Mr. Glass

A lot of love for Reggie Evans in the Seattle papers today; both the PI and Tribune both have pieces on Mr. Glass. And while many on this site (myself included) and throughout the league have criticized Reggie for his – let’s face it – abysmal offense, Bob Weiss seems to have a good thought regarding Evans: highlight what he can do, rather than focus on what he can’t.

Weiss’ idea is to get Evans to become part of Seattle’s new “Showtime” offense (can someone help us with a new nickname? I’m not looking forward to an entire season of hearing the Sonics’ style referred to “like the 1980’s Lakers Showtime...”). In Weiss’ world, Evans would run the break, using his speed to get down the court and finish, a la Jerome Kersey.

While Weiss doesn’t explain the physics of how Reggie can be both a tenacious rebounder and one of the first guys downcourt (seriously, how do you bang on the boards with the singlemindedness of Evans then race ahead of the guys who hang out at the 3-point line?), I like the thought. No, Evans can’t shoot the 17-footer with any consistency, and he’s not smooth in the paint, and his defense is overrated, but he can rebound well and he can run. As a guy getting 15 minutes off the bench, he’s not going to hurt the Sonics.

Omar

With training camp opening on Tuesday, the Sonics have a handful of players unfamiliar to most of us joining such stalwarts as Allen and Lewis. I’ll try to post some follow-ups as camp progesses to fill you on the rest of the unknowns:

OMAR THOMAS – 6’5”, SG, UTEP, 23 years old
Thomas is not much of a 3-point shooter, or at least he was discouraged from taking them at college. Born in Philly (he even went to the same high school as Flip Murray), Thomas overcame an incredibly difficult childhood that saw his father and two brothers imprisoned for murder. ... Averaged 20 points and nearly 7 boards per game for UTEP last year ... A strong player in the paint and a solid foul shooter, Thomas can draw fouls well for a smaller man. ... Thomas was a monster in junior college, averaging close to 35 points over the course of two seasons.

COMPARISON – Damien Wilkins, without as much D and better touch from the line. In fact, if Thomas can play any D at all, I’d rather have him than the Omen any day. It brings up an interesting side-point: How to college stats translate to the NBA? I think, to some degree, they do give us an impression of how a player will fare in the league. For example, at Georgia, Wilkins was a poor outside shooter who improved his foul shooting as his career wore on. In the NBA, Wilkins was/is a poor outside shooter who did very poorly at the line. His extended stats (e.g., steals, rebounds, etc.) also correlate somewhat from the college ranks.

That’s just a long-winded reason from me as to why the Sonics messed up in offering Wilkins a 5-year deal. Guys such as Wilkins – while talented – do not merit long-term deals, especially when there are Omar Thomases in every draft. Considering Wilkins will likely never start for the Sonics (unless Rashard Lewis is hit by a bus or leaves as a free agent), it seems foolish to me for Seattle to give him a long-term deal and thereby hinder their future financial flexibility.

Sufferin' Sonics!

"I suppose you tink dats fuddy."

The NBA preseason is about to begin, and the Sonics are already having a little deja-vu.

While it's not nearly as apocalyptic as last season's post-season injury fest, the Sonics are suffering from just about every know ailment, from turf-toe to sinus troubles (I feel your pain, Ray!)

Here's a brief injury rundown:

Danny Fortson - turf toe
Ray Allen - sinus problems (may require surgery)
Rashard Lewis - sore toe (has to wear "orthotics" in his shoe)
Mikki Moore - runner's knee
Johan Petro - chronic Frenchness

O.K., so these aren't major injuries, but at least it gives us something to bitch about!