The Seattle SuperSonics had their worst season in 21 years and now owner Clay Bennett is contemplating whether he should fire coach Bob Hill or general manager Rick Sund.
To top it up, Bennett failed in his attempt to get approval to build a new $500 million arena in the Seattle area. In all probability he will move the team after the next season. Then there is Ray Allen who had surgery in both his ankles and this cost the Sonics 26 points per game in the last month of the season and they went for 31-51. The season was marked with injuries and erratic play.
Then the team's second leading scorer, Rashard Lewis, is due for free agency in July 2007.
Other than all these problems, everything is fine with the Sonics.
Allen said that these were uncertain times for the team and everyone is to be blamed for the bad results. He further added that no one could walk away from the team feeling they did a good job. Allen felt that the team was just not good enough and each person was to be blamed for the fiasco.
Over the last half of the season, Bennett has refrained from giving a vote of confidence to both Hill and Sund. Instead he said that they would be evaluated.
In all probability Bennett will fire Hill or Sund or both. Bennett will be deciding whether he needs to bring his own people to run the team next season.
Sund began his management career with the NBA in the mid 70s with the Milwaukee Bucks. He was hired by Wally Walker in 2001 when the Sonics were under previous ownership.
Hill was a coach in New York, Indiana and San Antonio. He has just completed his first full season coaching the Sonics. The Sonics picked up his one year contract option at the end of the last season and he was an assistant under Bob Weiss. After Weiss was fired, Hill replaced him and finished the last season 22-30.
This is the fourth season in five years that the Sonics have missed the playoffs. They had a franchise record 15 game losing streak that started at Thanksgiving and ended nearly till the Valentine's Day. This has ensured that the Sonics get their highest draft pick since 1990 when they picked Gary Payton with the second overall pick. This time the Sonics will get either the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in the draft lottery.
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