Sonics head into the summer scratching their heads

SEATTLE (AP) — What now for the Seattle SuperSonics?

Ummmm … good question.

”Your guess may a lot better than mine,” All-Star guard Ray Allen said.

Eliminated from the playoffs two weeks ago and unable to mount a challenge much of the season after injuries to their two best players, the Sonics head into the summer unsure of exactly where the team is going.

”I have no idea, no idea whatsoever,” Rashard Lewis said. ”I think everybody on the team is disappointed. You know the organization. You never really know what's going on upstairs.”

It could be a busy offseason after the lottery-bound Sonics finished 37-45 and missed the playoffs for the second straight year. It's the team's worst record since 1986, and there are no shortage of questions for the offseason.

Chief among them, will Brent Barry return?

The 32-year-old veteran guard is a free agent, and he's seeking a four-year contract to carry him into the twilight of his career. The Sonics are reluctant to offer more than three years.

”I'd like to see him back on this roster,” Allen said.

Preliminary talks have been going for several weeks. While Barry would be a complementary player on a contending team elsewhere, most agree he's a good fit as a leader in Seattle.

He has said he hopes to return, but his plans are vague.

”I haven't really talked about my situation at all to the media this year,” Barry said. ”There's been more speculation than anything else. I'm hoping that everything will work itself out.”

Barry's situation aside, the Sonics appear committed to a youth movement that team chairman Howard Schultz has identified in recent years as the best course for the franchise.

Back in October, the Western Conference playoffs seemed a tall order for a perimeter-oriented team competing against the likes of Shaquille O'Neal with the Los Angeles Lakers and Tim Duncan in San Antonio.

Then came a series of injuries that pushed Seattle deep in the standings.

Allen missed the first month of the season after surgery to remove a bone chip from his right ankle. Barry was out six weeks with a broken index finger on his right hand.

The Sonics played all season without one of their two first-round draft picks, forward Nick Collison.

”We really do have a young team,” Lewis said. ”A lot of young guys on the team are still learning how to play the game. I think we had some key injuries to our two key guards that really hurt us.”

Still, the Sonics had their moments. Allen made his fourth trip to the All-Star game. Lewis scored 50 points in the season opener at Tokyo against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Ronald ”Flip” Murray, in his second season, turned heads with his spectacular early season scoring while Allen was out. Rookie point guard Luke Ridnour had some promising games down the stretch.

The Sonics, though, are devoid of any consistent inside presence, and it remains a glaring problem.

Jerome James, Calvin Booth and Vitaly Potapenko together earn $15.6 million in salaries. The market in the NBA rewards centers of any skill level, but the Sonics have little to show on the court for their spending.

James averaged 5.0 points and 3.5 rebounds a game before going on the injured list with an abdominal strain near season's end. Booth averaged 4.8 points and 4.0 rebounds a game.

Potapenko was the most consistent, averaging 7.0 points and 4.4 rebounds a game. Yet it's clear the Sonics could use more production inside, and they'll probably need to look elsewhere to find it.

”We need a big rebounder who's going to come in here and who is going to give us double doubles consistently,” Allen said. ”There are teams we play against who have that guy on their roster. That's what we need.”

Collison should be healthy next season after surgeries on both shoulders, but he would have been a rookie in 2003-04 and it's unfair to expect him to carry the load next season.

Allen feels it's not his place to say specifically what the front office should do, but he's got a strong opinion about the outcome.

”I want to win,” he said. ”I want them to be proactive in trying to get some guys in here that want to win.”