At the time, he was scouting these two European players, and I gave him some advice, chatted about my current situation, and told him I was planning to return to America.
Two weeks later, Seattle SuperSonics' general manager Bob Whitsett called me, asking if I was interested in replacing KC Jones as the coach of the SuperSonics.
We talked a lot on the phone, about the SuperSonics, about their potential. I believed the SuperSonics shouldn't be the way they were—at that time, they were 18-18, mediocre in the Western Conference, yet their players were anything but mediocre.
Ten days later, Seattle fired KC, and Bob Whitsett and I seriously considered working together. As I boarded a flight to Seattle, I realized this must be my last chance in the NBA.
If I couldn't achieve something again, I would no longer be an NBA coach.
I passed the interview, but Whitsett called coaches and general managers from other teams to find out their opinion of me.