Thirty-three year old Lenny Wilkens was on his own. He had never coached before -- and not only was he the head coach, he was still the best player on the team. If the Sonics lost, he would take the blame.

To make things worse, Sonic newcomer Bob Boozer, an all-star forward who had led the Bulls in scoring the previous year, was holding out for more money. Several others were holding out as well. And star center Bob Rule reported out of shape. Lenny must have wondered if he'd have to play two positions at once too.

To take some of the pressure off, Lenny appointed 9-year veteran and teammate Tom Meschery as assistant coach. Tom knew the game inside and out, and his outgoing personality was a nice contrast to Lenny's quiet approach.

November came, and although contract disputes were resolved, the Sonics started the season off losing their first six games.

The lineup:

Bob Rule continued to start at center, and deservedly so. He averaged 24.6 points per game (7th in the league), 10.4 rebounds, and a measly (for him) 3.5 fouls per contest. He was one of two Sonics on the All-Star team that year. He still didn't play much defense, but he was at least improving in that area.

Bob Boozer, standing at 6-8 and well over his listed 220 pounds, started at forward. He had been traded for Bob Kauffman -- I'd heard Kauffman was unhappy with his lack of playing time, and that the Sonics had been disappointed with K's play. A trade was a good solution. Boozer was in his 10th year, and his previous year with the Bulls had been one of his best. But he, like Rule, had reported out of shape and never played like the "Bullet Bob" who had starred for the Bulls and Royals. Even so, he averaged 15.2 points on 49% shooting from the field and 82% from the line; he also averaged 9 rebounds per game.

Tom Meschery started at forward, but his minutes were limited by his assistant coaching duties and by a blood condition. In only 29 minutes per game, he averaged 12.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2 assists, and shot 48% from the field.

Five games into the season, Phoenix's GM, Jerry Colangelo, wanted to acquire 2nd-year guard Art Harris. Lenny convinced the Suns to give up sharp-shooter Dick Snyder. The trade would end up being a good one for the Sonics.

Dick Snyder, big enough at 6-5 and 210 pounds to play small forward, started at guard for the Sonics. He was an outside shooter who regularly shot over 50% from the field! The 4th-year guard averaged 13.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, shot 53% from the field and 81% from the line. He was a great offensive addition, especially since Harris hadn't improved since his rookie season. Unfortunately, Snyder was not known for his defense. But then again, none of the Sonics were. Snyder was too slow to hinder most NBA guards.

Lenny Wilkens averaged 36 minutes per game as a player, and 24 hours per day as head coach. He averaged 17.8 points that season, with 5 rebounds and 9.1 assists (1st in the league.) He was also an All-Star that season. Lenny's best assets were his discipline and control on and off the court, his conditioning, his ability to see the court and find the open man, and his willingness to shoot in order to draw the defense towards him. He was not a great defensive player. Though his outside shot was not spectacular, it was better than most point guards. His quickness allowed him to beat his man off the dribble (usually to his left; he was left-handed), then pass or drive to the basket. Close to the basket, he favored a hook shot, or a finger-roll layup. When Lenny was on the floor, you could never leave him open or he'd make you pay -- Dick Snyder or Lucius Allen would find him, and he'd either shoot, drive, or find a wide open man.

Reserve players included 1st round pick (3rd overall) Lucius Allen, a 6-2, 175 pound point guard from UCLA. Allen would go on to success in Milwaukee in later years. But what I remember most about him was his huge afro -- much bigger than most players had at the time. It was always easy to spot him darting about on the court. He was also quick and had a good sense for where to pass the ball. In fact, he reminded me a bit of Lenny Wilkens. He averaged 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in only 22 minutes per game.

Barry Clemens was a serviceable backup at forward. The 6-6 forward had come from Chicago with Boozer and averaged 8.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 19 minutes per game. He had an 11-year career as a reliable backup in the NBA; he spent two years with the Sonics.

John Tresvant, a friend of Lenny's, played most of the season with the Sonics and averaged 12.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and nearly 2 assists in 26 minutes. The former Seattle U. star was traded late in the season to the Lakers for draft picks. According to Lenny's book Unguarded, their friendship apparently was hurting Lenny's ability to coach fairly.

The Season:

In the first 6 games of the season, Lenny hardly scored, since he wanted so badly to get everyone else involved in the offense. The Sonics lost all six games. In the 7th game of the season, against the Cincinatti Royals (now the Sacramento Kings), Lenny scored 38 points, and the Sonics won, 129-121. Lenny got the point. They needed him to score. After going 0-6 to start the season (against the best teams in the league, including the Knicks, Hawks, Lakers, Bulls, and Bucks), the Sonics thereafter played nearly .500 ball, going 36-40. They no longer looked like an expansion team.

As player, Lenny started the season avoiding shots; as coach, he soon began yelling at players for their mistakes and lack of hustle -- quite a contrast to his usually placid demeanor (in fact, his quietness was often mistaken for arrogance.) Then one day Marv Harshman, coach of the UW Huskies hoops team, approached Lenny at practice (this is according to Lenny's book.) Marv told him to stop yelling and start teaching. Lenny did just that. The team began to jell.

Seattle finished the season 36-46, 5th in the West, ahead of the Warriors and Rockets. They sported an impressive 22-14 home record, and a pathetic 10-26 road record. (They were 4-6 on neutral courts.) Fans began to take notice of the team -- attendance increased to over 7700 per game, and the two Bobs, along with player-coach Lenny Wilkens became fan favorites. People were amazed that he could play so well and coach at the same time.

Highlights and Lowlights:

The Sonics scored decently (116.9 points, which was about average in the league) but their defense was nearly as bad as previous years (they allowed 119.5 points per game, 11th out of 14 teams).

The Sonics' biggest loss of the season was in mid-November, a 148-112 embarrassment at the hands of the worst team in the league, the San Diego Rockets. Seattle lost the season series 4-2, but got some measure of revenge by thrashing them 112-96 a month after getting stomped.

But the biggest margin of victory was a 140-104 thumping of Bob Kauffman and the Chicago Bulls (39 43.)

On another bright note, the Sonics won the series 4-2 against the 50-32 Baltimore Bullets, who were led by Wes Unseld, Gus Johnson, and Earl the Pearl Monroe. And for the first time, Seattle swept a season series, winning 6-0 against a decent Philadelphia 76ers team (42-40 record) led by Billy Cunningham, Hal Greer, and Archie Clark (the first guy in NBA history to regularly use the crossover dribble -- no, it was not Tim Hardaway!)

The Sonics' 36-46 record was 6 games better than the previous season's.

Lenny had insisted on a one-year contract. Now he--and the Sonics management -- wanted him to do it again. He signed on for two more years. We Sonics fans were delighted. The Sonics were learning to beat the best teams in the league, and Lenny Wilkens was leading the fight. As long as Lenny was coach, the team would keep getting better -- so people started to believe.

It turned out to be true.