Sonics GM Rick Sund is the architect of their 18-4 start and is chiefly responsible for the plan to play the season with seven pending free agents, and he has no qualms that the team decided to forgo a contract for him until after the season.

"I like short-term contracts for players, so why should I feel any different for myself?" Sund said. "For half of my career, I've been without a contract. When I was with Dallas, the guy said, 'Hey, Rick. Let's just do a handshake deal.' And I said fine.

"Probably if I were 29 or 30, I would probably be a little bit more concerned about security. But it's cool. It's OK with me."

Seattle's unexpected success hasn't altered the arrangement Sund made with CEO Wally Walker before the season. However, if the Sonics plan to retain Sund, they likely will resign him before the season ends because of time constraints regarding the trade deadline.