SEATTLE — It may happen tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves or it may happen on Monday, when the Seattle SuperSonics travel to Houston to face the Rockets.
It all depends on Brent Barry’s strained left hip flexor, which is the muscle mass that extends from the hip and controls movement of the upper leg. But as soon as Barry is deemed healthy, and it could happen as soon as tonight, the Sonics are expected to unveil for the first time the lineup they had hoped would open the 2003-04 NBA season.
That is, Barry teaming in the backcourt with Ray Allen, with Rashard Lewis, Vlade Radmanovic and Jerome James across the front.
"The first part of training camp was the last time we had seen these guys together on the floor at the same time (for a game or full-fledged scrimmage)," said Sonics coach Nate McMillan. "So it’s been awhile."
On Friday, the Sonics worked out with that quintet wearing green first-team jerseys (the backups wear white) and the coaching staff took notice, McMillan said.
"We were talking about being able to have everybody healthy," he said. "We were able to have a full practice with everybody being in uniform and everybody able to participate. It feels good to have the group together."
It was in late October that Allen was diagnosed with loose bone and cartilage fragments in his right ankle, which required arthroscopic surgery on Nov. 1 — about the same time his teammates were opening the regular season in Japan against the Los Angeles Clippers. Allen was out until Tuesday’s game against Phoenix (a 116-90 Seattle victory), and by then Barry was on the sidelines with his injury.
Now, 26 games into the team’s 82-game schedule, McMillan is eager to see his expected starting lineup, and in particular the backcourt of Barry and Allen.
"(Those two) haven’t had a lot of time to play together this season," McMillan said. "They had preseason to play a little bit, but now they have to get their timing and a feel for each other. So basically it’s like opening night for them."
Together, Barry and Allen are "an experienced backcourt," he added. "They know what it takes to win, they like playing with each other and they play off each other very well, so (we’re looking for) some good, solid, veteran basketball from those guys."
On Friday, Barry was non-committal about his chances of playing tonight. The decision, he said, will depend on how he feels after a mid-morning therapy session with the team’s trainers.
"I’m still a little limited in what my leg will let me do," he said. "There’re certain movements that hurt more than others, but (right now) it’s not a good area.
"To me," he went on, "the most important thing is to come back healthy. And there’s no reason to come back early because we have guys who are playing well and the team’s won a couple of games. Health is the most important thing and we’ve got enough guys who are more than capable of getting the job done at this time."
Allen, meanwhile, said he has had no pain in his surgically-repaired right ankle after Tuesday’s game and two subsequent practices. His only soreness, he said, are his leg muscles as he tries to get his body into shape after two months of inactivity.
"It feels just like training camp, when we’re going through two-a-days," he said.
Allen will likely play 20-25 minutes tonight, just as he did Tuesday against the Suns. If he has no setbacks, he is expected to be given the go-ahead to play unrestricted minutes.
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