If the Sonics had a good local owner with a commitment to keep the team in the community, the 2007 moves could be looked at in a strictly basketball sense as being "good moves". The background is very different. You had a backstabbing liar of a local owner in Howard (Starbucks) Schultz. After local politicians didn't give him exactly what he wanted, he sought out a cold blooded out-of-town businessman, Clay Bennet, to buy the team. Bennet just happens to be from Oklahoma City , a community with a vacant arena. If he can't get a better deal from Kansas City, a bigger market with an even better new arena, he can be the hometown hero in OKC.
This year the Sonics did the following:
1. Won the #2 lottery pick and drafted Kevin Durant, a great move and a no-brainer that any third grader could have done.
2. Humilated Lenny Wilkens, one of the great Sonic icons of all time, in public.
3. Traded Ray Allen, the best and most popular player on the team, for another talented kid, who also happens to play the #3.
4. Didn't re-sign Rashard Lewis. Probably didn't help that they had two top 5 draft picks who play his position.
5. Passed over Dwayne Casey who had credibility with the local media from his prior stint as Assistant Head coach to Nate McMillan and George Karl to bring in Carlissimo who has no connection to Seattle, just like the new GM and the new owner.
6. Fired Jack Sikma, another local icon and link to the past.
This is a long range program to eventually create a championship team, but by plowing under the 2007-2008 season to harvest another lottery pick and grease the axles of the moving vans out of Seattle.
There is no enthusiasm or faith in this team or it's ownership in Seattle.
|