Short-handed, Sonics Fall

Thanks to food poisoning (Allen), babies (Collison), injuries (Fortson, Fife), and trades (Watson, Wilks, Russell), the Sonics were down to 7 guys last night in Orlando, and the Magic made them pay.

Sadly, Rashard was unable to step up in his chance for a big night, scoring only 14 points on 6-for-16 shooting from the field. The Omen made the most of his 46 minutes by scoring 21 points, and Chris Wilcox continued to make Rick Sund look smart by scoring 20 (while Radman was scoring 19 in LA for the Clips in his 2nd consecutive start). With both Frodo and Lewis at 5 fouls in the 4th, the Sonics were perilously close to having only 5 available players. In a seldom-used rule derived from the U.S. government's "levels of power" rule for the presidency, the NBA requires first the head coach, then assistant coach, then trainer, then broadcasters to suit up if a team fails to dress 5 players. There is no truth to the rumor that Craig Ehlo was the one who poisoned Ray Allen, although he was seen lurking around Nick Collison's wife, shouting "boo!" in an attempt to induce labor.

Tonight, the Sonics head down the state for a game with the Heat. Don't know Allen's status, but Vegas has tabbed Miami a 16-point favorite. The smart money, as always, is not on the Sonics.

Update: Mike Wilks may play tonight. Danny Fortson may also join the team and play. Watson and Bryon Russell are both expected to play on Tuesday in Seattle against N.O./OKC, while Swift's nose is expected to keep him out until at least Tuesday.

Frodo vs Karma

Ultimate Deathmatch: Earl vs. Curl! Oh, wait . . .

That's a rather inside attempt at some lame humor, but, basically, what we're looking for here is whether the Sonics should continue to start Eugene's favorite pint-sized point guard, or if we should start looking at an alternative who's name is Earl.

Ridnour has been a conundrum this season - productive on offense, rather poor on defense. Contrarily, Watson has been solid on defense this year, and for his career. Naturally, the best option is to play Frodo on offense, then swap them as the Sonics head back on defense. Naturally, this is illegal, having last been attempted when Caldwell Jones played the 5 for the Sixers back in the 80s. That darn David Stern and his "rules" ...

Anyway, I'll throw my two bits in here. To me, Ridnour is a poor man's Dana Barros, or a rich man's Chris Corchiani. Incapable of defense, Ridnour is worn out by playing more than 30 minutes a night, as Bob Hill points out seemingly every even-numbered day. For the Sonics to progress, they need someone who can clamp down on opoosing guards, especially in the 4th quarter, and neither Frodo nor Allen fit that bill.

So, let me be the first to say: Start Earl and bring Luke off the bench.

Mr. Stern Comes to Olympia

As he does every year, NBA Commissioner David Stern spent Trade Deadline Day in Olympia, at the Ramada Inn, just chillin'.

Alright, he was there on business, trumpeting the Sonics' need for a new/improved arena, or else. Howard Schultz and Wally Walker accompanied Stern to the legislative hearing, after which they broke for lunch and went to Wendy's.

In a related note, the Sonics no longer have the "worst lease in the entire NBA," as that title has been grabbed by the Trail Blazers (yes!). Here's a funny quote from the story:

"In a comparison with the Key Arena lease for the Seattle SuperSonics, Conn said the Trail Blazers receive no revenue for suites, clubs, courtside seats, game concessions or parking.

"The Sonics, by comparison, receive 40 percent of the revenue for suites, 60 percent for clubs, and 100 percent for courtside seats, game concessions and parking."

Isn't it amazing how teams can twist things around to suit their argument? For the past couple of months we've had to endure Schultz & Co. whine endlessly about how no other team in the league has to put up with what they do, and now we come to find out that the Blazers are fighting the same battle. Sigh.