Sene Sent Down; Sonics Go Down As Well

The Sonics have sent Mouhamed Sene to Idaho.

No, Bob Hill hasn't decided Sene is better off peeling potatoes, he's only hoping the young center will be able to improve his skills with more minutes. Of course, this was obvious in October, but then, the Sonics don't like to make quick decisions. After all, it's always better to let a guy sit around for 4 months and play 10 minutes every 3 weeks to develop his confidence, right? After all, look how well Johan Petro has played this year. Oh, wait ...

In other news, the Sonics have apparently decided the best way to lose is to lead in the first half and blow chunks in the second. After experimenting with the "fall apart in the 1st quarter and then pretend to mount a comeback" theory popularized by Bob Weiss last year and continued with Hill, they have now settled on the "look good early until the other team gets over its marijuana hangover from the night before and realizes they're losing to the Sonics" routine. It's worked well the past two nights, with equally depressing results.

Depressing, that is, until you look at the standings, where the Sonics are currently only two losses behind Memphis for the most in the league, and the odds-on spot to grab Greg Oden. The Hawks are coming on strong, though, posting a 1-9 mark in their past 10 to rival Seattle's 2-8 spot. Unfortunately, the Sonics still have five more home games coming up on this homestand, with two of them aggravatingly winnable.

Put simply, the Sonics are going to need to find new ways to lose. I suggest looking into Olden Polynice's whereabouts, or perhaps activating Danny Vranes from the taxi squad.

Sonics Lose; Nick Collison for MVP

As expected, the Sonics lost to the Suns last night in Phoenix. As expected, Steve Nash played well, Shawn Marion played well, and Ray Allen played well.

Unexpectedly, Nick Collison did an impersonation of Wes Unseld.

Collison shocked the world by scoring 29 points and grabbing 21 (!) boards against the Suns, including 10 points in the 4th quarter alone. The Sonics led for most of the first half, but failed in the second half, as they only put 42 on the board in the second after hitting 60 in the first. Most notably, Chris Wilcox (can we start calling him a bust yet?) went scoreless in the second half.

The Ridnour benching continues, with Watson getting 36 minutes to Frodo's 15. Also of note, Mickael Gelabale played a career-high 43 mintues, and scored in double figures for the third consecutive game, helped by his 65% shooting over that span. In his last five games, Gelabale has hit 20 of 30 shots from the field, an astounding number for a perimeter player. The Omen can't be too happy about that.

What happens next? The Sonics host Gary Payton and the Heat tonight at the Key (sadly, the Heat dancers have remained in Florida). Miami has lost 5 of 6, including a 28 point loss to the same Suns the Sonics played pretty well last night. Don't expect to see too much of Gary; he only played 5 minutes against the Blazers after D Wade returned to the lineup.

Shockingly, I think the Sonics might win tonight. If they weren't on the second of a back-to-back and if Miami hadn't been resting for a couple of days, I'd have even more confidence. Still, all things considered, I'll pick the Sonics to win by 7.

Red Alert!

As acting director of home team security, it is my duty to inform you that Bob Hill's head could explode tonight. Due to the intense pressure of a near-record losing streak and the apparent inability of the team to fire him, the chance of cranial explosion tonight in Phoenix is extremely high. We advise all team personnel to keep their distance from the coach and to stock up on duct tape.