2007–08 Seattle SuperSonics season

2007–08 Seattle SuperSonics season
Kevin Durant's rookie season
Head coach P. J. Carlesimo
General manager Sam Presti
Owner(s) Clay Bennett
Arena KeyArena at Seattle Center
Results
Record 2062 (.244)
Place Division: 5th (Northwest)
Conference: 15th (Western)
Playoff finish Did not qualify

Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com

Local media
Television FSN Northwest, KING, KONG
Radio KPTK and KING Radio

The 2007–08 Seattle SuperSonics season was the 41st season of the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the franchise's final season of play in Seattle, Washington before relocating to Oklahoma City to play as the Thunder. With head coach P. J. Carlesimo as replacement of Bob Hill, who was fired at the end of the previous season,[1] the SuperSonics finished in 15th place in the Western Conference with a franchise worst 20–62 record. Seattle's first round draft pick and no. 2 overall Kevin Durant was chosen as the Rookie of the Year at the end of the season.

Offseason

Following Bob Hill and Rick Sund's departures as head coach and general manager respectively,[1] President of Basketball Operations Lenny Wilkens was charged with the responsibility of finding replacements.[2] For the general manager position, Wilkens hired Sam Presti[3] and months later P. J. Carlesimo was appointed as head coach of the Sonics.[4] Wilkens quit a day later.[5] Presti's first order of business involved a trade with the Boston Celtics on draft day that sent Ray Allen and the SuperSonics' second round pick Glen Davis to Boston in exchange for the Celtics' first round pick Jeff Green, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West.[6] Weeks later the free agent period began, and the SuperSonics' front office needed to reach a decision regarding Rashard Lewis' future, since Lewis opted out of his final two years and became one of the most prized free agents in the offseason.[7] The team finally agreed to a sign and trade deal with the Orlando Magic.[8] The other trade the Sonics made during the offseason brought 12-year veteran Kurt Thomas from the Phoenix Suns.[9]

The SuperSonics began preparations for the regular season on July 7, kicking off Summer League games in Las Vegas.[10] The team finished with a 2–6 overall record, with rookies Kevin Durant and Jeff Green leading the team in scoring in the majority of the matches.[11][12]

Draft picks

At the 2007 Draft Lottery the SuperSonics got the second overall pick behind the Portland Trail Blazers,[13] matching their highest overall selection in franchise history.[14] With their first round pick the SuperSonics selected Kevin Durant from Texas and forwards Carl Landry and Glen Davis in the second round. Davis and Landry were traded on draft day to the Boston Celtics and the Houston Rockets[15] respectively.

Round Pick Player Position Nationality College/Team
1 2 Kevin Durant SF  United States Texas
2 32 Carl Landry PF  United States Purdue
2 35 Glen Davis (traded to Boston) PF  United States LSU

Pre-season

The SuperSonics kicked off a 10-game pre-season on October 9, with a 98–104 loss visiting the Sacramento Kings. Following a victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers in their next match three days later, the SuperSonics went on a 5-game losing streak before closing the exhibition tour with a victory against the Phoenix Suns in Vancouver, Canada.

Game log

2007 pre-season game log
2007–08 season schedule

Roster

2007–08 Seattle SuperSonics roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From
PF 4 Collison, Nick 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 255 lb (116 kg) October 26, 1980 Kansas
SF 0 Dupree, Ronald 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 209 lb (95 kg) January 26, 1981 LSU
SF 35 Durant, Kevin (C) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) September 29, 1988 Texas
C 16 Elson, Francisco 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 235 lb (107 kg) February 28, 1976 California
SF 19 Gelabale, Mickaël 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) May 22, 1983 France
PG 15 Gill, Eddie 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) August 16, 1978 Weber State
SF 22 Green, Jeff 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) August 28, 1986 Georgetown
PF 44 Griffin, Adrian 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 230 lb (104 kg) July 4, 1974 Seton Hall
SG 42 Marshall, Donyell 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) May 18, 1973 Connecticut
C 27 Petro, Johan 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 247 lb (112 kg) January 27, 1986 France
PG 8 Ridnour, Luke 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) February 13, 1981 Oregon
C 18 Sene, Mouhamed 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) May 12, 1986 Senegal
PF 31 Swift, Robert 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 245 lb (111 kg) December 13, 1985 Bakersfield HS (CA)
PG 25 Watson, Earl 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) June 12, 1979 UCLA
PF 54 Wilcox, Chris 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) September 3, 1982 Maryland
PF 21 Wilkins, Damien 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) January 11, 1980 Georgia
PG 29 Wilks, Mike 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) May 7, 1979 Rice
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Depth chart

Pos. Starter Bench Reserve Inactive
C Chris Wilcox Johan Petro Francisco Elson Mouhamed Sene
Robert Swift
PF Nick Collison Donyell Marshall
SF Jeff Green Damien Wilkins Ronald Dupree Mickaël Gelabale
SG Kevin Durant Adrian Griffin
PG Earl Watson Luke Ridnour

Regular season

Kevin Durant and Jeff Green's regular season debuts were in doubt, since each player had to deal with sprained ankle injuries during the pre-season.[16] Durant managed to return in time for the season opener on Halloween night, scoring 18 points in a loss against the Denver Nuggets.[17] After their home opener (a loss against the Phoenix Suns), chances for the team to remain in Seattle took a heavy blow, as Sonics' owner Clay Bennett made public his desire to relocate the team to Oklahoma City.[18] The SuperSonics remained on a losing streak that reached 8 games,[19] their worst start in franchise history,[20] and remained the only team in the league without a win before defeating the Miami Heat, followed by a Durant game-winner two days later to get past the Atlanta Hawks.[21] The SuperSonics finished the month of November snapping a 6-game losing streak[19] with their first home victory in a game against the Indiana Pacers, with Durant scoring a career-high 35 points.[22] Before the win against the Pacers, the Sonics where 0–7 at home.[19]

The Sonics registered their best record of the season in December,[19] struggling with injuries to Luke Ridnour, Delonte West and Kurt Thomas adding to the absence of center Robert Swift.[23][24] Kevin Durant matched again his career-high 35 points in a win against the Milwaukee Bucks,[25] one of their four victories at home that month. After a 2–3 road trip that ended with a loss against the Utah Jazz in which the Sonics were held to one of their lowest scoring outputs in the season,[19] the team returned to the KeyArena to close the year with a 5-game homestand.

After a loss against the Philadelphia 76ers on the last game of 2007, the Sonics went on their longest losing streak of the season,[19] dropping their first 13 games of January in a combined franchise worst 14-game losing streak.[26] During the first games of the month, the team were without the services of their second best scorer Chris Wilcox[27] and point guard Luke Ridnour, who were sidelined with injuries.[28] The Sonics halted the streak by defeating the defending champions San Antonio Spurs and proceeded to win their next two games at home.

After managing to win only 2 of their 16 games in January, the SuperSonics finished February with a 4–8 record and snapped an 8-game losing streak of road games with a victory against the Sacramento Kings, obtaining their first road win since mid-December.[19] Robert Swift returned from his injuries and played his first game since November 11 in a loss against the Chicago Bulls,[29] but would be sidelined for the remainder of the season after two more appearances.[30] The SuperSonics reached the All-Star break with a 13–38 record,[19] 10 games behind their worst record in franchise history at the time.[31] Rookies Kevin Durant and Jeff Green participated in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge against the second-year players.[32] Near the trade deadline, the Sonics sent Kurt Thomas to the San Antonio Spurs for Brent Barry, Francisco Elson and a 2009 second round draft pick.[33] Barry was waived the next day.[34] The Sonics made one more move before the deadline, that sent Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team deal with the Chicago Bulls.[35]

The Sonics finished the month of March with their worse record in the regular season, winning only two games, with losing streaks of 11 and 3 games.[19] At this point the Sonics had a 17–57 record and were six games away from their franchise worst 23–59. On March 16, the Denver Nuggets dealt the Sonics their worst loss in franchise history,[36] with a 116–168 score. It was the most points the Nuggets' scored since a January 11, 1984 game against the San Antonio Spurs.[37] Nearing the end of the month, injuries plagued the roster. Mickaël Gelabale tore his ACL during a practice and was out for the remainder of the season.[38] Chris Wilcox re-injured his pinky finger, an injury that ultimately made him miss the remainder of the season,[39] and Nick Collison and Francisco Elson were also sidelined with other injuries.[40]

In April, the Sonics stretched their March losing streak to five games before winning in a double overtime match against the Denver Nuggets. After losing another three straight games, the Sonics played their last home game in Seattle, defeating the Dallas Mavericks 99–95 and closing the regular season with a road victory against the Golden State Warriors. The SuperSonics finished the season with a 20–62 overall record, their worst in franchise history.

Standings

Northwest Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Utah Jazz 54 28 .659 37–4 17–24 13–3
x-Denver Nuggets 50 32 .610 4 33–8 17–24 10–6
Portland Trail Blazers 41 41 .500 13 28–13 13–28 10–6
Minnesota Timberwolves 22 60 .268 32 15–26 7–34 3–13
Seattle SuperSonics 20 62 .244 34 13–28 7–34 6–10
# Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Los Angeles Lakers 57 25 .695
2 y-New Orleans Hornets 56 26 .683 1
3 x-San Antonio Spurs 56 26 .683 1
4 y-Utah Jazz 54 28 .659 3
5 x-Houston Rockets 55 27 .671 2
6 x-Phoenix Suns 55 27 .671 2
7 x-Dallas Mavericks 51 31 .622 6
8 x-Denver Nuggets 50 32 .610 7
9 Golden State Warriors 48 34 .585 9
10 Portland Trail Blazers 41 41 .500 16
11 Sacramento Kings 38 44 .463 19
12 Los Angeles Clippers 23 59 .280 34
13 Minnesota Timberwolves 22 60 .268 35
14 Memphis Grizzlies 22 60 .268 35
15 Seattle SuperSonics 20 62 .244 37

Game log

2007–08 game log

Total: 20–62 (Home: 13–28; Road: 7–34)

2007–08 season schedule

Relocation to Oklahoma City

On September 21, 2007, majority owner Clay Bennett applied for arbitration by a federal judge on the issue of whether the team could break its lease on the KeyArena in 2008.[41] Bennett initially set a deadline for October 31, 2007 for the City of Seattle to reach an agreement regarding a new facility,[42] and two days past that date Bennett informed the NBA commissioner David Stern of his intentions to relocate the team to Oklahoma City.[18] Seattle had filed a lawsuit on September 23, 2007 in an attempt to keep the Sonics from leaving before the end of their lease in 2010.[43]

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer made a new offer on a KeyArena expansion on March. Ballmer proposed to pay half of the $300 million required for the expansion and set an April 10, 2008 deadline for the City of Seattle to accept the offer.[44] After the deal fell through, all hopes rested on the lawsuit set for June 2008.[45]

On April 18, 2008, the NBA Board of Governors approved the team's relocation to Oklahoma City by a 28–2 vote. Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and Paul Allen of the Portland Trail Blazers were the only ones against the move.[46] On July 2, 2008, the City of Seattle and the Sonics' ownership reached a settlement that allowed the franchise to move to Oklahoma City.[47] According to the settlement, items associated with the SuperSonics' history in Seattle, including trophies, banners, and retired jerseys, stayed in the city and it was placed in the Museum of History and Industry.[48]

Player stats

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Collison, NickNick Collison 78 35 28.5 .502 .000 .737 9.4 1.4 .6 0.8 9.8
Dupree, RonaldRonald Dupree [1] 4 0 4.5 .333 1.000 2.0 .3 .3 .0 1.0
Durant, KevinKevin Durant 80 80 34.6 .430 .288 .873 4.4 2.4 1.0 .9 20.3
Elson, FranciscoFrancisco Elson [1] 22 2 12.7 .341 .000 .462 3.0 .4 .3 .3 3.0
Gelabale, MickaelMickael Gelabale 39 0 11.9 .439 .432 .778 1.5 .8 .3 .2 4.3
Gill, EddieEddie Gill [1] 1 0 5.0 .000 .000 .0 1.0 .0 .0 .0
Green, JeffJeff Green 80 52 28.2 .427 .276 .744 4.7 1.5 .6 .6 10.5
Griffin, AdrianAdrian Griffin [1] 13 0 6.5 .375 1.000 1.7 .4 .4 .1 1.1
Marshall, DonyellDonyell Marshall [1] 15 0 12.3 .352 .233 .923 3.1 .3 .3 .5 3.8
Newble, IraIra Newble [1] 2 0 8.5 .286 .000 .0 .5 .0 .0 2.0
Petro, JohanJohan Petro 72 28 18.2 .419 .000 .736 5.1 .4 .5 .6 6.0
Ridnour, LukeLuke Ridnour 61 5 20.0 .399 .296 .857 1.5 4.0 .6 .2 6.4
Sene, MouhamedMouhamed Sene 13 0 4.8 .458 .471 1.2 .1 .0 .5 2.3
Swift, RobertRobert Swift 8 4 12.3 .353 1.000 2.3 .1 .6 .8 1.8
Szczerbiak, WallyWally Szczerbiak [1] 50 1 23.6 .460 .428 .843 2.7 1.4 .3 .1 13.1
Thomas, KurtKurt Thomas [1] 42 39 25.2 .513 .696 8.8 1.3 .8 1.0 7.5
Watson, EarlEarl Watson 78 73 29.1 .454 .371 .766 2.9 6.8 .9 .1 10.7
West, DelonteDelonte West [1] 35 5 20.8 .388 .339 .667 2.7 3.2 .9 .3 6.8
Wilcox, ChrisChris Wilcox 62 55 28.0 .524 .000 .645 7.0 1.2 .7 .6 13.4
Wilkins, DamienDamien Wilkins 76 31 24.3 .403 .323 .736 3.2 2.0 .8 .3 9.2
Wilks, MikeMike Wilks [1] 3 0 7.3 .556 .000 1.000 .3 1.7 .3 .0 4.0

Awards

Injuries

Transactions

Overview

Players Added

Via draft

Via trade

Via free agency

Players Lost

Via trade

Trades

June 28, 2007[6] To Seattle SuperSonics
Jeff Green
Wally Szczerbiak
Delonte West
To Boston Celtics
Ray Allen
Glen Davis
July 11, 2007
(Sign and trade)[8]
To Seattle SuperSonics
2009 second round pick
To Orlando Magic
Rashard Lewis
July 20, 2007[9] To Seattle SuperSonics
Kurt Thomas
2008 and 2010 first round selections
To Phoenix Suns
2009 second round selection
February 21, 2008[35] To Seattle SuperSonics
Adrian Griffin (from Chicago)
Donyell Marshall (from Cleveland)
Ira Newble (from Cleveland)
To Cleveland Cavaliers
Wally Szczerbiak
Delonte West

See also

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 Associated Press (April 25, 2007). SuperSonics fire Hill as coach, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  2. Associated Press (April 28, 2007). Team president Wilkens charged with hiring new coach, ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  3. Bell, Gregg. Associated Press (June 7, 2007). Sonics hire Sam Presti as new GM, USA Today. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  4. Associated Press (July 3, 2007). Report: Spurs assistant Carlesimo to be named Sonics coach, ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  5. Wilkens quits as vice chairman of Seattle SuperSonics, Reuters, July 7, 2007. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  6. 1 2 Stringer, Peter. Playing Chips, Ainge Swings Deal for Allen. Celtics.com. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  7. ESPN.com news services (July 1, 2007). Sonics management talks about team's future with Lewis, agent, ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  8. 1 2 DuPree, David (July 12, 2007). Magic, Pistons score big as free-agent signings start, USA Today. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  9. 1 2 Seattle acquires Thomas, draft picks, from Phoenix, Reuters, July 20, 2007. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  10. Beck, Howard.Two Heralded Rookies Get First Taste of N.B.A. Basketball, The New York Times, July 8, 2007. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  11. 2007 Vegas Summer League Schedule, ESPN.com, July 16, 2007. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  12. 2007 Rocky Mountain Revue Schedule, ESPN.com, July 21, 2007. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  13. Associated Press (May 21, 2007). Blazers nab top spot in the draft, The Argus-Press. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  14. Oklahoma City Thunder Draft Picks, Basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  15. Associated Press (June 29, 2007). Rockets draft Oregon's Brooks; pick up Landry in trade, ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  16. Associated Press (October 27, 2007). Durant questionable for Sonics' opener; Green sprains left ankle, ESPN.com. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  17. Graham, Pat. Associated Press. Nuggets bottle up Durant, beat Sonics, USA Today, November 1, 2007. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  18. 1 2 Associated Press (November 3, 2007). Owner seeks NBA approval to move Sonics to Oklahoma, USA Today. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 2007–08 Seattle SuperSonics Schedule and Results, Basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  20. Associated Press (November 14, 2007). Magic Throttle Sonics, Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  21. Associated Press (November 16, 2007). Wilkins scores 41, but Durant's 3-pointer clinches Sonics' double-OT win, ESPN.com. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  22. Associated Press (November 30, 2007). Durant scores career-high 35 to lead Sonics over Pacers, 95–93, The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  23. Stevens, Jayda. Still Mending, December 10, 2007. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  24. Allen, Percy Swift at a standstill, The Seattle Times, December 23, 2007. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  25. Associated Press (December 7, 2007). Durant scores 35 as Sonics beat Bucks, 104–98, The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  26. Booth, Tim. Associated Press (January 27, 2008). Sonics drop a heartbreaker to Kings, 103–101, The Seattle Times. Retrieved Jun 26, 2012.
  27. 2007–08 Seattle SuperSonics Roster and Statistics, Basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  28. Allen, Percy. Sonics vs. Lakers | Wilcox, Ridnour could reignite offense, The Seattle Times, January 14, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  29. Associated Press (February 4, 2008). Smith returns to starting lineup, leads Bulls past Sonics, ESPN.com. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  30. Robert Swift 2007–08 Game Log, Basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  31. Oklahoma City Thunder Franchise Index, Basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  32. Durant, Green and Roy to play in Rookie Challenge game, The Seattle Times, January 30, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  33. Allen, Percy. Sonics trade Kurt Thomas to Spurs, The Seattle Times, February 20, 2008. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  34. 1 2 Evans, Jayda. No Bones in Seattle, The Seattle Times, February 21, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  35. 1 2 Allen, Percy. Sonics trade Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West to Cavs, The Seattle Times, February 21, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  36. Willis, Paul. Denver delivers the Sonics' worst loss, The Seattle Times, March 17, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  37. Associated Press (March 16, 2008). Nuggets set NBA season high in scoring with 168–116 rout of SuperSonics, The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  38. Associated Press (March 20, 2008). Sonics' reserve Mickael Gelabale out for season with torn ACL, The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  39. Allen, Percy (March 27, 2008). Sonics' Chris Wilcox to miss rest of season, The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  40. Allen, Percy (March 21, 2008). Injuries to Wilcox, Gelabale clip Sonics lineup, The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  41. "NBA Sonics seek arbitration to escape Seattle lease". AFP (Google News). September 21, 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
  42. ESPN.com News services (August 13, 2007). New owners intend to move Sonics if deal can't get done, ESPN.com. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  43. Johns, Greg (September 24, 2007). "City sues Sonics to enforce arena lease". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  44. Brunner, Jim; Thomas, Ralph (March 11, 2008). Ballmer's Sonics offer runs out soon, The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  45. Brunner, Jim (April 8, 2008). Ballmer's proposal to expand KeyArena is dead, The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  46. Allen, Percy (April 18, 2008). NBA approves Sonics' move to Oklahoma City, The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  47. Pian Chan, Sharon; Brunner, Jim (July 2, 2008). Sonics, city reach settlement, The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  48. Associated Press (August 21, 2008). Details of settlement between Bennett, Seattle revealed, ESPN.com. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  49. NBA Rookies of the Month, Basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  50. Kevin Durant Named T-Mobile Rookie of the Year, NBA.com, May 1, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  51. Associated Press (February 29, 2008). Swift to have surgery to repair torn lateral meniscus in right knee, ESPN.com. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  52. Associated Press (March 20, 2008). Sonics’ Mickael Gelabale Out for Season With a Torn ACL, NBA.com. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  53. Allen, Percy. Point guard Eddie Gill picked to fill out lineup, The Seattle Times, March 25, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  54. Allen, Percy. Sonics sign Mike Wilks to 10-day contract, The Seattle Times, February 29, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  55. Evans, Jayda. Newble waived, Swift to have surgery, The Seattle Times, February 29, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
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