Supersonics Season 8 Presser

[BigDaddyd8720]

Howdy howdy beautiful people and welcome in to the Seattle Supersonics Press Conference.

I know, I know, we've heard this same old song and dance many times during my tenure here that last season wasn't exactly what we hoped for but we are excited for the future. But I do believe we are truly on the path to greatness here.

So as always, let's talk about last season. This should be quick since there's not much to talk about. We knew weren't in a position to compete so we just tried to make it through the season without any major injuries to our young players. We got off to a great start in the first few weeks but really wanted to try and set ourselves up for a good draft pick so we could have another young stud to pair with McMillan. And that's really all there is to say about last season.

Now for this season. Overall, I am very happy with this offseason. We have a really good, young core group of players that we are looking to keep developing in the hopes they can become the stars that we see them becoming. McMillan and Pinckney aren't too far from being bonafide studs in this league. We brought back Green and were able to sign Sundvold long term during FA this offseason. And then, of course, we added who we thought was the best player in this draft in Kevin Johnson. And he showed out during the preseason proving that he looks every bit as ready for the big league that we thought he would be. And then added some really good depth pieces in Teagle and Scurry. I really think with this group of guys, we can finally have a good balance of generating offense while also providing some lockdown defense. But we also, understand that everyone is young and still has to put in a lot of work before we can really feel like we can compete. Hopefully we can show some signs of life this season and maybe be in a spot to where we can make a big move next offseason to really put us back in the playoffs.

Well thank you for coming out to our presser today and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask them now.

[logpmess]

Carey Scurry has some potential to be a top defender in the league. His size and athleticism paired with his skill is a combination that easily would scare other players in the league. What is your long term vision with Scurry? Do you see him as a player to invest some extra training into? Can he develop into a two-way player in this league?

[BigDaddyd8720]

Carey Scurry has some potential to be a top defender in the league. His size and athleticism paired with his skill is a combination that easily would scare other players in the league. What is your long term vision with Scurry? Do you see him as a player to invest some extra training into? Can he develop into a two-way player in this league?

Scurry is a very interesting player. We really see him adding depth to our team in the long term. Maybe coming in and locking down the other teams' bench players. As you hinted at, his offense needs some work so we would really like to see him improve there before we can really feel like we can unleash him. For now, we need him to cause other teams fits by getting in opponents faces and forcing turnovers.

[WigNosy]

Steve Duin, the Oregonian:

Kevin Johnson wowed everyone in the preseason by averaging 13.3 assists, despite the lack of 20-point scorers on the team to throw the ball to. What sort of star do you hope to pair with him in order to help him reach his full potential? And will that star most likely come from Free Agency? Trade? Draft?

[IamQuailman]

In the past, one could say you got a little excited with your rebuild and would jump into competing maybe a year too soon. Do you think you are fighting that urge right now? Why kind of moves do you see on the horizon for you this season and next?

[BigDaddyd8720]

Steve Duin, the Oregonian:

Kevin Johnson wowed everyone in the preseason by averaging 13.3 assists, despite the lack of 20-point scorers on the team to throw the ball to. What sort of star do you hope to pair with him in order to help him reach his full potential? And will that star most likely come from Free Agency? Trade? Draft?

He really did wow everyone. We're beyond excited to see how his career unfolds. I think the next star that comes around to help him out is likely to be either the draft or someone already on the roster. Pinckney and McMillan are young enough ad have so much room to grow that we would love to see either, or both, of them continue to develop with KJ. If not, this next draft seems to be pretty deep so we gotta hope our scouts do their job and find the next Kevin Johnson.

[BigDaddyd8720]

In the past, one could say you got a little excited with your rebuild and would jump into competing maybe a year too soon. Do you think you are fighting that urge right now? Why kind of moves do you see on the horizon for you this season and next?

Definitely fighting the urge to go all in. But we understand we have a very young roster and in due time, this team can become the competitor we know it can be. I don't see too many moves this season unless it is to acquire future assets. But next season is shaping up to be one where we hit the ground running and really start to put together a roster that can compete for years to come. Don't want to have like before where we made the playoffs three years in a row and then had to blow it all up

[Eazy P]

Do you see Kevin Johnson winning ROY?

[BigDaddyd8720]

Do you see Kevin Johnson winning ROY?

I really do. He had an amazing preseason and we really hope we can continue to build on that. And if he averages 13+ assists per game, then there should be no reason he can’t win it


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[Mike Lowry]

What are you expecting as far as a timeline for success?
When do you expect to compete for the division?

[BigDaddyd8720]

What are you expecting as far as a timeline for success?
When do you expect to compete for the division?

I'll pretend I saw this before Sim 1. I think we really aren't far from competing. We've got young, talented players. We may just need to bring in one more stud veteran to really give us a push into competitiveness. Kevin Johnson, McMillan, Pinckney, and Sundvold and Green are all great starters and they seemed to really play well together in the preseason. We're hoping they can continue to build on that. I truly do believe we can become competitive as soon as next season. Our division has always been tough, especially with Magic and the Lakers as well as the Trailblazers and Warriors. Maybe our young guys can start really stepping up as their players start hitting their declining ages