Talk about your action packed weekends.
I wasn't able to attend the Touchdowns event in Renton this weekend due to a crazy ass weekend schedule that made those pissant knees-bent-running-about-son-of-a-silly-person-type-behavior-runarounds that rock stars and touring politicians do look like a Sunday picnic. 4 person dinner party, show at the little red hen, drink til early, get up after 5.5-6 hours of sleep, do 5K run in Mercer Island benefitting colon cancer research, take girlfriend shopping at Bell Square, go to pike place market for BBQ and chili cookoff, watch movie, go to bed, wake up for work, lather, rinse, repeat. It feels like I haven't sat down since about 10:30 Saturday morning and next weekend is the same way. Parents of small children are free to not sympathize with me. :)
It's official. Ray Allen is out for the year, having surgery on both ankles.
“He saw the stuff we were talking about and he said he saw some other things in my ankle going on that needed to be addressed,†Allen said. “He also said he didn’t think it was prudent that I continue to play on it.â€
Can I be the first to say great decision Ray! Okay, can I be second?
Ray also stumps for Hill in what is actually a very simple unvarnished look at what his perspective is on where this team is and where it needs to go. This is going to be a big pull quote but it's kind of the heart of the story.
Though the Sonics have had three coaches in three years and Allen said he would like to see stability, he also said he understands if the team’s new ownership group wants to hire its own people.
“Rick (Sund, the team’s general manager) is in a tough situation with putting everything together in the summer because he really is at the mercy of ownership,†Allen said. “… You have to make those decisions based on what ownership wants and how they want to restructure and really put their imprint on what this team is going to be.
“We don’t know what (principal owner Clayton Bennett) means. His own people? Does that mean upper management? Does that mean coaching staff? Does that mean there are players that he likes? That could mean anything. From a player perspective, any time you go through a season and you don’t make the playoffs … you worry about the organization blowing the team up and moving in a different direction. It is hard to think about what they are going to do with any one of us because there has been so much uncertainty for the past two years here.â€
With Allen, the team’s leading scorer, out and with the Sonics facing the most difficult schedule among the league’s also-rans, they are almost assured of a top-five pick in the amateur draft.
But unless the team gets one of the top two picks, Allen said he didn’t think another young player would help and he would prefer to use the pick to get a veteran.
“I want to be in a situation where we get better next year,†Allen said. “To get better we got to add somebody that has a veteran presence, in the 6-9, 6-10 range that can help our bigs out.
“I don’t know how we do that, if we trade the pick or whatever, but we have to get somebody off a team that has been winning or somebody who has been good for a long time in their career and knows how to play. Those are the type of people we need rather than draft picks.â€
My only comment is Ray, y'all need both.
Locke blogs about the Danny Fortson sighting last night. . Danny's looking a little bleary in that link, so he may not be immediately recognizable, but my experts tell me it's all good. And besides, that background sure looks like it could be Auburn or something.
Damien Wilkins started in place of Allen on Sunday, but the real boost in playing time will be for Mickael Gelabale.
"It's going to give Gelabale a chance to get on the floor and get some really important minutes," coach Bob Hill said.
Cool! Finally a reason to watch!!!! Right, Bill? Bill ... uh, Bill ...
Mike Seely gets a teabag from TD
Too much great stuff in this version to point out just one headline, but the Jerramy Stevens story is pretty funny.
Jerry Brewer takes a page from Dave Grosby. Be careful next time you see Danny at practice. He has a mismatch in his shorts.