Now, they're taking those arguments public. On a regular basis during the off-season, Locke and Pelton will chat over instant messenger about a given topic. We'll post their arguments, then allow you to have your say by voting for who you agree with and sending in e-mails with your take.

May 14 Question:
Are Winning Teams the Place to Look for GM Talent?

David: Is choosing a GM really as easy as just looking at San Antonio, Phoenix or Detroit? Sure they are on top and their franchises are nice models, but the game is cyclical and I think you miss people if you don't look back to how other winners were built and who built them

Kevin: In our first edition of The Big Chair, we talked at length about the importance of culture. If you're looking for someone to build culture, you have to go to a team with a strong culture. Who are those teams? Phoenix, San Antonio, Detroit, Dallas, etc. It doesn't make sense to ignore other teams, but any search should start with that group.

David: Agreed, but I watched that Houston v. Utah series and it made me realize that if you look back 10 years at the powers in the West they were Seattle, Houston and Utah with the Blazers hitting their stride. 10 years later these teams all are struggling to get to the playoffs or win a series. It makes me think that the fade is inevitable, so who are the people that have built winners in the past even if they are down today?

David: Who built the Hawks when they were winning, who built the Hornets, the Knicks and the Pacers?

Kevin: The kind of front office you want to build, while hardly invulnerable to peaks and valleys, is going to have the ability to draft well even with low picks to put together young talent that can supplement an aging core. Utah, with Andrei Kirilenko as the bridge between the final Stockton-Malone teams and today's group, is a good example.

It is true that you want to look at the totality of a front office's work, not just whether they are on top at the moment.

David: The Spurs have been the greatest at those picks with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. For the Pistons, Tayshaun Prince and Jason Maxiell have been great additions.

Kevin: Hey, aren't those some of the teams I was talking about earlier?

David: No doubt. The moves I love when I look at a GM are those picks but also finding the player who has floundered and realizing he can work: Chauncey Billups in Detroit, Boris Diaw in Phoenix, Mehmet Okur in Utah.

Here I go again, back to the current winners

Kevin: So are you just agreeing with me then? So much for having a vote!

David: Maybe let's look at Seattle and Indiana and even the Lakers. For the most part these teams have drafted well. Luke Ridnour and Nick Collison were good picks. Time will tell with Robert Swift; finding Damien Wilkins as a free agent is solid. For Indiana, Danny Granger was a good pick for the late teens, Jamaal Tinsley is a really good pick considering he was late 20s. Al Harrington was great at 25 - yet both these teams are in the bottom of the pack. Take the Lakers: Devean George at 23; Brian Cook at 24 and Luke Walton in the second round; Farmar at 26 - those are all really good picks and yet they are down right now.

Kevin: So the question is this: What separates those teams from the elite group? Star talent is part of it, but then again, the Lakers do have Kobe, who's as good as anyone.

David: That is the toughest question of the night. Here is the point - Phoenix, SA and Detroit are great today but in five years when the cycle bites them in the backside, those guys who are thought of as brilliant today will be questioned and they will be just as smart. Who are the guys that were brilliant five to 10 years ago and aren't anymore due to the cycle?

David: Or do you believe with the international explosion and the other way the game is evolving that the guys running these franchises are doing something special?

Kevin: I don't know if I would say they are doing something special, but I think they are ahead of the curve - especially with regards to international basketball. You look at Dallas, Detroit and San Antonio, those are three teams that were way ahead with the international game and that is still paying off for them. I also think there's a discipline of thought, a structure that will allow those teams to successfully rebuild I may as well come out and say it - they have a winning culture.

David: If that is true then they are the teams the Sonics should go to to find their GM - I believe those teams deserve credit but they are on the top of the cycle the same way others were before and a GM from one of those teams would be just as good.

Kevin: You learn from the best. That is what the organizations at the top of the NBA offer. Those front offices know what it is like to win, what it takes to achieve consistent success. There's no guarantee they will be able to repeat it elsewhere, but they've got the best chance of doing so.

Results

Locke - 50%
Pelton - 50%

"I agree that finding a GM for the Sonics should start at a winning team like that of Spurs, Suns, Dallas etc., though it would be foolish to limit the searches to only these few elite teams. Like David Locke mentioned, the cycle is making its way around the league. Which makes me wonder, for example how long the Spurs will continue to be as dominant as they are. The game is changing and more and more international players are being drafted and I think that Sonics need a GM who has the experience of creating a winning culture and be able to adapt to the changes in the league.

"Bottom line is that the Sonics need a GM who will make good decisions when drafting, trading, etc. and rebuild a winning culture for the Green and Gold."
- Ron, Everett

"There's nothing wrong with looking at successful teams to try to emulate their programs, but, you have to realize that those teams had a vision. The GM, the coach, and the front office have to all be on the same page. "Here are the questions that we should be asking:
1) Do we want to be a successful half court team, a run-and-gun team, or something in between?
2) What coach and what GM can get us there?
3) What personnel moves can get us there?

"Then, all moves (the GM, the coaching hire, and the draft) are related to this specific vision of success."
- James B., Riverside, Calif.

"I agree with David, but Kevin has good points. If you look at the league, almost every team has an overseas player who is a role player or has significant playing time/impact. The cycle of time with teams has been true; star players get old and the team goes down with them. San Antonio is a model not only because of the late draft picks, but because of the timing of Tim Duncan."
- Chris, Seattle