Sonics Update

Published 9:00 pm Sunday, December 14, 2003

Opponent: Phoenix Suns

When: 6 p.m. Tuesday

Where: America West Arena, Phoenix

TV: KONG (Ch. 6/16)

Radio: KJR (950 AM)

Early in the third quarter, Seattle’s Rashard Lewis went up to block a lay-in by Milwaukee’s Desmond Mason. As he came down, Lewis clutched at his shoulder and immediately left the court, bound for the locker room.

It was a recurrence of a nagging injury that has bothered him at times over the last few seasons. Essentially, his shoulder is slipping in its socket “and it’s real painful,” he said.

Most recently, it happened in last Tuesday’s game at New Jersey. Lewis managed to finish that game, but played just 24 minutes and scored only 11 points.

On Sunday, Lewis got treatment in the locker room and returned to the team’s bench, ready to play, “but when I came back we were playing well, and I thought it was best for me to (stay out) and see how I feel (this) morning.”

Though the shoulder has bothered him in the past, “I’ve been real confident this season because it’s been feeling good,” he said. “I haven’t had any problems with it until this past week. If it continues I’ll worry about it, but now it’s just something that’s happening and hopefully it won’t continue to happen this year.”

Lewis ended up with 10 points and four rebounds in 25 minutes against the Bucks.

First meeting: Though Mason, the former Sonic, had spoken with coach Nate McMillan many times after being traded to Milwaukee late last season, he had not spoken to Seattle owner Howard Schultz.

Feeling betrayed – Schultz and Sonics general manager Rick Sund had told Mason he was part of the team’s future just days before the deal was announced – Mason had ignored messages from Schultz, who had called to explain.

On Sunday, the two men talked for the first time.

“I just kind of told him that when he tried to get in touch with me (after the trade), I just thought it was a bad time,” Mason said. “I didn’t mean any harm by it. I just wasn’t ready to talk to him. But now I’m over it and I have a future in Milwaukee, so all those (negative) feelings have kind of died out. So we just had a conversation.”

Schultz’s message?

“He said he still really cared and he wishes he could … sit down with me and talk a little bit more about it,” Mason said, “And I said maybe that will happen in the future.”

Barry sits out late: Seattle’s Brent Barry started but did not finish Sunday’s game. He sat out of the fourth quarter with an ice bag on his knee, but McMillan said the decision to keep Barry on the bench was more about the flow of the game.

“I was just going with combinations that had somewhat of a rhythm,” he said.

Barry played just 21 minutes, going 1-for-5 from the field and finishing with a season-low two points.

Head to head: Milwaukee’s T.J. Ford and Seattle’s Luke Ridnour were two of the top point guards taken in the June draft – Ford went No. 8, Ridnour No. 14 – so it was fun to watch them tangle in Sunday’s game. Ford, a starter, played 37 minutes and had 17 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and two steals, but also five turnovers. Ridnour, a Sonics backup, played 27 minutes and had 14 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals, but four turnovers.

Bucks injuries: Forward Joe Smith, who had started all 23 games this season, did not play against Seattle because of a corneal abrasion suffered in Friday’s game against Chicago. Forwards Toni Kukoc (back spasms) and Brian Skinner (knee surgery) are both on the injured list.

In his first game back after missing eight games with a sprained ankle, forward Tim Thomas scored 19 points with four rebounds.

Short shots: Milwaukee, which made four of five 3-point tries in the first quarter, made just two of 15 the rest of the way. … Seattle had 15 steals, one off of a season best, with Antonio Daniels and Lewis each nabbing four. … The Sonics had seven players in double figures, something the team had not done since a Nov. 23, 2002 game against Dallas. … Flip Murray led Seattle in scoring with 23 points, making it his 13th 20-plus game in 21 outings this season.

Rich Myhre