As everyone has heard by now Ray is out for at least 7 games following the diagnosis of a contusion in the talus bone of his right foot.
I believe it was lovable know-it-all Lisa Simpson who once told us that the Chinese characters for crisis and opportunity are the same.
Well, opportunity is definitely out there now. Opportunity for Rashard Lewis to show he can be a #1 option and for Damien and Gelabale to show that their games vs. the Hawks weren't a flash in the pan.
Gary W has a ton of good tidbits in his story today.
Cross Chris Wilcox's floor game with Petro's jumper and you get ... Wilco?
Sonics assistant coach Jack Sikma, known for a superior perimeter game in his playing days, said Wilcox needs to be more aggressive in the paint first and then work his way outside.
"At this point in his career, he needs to develop a jumper just to keep people honest," Sikma said. "I would like to see Chris attack more. If he can get (his opponent) going on the move, then with his explosion, he can go over the top of people.
"It's important that he not settle for the jump shot but just allow it to open up everything else."
And Rick Sund confirms that Sene may be sent to the NBDL later ... as in after ownership decides who's staying and who's going.
"We're in the process of looking at their schedule and talking about it,' Sund said. "Somewhere during the course of the year we'll probably send him down there to get some playing time because he needs it. I've talked to his agent and our affiliate. It looks like it would make some sense somewhere down the line."
Great apocryphal story I heard involving the Idaho Stampede coaching staff who were at a recent practice watching Sene. They couldn't wait for him to get sent down as since they don't call fouls the same in the NBDL Sene could average about 13 blocks a game. I wouldn't doubt it.
Damien will start tonight in place of Ray.
Nick says what I've been thinking and writing for weeks.
"[Playing Atlanta] felt like we were moving the ball and just playing, as opposed to trying to look for one or two guys — look for Ray," Sonics forward Nick Collison said. "Sometimes we get in a rut of trying to get him off of a screen three times and everybody's staring at him. It's all our fault. He's such a good player and he's hit so many shots for us, it's human nature to look to him to bail us out sometimes."
David Stern has Spalding written on his forehead after the misintroduction of the new ball.
"Whether or not we did enough prior to it, we're actually, well, we think this ball has many of the attributes that Spalding says it has," Stern told the New York Times in a story posted on its Web site Tuesday. "It's an improvement in many ways. But if our players are unhappy with it, we have to analyze to the nth degree the cause of their unhappiness."
You'll get nothing and like it! And 50 bucks says the AK kid picks his nose ...
Frank's back and he's got Bob Hill's ideas on how to replace Ray's 25 ppg.
“I got to maybe put the ball in Rashard’s hands a little more, I thought (Chris Wilcox) was great in the post the other night, and I want to keep developing that. But there is more than one way to attack them.â€
Got to indulge my Bronco leanings with this great story from the Brushback.
And last but not least Save Our Sonics will be at tonight's game vs. the Hornets giving away T-shirts and donating over $1,000 worth of toys and housewares to the Salvation Army as their contribution to the Sonics' Holiday Assist program. Come on out and join the party ...