Bob Hill: Just Fire Me Already

In 1969, Swiss-born psychiatrist Elizabeth Kubler-Ross outlined the five stages of grief. In the midst of the longest death-watch in NBA history, it appears Seattle Supersonics coach Bob Hill has arrived at the final stage, Acceptance:

About an hour before the start of the Sonics' 107-101 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday night, Hill gave a soliloquy about the realities of being an NBA coach.

"I look at my position very realistically,'' said Hill, in his ninth season as an NBA coach. "You know, when you get fired, you don't die. You don't die.''

Read the rest here.

I love Bob Hill. He's a great, old-school coach who says what he thinks, which is a rarity in today's NBA. He gave Sonics fans a glimmer of hope last season when he did the impossible: he made Robert Swift look like an NBA player. Hill has been pummeled this year with adversities of biblical proportions. That's why I want the Sonics to fire him.

Hill deserves better than this. The ax was raised the day the Sonics were sold down the river to Big Boy Bennett. Let it fall already.

Bob Hill. R.I.P.

Permission to Win

"You know who I am? I'm the coach who can't get fired!"

There's been some grumbling in Sonics Land. When your team is struggling to reach .500 and threatening to leave town, that's not surprising. What is surprising is that fans aren't grumbling about the losing, but the winning.

Content to write off the season before the all-star break, many Seattle basketball fans are hoping the Sonics lose as many games as possible for a chance to land coveted college star Greg Oden. Normally, I might see the logic in this. It's not every day you get a chance to land a great big man like Oden, who has been compared to future hall of famers David Robinson and Tim Duncan. Still, it is only a chance—unlike the old days, having the worst record in the league is no guarantee for landing the top pick. The Sonics could tank a salvageable season for Tiago Splitter.

The thing that really kills the "Lose Now to Win Later" strategy is that even if the Sonics somehow land Oden, Seattle might never see him play.

While Big Boy Bennett is still talking about about a "Pepsi-Light" arena for Renton, there's still a real possibility that he's just running out the clock on the Key Arena lease so he can pack the team off to Okie-Land. Haven't you wondered why the Sonics haven't made a single move all season to improve the team?

If this is the Sonics' last season is Seattle, is this the way you want the team to go out, intentionally losing games so that Oklahoma can have the next San Antonio Spurs? (You know Bob Hill must be having flashbacks.)

I say win now. Make the playoffs. Leave it all on the floor. Go out in glory. Go Sonics.

Sonics Sign Brown for Season

Thanks to Jason for the tip!

SEATTLE, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2007 – Sonics General Manager Rick Sund announced today that the team has re-signed forward Andre Brown for the remainder of the season. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not released.

Brown has appeared in seven games for the Sonics since joining the team on Jan. 5, averaging 5.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Brown tallied a career-high 10 points vs. Milwaukee on Jan. 19 and recorded a key block in overtime of the Sonics 122-114 victory over Utah on Jan. 12. The 6-9 forward, who played his college ball at DePaul University, began the season with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA D-League.