SEATTLE -- The Glove is gone. And many fans of the Seattle SuperSonics greeted Gary Payton's departure with bare-knuckled emotion.

"They traded away the whole team,'' said Larry Roth as he headed into Key Arena for Friday night's game between the SuperSonics and the Milwaukee Bucks. "When you think of the Sonics, you think of Gary Payton. That's gone now.

"I already had these tickets. But I won't be back.''

Roth, 37, of Seattle, was among a host of fans at Friday night's game who expressed unhappiness -- or more -- with Thursday's trade that sent Payton, Seattle's nine-time All-Star, and promising swingman Desmond Mason to Milwaukee. The Sonics got All-Star Ray Allen and two other players in return.

None of the players involved suited up for Friday's game, preventing a potentially intriguing offering of Payton playing in a Bucks uniform before the very fans who had cheered him for 12 1/2 seasons.

SuperSonics owner Howard Schultz and team president Wally Walker came in for a share of criticism. Schultz also is chairman of Seattle-based Starbucks.

Matt Schmitz, 20, of Lynnwood, wore a Payton jersey and carried a sign that read, "WTO: Wally Trade Organization,'' in a reference to the 1999 WTO riots in Seattle that gave the city a black eye.

"I know Wally Walker had something to do with it,'' Schmitz said of the Payton trade. "He still has a say in what happens.

"He's made so many terrible decisions, going back to Jim MacIlvaine,'' Schmitz said, referring to the former Seattle center whose performance never matched his lofty price tag. "They should have traded Wally instead of Gary.''

"Howard Schultz must not know about basketball,'' said Ken Lawson, 40, of Tacoma. "He can't run a multimillion-dollar company like Starbucks and be that stupid.

"He needs to stop making the decisions. He's wrecking the team, not helping it.''

Schultz said in announcing the trade that he was looking to the future. He also took a swipe at Payton without identifying him.

"The people around the NBA, when they speak about Ray Allen, they talk about his sense of leadership in the locker room,'' Schultz said. "That's something I think has been lacking on this team.''

At least one fan at Friday's game agreed it was time for Payton to go. Tom Shields, 25, of Brier, noted that the Sonics risked losing Payton to free agency.

"I'm glad they traded him because he was gone at the end of the season anyway,'' Shields said. "Ray Allen is a star. At least they got good value for him.''