For a long time, it seemed the run would never come about. On July 1, the NBA locked out its players amid rampant rumors that the league might miss time due to a work stoppage for the first time in its history. The rumors proved to be correct. Acrimonious negotations dragged on into the year 1999, and it appeared likley that the season would be lost. At almost literally the 11th hour, the players finally conceded to many of the NBA's demands, and the season was back on -- a 50 game sprint the likes of which will likley never be seen again.

The Sonics began the abbreviated, week-long, 'offseason' with but six players under contract. However, four of the six were key players Gary Payton, Vin Baker, Hawkins, and Schrempf, so it looked like they'd be fine. The Sonics' off-season moves came on back to back days. On January 21, center Jim McIlvaine, blamed by many for their struggles the last two years, went to New Jersey for fellow cap killer Don MacLean and ex-Sonic Michael Cage, who would soon be released. The Sonics replaced McIlvaine with Sacramento King center Olden Polynice, and brought back guards Dale Ellis and James Cotton. The next day, the Sonics looked to Sacramento again, adding swingman Billy Owens for depth. Meanwhile, four of last season's bench stalwarts were gone -- Sam Perkins to Indiana, Greg Anthony to Portland, Jerome Kersey to San Antonio and Nate McMillan to further down the bench as an assistant to Westphal.

Gary Payton remained the star in Seattle, and began his pattern of post-30 progression, leading the team as usual in scoring (21.7), assists (8.7), and steals (2.2). He did not make the All-Star team -- because there wasn't any -- but was second team All-NBA.

After controversially starting the season on the bench behind Owens, Hersey Hawkins reclaimed his position alongside Payton and provided his usual heady and steady play. Despite continuing to score in double figures in every season of his career with 10.3 ppg, the signs of decline in Hawk were obvious -- he shot an uncharacteristically low 30.6% from three point range, and just 42% from the field.

Detlef Schrempf also saw his starting job briefly usurped by Owens, but was nothing if not steady, scoring 15 points and adding 7.4 rebounds per night. Again, aging was obvious. Schrempf looked less aggressive on offense and a step slow defensively, though he was still an above-average small forward.

Amid allegations that he had not properly stayed in shape over the winter becuase he did not expect a season to be played, Vin Baker had a miserable season by almost any standard, especially that of his 97-98 season. Baker missed his first 30 free throws in a row to start the season -- he was a poor free throw shooter, but this was unthinkable -- and subsequently tried to avoid being fouled by playing on the perimeter. He finished the season avearging just 13.6 points and 6.4 rebounds, and shot 45% from the line.

When he first came to town, Olden Polynice claimed that the Sonics' days of playing four on five offensively (because of McIlvaine) were over. He hardly lived up to the claims, scoring 7.7 points per, though he did grab a healthy 8.8 boards per night. As bad as Vin was at the line, OP was worse -- 31%, this after he had made a bet with radio personality Mitch Levy that he would make at least 75%, which Polynice reportedly welched on. A cancer in the locker room, Polynice fought bitterly with the coaching staff as well.

Dale Ellis was again the key guy off the bench, scoring 10.3 points and shooting 43% from downtown. Why Westphal was so hung up on using Billy Owens in the starting lineup was beyond any of us fans, other than his height (6-9 and Westphal preferred taller guards). On the rare occasions he was healthy, Owens played miserably, shooting under 40% from the field and providing his usual matador defense. As bad as Owens was defensively, Don MacLean was worse. The former Washington standout shot like Chicago voters vote -- early and often -- allowing him to score 10.9 ppg despite also being under 40% from the field. Westphal quickly tired of the struggles of second year Sonic Aaron Williams, who was a key reserve in February but not again. Backup point was a struggle all season. Second year pro Moochie Norris, fairly well regarded a year earlier in the draft, started out in the role, keying an early season win over Portland with a pair of triples in the fourth quarter, but lost out because of his overly reckless style and an illness which caused him to sleep only a few hours each night. Rick Barry's youngest son, Drew Barry, then got the call, but he was really an off guard, with a nice shot, but unable to run a team or stay with faster points defensively. Finally, the club picked up veteran journeyman John Crotty at the end of March, and he took the job, playing adequately.

For the first time in anyone's recollection, the Sonics had three rookies who occasionally played. First round pick Vladimir Stepania was extremely talented, but also very raw. He saw a good deal of playing time as the key reserve big man in the middle of the season, before being replaced by second round pick Jelani McCoy. The 6-9 McCoy, a star at UCLA before being kicked off the team for problems with marijuana, provided shot blocking ability and a knack for turning any play into a dunk punctuated with a scowl. High schooler Rashard Lewis, expected to be a first round pick by his hometown Rockets, was the other second rounder. The team brought Lewis along slowly while he developed some semblence of an offensive game, but he did start five games at the start of the season so that Westphal could retain his big guard and wound Hawkins' ego.

After a brief pre-season, the 1999 season began in earnest on a Friday night, February 5. The Sonics dispatched of the Dallas Mavericks in the Key behind 28 from Payton in overtime, 92-86. They went on to win their next five in a row, capped by a 71-56 victory over Utah where the Sonics set a club record for fewest points allowed and became the NBA's last unbeaten. The joy was short-lived. The next night, an upstart Sacramento ballclub came to the Key and upended the Sonics. It was the beginning of a steep fall.

The Sonics' worst stretch came early into March, as they lost five in a row, something which had never happened under George Karl. For the month, the Sonics finished 7-10. Included in this were particularly pathetic losses to Karl's Milwaukee team, to an awful Washington club at home on the night McMillan's jersey was retired, and, on the first night of April, to a terrible Denver squad.

With another easily avoidable loss to a bad team April 9 in Vancouver, the Sonics fell below .500 at 17- 18, the latest they had been under .500 since being 23-24 during the '91-'92 season. However, I continued to believe that this team had all the talent necessary to be a contender, and was simply looking past these weaker opponents.

Unfortunately, this Sonic team wasn't good enough to simply flip on a switch and start playing hard again. With Baker out for the season after March 23, the Sonics were thin on the front line, forced to play the 6-9 and Downy-soft MacLean as a power forward in name only. There would be no season-ending run for this group of misfits, only a brief flicker of hope. A May 2 loss to the Lakers at home on NBC, 91-84, followed by a Sacramento defeat of Denver the next evening made official what the fans and myself already knew. The slogan on the back of the t-shirts given out that year -- "A playoff race from game 1" was a meaningless joke. A team that was easily more talented than the vast majority of its competitors finished just 25-25 behind problems of aging, dissension, and simply not caring enough to get up for every game. And Wally Walker had to pick up the pieces.

1999 stats