Sonics owner "disappointed"

OKLAHOMA CITY — After much prodding, Sonics chairman Clay Bennett revealed his feelings about the season before Wednesday's 101-92 overtime loss to the New Orleans Hornets and provided the first tangible evidence that coach Bob Hill will likely be relieved of his duties immediately after the season.

Bennett still doesn't appear entirely comfortable with his role as the face of a franchise that's in a state of disarray. It was the 19th of 20 questions before he finally opened up.

He sidestepped nine questions about Hill's uncertain future until he was asked about Tuesday's 19-point defeat in San Antonio and how far the Sonics are from competing at a championship level.

"I don't know enough about the basketball side of that to answer that question except to say that we're all, coaching staff included, disappointed in the season," Bennett said. "We had high expectations. Coming out of camp with high expectations.

"Clearly, injuries have played a big role in our season. But all of that withstanding, all teams in the league have injuries and challenges and we were not able to perform at the level that we had hoped to perform. Across the board. We're all about winning. That's how we judge success in this business. That's the context we're going to approach how we do these evaluations and how we renew positions for next year."

Hill has not won many games during his 1 ½ years as coach. His record is 52-75 and his .409 winning percentage is the worst of any Sonics coach who has had a full season with the team.

Last season, he led the team to a 22-30 mark after taking over on Jan. 3, 2006. While most believed Seattle would compete for a playoff spot this season, the team dropped below .500 after the ninth game and fell out of playoff contention in January. The team also lost a franchise-worst 15 consecutive road games this season.

Injuries were a major cause of the Sonics' demise. Robert Swift tore his right anterior cruciate ligament in the exhibition season and underwent season-ending knee surgery before the season opener. Rashard Lewis missed 22 games because of a strained tendon sheath, and Ray Allen will miss 26 games because of foot injuries.

Hill, players and front-office personnel met eight of the nine owners on Wednesday morning during a 45-minute brunch at the team's hotel. Hill, whose contract expires in July, said he declined to lobby for his job during the meeting.

"If I end up back in Seattle, I want it to be because he [Bennett] wants me there, not because I said the right things to him or put the right things in the paper," he said. "Trust me, there's enough in Seattle to be done and the people that are there are going to have to be capable and hungry and be ready go to work. So those are his decisions."

Lewis also declined to take advantage of the rare face-to-face time with Bennett and the other owners to campaign for a new contract.

Before the game, the Sonics forward reiterated plans to opt out of the final two years of his contract and forfeit $21 million in hopes of signing a maximum or near-maximum deal as an unrestricted free agent.

"It just wasn't the right time to get into all of that," he said. "That time will come. I'm sure they'll come and give me an offer pretty soon, and if they don't, that tells me they really didn't want me here in the first place. ... They had things they needed to take care of with the arena stuff, but sooner or later, we've got to take care of this situation right here."

Bennett, who was a member of the NBA Board of Governors from 1992-97 as a representative of the San Antonio Spurs, said he plans to lean on his past experience with the Spurs as he takes a more hands-on approach during the offseason with personnel decisions, the draft and free agency.

"That model has certainly worked well," he said of San Antonio. "My approach to this, my approach to the other businesses that I'm in, is let's bring in the best talent we can."

Bennett also said he's unsure how the defeat of the $360 million NASCAR racetrack bid will affect the team's chances of winning support for its $500 million multi-purpose facility in Renton. He has no plans to return to Seattle or Olympia before the Legislative session ends April 22 and is focusing on basketball operations.

"The arena development process — although we have 90 percent of the way to go — at least I have a sense that it's becoming more framed and becoming more put on track," Bennett said. "I've had some time now to move away from it a little bit and work on what now is the imminent need for the business, and that's this evaluation."

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com