I am really looking forward to tonight's game. Frankly, I was ready to fall asleep yesterday.
Gary Washburn examines the team's newfound love of rebounding. Chris spells it out:
"That's what we need, we need guys to get on those boards," Wilcox said. "We all are going to have to contribute because we are weak in the post. We all have to box out and contribute on the boards, and I think that's where I play a big part on this team."
Did you know for example, that the team is currently 3rd in the NBA in offensive rebounding?
The mood is bright at HQ, and it should be. 4-4 at this stage of the season is impressive given the road trip. Let's hope it carries over to home.
[Robert Swift's] departure from the team created chaos because there was no backup plan. Johan Petro could be elevated to the starter, but he was foul-prone the entire preseason and coach Bob Hill worried what would happen if Petro picked up two quick fouls. Danny Fortson was suspended for the opener, and he is not fully healthy either, his knee still bothering him.
The answer, then, was that either Nick Collison or rookie and basketball neophyte Mouhamed Sene needed to step up. Hill prefers the wiser Collison at the end of games, so he went with the youngster, who is basically a half-player. (They call him Mo, but they should just call him M, because he has no O.)
Frank Hughes, ladies & gentlemen. He'll be here all week.
Another tidbit from Frank:
• After a slow preseason, Chris Wilcox promised he was coasting through the meaningless games and would turn it on when they counted. He has been true to his word. The power forward is averaging 12.4 points and 9.1 rebounds and teams must always keep track of him or he will wind up with a powerful dunk. He is averaging more rebounds than any Seattle forward since Shawn Kemp in 1996-97, his final season with the Sonics.
You go Weezy!
Percy Allen chips in with an OK story on former Husky Bobby Jones.
"Being a rookie, you see where I am and the other extreme of where [Allen Iverson] is," Jones said. "I look and am like, 'Wow, look at how he's handling this situation,' and how people are always expecting him to perform night in and night out. He takes it like any other normal person, though. You'd think it would be different, but it really isn't. That just shows how humble he really is. It's a tough deal being famous and known world-wide."
From Philly.com, Joe Juliano's view from the other side:
[Coach Mo] Cheeks said the Sixers have to control the tempo, but the key to that will be rebounding. The Sonics are a ferocious team on the offensive boards, ranking third in the NBA in offensive rebounding.
"We've got our hands full in terms of rebounding the basketball," he said. "That's where our challenge is. We also have to get better team-wise on defense. But if we can rebound the ball, I think we give ourselves a chance."