Hardly anyone is happy in Seattle, where new Sonics coach Paul Westphal has turned long-time starters Hersey Hawkins and Detlef Schrempf into reserves at various times, and often keeps All-Star forward Vin Baker on the bench late in close games because of Baker's horrible free-throw shooting this season.
Baker has complained openly about being yanked, which prompted forward Dale Ellis to criticize Baker for being selfish and unprofessional. Ex-coach George Karl says he was fired last season because he couldn't lead the Sonics to a championship. With the way the Sonics are playing now, Karl says, they don't have to worry about not winning the title. They can worry about not even winning the division.
- Mishra