (Though that's not to say they're not possible nonetheless.) Instead, the Sonics have painted themselves in a corner by signing James, leaving themselves only enough room under the luxury tax level to offer Lewis a contract slightly better than what he could get elsewhere -- something along the lines of $60 million over seven years at most.

Quite naturally, Lewis was reportedly upset and, according to Hughes, considering signing a shorter contract elsewhere with similar thinking to his last contract in Seattle -- slightly less money over the next three years made up later.

But then again, what ever happened to that money Lewis was going to recoup? And why, if he was the number one priority, did the Sonics sign James first? After all, they could have allowed another team to make him an offer and then match it, giving them plenty of time to finalize a deal with Lewis and keeping their options open. I guess it comes down to a lack of the L-word.

And for what? If the Sonics succeed and get Lewis back, they'll save a fairly significant amount of money. But they'll need a lot more to win back Lewis' trust and his L-word. In fact, beyond the Patterson decision, I think it's fair to say that we can see a pattern of the Sonics choosing financial considerations over the L-word. It sounds like the plan of a ruthless businessman, but -- and maybe I'm way off here -- I've never seen Schultz as that type of businessman. As I recall it, a lot of his success with Starbucks was built by keeping his employees happy; for example, health benefits for part-time workers. So why not extend that obviously successful mentality to his other business?

Another part of the thinking behind all of these moves is maintaining room to try to sign a top free agent next summer as well as be able to offer contracts to Desmond Mason and Vladimir Radmanovic when they conclude their rookie deals. But what can any potential free agents and the Sonics' own young players think of the way the team has treated its other players? If a team is viewed as lacking the L-word for its players -- whether that's truly the case or not -- they are at a significant disadvantage in signing or re-signing players; a handicap the Sonics cannot afford since they cannot promise free agents great weather, a recent history of playoff success, or no state income tax.

The Phoenix Suns are almost the exact opposite in both weather and perception from players. Suns owner Jerry Colangelo has always been regarded as treating his players well, thanks to moves like extending Danny Manning even after he suffered a torn ACL while playing a one-year, below-market contract with Phoenix. Though the Suns have been capped out in recent years, they were a coveted free agent destination previously, landing (for better or worse, in this case mostly worse) forward Tom Gugliotta and guard Penny Hardaway.

Taking the opposite extreme, quality free agents have virtually ignored the Chicago Bulls in recent years despite the fact that the Bulls have had significant cap room since 1999. Why? Well, the team's penurious ways and lack of the L-word for their championship core certainly played a big role.

If the Sonics were to lose Lewis and then deal Payton and other long-term contracts, like Brent Barry's, prior to next season in an effort to "tank" the season before getting a high draft pick and lots of cap room in free agency, what would set them apart from the Bulls? Well, surely Schultz and Walker are more likeable than the Jerrys -- Reinsdorf and "Crumbs" Krause -- but other than that, not much. And if the Sonics are battling teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic, not to mention free agents' previous teams, who will have the same Bird rights the Sonics have on Lewis, it's tough to see Seattle being a very desirable destination. Might the Sonics be forced to overpay a mediocre player -- just as the Bulls did with Mercer and many Sonics fans are afraid the team would Lewis?

When you really stop to consider the effect of moves like low-balling Lewis and failing to extend Payton -- throwing out the financial side of the equation -- they are costly indeed. Let's hope the Sonics can find a heart and a little L-word . . . otherwise, it could be a bleak future for the franchise and its die-hard fans. And no amount of character from the team's roster, no amount of free Starbucks cards, and no amount of player appearances will take away the sting of losing. So, Sonics ownership . . . isn't it time that you maybe updated that list of Sonic values to include Loyal, er, the L-word?

Kevin Pelton has served as beat writer, columnist, editor, copy editor, and webmaster for SonicsCentral.com since its inception. He also writes a weekly column for Hoopsworld.com and is a student at the University of Washington in his spare time. The Candid Corner is updated every Monday. Kevin can be reached at kpelton@sonicscentral.com. All opinions expressed in this column are solely the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other columnists or the SonicsCentral.com staff.

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