Bob Hill is no longer the Sonics' coach, but he won't be forgotten any time soon. At least not by Ray Allen.

"Bob was the best coach that I've had in my career," the All-Star Sonics guard said. "He and I were able to discuss things on and off the floor. Through 82 games, our relationship was great under some tough circumstances.

"He would have been great for me for the rest of my career. I understand the organization has to do what's best for them and I stand by the organization, because it's not about me and what I want or did not want. But I'm not happy that Bob is gone. Not at all."

Since his rookie year in 1996, Allen has had five head coaches (Chris Ford, George Karl, Nate McMillan, Bob Weiss and Hill). He said Hill had the most positive influence on his career.