Earl Watson met with Sonics general manager Sam Presti following Wednesday's 109-107 loss to the Houston Rockets, and the point guard described the meeting as "a supportive type, we'll-get-through-this type of thing."
"This type of thing" is a 12-game losing streak, and although Watson has started the past 24 games for the Sonics, he has not played in the fourth quarters of the past five, including Wednesday's painful loss. Watson was visibly angry after the game and Presti sought him out for a conversation.
*-*-*-*
Watson said he has asked Presti on more than one occasion about his future with the Sonics -- he has two more years on a five-year contract -- and has yet to receive an answer.
But his loyalty remains to his original team that drafted him in 2001.
"I've never had it confirmed that I fit in the long-term picture. I asked where I fit on this team and that wasn't answered so I stopped asking the question," he said. "You never quit on your family. You never quit on your friends. I think my mom made $12,000 and I never went to my mom and said I want to be adopted by a rich family and have everything. You've got to show some loyalty to somebody in your life."
*-*-*-*
Watson's disdain has more to do with the perception that his career is melting away and he is years from winning in Seattle.
"As you get older you get a sense of urgency, you want to win," he said. "You don't throw away years. You don't throw away seasons. There's no such thing as throwing away a season or sacrificing a season. I don't believe in that. I think you have to go out every season and compete at a high level. Expectations have to be high and if they aren't high from the beginning, they are going to be a problem for your team.
"Some teams might be cool with it but I'm not cool with it as a player, with expectations being low. It's made it tough, this year has been a challenge."
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/348763_sonx25.html
