Basketball Blog

When the Seattle Supersonics left the WaMu Theater at the conclusion of the NBA Draft, many felt as if the franchise had taken a major step backward. Gone were perenial All-Stars Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. In were two heralded but unproven rookies. The rest of the division and the conference had improved dramatically. However, these Sonics don’t look too bad at first glance on paper. Of course, that is assuming the oft-injured Wally Szczerbiak can make a return to the level at which he played when he first called the Northwest Division his home.

By dealing Allen and letting Lewis walk, the Sonics are virtually trading in Allen and Lewis for Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Delonte West, and Wally Szczerbiak. While Durant was not included in any of the deals that led to the exodus of the two former franchise cornerstones, he is nevertheless going to supplant them in the everyday lineup.

Delonte West proved to be a gamer for the Celtics. He immediately teams with Earl Watson to become perhaps the best backup backcourt in the NBA. The key to the Sonic success, however, lies in the return of Wally to the starting shooting guard position. If he can return while playing the role of the experienced veteran leader on a team full of youngsters, the Sonics will be equipped with one of the best four-man veteran guard rotations in the league.

Joining them in the frontcourt will be The Next Big Thing, Kevin Durant, along with the very versatile and underrated Jeff Green. Those two are so big, athletic, and versatile they could be the 3 and 4 starters for the Sonics by midseason. Along side of the potential All Star rookie combo, will be the powerful and skilled Chris Wilcox. He is a bit undersized, but his strength and fearlessness allow him to play the 4 and 5 positions effectively.

The other important factor in the immediate future of the franchise will be the much-needed development of one of their three unproven big men of the future. Assuming they do not resign the unrestricted free agent Danny Fortson, the Sonics will have to lure respectable games out of Robert Swift, Saer Sene, or Johan Petro in order to get productivity from the center spot. If one develops into a gamer, look out for the rest of the league come midseason. Their emergence will do wonders for this seemingly smallish Sonic frontcourt.

In order for all of these pieces to come together to establish a firm foundation for the future, new head coach P.J. Carlesimo must gather his youthful squad and utilize their strengths in unison with one another. More importantly, he must call on the new eldest player on the roster, Wally Szczerbiak, to become a locker room leader that will help bring along this glut of youth not only on the court, but also as growing men in the national spotlight. With the cameras seemingly eager to fixate themselves on Durant and the Sonics this year, it will be the contribution to the team made by Wally that will determine whether this Sonic team provides a Super season or a shoddy season.