Breather

Sometimes, the schedule-maker-man is on your side. Just when the Sonics need a breath, they have three days off, followed by a winnable game at home against Charlotte. Of course, "winnable" games for the Sonics are like Dick Cheney: oft-discussed but seldom seen.

Unfortunately for Sonic fans, the month of December beckons, with a schedule from hell. Among Seattle's opponents at holiday time: Dallas, San Antonio, Denver, Phoenix, Philly, and Utah (twice). Think 5-8 looks bad? Try imagining what the record will look like after Christmas.

At least this recent spate of miserable losses (culminating with Saturday's defeat to the Homeless Hornets) has provided us with the first nomination for Quote of the Year, coming from the unlikely Mikki Moore. To wit:

"We need to stop [freaking] babying some of these [guys] and start being real with them."

Thanks, Mik. Of course, it would mean a heckuva lot more coming from a guy whose season-high in points was more than 3.

Sonics Get Stuffed

I'll let you guys off the hook. While the rest of the sports-journalist world inundates you with awful metaphors tying together turkeys and bad games, I'll just say the Sonics ran into a brick wall called Kobe last night.

Well, just one. Ray Allen got his turkey carved last night by Bryant, a fact that undoubtably pleased the Lakers' star to no end. Whether on offense (making 3's as if he was an old white guy at the gym draining free throws), or on defense (holding Sugar Ray scoreless in the 2nd and 3rd quarters), Kobe was the difference.

For the Sonics, Mateen Cleaves continued to post impressive numbers. Excluding Rick Brunson (who has only appeared in limited minutes), Cleaves now ranks as the 4th-best on the club in +/-, trailing only Lewis, Collison, and Allen.

Also of note, Radman got some serious PT last night; 40 minutes to be exact. Of course, he only got the minutes because of Collison's foul trouble, but still, at least it keeps Vlade's agent off Bob Weiss' back for a couple of days.

Too Much Jazz

Okur, Humphries, Palacio? Not exactly the Jazz we've come to know and hate, but they are still Utah, we're still Seattle, and we will always wish the worst to them. Especially when they come to our court and walk away with a victory.

The Sonics made a game of it after falling behind 61-44 in the third quarter - a methodology that is growing thin despite the recent spate of victories.

Bright spots? Sugar Ray and Rashard, naturally. Not much else, although Cleaves managed nine points in only 13 minutes.

Sour notes? Let's see, Da Fort managed 3 fouls, 3 turnovers, 1 board, no points in four minutes. The Center by Committee showed up late for the meeting, it appears, as Petro and the Potato (isn't that a show on PBS?) combined for 2 points and 1 rebound. Folks, when I'm using the singular to recount our center's rebounding totals we may be in trouble.

The good news is the Sonics are playing on Thanksgiving against the woeful Lakers. So far this season the Lakers have beaten Denver (twice), Atlanta, and the Knicks - and nobody else. Let's see ... national t.v., Kobe, Ray Allen, crappy Laker team - I'm guessing the over/under on Kobe's FGA around 37. Any takers?