Supersonics S7 Presser

[BigDaddyd8720]

I'm just gonna cut right to it. Last season was a disaster. We brought back everyone from the previous season and really thought we finally had a chance to make a decent playoff run. Clearly we fell waaaaaay short of that. Thompson and Green both took a step back in the offseason which was the reason we decided to move on from them. We got Nixon in a trade and thought maybe that could help us out a bit but our team just wasn't finding that chemistry and intensity we had the previous few seasons. Our young guys did get better and we hope they can keep developing into great players and become the stars we think they can become. Once we realized the state of the team, we painfully had to make the decision to move on from Wilkins. He will always hold a special place in our hearts here in Seattle and we wish him all the best. Hopefully someone else can get him the ring he deserves.

But enough about last season. On to this offseason. With the Wilkins trade, we were able to start a rebuild by getting a young big in Ralph Sampson as well as a couple of draft picks. One of those picks we used to get Nate McMillan who immediately took a step forward this TC and we are really excited to see what he can do for this team. We still have Schayes who has been a very good C/PF for us and stepped up when we needed it. Really hoping Pinckney and Catledge can take a step forward this season too. As for the rest of our team, we're just gonna move people around and see what sticks.

I'll be honest, we may be looking towards next season already. We have some contracts this season that we don't really like but we put ourselves in this situation. Hopefully, when next season comes around and we have the extra cap space, we can really make some big moves to get us back into the playoff race.

I will now open it up to any questions you may have

[Eazy P]

Will Schayes be apart of the team to finish this season?

[BigDaddyd8720]

Will Schayes be apart of the team to finish this season?

That is a very good question. I've loved having him here and being able to develop him but unless we can make a change sooner rather than later, it may not make sense for us to hold on him while we try to rebuild back into a playoff team. I really hope we can keep him with us for his whole career but if the right opportunity comes up, it may be better for us to find him a new home. One that can give him a better chance at winning that boat

[tbone963]

I really like the Pinckney from last season and while still a little raw, you can see the progress he's making. Is he someone you think you'll help train up to get him to his potentials? Or will you let nature run it's course and be patient with his development?

[BigDaddyd8720]

I really like the Pinckney from last season and while still a little raw, you can see the progress he's making. Is he someone you think you'll help train up to get him to his potentials? Or will you let nature run it's course and be patient with his development?

We really like him so we're hoping we can push him a bit harder to help him surpass his potentials. We expect great things from Pinckney

[Xist2Inspire]

To piggyback on the earlier Schayes question, you mentioned that Sampson was brought in to start a rebuild...but he's basically a year and a half younger than Schayes, and will be eligible for a new long-term contract to boot. What are you hoping to see from him this season, and is his importance to your future plans set in stone?

Also, is there any truth to the rumors that the franchise is being sold to a Louisiana-based conglomerate who might potentially move the team?

[BigDaddyd8720]

To piggyback on the earlier Schayes question, you mentioned that Sampson was brought in to start a rebuild...but he's basically a year and a half younger than Schayes, and will be eligible for a new long-term contract to boot. What are you hoping to see from him this season, and is his importance to your future plans set in stone?

Also, is there any truth to the rumors that the franchise is being sold to a Louisiana-based conglomerate who might potentially move the team?

Schayes and Sampson are one in the same for our team. They will either be a part of our team for the long term, or we will decide to move on from both of them. I don't see a world where we only keep one of them. If things fall our way this season, we would be much more inclined to keep both of them around.

As far as the possibility of a move for this team, those are just rumors. We love the city of Seattle and the fans. I haven't heard of any serious discussions about a possible move.