The Daily O’Collegian

By Matt Levin

Tulsa World

(MCT) — The Main Draw

Kevin Durant

The biggest no-brainer in SuperSonics history came on June 28, 2007. On that day, the team selected Durant second overall in the NBA Draft. The Texas star dominated in his one season on the college level. He averaged 25.8 points a game and 11.1 rebounds to become the first freshman to be named college player of the year. With the Sonics, the 6-foot-9 guard led the team in scoring (20.3 points per game) and was NBA Rookie of the Year. While little else appears positive for the franchise, it at least has one star to build its future around.

The Basics

Head coach: P.J. Carlesimo 20-62, one year with Sonics (206-293, in seven years as NBA coach)

Nickname: (Formerly SuperSonics) Team will have new moniker. The City of Seattle retains the rights to SuperSonics, which will be reserved for a future NBA franchise in Seattle.

Colors: (Formerly green and gold) Team will have new colors and uniforms.

Arena: Ford Center (capacity: 21,000) in Oklahoma City

Division: Northwest Division in Western Conference (2007-08 standings: Utah 54-28, Denver 50-32, Portland 41-41, Minnesota 22-60, Seattle 20-62)

History:

Franchise founded in 1967 (won one NBA title; 1979).

Schedule: The 2008-09 schedule will be released around Aug. 1.

Tickets

Season tickets: Sign up for the ticket request list at supersonics.com or call (888) 618-HOOP (4467). The ticket request deadline is July 18.

Single-game tickets: Single-game tickets do not go on sale until the start of the season.

Ticket prices: Prices are being determined. Tickets will cost as low as $10.

Roster

Number, Player Pos. College

4 Nick Collison F-C Kansas

12 Ronald Dupree F LSU

35 Kevin Durant G Texas

16 Francisco Elson C California

22 Jeff Green F Georgetown

44 Adrian Griffin G-F Seton Hall

42 Donyell Marshall F Connecticut

27 Johan Petro C France

8 Luke Ridnour G Oregon

18 Mouhamed Sene C Senegal

31 Robert Swift C Bakersfield HS

25 Earl Watson G UCLA

54 Chris Wilcox F Maryland

21 Damien Wilkins F-G Georgia

2008 Draft Picks

Russell Westbrook, point guard, UCLA (4th overall): Westbrook already has emphasized what he expects his new role with the team to be — get the ball to Durant. Problem is, Westbrook is not a true point guard. Still, the ultra-athletic ex-Bruin will be a key asset for the team’s defense.

Other 2008 draft picks: Serge Ibaka, PF, Spain (24th overall); D.J. White, PF, Indiana (29th overall; acquired in trade with Detroit); DeVon Hardin, C, Cal (50th overall); Sasha Kaun, C, Kansas (56th overall)

2007-08 in review

The season started with the SuperSonics drafting Durant. It was downhill from there. Seattle traded its biggest star, Ray Allen, to the eventual champion Boston Celtics. Shortly afterward, P.J. Carlesimo was hired to replace Bob Hill as the team’s head coach. But in Carlesimo’s first year, the Sonics finished with the worst record in franchise history and the second-worst record in the NBA. The team started 0-8 and later had a 14-game losing streak. The Sonics finished 20-62.

Last game in Seattle

The fans chanted “Save Our Sonics.” Gary Payton stood on the sidelines. Kevin Durant almost cried at midcourt. The rookie played one of the best games of his short pro career — scoring twice in the final 45 seconds as the Sonics rallied to a 99-95 win over the Dallas Mavericks. The Sonics overcame a six-point deficit with 3:14 left to win their last game. Along with the S.O.S. mantra, scornful chants directed at Sonics owner Clay Bennett were heard throughout the game.

Team leaders

Points:

Kevin Durant, 20.3 (24th in NBA)

Rebounds:

Nick Collison, 9.4 (15th)

Assists:

Earl Watson, 6.8 (11th)

Steals:

Kevin Durant, 1.0 (24th)

Blocks:

Kevin Durant, 0.9 (40th)

Minutes:

Kevin Durant, 34.6 (60th)

Turnovers:

Kevin Durant, 2.9 (16th)

FG percentage:

Chris Wilcox, 52 percent (17th)

The history

All-time record: 1,530-1,308; 101-105 (playoffs)

Championships: 1979; defeated Washington Bullets 4-1.

Finals appearances: 3; 1978, 1979, 1996

Playoff appearances: 21; most recent 2005

Notable past SuperSonics

Lenny Wilkens: In 1968, the Sonics’ second season, Wilkens was the team’s star player. The next season, he took over coaching duties as a rare player/coach. But his most vital achievement with the Sonics came as simply a coach. In 1978-79, the NBA Hall-of-Famer coached the franchise to its lone championship. Wilkens is the all-time winningest coach.

Nate McMillan: The final pick of the 1986 NBA Draft, McMillan would earn the nickname “Mr. Sonic” after spending his 12-year career in Seattle. Coached the team for five years (2000-05).

Gary Payton: “The Glove” holds more SuperSonics records than anyone. The nine-time All-Star leads the Sonics in points, assists, steals and games played. One of the greatest defensive players of all time, Payton ranks third in NBA history for steals. He also earned two gold medals with Team USA.

Shawn Kemp: Often considered the most popular player in SuperSonics history, Kemp teamed with Gary Payton to turn the SuperSonics into one of the best teams of the mid-90s. The duo took the Sonics to the NBA Finals in 1996 before bowing to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in six games.

The 1978-79 championship team: With Wilkens calling the shots and Gus Williams and Downtown Freddie Brown making them, the SuperSonics won their only title. In a rematch of the previous year’s finals, Seattle took down the Bullets in five games. Center Jack Sikma and future Celtics star Dennis Johnson, who was named the Finals MVP, also played large roles on the title team.

Fast facts

Despite having the top record in the NBA, the 1993-94 Sonics earned the dubious honor of becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose a playoff series to a No. 8 seed (Denver Nuggets) The team mascot in Seattle was Squatch — a Sasquatch born in the Northwest’s Cascade Mountains Detlef Schrempf was one of the first European stars in the NBA. During the late ’80s and early ’90s, the German grew into one of the game’s most prolific shooters for Seattle, paving the way for many other foreigners to take a shot at the NBA.