Seattle Supersonics Offseason Preview

by David Pincus
2006-07-12

Coming off a surprising division win and 50+ win season, the Sonics lost three components in the offseason. Jerome James signed a long-term deal with the Knicks, Antonio Daniels left for Washington, and Nate McMillan left for the Blazers. James may be a total bust with the Knicks, but his large figure was just what the offensive-Sonics needed. With him gone and a pair of new coaches the Sonics had a major drop-off.
Early into 2006 coach Bob Weis was fired and replaced with Bob Hill. The team responded roughly and the Sonics continued their downward slide. Through 60 games the team was 23-37 and fully out of the playoff race.
Management decided to do another large shakeup not long after that. Vlad Radmanovic, Flip Murray, and Reggie Evans were dealt for Chris Wilcox, Mike Wilks and former-Sonic Earl Watson. The team showed progress and Wilcox’s production went up considerably.

Yet the team couldn’t end the year on a positive note. Chairman Howard Shultz had no qualms admitting that the Sonics’ revenue wasn’t particularly high and that the team could move in the near future. Even David Stern lacked optimism when discussing the Sonics’ future in Washington.

The team did some things well; offensively they were one of the best. The team was in the top ten in FG%, 3P%, FT% and PPG. Defensively they were one of the worst teams in the League. It became painfully obvious that the best way to beat Seattle was to slow down the score. Seattle went a miserable 3-34 in games where they didn’t score 100.

The Sonics’ lease in Seattle ends in 2010. Do they Sonics have a good enough roster to make something of the franchise and ward off a move? Or will another 30+ loss season contribute to the team’s demise?

Needs:

A true bigman

Seattle hasn’t had success lately with their draft picks, but at least they know what they need. With James departing for New York, Vlad Radmanovic traded, and Danny Fortson missing most of the year to injuries, the Sonics struggled to fill the PF and C spots. Johan Petro, Robert Swift, and Nick Collison spent time in the starting lineup.
Fortson’s deal ends next year and the odds of him being resigned are slim-to-none. Restricted free-agent Chris Wilcox should definitely be considered. After being pushed to the bench with the Clippers, Wilcox averaged 14-8 with his time in Seattle. However he is apparently asking for a max $60 million contract, which he does not deserve in any way shape or form.
In the first round Seattle drafted 7-footer Mouhamed Saer Sene from Senegal. Sene lacks offensive skills but is apparently a defensive stopper. In a Nike Hoops Summit earlier in the years Sene blacked nine shots. Possibly he could be just what Seattle is looking for.

Defense, defense, defense

Last year the Sonics were 29th in opponents FG%, 25th in rebounding and 25th in blocks. Seattle scores enough to be competitive in games that get into triple-digits. But to go 3-34 when the score is in the 90’s and below is an indication that they lack defensive stopping power.

Ridnour, Allen and Lewis aren’t great defenders and don’t provide much on the glass, which makes Seattle’s lack of a Center/Power Forward all the more noticeable. The Sonics don’t just need help with their Centers though. They need some players who can stop people at other positions (an Adrian Griffin or Trenton Hassell-type player). Without spending much money they could easily pick up someone like George Lynch or Doug Christie.

Seattle is an interesting team to judge. McMillan, Daniels, and James probably shouldn’t have lead to a 17-win drop-off, but it did. As long as Allen, Lewis and Ridnour are together the team will be strong offensively. If they can fill in the Power Forward or Center spots with people who are good defenders, they could be a contender like they were two years ago. In a weak division were Denver is the best team, Seattle has a decent chance at the playoffs this year.