Whaa? Yes, you read that right. According to PJ Carlesimo (gleaned from Kevin Pelton's blog at supersonics.com), Earl Watson is in the lead to be the starting point guard for the Sonics on opening night, and one of the main reasons is the mask Luke Ridnour is wearing after Ron Artest boffed him in the nose in the first pre-season game of the season (wow, that sentence was waaaaay too long).
Anyhow, as was evident in the Suns game, Frodo is having trouble getting used to the mask, and it's inhibiting his play. Pelton also muses that Damien Wilkins will likely start as well, meaning the first lineup of the year could look something like
C - Nick Collison
PF - Chris Wilcox
SF - Kevin Durant
SG - Damien Wilkins
PG - Earl Watson
Of course, Durant's slightly injured left ankle could play a role, and it's possible Bob Swift will have recovered enough to merit a start, but that's the five I would expect to see, with West, Wally, and Thomas the first three off the bench.
We've got a load road to hoe (ho? heaux?), but it appears that's how it looks like it will start.
I think Jeff Green will come off the bench earlier, or they leave Wilkins out if they need a bigger lineup (playing zone defence)
ReplyDeleteI would agree, except it seems as though his health isn't at 100% right now. For at least a game or two, I could see him getting fewer minutes than he will the rest of the season.
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