SEATTLE – Before the 2003-04 season, the Seattle SuperSonics had questions aplenty.
What, then, have we learned after the team’s 82-game schedule?
Well, from the top …
To be honest, they did about as well as could have been expected for a young team with virtually no low-post game in the rugged Western Conference. Sure, they could have won some games here and there to finish closer to .500, and maybe even a few more to get the conference’s eighth and final playoff spot. Still, this team is not a bona-fide contender and probably won’t be next year or the year after, barring some unforeseen windfall like getting the top draft pick in the May 26 league lottery.
The Sonics – and this one is slam-dunk certain – have to get a low-post presence. They can win on any given night shooting 3-pointers, which they do very well, but they will not win consistently until they get better inside. A healthy Nick Collison next season will help, but he is not the immediate answer. This summer, Seattle needs an all-out effort to acquire a player who can get double-figure rebounds, defend the basket and score well enough inside to command opposing double-teams. Lacking that, the Sonics will continue to struggle.
Probably not. The team tried it this season – early on, Radmanovic was the starting power forward and Lewis the starter at small forward – but the two are too much alike. Put them on the same team with, say, Shaquille O’Neal or Yao Ming and it would be an awesome front line. Seattle, though, doesn’t have a dominant center, which means general manager Rick Sund needs to get really creative and package either Lewis or Radmanovic along with a combination of draft picks and/or players to acquire the aforementioned low-post presence.
Whoever it takes to make the right deal. Lewis is a pretty good player who will probably never get a whole lot better. Radmanovic, though, shows glimpses of stardom. True, he still needs to make big strides – as a rebounder and defender in particular, and it would help if he was a better scorer down low – but he seems to have a bigger upside than Lewis.
Memo to Sund: Put Lewis’ name out there this summer and see what happens.
Good question. The Sonics want him back and Barry, an unrestricted free agent, wants to return, though he is open to moving on. At issue is his next contract. Barry wants four years in the neighborhood of $20 million. The Sonics would probably go along with the per-year salary, but seem unwilling to budge from a three-year offer.
Some compromise seems in order. Barry might take three years, for instance, if the Sonics boost his per-year salary. There is, however, the possibility of a contending team coaxing Barry away with a comparable offer and the chance to play for a title.
Too early to tell. He looked really good at times this season, not so good others. Like NFL quarterbacks, NBA point guards can take several years to develop. Which means the Sonics may have to wait another season or two before they know just how good Ridnour can be.
Murray sometimes scores in bunches, but is at best a mediocre ball-handler and defender. Like many young players, he is also prone to foolish errors. Lastly, he is part of a clogged Seattle backcourt. The team needs to move at least one guard this offseason and Murray might help the Sonics get the big man they need.
Yes, just not well. He can be outstanding one moment, embarrassingly bad the next. His coaches and teammates were at times exasperated, at times infuriated by his woefully inconsistent play. James has the raw tools to be a competent NBA center, but his work ethic and heart simply don’t match up. After two disappointing seasons, the Sonics have to wonder if they ever will.
Yes, but maybe not even as well as James. In fact, this organization’s biggest mistake in recent years was the decision in 2001 to sign Booth to a six-year contract. It was a colossal blunder and one that will hinder the team not only in this offseason, but also the next and the next. In 2004-05, for example, Booth will receive just less than $6 million. Imagine what the Sonics could do with that money if they had the chance.
Sure, if they bolster their front line elsewhere. Potapenko defends, plays hard and is smart. If not gifted, he is at least adequate. The decision to play James and Booth for much of the early season was, in hindsight, a mistake.
He should if he wants to. Though this was a difficult season for McMillan, most of the team’s shortcomings had little to do with his coaching.
Still, McMillan’s stamina to hang in through the rebuilding years is a significant question mark. It will certainly be a major topic when McMillan (who has one year left on his contract) huddles with Sund and other team brass in the coming weeks.
The Sonics, who can only lose one player and might not lose any, are allowed to protect eight from being selected by the new Charlotte Bobcats. That does not include unrestricted free agents, which means Barry, Ansu Sesay and Richie Frahm do not have to be protected (only Barry would likely have been protected anyway), assuming they do not sign before the June 22 draft.
Seattle is likely to protect guards Ray Allen, Antonio Daniels, Ridnour and Murray, forwards Lewis and Radmanovic, and centers Potapenko and James. The Sonics will probably protect James instead of forward Reggie Evans because James is a 7-foot-1 center and because he will be a free agent after next season, meaning his approximately $5.5 million salary would come off Seattle’s cap.
It could be either. The Sonics have big work to do, but the good news is they have assets and options. Seattle will pick 12th in the June 24 draft (possibly higher, depending on the lottery) and that could mean a promising player.
Seattle has little cap room this summer for free agents, but a year from now the Sonics could have six free agents – Allen, James, Potapenko, Radmanovic, Murray and Evans – meaning they could have the opportunity to make some significant offseason free-agent moves if they choose.
So the quest goes on. And, like last year, questions remain.
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