ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 21, 1996 TAG: 9602210034
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: SEATTLE
SOURCE: Associated Press
THE FORMER UVA PLAYER believes the few changes he made in the off-season will lift Seattle to an NBA championship in June.
After the Seattle SuperSonics' second straight first-round playoff collapse, Wally Walker resisted the temptation to start all over again.
He refused to make a blockbuster trade involving either Gary Payton or Shawn Kemp, both All-Stars. And he didn't fire coach George Karl.
``I looked at the team and the coaching staff and what I saw were positives,'' the Sonics general manager said.
Fifty-one games into the season, the Sonics are playing better than any team in the franchise's history, better than their team two years ago that set a franchise regular-season record for wins and better than the 1979 Sonics who won the club's only NBA championship.
On Monday night, the Sonics made it seven straight victories for the second time this season, beating Atlanta to improve their Key Arena record to 23-2.
At 39-12, they're two games better than they were two years ago when they won 63 games. Since a 9-6 November, they're 30-6 and they're running away in the Pacific Division.
Like the dominating Bulls in the East, the Sonics are smoking in the West. Because of the Bulls' remarkable start, Seattle is going unnoticed, though.
``Since November, it's just been tremendous,'' said Walker, a former basketball player at Virginia. ``You can't be anything, but ecstatic about the way the team has played.''
Kemp and Payton are still the big stars. Kemp was selected for his fourth consecutive All-Star Game and his third in a row as a starter. Payton was chosen to play in his third straight All-Star game.
They're starting with Detlef Schrempf, Hersey Hawkins and Ervin Johnson. Nate McMillan, Sam Perkins, Vincent Askew and Frank Brickowski have been Seattle's key players off the bench.
And the Sonics have played 19 games without Schrempf, a two-time former All-Star who was sidelined with a broken left leg. Schrempf is just beginning to play well again.
When the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated the Sonics in the first round last season, there was strong speculation they would make major changes, starting with Karl and involving either Payton or Kemp.
Walker looked at what he had and what he didn't have. He kept Karl and Payton and Kemp. He traded disgruntled Kendall Gill to Charlotte for an outside shooter who would blend well, Hawkins. He sent Sarunas Marciulionis to Sacramento for Brickowski, who didn't even play last season.
The result?
The Sonics have been better on the floor and they've been happy in the locker room.
The Sonics realize their regular-season accomplishments won't mean anything if they go out in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight season.
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Walker.by CNB