Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
Wilkins has mixed emotions about team’s move
By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
Damien Wilkins will no longer be a member of the Seattle SuperSonics. Then again, neither will any of his teammates.
As Wilkins was headed to Sea World to spend a day with his son, Jayden, the Washington native and four-year NBA veteran was still trying to come to grips with his team’s move. SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett settled a lawsuit with the city of Seattle, clearing the way for him to move the team to Oklahoma City.
Wilkins and his teammates will begin play in Oklahoma City in the 2008-09 season.
“I’m still shocked,” said Wilkins, who recently held his annual “Fun Day” and basketball camp in Washington. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet. I’m sure that time will come quickly.
“I feel bad for Seattle, but you have to be excited for the new fans as well. It’s bittersweet. It’s an adjustment we all have to make.”
The 6-6, 225-pound forward/guard, who wears No. 21, said he’ll miss the fans in Seattle.
“It will be hard for the fans, and for myself as well,” said Wilkins, who averaged career-highs of 9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game last year.
“I’ve been there from the start of my career. It will be tough leaving the fans. I feel like I grew up in Seattle. They always made me feel like I was a No. 1 pick.”
Bennett’s deal with Seattle called for the team colors, logo and name to stay in Seattle.
Does it almost seem like this will be an expansion season for Wilkins and his teammates?
“It really does,” Wilkins said. “That’s the disappointing thing about it. I don’t want to go through another season not getting to the postseason.
“As hard as it may be, I hope we can put the move aside and play some winning basketball. I don’t want to let the move be our season.”
The Sonics, which went 20-62 last year, haven’t been to the playoffs since Wilkins’ rookie season in 2004-05. Seattle went 52-30, won the Northwest Division and lost in the Western Conference semifinals that year.
Seattle went 35-47 in 2005-06 and 31-51 in 2006-07.
While the bulk of the SuperSonics will still be playing together, only in a new city, Wilkins likened the move to a trade. Wilkins said he’ll have to get used to not wearing the customary green and gold of the SuperSonics.
“It really is (going to be strange),” Wilkins said. “We’ll be seeing new colors. It’s like being traded or being an expansion team. They haven’t had a team there (in Oklahoma City) in two years, and that was just due to tragedy. It’s overwhelming.
“I don’t want to play like an expansion team. I want to go in and compete, night in and night out. I just want to win.”
Wilkins, who is averaging 8.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in his career, has played in 269 games with Seattle. He has started 81 of those games, including 31 last year.
While Wilkins, who poured in a career-high 41 points in a win over Atlanta last year, will miss Seattle, he’s trying to put a positive spin on the move.
“I’m excited about the new fans,” Wilkins said. “It’s something (Oklahoma City) wanted. I’ll like to see who we will be playing in front of now.”
Wilkins did a lot of charitable work in Seattle through his Dyna2mic Foundation. He’s not sure how the move will impact his work in Seattle, but he does plan on continuing to give back no matter where he’s located.
“It’s too early to tell what we’ll do,” Wilkins said. “We will finish what we started in Seattle. I’m sure we’ll have some projects that we can think of, and some that will be presented to us in Oklahoma City.
“We will still do our part in reaching to the community.”
As Wilkins was headed to Sea World to spend a day with his son, Jayden, the Washington native and four-year NBA veteran was still trying to come to grips with his team’s move. SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett settled a lawsuit with the city of Seattle, clearing the way for him to move the team to Oklahoma City.
Wilkins and his teammates will begin play in Oklahoma City in the 2008-09 season.
“I’m still shocked,” said Wilkins, who recently held his annual “Fun Day” and basketball camp in Washington. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet. I’m sure that time will come quickly.
“I feel bad for Seattle, but you have to be excited for the new fans as well. It’s bittersweet. It’s an adjustment we all have to make.”
The 6-6, 225-pound forward/guard, who wears No. 21, said he’ll miss the fans in Seattle.
“It will be hard for the fans, and for myself as well,” said Wilkins, who averaged career-highs of 9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game last year.
“I’ve been there from the start of my career. It will be tough leaving the fans. I feel like I grew up in Seattle. They always made me feel like I was a No. 1 pick.”
Bennett’s deal with Seattle called for the team colors, logo and name to stay in Seattle.
Does it almost seem like this will be an expansion season for Wilkins and his teammates?
“It really does,” Wilkins said. “That’s the disappointing thing about it. I don’t want to go through another season not getting to the postseason.
“As hard as it may be, I hope we can put the move aside and play some winning basketball. I don’t want to let the move be our season.”
The Sonics, which went 20-62 last year, haven’t been to the playoffs since Wilkins’ rookie season in 2004-05. Seattle went 52-30, won the Northwest Division and lost in the Western Conference semifinals that year.
Seattle went 35-47 in 2005-06 and 31-51 in 2006-07.
While the bulk of the SuperSonics will still be playing together, only in a new city, Wilkins likened the move to a trade. Wilkins said he’ll have to get used to not wearing the customary green and gold of the SuperSonics.
“It really is (going to be strange),” Wilkins said. “We’ll be seeing new colors. It’s like being traded or being an expansion team. They haven’t had a team there (in Oklahoma City) in two years, and that was just due to tragedy. It’s overwhelming.
“I don’t want to play like an expansion team. I want to go in and compete, night in and night out. I just want to win.”
Wilkins, who is averaging 8.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in his career, has played in 269 games with Seattle. He has started 81 of those games, including 31 last year.
While Wilkins, who poured in a career-high 41 points in a win over Atlanta last year, will miss Seattle, he’s trying to put a positive spin on the move.
“I’m excited about the new fans,” Wilkins said. “It’s something (Oklahoma City) wanted. I’ll like to see who we will be playing in front of now.”
Wilkins did a lot of charitable work in Seattle through his Dyna2mic Foundation. He’s not sure how the move will impact his work in Seattle, but he does plan on continuing to give back no matter where he’s located.
“It’s too early to tell what we’ll do,” Wilkins said. “We will finish what we started in Seattle. I’m sure we’ll have some projects that we can think of, and some that will be presented to us in Oklahoma City.
“We will still do our part in reaching to the community.”
 |
||
| DEI sweeps front row at Daytona |
