Like Old Times Recycled Ellis Solidifies Sonics’ Chances

He’s still got his shooting legs, he still gets his shot off in a flash and he still has all his swagger.

In his 15th NBA season, Dale Ellis of the Seattle SuperSonics isn’t showing his age. He has become a key player on the team that has the best record in the league.

“My thing is when I step out on the court, I think I’m the best shooter to ever play the game,” said Ellis, 37. “I take it so far as to think I’m the best player on the court.”

In his second go-around in Seattle, which features All-Stars Gary Payton and Vin Baker, Ellis has been the major addition to a rebuilt bench.

Take Sunday night for example. Ellis scored 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting, including 3 of 4 on 3-pointers, in Seattle’s 97-87 victory over New Jersey.

In the Sonics’ 36-10 start, Ellis is the team’s No. 4 scorer, averaging 12.7 points. He’s shooting 52.5 percent from the field, 49.4 percent from 3-point range and 81 percent from the line.

Playing reduced minutes after being overused in Denver last season, Ellis looks as good now as he did when he left Seattle seven years ago.

“Well, we’ve added a great shooter,” teammate Hersey Hawkins said. “He’s proving he’s still one of the top shooters around.”

The Sonics acquired Ellis for virtually nothing, too.

Denver, interested in clearing out Ellis’ salary, traded him to Seattle on Oct. 2 for Greg Graham, Steve Scheffler and a second-round draft choice. Graham and Scheffler, who wouldn’t have made Seattle’s roster, are no longer in the league.

In effect, the Sonics got the league’s leading career 3-point shooter for a second-round draft pick.

“We’ve been looking for an extra shooter as long as I’ve been here,” said Wally Walker, in his fourth season as the Sonics’ president and general manager. “Dale obviously was the right guy.”

George Karl, the Sonics coach, was in favor of the addition of Ellis before the trade. Now, he loves it.

“Sometimes with a bad team, it’s hard to analyze what a player is doing,” he said. “But I thought he had a great year last year.”

Ellis wanted to play for the Sonics again because he thinks it’s a team that has a chance to go to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years. He also welcomed the opportunity to play less minutes, hoping it would help his career. It has.

“It’s been fantastic,” Ellis said. “I think this team has a very good chance of winning it all.”

When Ellis played for the Sonics before, he averaged 24.6 points on teams that included Xavier McDaniel and Tom Chambers. There was a lot of pressure on him then. He doesn’t feel any now.

“This is what I’ve wanted for a number of years,” he said.

“Teams can’t leave him open,” Hawkins said.

After the Sonics play the Indiana Pacers here Wednesday night, Ellis won’t get much time off. He’s been invited to go to New York for All-Star weekend to compete in the 3-point shooting contest, an event he won in 1988 when he played for the Sonics.

Said Karl: “He’s been a pleasure.”