Mr. Sonic Meets the Trail Blazers

Mr. Sonic, meet Team Turmoil.

Nate McMillan is embarking on one of the most challenging jobs offered in the NBA this off-season: head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.

It’s a team that over the past five years has dealt with player misbehavior, personnel changes from the front office down, fan disenchantment and two years without a postseason.

McMillan comes to Portland after five years as head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics, where before that he was an assistant coach after a 12-year career as a player. He was so beloved he won the moniker “Mr. Sonic.”

It became clear this summer, however, that it was time for both sides to move on. After the Sonics’ proposed contract extension, reportedly a four-year deal worth $18 million, McMillan signed a deal with Portland worth nearly $30 million over six years.

The raise and added security aside, the move confounded many because of his long tenure in Seattle and the disorder surrounding the Blazers.

“When I was making the decision, I thought ‘Can I help this organization? Can I do more? Does it excite me or inspire me to come back?’ ” McMillan said in an interview with Associated Press. “After 19 years, I decided it was time for a change.”

Blazer owner and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen clearly coveted the 6-foot-5 former guard, waiting until McMillan was ready to venture beyond Seattle while rumors swirled about other candidates -- including former Blazer Terry Porter and Suns’ assistant Marc Iavaroni.

On the surface, McMillan appears like the perfect solution for the Blazers. He is known for his strict rules, including bans on headbands and on cell phones on the team bus. He enforces a dress code.

“Character and talent are the things we’re looking for in a player,” he said. “It’s important that the players understand they have to respect the game. They have to respect the league. And they have to respect the fans. You must be a professional at all times.”

McMillan replaces Maurice Cheeks, who was popular with the players and the fans -- especially after helping a young singer with the words to the national anthem when she forgot them.

But as a “player’s coach,” Cheeks wasn’t able to crack down on a team badly in need of discipline. Portland was nicknamed the “Jail Blazers” after several brushes with the law, many of them involving marijuana possession.

Former Blazer forward Rasheed Wallace was suspended for seven games three seasons ago after threatening a game official on the loading dock of the Rose Garden. Former Guard Bonzi Wells had a couple of confrontations with Cheeks before he was traded to Memphis in 2004.

Then last year, Cheeks had a verbal run-in with forward Darius Miles during a film session. Miles was suspended for just two games, which many saw as a sign that team management did not support its coach.

Cheeks was fired in March and Blazer director of player personnel Kevin Pritchard served as interim coach the rest of the season.

McMillan, who by NBA coaching standards is young at just 41, is taking on one of the NBA’s youngest teams. Three years of thorough housecleaning has resulted in a team with an average age hovering around 23.

The team’s top three draft picks over the past three years have come straight from high school -- forward Travis Outlaw and guards Sebastian Telfair and Martell Webster. Miles also was drafted out of high school.

“We’ve got our work cut out for us. It takes four or five years to figure it out. Even Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett -- very few come in here and dominate quickly,” McMillan said.

How long will it take?

“I don’t know. I didn’t come here to lose. I know I have to be patient and I know what I’m working with. But I don’t like losing. I don’t take it well,” he said.

McMillan compiled a 212-183 record with the Sonics, who promoted him from assistant in November 2000.

Not much was expected of the Sonics this past season, but McMillan led them to 52 wins and they took the San Antonio Spurs to six games in the Western Conference semifinals.

McMillan was originally selected by the Sonics out of North Carolina State with the 30th overall pick of the 1986 draft. In his 12 years with the team, the Sonics made 11 postseason appearances -- and McMillan appeared in 98 playoff games, more than any other player in team history.

“There’s a guy who understands his strengths and weaknesses, and understands the importance of self-discipline. He wasn’t the greatest athlete, but he worked hard and was able to overcome his shortcomings,” said Bernie Bickerstaff, coach and general manager of the Charlotte Bobcats.

Today, McMillan’s No. 10 jersey hangs from the rafters at Seattle’s KeyArena.

McMillan said he’s spoken to all of his new players, either in person or on the phone. He watched Outlaw, Telfair and Webster play in the Las Vegas summer league.