Keeping Mac-10 must be top Sonic priority

Tim Duncan's last-second shot to move the Spurs into the Western Conference finals past the Sonics last week marked the end of a surprising season for Seattle. However, with eight players and one coach entering the off-season as free agents, it could also mark the end of a promising future for the Sonics as well. Tuesday, the NBA draft lottery was held as Milwaukee snuck up the board to grab the first overall pick. Before the season, it was predicted the Sonics would be one of the teams vying for that top spot, but their unexpected success knocked them out of the lottery and into the Western Conference semifinals -- though if they do not make the right moves in the offseason they could end up there next year. With Danny Fortson expected to pick up his player option, Seattle will have only five players guaranteed under contract for next season. That means there are important decisions to make to fill the other seven roster spots. The No. 1 priority in the offseason needs to be the resigning of coach Nate McMillan. Until this year, the result had always been either barely missing or making the playoffs and earning a middle of the first-round draft pick. This season, though, they turned the corner, and McMillan took a team picked at the bottom of the league in the preseason to the Northwest Division title and the second round of the playoffs. When you look at the coaching success he has had and combine it with his roots in the Seattle organization -- having his number retired and even being referred to in some places as Mr. Sonic -- McMillan needs to be resigned. In the salary-capped world of the NBA, a major place a team can gain an advantage simply by opening up the checkbook is by having a good coach, and McMillan gives the Sonics that advantage. After McMillan, the Seattle executives must turn their gaze to their superstar Ray Allen. In order for a team to be successful in the NBA, no matter how well the team is put together, you need to have that one go-to guy who everyone knows will put the team on his back and step it up at the end of a close game. Allen does exactly that for the Sonics. He can score in multiple ways, and you know at the end of any given night he will finish with more than 20 points in the box score. Losing Allen would be a big blow to the organization, because not only would the Sonics have to put in the time to develop a shooting guard to takeover in Allen's absence, but that would also mean putting Rashard Lewis as the go-to guy, and I'm not quite sure -- even through his vast improvement this year -- if he is quite ready for that task. After Allen and McMillan, the team needs to look at who they can resign for the best money to fit into the team. That could very well mean letting experienced players such as Vladimir Radmanovic and Antonio Daniels walk in favor of resigning Ronald Murray, Reggie Evans and undrafted free-agent gem Damien Wilkins. Losing talented players such as Daniels and Radmanovic in exchange for nothing will be tough. But with the contract offers they are likely to procure from other teams, it may be the only road the Sonics have to travel. After that, the last question is at center. At this point, Robert Swift is not nearly ready to step in to play the starting spot, so all eyes will be on Jerome James. After his surprising performance in the first round series against the Kings, James will command more money than he may be worth, and the Sonics need to make the decision if they want to gamble that the often lazy big man has turned himself around and his 7-foot-1 frame can be the dominating presence they have been looking for in the post. The final key to the Sonics offseason project will be making good use of the 25th pick in the draft where it seems a good, backup point guard will be in order. From what I've heard, there is supposed to be a pretty good one from the UW available at that spot this year.

Keeping Mac-10 must be top Sonic priority

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