By Mike Kahn
CBS SportsLine Executive Editor
Oct. 12, 1998

SEATTLE -- Paul Westphal is the old cliché. It just hasn't happened before in the NBA. He's got brand new Seattle SuperSonics duds and no basketball team. Thus, he's all dressed up and no place to go.

"I couldn't be happier being here," Westphal said. "This just gives us some time to get acquainted with the staff and spend a lot of time studying free agents."

Paul Westphal might have a problem reaching out to a demonstrative Gary Payton. (Allsport)

With only six players under contract, the NBA lockout continuing and the announcement expected Tuesday that as many as the entire first week of regular season games will be canceled, this is less than an ideal time to re-enter the NBA.

AND YET, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HEAR any complaints from Westphal. The former All-NBA guard, who was abruptly fired by the Phoenix Suns 33 games into the 1995-96 season, didn't really figure it would take this long for a return. On the other hand, he was able to be an assistant coach for his son Michael's high school team, watching every one of his games his junior and senior year.

"Since there are only 29 jobs, it's not like you can pick your time and place," Westphal said. "The good aspect of it was to be able to see every one of his games those last two years. How many coaches get to do that? None. I just love basketball. It was fun to be around high school ball. It wasn't always the most comfortable situation to stay in Phoenix after I got fired by the Suns, but we did it for my son's sake and I'm glad we did."

Fair exchange took place. Now, son has followed father to the Northwest, where Michael is a walk-on freshman at the University of Washington. It's been nearly 18 years since Westphal played for the Sonics . . . or at least tried to for 36 games. As his 12-year career wore down after he was a two-time All-American at USC, the Sonics saw the twilight of his career -- although he did win the Comeback Player of the Year award with the Knicks in 1983 before completing his career in Phoenix the next season.

It was a time when he and his wife Cindy were young parents with Victoria and baby Michael headed to various forms of preschool.

"We really liked living up here," said Westphal, a native of Torrance, Calif. "But my memories with the Sonics pretty much were all about rehabilitating my foot and taking the kids to preschool. Obviously, I'd spent a lot of time up here with other teams and when I was coaching the Suns."

AH YES, COACHING THE SUNS. FOLLOWING A year of helping at local high schools and focusing on his family, Westphal became head coach of Southwestern Baptist Bible College to learn on-the-job training. A 21-9 start wasn't bad, then he got the job as head coach of Grand Canyon College, which won the NAIA Championship under him.

That was enough of that. The Suns gobbled him up to be on the bench as the heir to coach Cotton Fitzsimmons. He spent four seasons re-learning the NBA as an assistant coach for the Suns. This group, led by Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle, Danny Ainge and Tom Chambers, recorded an NBA-best 62-20 record when he was a rookie coach, earning a trip to the Finals. They took Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls to six games before succumbing in a one-point loss.

He was a member of the 1974 Boston Celtics that won the NBA Championship, so he knows what it takes at a variety of levels.

"That's why we hired him," Sonics president Wally Walker said. "Paul has been successful at every level of basketball. He knows what it takes to be a champion and I think his personality fits this team."

Unquestionably a more laid-back and self-assured personality than George Karl, who was fired by the Sonics in June and now is in Milwaukee, the knock on Westphal was he was too calm. With a demonstrative player like Charles Barkley around, it was no easy task running that team. There were similar concerns around the Sonics camp with regard to Gary Payton. Most people believe dealing with Payton had a lot to do with Nate McMillan being added to the staff so soon after retirement.

"There's an awful lot of respect for Nate on this team and around the league," Westphal said. "I expect him to help us in a lot of ways."

WESTPHAL, OF COURSE, ISN'T ALLOWED to talk about any of his players. Nobody in the NBA is these days during the lockout, or heavy fines will be levied. Still, it isn't as if he stood still as a coach and didn't learn after being fired by the Suns. He is known as an offensive coach coming to a defensive-oriented team.

"It's true in coach as it is in every walk of life -- you're constantly evolving or you're not going to be successful," Westphal said. "It's not easy to articulate a basketball philosophy. Mostly, you try to do the best you can to suit the talent of the players you have. A lot of it is about personality and chemistry. The game is basically the same -- except for the rules -- on all levels."

There were some concerns about Westphal's politics, of all things, because he is a friend of right-wing mighty mouth Rush Limbaugh. Flexibility in life is one thing, and it's important. Just don't try and categorize Westphal.

Remember, he's also a big fan of Bob Dylan, whose subject matter would hardly be considered conservative.

"I think it became real easy for people to pigeonhole me and it would probably surprise a lot of people to know I've never once worked for anyone politically," Westphal said. "Yes, I'm flexible, but I also think you have to be strong in your convictions, and I'm not going to back off from supporting my friends.

"People need to look at the whole picture."

There is this perception Westphal's personality is either very complicated or very simple. Actually, both appear to be a perception with him. When it comes right down to it, Paul Westphal is a lover of basketball and life. He lives it to the fullest in the manner in which he sees fit.

During his sabbatical from the NBA, he began writing a book -- filled with stories of his life in basketball from John Wooden to Red Auberbach. He has yet to complete it. The one aspect of basketball that stood out in his mind while away from the game is something he hopes nobody -- neither management nor the players -- loses sight of . . . the fans who love the game.

"I gained a new appreciation of how much fans love this game," Westphal said. "When you have people giving up their livelihoods just to take a $10,000-a-year job to be a video coordinator to be close to the action ... it gives you new perspective."

For now, he's got a team of Payton, Detlef Schrempf, Vin Baker, Hersey Hawkins, Jim McIlvaine and Aaron Williams. He spent almost three years staying up with the NBA via satellite -- hoping he could get a job as good as the one he got. His 191-88 (.685) coaching record in the NBA is surpassed by few.

Now, if there would just be an NBA season.

"That's what I love about life in sports," Westphal said. "Every day is different and the obstacles are always there to overcome. We'll get through this and get it going. I've waited three years. I can wait a little longer."