SuperSonics Suspend Payton for Blowup With Westphal

S E A T T L E, Nov. 22, 2000 -- All-Star point guard Gary Payton was suspendedfor at least one game by the Seattle SuperSonics today for anargument with coach Paul Westphal.

Team president Wally Walker issued a statement that saidPayton’s suspension was “for conduct detrimental to the team.”

Walker said he was hopeful the Payton-Westphal problems could besmoothed over.

“While this was an act that was not taken lightly, we believethat both Gary and the team will move forward positively uponGary’s return,” Walker said.

Heated Words in Huddle

Payton had to be restrained after confronting Westphal during atimeout in the fourth quarter of Tuesday night’s game in Dallas,The News Tribune of Tacoma reported today.

The newspaper said Payton told Westphal in the huddle that hedidn’t care “about this game anymore. You all can suspend me forthe rest of my career.”

Sonics spokesman Mark Moquin said he could not confirm thatPayton was returning to Seattle from the team’s road trip in Texas.

The Sonics were to play tonight in San Antonio. Theirnext game is Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers inSeattle.

Westphal offered to resign four games into the Sonics’disappointing season. He refused to discuss Payton’s blowup.

“It’s a blip on the radar screen,” Westphal said afterSeattle’s 116-110 victory.

The confrontation with Westphal came with 8:31 left afterWestphal said something that set Payton off. Teammate PervisEllison and others held Payton back.

After the game, Payton said Westphal showed him a lack ofrespect by what was said. If Westphal does it again, Payton said,he no longer would play for him.

Payton would not disclose what Westphal said to him.

“He is going to respect me or I am not going to play for him,”Payton told The News Tribune. “That’s just (it) period. If he isgoing to say something bad to me and I think it is bad, he is goingto have to respect me before that. Or he won’t have me playing forhim.

“I am not going to say anything else about it. I am going to bea professional about it, but that’s the way it is going to be onthe bench. It is going to be respect. If I respect him, he is goingto respect me.”

Payton had 28 points on 10-of-25 shooting and nine assists asthe Sonics improved their record to 5-7 in Dallas.

After the confrontation with Westphal, the coach wanted to takePayton out of the game, but Payton at first refused. Eventually,Ellison got Payton to leave the floor and come to the bench.

Payton returned to the game with 5:45 remaining.

After a Sonics loss Nov. 6 in Orlando, Westphal, frustrated byhis team’s bickering and insubordination, offered to quit if hisplayers thought he was the problem, but they wouldn’t let him.

The offer went unreported until Westphal told the media inSeattle about it after a practice last Thursday.

Locker Room Shouts

In the locker room after the Orlando game, Payton, Vin Baker andPatrick Ewing shouted at their teammates about their poor effort,newspapers reported.

Some players questioned Westphal’s ability. Westphal, who was inan office within earshot, came into the locker room and said hewould step down if that was what they wanted, the newspapers said.

Payton said last week he didn’t want to be blamed for Westphal’sdeparture.

“I just said we don’t need to be talking about this,” Paytonsaid. “We need to be focused on the team, not whether he should beout or whether he should be here. I wasn’t going to have this comeout in the media like we voted out a coach.