The Seattle SuperSonics are 3-14, and there are numerous reasons as to why this is. However, there seems to be one critical piece to the rebuilding puzzle that has gone missing.

The Sonics are attempting a complete makeover of the team, including the front office, the coaching staff and the roster. There seems to be a strong influx of young talent who are slowly showing signs of progression. What the most troubling part of this process is the lack of solid point guard play. The Sonics’ growth, as slow as it may be, is hindered by the uncertainty at the head of the offense.

The point guard is the leader, the captain of the ship. All the good teams in the NBA have concrete guys that run the offense. Steve Nash, Baron Davis, Chauncey Billups, Tony Parker, Chris Paul, Deron Williams — the list goes on. These players add a different dimension to their teams. Steve Nash makes the Suns’ high-powered offense go, Baron Davis is the heart and soul of the Warriors and Deron Williams is leading the Jazz back to the upper echelon of the Western Conference. It is no coincidence that all of these players are starring on powerful teams this season.

The SuperSonics rotate two point guards and that will change to three when Luke Ridnour comes back from a quadriceps injury. Neither Delonte West nor Earl Watson are legitimate starting point guards in the NBA. They are backups at best. The SuperSonics, through personnel decisions, acquired two guards who have trouble with vital elements to the position. They are failing in a few areas that are crucial to the success of the team.

Both guards do not handle the rock with care, and both players have shown this season that bad decisions and mental mistakes are a part of their game. West and Watson are not particularly good passers. This weakness stands out in their passes to Durant on the wing and their inability to make a strong post pass to Chris Wilcox and Nick Collison.

The point guard is the glue; he is the one person that keeps the team together when the game goes awry. Other players on the team may receive more hype or garner more accolades, but without a solid point guard, who is going to feed the star the ball?

If the Cleveland Cavaliers had a good point guard, then you might see even more impressive statistics from Lebron James as a ton of pressure would be lifted off his shoulders.

The most striking aspect of the point guard position in the NBA is confidence. If your point guard is playing like he controls the game, then the rest of your team will respond.

Why did Steve Nash win two MVPs? Because he’s the catalyst for the Suns. Without him, they are a mediocre team in the Western Conference. Is it a coincidence that the Warriors resurrected their franchise when the newly acquired Baron Davis finally got healthy? What about the resurgence of the Jazz and the Hornets with the emergence of Chris Paul and Deron Williams?

Neither of the Sonics’ two point guards excel in the fundamentals of the game. These include defense, passing, the pick-and-roll and midrange shooting. Translation: a 3-15 record. The SuperSonics have to take a serious look at other options before the trade deadline if they want to make any real progress. If not, the Supes will have a strong chance to finish with the worst record in the NBA.

[Reach reporter Maxwell Helman at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.]