The Seattle SuperSonics, stung by an overtime loss at home to Charlotte, fired coach K.C. Jones on Wednesday.
The move caught the team by surprise. Sonics President Bob Whitsitt released a brief statement but did not immediately name a replacement. A team spokesman said an interim coach will be named before Thursday night`s home game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Jones led the Sonics to a 41-41 record and a playoff berth last season. Seattle is 18-18 this season and has lost its last three games.
”This is the most difficult decision I have ever made,” Whitsitt said.
”K.C. is a class person in the truest sense of he word. But at this time, it has become clear that we need to go in a different direction on the court.”
Jones, 59, said he was a victim of circumstances. ”They`re a young team,” he told KIRO Radio. ”They`re in a learning mode. It`ll take some time. It just didn`t come quick enough.”
”It`s not a good feeling,” veteran Eddie Johnson said. ”He treated us great. He didn`t get on guys when they didn`t play. He treated us like men and expected us to behave the same way. The whole thing is kind of depressing.”
Jones, an NBA Hall-of-Famer, starred for the Boston Celtics and coached them for five seasons (1983-88), guiding them to NBA championships in 1984 and 1986. He also coached the Bullets for three years, from 1973 to `76.
