Seattle SuperSonics preview by Pete Nussbaum
1. What can the Sonics learn from the 2006-07 season to help them improve their 2007-08 campaign?
If the 2006-07 season were a term at school, the Sonics would have emerged with a big, fat "F" marked on their collective report cards and souvenir dunce caps to go with them. Like George Costanza opting to go with the opposite of his instincts, the Sonics decided to reverse course and jettisoned the two best players on their roster within two months of the end of the season. New GM Sam Presti deduced that Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis were never going to take this franchise to the NBA Finals, and, as a result, ownership cleaned house from top to bottom, bringing in a new GM, Coach, Assistant Coaches, and a completely revamped roster. The spoils of a rotten ’06-’07 season were wunderkinds Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, as well as not-so-wunderkinds Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak. "Defense" and "culture" were the bywords of the summer, and it is expected that Presti will remake the Sonics in the mold of his former employer, the San Antonio Spurs.
2. What was the Sonics' best and/or worst move during the offseason, either by free agency, trade, or draft?
Swindling the Orlando Magic by getting them to think that other teams were anxious to get Rashard Lewis, when it seems more likely that Orlando was only competing against themselves. As a result, the Sonics were able to pick up a huge trade exception from the Magic, which they converted into Kurt Thomas and two first-round draft picks from the Phoenix Suns (the second-best move of the offseason).
In other words, the Sonics let Lewis walk away (of whom they had no interest in re-signing anyway), and got Kurt Thomas' expiring contract and two picks in the bargain. Yes, Sam Presti is a smart man. (Side note: Have I mentioned Kevin Durant? He’s supposed to be pretty good as well, and he doesn’t have any medical issues).
3. Who is the Most Important Player on the Sonics? The MIP is not necessarily the most talented, but the one that makes the biggest difference in his TEAM doing well each game.
Kevin Durant isn’t just the most important player on the team, he is the team. If Durantula turns out to be a bust, the Sonics' franchise will be set back five years. If not, this team will be contending for the NBA Finals within three. He's that important.
It could be argued that for the sake of this season alone that Robert Swift may have more impact on the team’s won-loss record than any other player. You can assume that Durant, Green, Thomas, Szczerbiak, et al. will produce at a given level, but Swift’s production level is totally unknown. It’s possible that the young center will put the extra 30-some pounds he added to good use and average eight to 10 points with a couple of blocks thrown in. It’s also possible that he’ll miss at least 25% of the season due to his ongoing recovery from surgery, that he’ll be in-and-out with his production, and that the Sonics will be shopping for a center next summer with their abundance of cap space.
4. What needs to go right for the Sonics to succeed this coming season?
- Point 1 - Durant and fellow rookie Jeff Green adapt to the NBA quickly, especially on defense.
- Point 2 - The Luke Ridnour/Earl Watson problem gets resolved and one of them emerges as, at least, an average NBA point guard.
- Point 3 - Robert Swift uses his newly added muscle to become a shot-blocking presence at center, something the Sonics have lacked since the Alton Lister Era.
- Point 4 - The Sonics don’t bring Latrell Sprewell in for a tryout.
5. Who are the contenders for the NBA Championship and who do you see taking the title?
Phoenix’s situation is too messy, the Utah Jazz is on the way up, but not there yet, and I have no idea how the Dallas Mavericks will recover from their first-round debacle last spring. In the East, you have to like the Boston Celtics’ Hall of Fame Threesome, but I’m still curious how those three stars will be able to survive without getting 20+ shots a night, especially Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. I hate to be Captain Obvious, but it’s the Spurs and everybody else.
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