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Sonics sign McMillan to 4-year deal
SEATTLE (AP) -- SuperSonics coach Nate McMillan signed a four-year deal Tuesday, a reward for restoring stability to the team after Paul Westphal was fired early this season. Seattle has gone 33-25 in the tough Western Conference since McMillan took over in November, when the team was 6-9 and plagued by bickering among players and Westphal. "The Sonics are my home," McMillan said. "I feel good about the future, and I am very happy to know that I'll have a chance to prove myself here." McMillan, 36, served as an assistant to Westphal for the previous two seasons after spending his entire 12-year playing career with the Sonics. His No. 10 jersey was retired and hangs in the rafters of the Sonics' Key Arena. Terms of his contract were not disclosed. The Sonics have won eight of their past nine games, but they are still 4 1/2 games behind Minnesota for the eighth and final spot. They have nine games left. "The timing of this has nothing to do with our recent win streak," Seattle general manager Wally Walker said. "His character, credibility and coaching ability make him the perfect choice to lead the Sonics." Walker will be a minority owner of the team if its sale from the Ackerley Group to a group led by Starbucks head Howard Schultz is approved by the NBA Board of Governors at their Friday meeting. Since taking over for Westphal, McMillan has restored the high-energy, trapping defense that led the Sonics to six consecutive 50-win seasons under George Karl from 1992-1998. The Sonics went to the NBA Finals in 1996, where they lost in six games to the Chicago Bulls. The Sonics' troubles didn't all disappear after McMillan took charge. He suspended Gary Payton for one game following a shouting match after a game against Phoenix Jan. 17. He has since praised Payton's improving leadership on the team, and he's kept the Sonics near playoff contention despite a rash of injuries early this year, including a groin injury to Payton. The Sonics lost nine of 12 games after the Feb. 11 All-Star break, before going on their current hot streak. McMillan also has struggled with some players' complaints about diminished playing time and inconsistent play, especially from Olympian and former All-Star Vin Baker, who lost his starting power forward job and is scoring just over 12 points a game. The Sonics might try to trade Baker, who is in the second year of a seven-year, $87 million contract, and they are unlikely to try to bring back Patrick Ewing, who is making $14 million this season. The 38-year-old center, who came to Seattle before the season in a trade with the New York Knicks, has provided solid interior defense, but he's scored fewer than 10 points a game in a limited role. "I just want people who believe in team basketball, who buy into playing together and making the sacrifices," McMillan said when asked about possible offseason moves before Monday night's 104-86 victory over Cleveland. "If we can find some players like that, with talent, then those are the type of guys I want."
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