Sonics Thinking of Selves, Not Fans

The question before Sonics general manager Sam Presti seemed simple: Is his intention, when all of his offseason wheeling and dealing is done, to build a playoff team for 2007-08? The conventional wisdom is that it's in the best interest of a franchise looking to land an arena deal to do just that -- to excite fans and reconnect with its skeptical hometown by winning. That's simplistic and naive, yes. But how would the alternative go over? After Presti jettisoned sharpshooter and team capo Ray Allen during the NBA draft on Thursday, it appeared that, instead, he was commencing a rebuilding effort. Thus the simple question. Here's Presti's response: "A lot depends on when we roll it out there and see how the pieces work together. I couldn't be more excited about the group we have now, the talented core we're adding to."