SEATTLE SUPERSONICS
Recap Rewind: The Sonics were another team that many considered marginally playoff-worthy which fell way short in the final analysis. Injuries hamstrung their season as main superstar Ray Allen missed the second half of the season and subordinate superstar Rashard Lewis missed the first. Allen finished averaging 26 points per game and Lewis 22 but neither could lift their team out of the doldrums. The Sonics were excited about the development of impromptu center Nick Collison who played better than anybody expected and finished the season averaging 10 points and 8 rebounds. They were marginally disappointed in the play of frontcourt mate Chris Wilcox, who played inconsistently after signing a new contract and ended up averaging 14 and 8. The bottom fell out of the point guard position completely and this will be an area to address.
Playoff Prospects: If Lewis and Allen both stay (and stay healthy) and the young big men continue to develop Seattle could be one great point guard and some acclimation time away from being quite good again. It wouldn’t be a major surprise to see them rebound to lower playoff position either next year or the year after. If they move up in the lottery and either pick or trade for talent so much the better. This is a team that wasn’t as bad as the record indicated.
Questions for Next Season: Rashard Lewis is the biggest question. He has a player option on his contract this summer and all signs point to him opting out and either going for big bucks or finding greener pastures where he’s the number one scoring option. If Seattle is willing and able to dangle those big bucks they might retain him but rumors have the relationship on shaky ground. Without Lewis the Sonics almost have to move up into the elite talent range in the draft or they’re going to be wasting the last of Ray Allen’s good years. The other major question, of course, is whether the Sonics will remain in Seattle with their owners refusing to accept Key Arena as a viable place to play and the Washington legislature refusing to budge on public funding of a new arena. That will probably be the biggest subtext of their off-season.