Eric Williams covered the Sonics' last season in Seattle. A Tacoma native, Eric graduated from Mount Tahoma High and the University of Puget Sound.
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Former Sonics great Lenny Wilkens was in Olympia on Wednesday for a fundraiser to benefit The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound and The Lenny Wilkens Foundation.
Wilkens, the NBA’s all-time winningest coach and the coach of the Seattle SuperSonics 1979 championship team, told The Olympian's Gail Wood he is willing to help bring an NBA team back to Seattle.
The SuperSonics were moved to Oklahoma City on July 1 by owner Clay Bennett when Seattle mayor Greg Nickels surprisingly agreed to a $45 million buyout, allowing Bennett to void the remaining two years of the team’s lease at KeyArena.
Wilkens said he can offer advice to any business group interested in bringing an NBA team back to Seattle.
“I can help,” Wilkins said. “I have a great rapport with the NBA.”
Wilkens said the NBA wouldn’t return to Seattle until after a new arena is built.
“What has to happen first is, you have to have plans on the table to build a building,” Wilkens said. “The sooner you have that, the quicker you will have a team.”
Despite Sonics fans’ perceptions, Wilkens said NBA commissioner David Stern isn’t against a team returning to Seattle.
“David Stern does not have something out for Seattle, he has to run a huge corporation,” Wilkens said. “KeyArena won’t do it anymore. It’s had its day. Go around to any NBA facility, and we are the most outdated building. We need a new building.
“The locker room at KeyArena is smaller than when I played.”
After Bennett and his 15-member group from Oklahoma City bought the Sonics for $350 million, Bennett asked for a state-of-the-art, $500 million facility. The state Legislature and Seattle city officials never finalized a plan to keep the Sonics in Seattle.
About Bennett, Wilkens said there were a few things he disagreed with him about, mainly regarding forward Rashard Lewis and guard Ray Allen.
Lewis was sent to the Orlando Magic in a sign-and-trade deal, and Allen was traded to the Boston Celtics.
“Clay thought Rashard was getting paid too much,” Wilkens said. “Then when they traded Ray, I said, ‘Hey, you’re not listening to me.’ ”
So, Wilkens resigned as the Sonics’ vice chairman.
“We never had a cross word. Just disagreements,” Wilkens said.
Wilkens said he thought all along that Bennett had intentions of moving the team to Oklahoma City .
“Why else would you try to get rid of your overhead?” Wilkens said.
