By Warren Blatt, NBA Editor
20004-05 FINISH: 52-30
OFFSEASON ADDITIONS: Rick Brunson (G) - Free Agent.
OFFSEASON SUBTRACTIONS: Antonio Daniels (G) - Signed with Washington; Jerome James (C) - Signed with New York.
2005 DRAFT PICKS: 1. (25) Johan Petro (C, France); 2. (48) Mickael Gelabale (F, France); 2. (55) Lawrence Roberts (F, Mississippi State) - Traded to Memphis.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP: PG Luke Ridnour, SG Ray Allen, SF Rashard Lewis, PF Nick Collison, C Vitaly Potapenko
COACH: Bob Weiss
(Basketball News) - A new era for the Seattle SuperSonics gets underway in the 2005-06 campaign. Bob Weiss, an original member of the Sonics in 1967, has replaced Nate McMillian, who bolted the Emerald City unexpectedly in early July to accept the head coaching vacancy in Portland, as the team’s new general.
Weiss, who began his coaching career as an assistant with the San Diego Clippers in 1977, has been an assistant in Seattle since 1994. He is well liked by his players and will get the most out of them. Weiss will continue to allow the Sonics to launch countless threes, but will look for a more intense effort defensively so the club’s transition game will become more of an asset.
Seattle was a pleasant surprise in 2004-05, as it captured the Northwest Division and won its first division title since 1997-98, when it went 61-21 and won its third consecutive Pacific Division crown. The Sonics posted 50 or more wins for just the 10th time in franchise history and first since the 1997-98 campaign.
In the postseason, the Sonics knocked off Sacramento in five games in the first round, but they fell in six contests to the eventual world champion San Antonio Spurs in the conference semis.
All-Stars Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis were unbelievable for the Sonics in the regular season. Allen, who played in 78 contests, averaged a team-best 23.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists, while Lewis contributed 20.5 points and 5.5 boards in 71 games.
The Sonics’ offense will continue to run through Allen and Lewis and their success will continue to depend heavily on the performance of the two All- Stars. However, Seattle also has point guard Luke Ridnour, who averaged 10 points and a team-high 5.9 assists in his second season in the league.
Forward Vladimir Radmanovic was having a solid 2004-05 campaign until he suffered a stress fracture of his right fibula in March. He played in 63 games and averaged 11.8 points and 4.6 boards before the injury sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season. Radmanovic was not 100 percent healthy in the postseason, as he played in just six games.
Allen, who netted 26.5 per game in the postseason, signed a five-year contract extension worth a reported $85 million in the offseason. Allen will reportedly be paid $80 million in salary, with a potential for $5 million in bonuses.
Seattle also re-signed Radmanovic to a one-year contract and inked center Vitaly Potapenko to new deal as well. The team matched Minnesota’s offer to restricted free agent guard Damien Wilkins, who showed a lot of promise during the 2004-05 season.
The Sonics did lose some key players, as free agents Jerome James and Antonio Daniels left to sign with different teams. James, who had a breakout series against Sacramento in the postseason as he averaged 17.2 points and 9.4 boards, joined the New York Knicks, while Daniels found a new home with the Washington Wizards.
BACKCOURT
The 30-year-old Allen seems to keep getting better. He has the uncanny ability to take over a game single-handidly and excels in all aspects of the game. The Connecticut product is a leader and comes to play every night. Allen, who shot just under 38 percent from beyond the arc last season, can do it all.
Ridnour is still getting better and proved that he can be a starter in the NBA. He is a pass first type of guard who does not look to shoot. The 24-year- old guard shot 40.5 percent from the field in 2004-05, and needs to improve on his outside shot. Seattle needs Ridnour to pick up his production, as he will see an increase in his playing time.
Ronald Murray, who re-signed with the club in the offseason, played just 18 minutes per game in 49 contests last season. Like Ridnour, the 6-3 guard should see more time on the court as well. He averaged 7.0 points and there should be an increase in his production with added playing time. Murray is athletic and can play both guard spots.
Losing Daniels to the Wizards will hurt, but the team did sign free agent Rick Brunson, who posted 5.5 points and 5.1 assists in 80 contests for the Clippers last season. Brunson is a competent backup for Ridnour.
By matching Minnesota’s offer to Wilkins, the Sonics showed a commitment to the promising guard. As an undrafted rookie with Seattle last season, the 6-6 Wilkins appeared in 29 games and averaged 6.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per contest.
The Sonics know what they are going to get out of the consistent Allen, but the 6-2 Ridnour needs to step it up as his role with club has become more critical.
FRONTCOURT
Losing James to the Knicks means that Potapenko, Robert Swift, who was the team’s first round pick in 2004, and 2005 first round draft choice Johan Petro are left to defend the middle for the Sonics. Potapenko, who averaged just 3.5 points and 2.4 boards in 33 games last season, is limited, while Swift and Petro are both projects and their overall abilities are still unknown.
Veteran Danny Fortson and Nick Collison are natural power forwards, but both will be forced to log some minutes at center. Fortson is a physical player who does not mind doing the dirty work down low, while Collison, who played in all 82 regular-season games and averaged 5.6 points and 4.6 rebounds last season, played well in the postseason and seems to be on the rise.
Radmanovic is the sixth man and will spell Lewis and will also play alongside his All-Star teammate. Both players can light it up from the outside, but don’t have very strong post games. The 26-year-old Lewis and Radmanovic are Seattle’s best offensive talents up front and will be counted on heavily to help Allen with the scoring.
Twenty-five-year-old Reggie Evans, who started all 79 games that he participated in last season, was a restricted free agent and decided to re- sign with the club. He led the team in rebounding (9.3 rpg) last season, and will work with Collison and Fortson to give the Sonics decent depth at power forward.
Weiss will use Lewis and Radmanovic on the court at the same time a lot, as it will help the big forwards get more room down low and it will open up the middle with the ball rotating around the perimeter. Seattle’s new head coach has a big challenge ahead of him with his frontcourt, and could have his patience put to the test with figuring out his rotation and with the lack of scoring.
OUTLOOK
Weiss takes over a good team, but he is going to have to juggle his lineup and figure out what is going to work best. With the exception of Lewis, there is not a lot of scoring in the frontcourt. Allen is one of the NBA’s best, and just having him in the mix should be good enough to get the Sonics back into the postseason. However, don’t expect another 52-win season.
Seattle Sonics 
