THE NBA : SuperSonics Eye Problems at Home and Listen to Offers

SEATTLE —  The hottest commodity in the NBA has a home with a leaky roof, a scoreboard that malfunctions because of power shortages and plumbing that backs up frequently. So the tenants pay attention when out-of-towners mention shiny new buildings, lucrative deals and relocation all in the same breath.

A little more than a month into the season, the Seattle SuperSonics have almost as many suitors as victories. They come, apparently unsolicited, offering part or all income from parking and concessions and the possibility of luxury suites, none of which the team has now. They come offering a quality arena, which the Sonics don’t have, either.

“I try to tell the fans yelling at me that we just rent the building,” team President Bob Whitsitt said of the Seattle Coliseum, the SuperSonics’ home, sub-par excellence. “We would like to fix the leaks. We wish the scoreboard would work all the time. We wish the toilets wouldn’t back up.”

So the SuperSonics listen to the proposals from Memphis, from Cincinnati, which would like to put a team just across the river in Kentucky; from San Diego, Toronto, Kansas City, Mo., Anaheim, Columbus, Ohio, and nearby Tacoma.

Team officials have worked for three years to get a new building. Owner Barry Ackerley bought seven acres next to the Kingdome to build his own arena, but the baseball Mariners balked because of traffic and parking problems when schedules run together in the spring. King County owns the dome. Guess who won the dispute.

Cynics might suggest that the SuperSonics are floating the rumors of outside interest to better their own deal at home, but everyone from Ackerley on down has made public statements about wanting to stay.

But will they?

Whitsitt, encouraged by the recent election of Mayor Norm Rice, who as a councilman seemed in favor of a new arena, stays clear of probabilities and percentages. He does, however, say that this is the season for a decision.

“We can’t just keep saying, ‘Well, maybe next year it’ll work out,’ ” Whitsitt said.

So they listen.

The SuperSonics’ lease runs through the 1994-95 season, but they could buy their way out for $1.5 million. The deadline for filing to move for 1990-91 is March, and a majority of the NBA’s 27-member board of governors is needed for approval.

Sympathy for the team runs deep.

Commissioner David Stern said recently: “I don’t want to speak for the board of governors, but I do know most people in Seattle and around the league agree that vast improvements must be made.”

Built in 1962 for the World’s Fair, Seattle Coliseum is the league’s fifth oldest and, with a capacity of 14,250, third-smallest arena. And in the three years the SuperSonics have been trying to get a new arena, the place hasn’t exactly aged gracefully.

“They could have at least fixed the roof,” Whitsitt said.

It says a lot about the type of season New York’s Patrick Ewing is having when people are talking nonstop about how much he has improved, after averaging 21.2 points and 8.8 rebounds in his first four years.

Some claim it’s his shooting, impressive in itself considering that Ewing began the season shooting 53.1% during his career. Others point to his passing. Whatever. The one thing many seem to agree on is that Ewing, with Akeem Olajuwon’s preseason setback after developing blood clots in his leg, has passed the Houston Rockets’ three-time all-NBA selection and become the best center in the game.

“It was definitely Akeem, and not just for one year,” Laker Magic Johnson said. “It was Akeem the last three or four years. Now, it’s definitely Patrick Ewing.”

So, maybe it doesn’t matter if Olajuwon is healthy or not.

“(Ewing) is just going out and kicking butt,” said Seattle’s Michael Cage. “It’s that simple. And he plays like he has that attitude.”

Ewing has 32 points or more in seven games already, and in his last five outings he has scored 41, 29, 32, 32 and 26 points. Second in the league in scoring and blocked shots as of Saturday, at 29.3 and 3.42, respectively, he is shooting 56% and averaging 9.8 rebounds. Teammate Charles Oakley is among the rebounding leaders with 12.3.

“There’s no sense in me even trying to describe how good he is,” Knick guard Mark Jackson said.

Other reviews:

--Sacramento Coach Jerry Reynolds: “He was always a great defensive player and a very good offensive player. But he became a great offensive player. He shoots the ball almost as well as anyone from 15 to 18 feet.”

--New York forward Kenny Walker, a close friend: “Patrick always had a good work ethic. Every time I see him, he’s more and more intimidating, and he spends more time before practices perfecting moves. I’ve never been around a guy this mentally tough to improve his game.”

Ewing gets all the exclamation points, but give an assist to Stu Jackson. After taking over for Rick Pitino as coach, Jackson shifted the emphasis from a wide-open, three-point-shooting attack to a more controlled half-court offense. Ewing became the centerpiece.

Be it ever so humble . . . :

Charles Barkley of the 76ers skipped the Dec. 5 game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden with the flu. It was an especially disappointing trip to miss.

“They’re really into basketball,” Barkley said. “I like playing in places where they’re really into the game. So apparently, I don’t like playing in Philly.”

When Blair Rasmussen, a center with an 8.8-point average, got $17.5 million for seven years from Denver, more than a few people were surprised. Bertram Lee and Peter Bynoe, the Nuggets new owners, were among them.

In fact, that deal got the Lee-Bynoe early days in the NBA off to a dubious start:

--General Manager Pete Babcock signed the contract on behalf of the club.

--President John Spoelstra, brought in over Babcock by Bynoe and Lee, was in on the talks.

--Majority owner Robert Wussler, who wants to maintain a low profile, was at least kept informed.

Everyone apparently knew of the deal except Bynoe and Lee, who were busy completing the takeover from Sidney Shlenker. Spoelstra told Babcock and agent Herb Rudoy that he was keeping the new owners updated. Apparently he wasn’t. Bynoe and Lee later asked Rudoy to cut the deal to $10 million for five years.

“They tested me, I suppose, to see if I was born yesterday,” Rudoy said.

The deal, in its original form, was announced six days after it had been signed.

“I think the internal management of the team is something we can improve, something we will improve, something we must improve,” Bynoe said.

Big men need not apply: When Denver played Golden State Nov. 28, the lineup had a short-term approach, with none of the players on the court during one stretch taller than 6 feet 7 inches. The Nuggets had 6-7 Bill Hanzlik, 6-3 Fat Lever, 6-4 Todd Lichti, 5-10 Eddie Hughes and 6-6 Walter Davis. The Warriors countered with 6-7 Chris Mullin, 6-5 Mitch Richmond, 6-5 Sarunas Marciulionis, 6-2 Winston Garland and 6-foot Tim Hardaway.