Now, the Seattle SuperSonics are going to begin feeling the pressure.

With Rashard Lewis' statement this past week that he wants to be paid the maximum salary - a seven-year contract for $102 million - it brings to the forefront the future of an organization that, like many teams around the league, is being asked to pay for its success.

The organization liked when Lewis was the quiet, unassuming kid who did not make waves, did not speak his mind.

But now, now that the guy who they have dubbed the future of the franchise is making demands and playing the leverage game, the decision makers are going to begin feeling the pressure. Already, several sources have said, Lewis' comments sent shockwaves through a front office that was not anticipating the revelation.

To be fair, Lewis also is going to begin feeling pressure. When a guy comes out and says he wants $100 million, suddenly his game comes under much more scrutiny. Those nights when he scores 10 points and grabs three rebounds no longer will be looked at as a developing player still trying to find himself.

No, they will now be gauged as: Is this a guy really worth $100 million?

The answer to that question is, probably not, at least not now. Lewis still does not have the ballhandling skills necessary to take over a game, his defense is subpar and he needs to work on a post-up game.

On the other hand, like it or not, the NBA is about paying for potential, not necessarily what already has been achieved. With that in mind, Lewis is 22 years old and already averaging 17 points, second on the team, and 7.6 rebounds, first on the team. He did not play college ball, so he does not have the game's fundamentals down, and those should come with experience and coaching.

More important, he has been a model citizen for an organization that has said it wants to change its image to consumer-friendly and respectable. He is well-mannered, well-behaved and a hard worker, everything majority owner Howard Schultz says he is looking for in a quintessential SuperSonic.

So, here is the quandary: How does a franchise that already possesses the player it says exemplifies all the qualities it demands, not reward that player?

What would happen, for instance, if the Sonics say the do not want to pay Lewis what he is asking and he decides to leave, or decides to take a one-year contract and leave in a year? How does the organization explain to a dwindling fan base that its ideal example of a player left because, well, we didn't want to pay him?

That would be hypocritical, the same way it would be hypocritical for the Sonics to trade Gary Payton after Payton has done everything Schultz has asked, and his productivity has actually increased.

Lewis intertwined his and Payton's career in his statements to The News Tribune this past week, when he said he wants Payton back as a teammate. It actually was a smart move by Lewis, who understands that much of his success is based on Payton's presence.

Payton wants an extension. The Sonics do not want to give him one until his contract expires. Somewhere along the way, the issue is going to come to some sort of dispute unless it is resolved.

So here is what the Sonics face: Can a team that already is doling out $87 million to its underachieving power forward (Vin Baker) afford to pay Lewis an even bigger contract, and give Payton a sizeable extension, at a time that the salary cap is coming down and at a time that there still is some question whether this is a playoff team?

On the other hand, as Schultz talks about honesty, commitment, passion, loyalty and rediscovering the successes of the past in the not-so-distant future, can it afford not to?

- - -

* Reach staff writer Frank Hughes at 253-597-8742, ext. 6120, or [email protected]

- - -

Frank Hughes' Big 5

The NBA's Top 5 highest-paid players:

1. Kevin Garnett, Minnesota, $22.4 million a year

2. Shaquille O'Neal, LA Lakers, $21.43 million.

3. Juwan Howard, Dallas, $18.75 million.

4. Scottie Pippen, Portland, $18.08 million.

5. Karl Malone, Utah, $17.5 million.

- - -

Around the league: WESTERN CONFERENCE

It was estimated that Diary Queen received between $5 million and $10 million in free advertising from its back-and-forth play with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

Also, Dairy Queen apparently is going to become an official sponsor of the Mavs, and early indications are that anytime somebody fouls out they will receive a free coupon. Something from DQ for a DQ.

By the way, this is Cuban's response to Sonics majority owner Howard Schultz saying he thinks Cuban needs to "grow up."

"I wish the NBA were as responsive to their shareholders as Howard is to Starbucks shareholders, employees and customers. Unfortunately they aren't. ... Tell Howard I have pursued these efforts privately for some time, but that has gotten little feedback, let alone results." ...

Living in Houston since he arrived from Nigeria, the family of Hakeem Olajuwon had never seen snow. Now that he is in Toronto, his wife and three daughters love the experience.

"They had never even seen snow before," Olajuwon said. "Now they can't get enough of it. They wake up every day and ask me when it is going to snow for them again. They want to be outside all of the time, doing the things that kids in colder cities do. They ride sleds. They build snowmen. They have snowball fights. They have even had me in them.

"My daughters have been telling me what we will do the next time it snows. You go to the top of a very long hill, and you get into some kind of rubber tube, and they give you a push. This sounds like fun.

"Do you know," Olajuwon said, "if you can steer those things?" ...

You may think that Gary Payton got jobbed in the All-Star balloting since Houston's Steve Francis, who has been injured a lot of the season, beat him out.

But consider this: The Rockets are 1-17 when playing without Francis this season. He is the only player to lead his team in scoring average (20.3), rebounding average (7.3) and assists average (5.9). ...

The day after Shaquille O'Neal was suspended for throwing a punch at Chicago's Brad Miller, Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke wrote a column ripping Shaq.

So the next day, Shaq tapes a piece of paper to his jersey that reads:

"IN HINDU CULTURE, THE ELEPHANT IS TALL, REGAL, MAJESTIC, STRONG, POWERFUL AND ENIGMATIC. A HINDU PROVERB STATES THAT WHEN AN ELEPHANT IS DOWN EVEN A FROG WILL KICK HIM. ISN'T THAT RIGHT, PLASCHKE?"

The next day, Sha finally spoke about the incident, albeit briefly.

"I do not waste my time in answering abuse. I thrive under it, like a field that benefits from manure."

- - -

EASTERN CONFERENCE

While the Charlotte Hornets have announced they are applying to move to New Orleans, their owners are sending the players mixed messages. After a team meeting with owner George Shinn, P.J. Brown said he doesn't know any more than he did before:

"He just said the situation here was that the door wasn't closed on the city here. He said there's still a chance for anything to happen. That nothing's set in stone. Nothing's guaranteed." ...

In case anyone did not make the connection, it is probably not a coincidence that Brad Miller and Charles Oakley hacked Shaquille O'Neal so violently after Bill Cartwright took over.

Cartwright, after all, was notorious for swinging his elbows so wildly that he once knocked Hakeem Olajuwon out for two months.

"All I meant was we have to be a more aggressive defensive team, not necessarily a dirty defensive team, but a much tougher one," Cartwright said after the incident. "I didn't see anything dirty or anything that was illegal. We got called for a hard foul."

Uh-huh. ...

The Detroit Pistons have lost 13 of 16, and Cliff Robinson is tired of the excuses.

"You can only sit around so long and watch these guys get all disappointed in the fact that they aren't making shots," Robinson said. "You know, stop trying to find out what's wrong. Stop worrying about missing shots. You aren't always going to play a perfect game. If your shot isn't going down, go to other end and see what you can do on defense." ...

Boston's Paul Pierce recently was included in the 3-point shooting contest at All-Star weekend, and teammate Antoine Walker makes 35.5 percent of his 3-pointers. But neither is the best on the team. That title goes to equipment man John Connor, who regularly beats the players from long distance.

"I'm devastated,'' Celtics coach Jim O'Brien said when asked about Connor being excluded from the 3-point contest. "I think he was slighted, and it makes me angry." ...

When Michael Jordan scored 51 points against New Jersey, he said it was because Kenyon Martin told him his back hurt. The Nets got revenge this past week, beating the Wizards in a game in which they were up by 40 points.

Afterwards, Martin said he had learned his lesson.

"(Before the tip Wednesday night) he asked me how I feel. I told him I feel great." ...

Things are getting a little tense in New York. Interim coach Don Chaney, usually mild-mannered, questioned the team's leadership this past week, something that used to be done by Jeff Van Gundy.

"We've always had a lack of leadership, but even without leaders, you've got to hold up to your game," Chaney said. "We never took pride in stopping anybody individually. You've got to play defense, and we never did. ... I'm disappointed this time because I thought our guys gave in. They gave in early, and we can't do that."

- - -

Rim shots

SHAQ NOT ONLY ONE TAKING ERRANT ELBOWS

"I've been hit all upside the head, stitches and breaks, and broken noses - two of them - so I know. There isn't but so much room under that basket. So if you have a 330-pound, 7-footer out there with a bunch of other 6-10, 250-pound, 260-pound guys all in the paint at one time, there's going to be a lot of bumping and hitting." Miami's Alonzo Mourning, who empathizes with Shaq.

LOOKING THROUGH ROSE-COLORED GLASSES

"Some people call that a shooter's miss. I call it, at the end of a game, a choker's miss." Indiana's Jalen Rose, after he rimmed out a free throw at the end that cost his team a game.

Richmond Fluent in sign language

"The first time Laker Mitch Richmond lifts a finger all season and the NBA fines him $5,000." Los Angeles Times columnist T.J. Simers on Richmond getting fined for giving a fan the bird.