I hope the fans will give me the time to understand the situation, bring some positive changes and have faith that we will make the right decisions. We will put them first, and we will bring a winner back.

- Howard Schultz, March, 2000

Here are the decisions his organization made since the end of 2000:

Drafted Radmanovic and Bobby Simmons. Traded Simmons for Predrag Drobnjak.
Signed Calvin Booth to a 6-year deal.
Signed Ansu Sesay.
Drafted Peter Fehse.
Signed Jerome James to a 3-year deal.
Traded Vin Baker and Shammond Williams for Potapenko, Kenny Anderson, and Joe Forte.
Signed Rashard Lewis to a 7-year deal.
Traded Gary Payton and Desmond Mason for Allen, Murray, Kevin Ollie, and a 2003 1st-round pick.
Traded Kenny Anderson for Elden Campbell.
Traded Willie Green for Paccelis Morlende.
Drafted Collison and Ridnour.
Signed Antonio Daniels.
Traded Drobnjak for a 2nd-round pick.
Drafted Swift, David Young, and Andre Emmett. Traded Emmett to Memphis for a 2nd-round pick.
Traded Booth to Dallas for Fortson.

It’s now September, 2004. If you were looking at the odds on the wall at a Las Vegas sportsbook, you’d see the Sonics listed as one of the six worst teams in the NBA. In the five seasons Schultz has owned the Sonics, the team has finished 4th, 5th, 4th, 5th, and 4th in the Pacific Division. And now he’s apparently had enough.

You want a scary thought? Try this one on for size: If Ray Allen walks after this season, Seattle will have traded Desmond Mason and Gary Payton for Flip Murray.

Thanks, Howard.

Go Seahawks.