Opponent: Phoenix Suns
When: 7 p.m.
Where: KeyArena, Seattle
TV: KONG (Ch. 6/16)
Radio: KJR (950 AM)
Probable starters: For Seattle – forwards Rashard Lewis (6 feet, 10 inches) and Reggie Evans (6-8), center Vitaly Potapenko (6-10), guards Antonio Daniels (6-4) and Ray Allen (6-5). For Phoenix – forwards Amare Stoudemire (6-10) and Shawn Marion (6-7), center Jahidi White (6-9), guards Joe Johnson (6-7) and Leandro Barbosa (6-3).
As the games pass and the losses mount, the frustration builds for injured Sonics guard Brent Barry.
Out for the past four weeks with a broken right ring finger, and with perhaps another two weeks until he can return to action, Barry admitted Thursday that he has been “bouncing off the walls, not being able to play basketball for this long. I’ve never had an in-season injury where it’s kept me out for a specific amount of time, ever, in my career.”
At the same time, he went on, “the way our team is going it’s just been difficult to swallow. I know our guys have been working hard, but it’s been a difficult stretch for us in terms of who we’re playing and how we’re playing.”
And with an extremely difficult schedule coming up in March, “it doesn’t look like it’s going to get any brighter,” he said.
Barry was hurt in a Jan. 27 game against Dallas at KeyArena. He had surgery on his hand two days later, with six titanium pins inserted into his finger to help the bone heal properly. After having his hand in a splint for a time, Barry has begun shooting in recent weeks. He attends practices and is on the team bench for games.
By the end of next week, Barry is expected to return to practice, though teammates will be cautioned about striking him on his right hand.
“The major thing is to (avoid having) any sort of impact on the top of my hand, knowing that the bone is still a little bit weak,” he said. “It’s easily breakable. But it feels strong. There is still some tightness in it, but I would think in another two weeks time that goes by the wayside.”
Though a date for Barry’s return to game action has not been set, it seems likely that he will accompany the team to the East Coast for a five-game road trip that opens March 12 in Miami.
Steep and getting steeper: McMillan knew the Sonics needed to make a surge after the All-Star weekend to bolster their already-slim playoff hopes.
Instead, the team has lost four of five games since the break, making its postseason chances even more remote. Eight teams from each conference make the playoffs and Seattle trails Denver, the current No. 8 team in the Western Conference, by five games with 25 games to go.
That is a big margin, and the task is compounded by a rugged March schedule that has the Sonics playing 11 of 16 games on the road. The away games include stops at Dallas, San Antonio, the LA Lakers, Memphis, New Orleans, Denver and Minnesota, all probable playoff teams.
“In March, it’s really going to be a steep climb,” McMillan said. “But until it’s over, you don’t give up. And regardless of whether we make the playoffs or not, I want us to play like we’re still in it. We’ll continue to work. If we are out of the race, then we’ll work for next year.”
Still tinkering: Seattle coach Nate McMillan is weighing changes to his starting lineup for tonight’s game, but was undecided at Thursday’s team practice.
“I want to think on this, about where we are and what I’m seeing, and about my feel of the team,” he said. “Is it time to look at something different? I thought about it (Wednesday) night and I want to think about it a little more.”
McMillan said there was “a possibility” rookie Luke Ridnour would start at point guard tonight. The move, if it happens, would not be so much a demotion for starter Antonio Daniels as a chance to see how well Ridnour plays with Ray Allen, Seattle’s starting shooting guard. If not tonight, McMillan expects to start Ridnour sometime in the next two weeks, prior to Barry’s return from the injured list.
On Wednesday, McMillan moved forward Reggie Evans into the starting lineup, replacing Calvin Booth. This came after Seattle was outrebounded 46-36 in Wednesday’s 99-86 loss at Utah, including 20 Jazz offensive rebounds.
“We needed rebounding,” McMillan said, “and if we’re weak somewhere we have to make changes. We tried to go with Reggie to give us some toughness, some physical play, and some rebounding. … I needed someone who would get in the paint and not be afraid to mix it up.”
Scouting report: Though the Sonics have had their own problems in recent weeks, they are nothing compared to the struggles in Phoenix.
The Suns were at .500 14 games into the season, but have since gone 12-33. Even new coach Mike D’Antoni, who took over for Frank Johnson on Dec. 10, has been unable to right the ship. Phoenix was 8-13 under Johnson, who was fired, and is 11-27 under D’Antoni.
Forward Amare Stoudemire, last season’s NBA Rookie of the Year, has led the team in scoring the last seven games and has hiked his season average to 17.9, second on the team. Forward Shawn Marion is the team leader at 18.9 and is also tops in rebounds at 9.4.
The Suns made the playoffs last season, going 44-38, and took eventual NBA champion San Antonio to six games, but this season they seemed destined to finish last in the Western Conference and, conceivably, in the NBA.
Tonight’s giveaway: The Sonics are giving away barbecue sets to the first 10,000 fans attending tonight’s game. The three-piece sets include a basting brush, tongs and a long-handled spatula.
Rich Myhre
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