Afew observations on a busy week: Nate McMillan warned us that anything can happen in the NBA playoffs.
The Sonic coach got that one right. A partial list:
Jerome James, of all people, suddenly is the second coming of Hakeem Olajuwon, scoring, rebounding and defending in the Seattle Sonics’ first three games against the Sacramento Kings in a way that shatters belief. A free agent after the season, James has made himself a lot of money in that time, possibly too much for the Sonics to afford.
The Kings’ starters snoozed through the first two games in Seattle, then exploded without warning in their 116-104 victory Friday night. Roundly criticized for failure to compete in Games 1 and 2, every Kings starter scored in double figures in Game 3.
Of deep concern for the rest of the series and beyond is the condition of Seattle’s Rashard Lewis’ left knee, which has slowed the all-star forward to such an extent that he’s not been a factor.
Playing on a knee burning with tendinitis, Lewis’ first field goal in Game 3 came with less than four minutes left in the contest. He missed all six of is attempts in the first half. He was 3-for-12 shooting from the floor in Game 2.
The only remedy for tendinitis is rest. Lewis doesn’t practice between games, but that’s hardly enough. McMillan will have to monitor Lewis’ minutes carefully for as long as the team survives the playoffs.
Backup point guard Antonio Daniels is in the same boat, with an irritation under his left kneecap.
Yes, anything can happen in the playoffs, but the most startling thing was the Sonics sloppiness and laziness in Game 3. Seattle committed 13 first-half turnovers, more than they had in either of Games 1 and 2.
The most memorable faux-pas came from Vladimir Radmanovic late in the first quarter, when his languid in-bounds pass to Daniels was stolen by Bobby Jackson for a layup and a 29-15 Kings lead.
So, what seemed a lock after the first two games is suddenly a competitive series, with Game 4 tonight in Sacramento. Kudos to the Kings for not rolling over, but the Sonics have no one to blame but themselves, even considering Lewis’ and Daniels’ pains.
Eagle grounds himself: Andy Reid of the Philadelphia Eagles is my new favorite coach.
Asked about the mini-camp absence of chronically self-flattering receiver Terrell Owens, Reid just shrugged and said, “If he’s here, he’s here. If he’s not, he’s not.”
Reid went on to say that the organization has a policy that, if a player is away from the team, the team moves on without him.
Owens apparently wants a new contract, just one year after he pulled some strings to block a trade to the Baltimore Ravens to specifically join the Eagles and quarterback Donovan McNabb.
So now, Owens is not only pulling the same self-centered trash he pulled in San Francisco, he also has seen fit to call out McNabb in public for McNabb’s perceived lack of performance in the late stages of the Super Bowl.
Report say that Owens is willing to sit out the entire season, if necessary.
We say, make it your entire career, T.O., and you’ve got a deal.
Another loser: Seems Oklahoma baseball coach Larry Cochell is in hot water with the school administration for using a racially-insensitive term when talking about African-American freshman outfielder Joe Dunigan.
Cochell apparently used the “n-word” in off-camera conversations with ESPN announcers Gary Thorne and Kyle Peterson. Cochell is on paid leave while the university investigates.
Cochell released a statement that said, in part, “Our university family is committed to equality and mutual respect. I personally hold those values and will always regret that my careless use of language did not reflect my own values, and it certainly did not reflect the values of the University of Oklahoma.”
He personally holds values of equality and respect, he said. That’s a good one.
After Cochell is fired and Dunigan transfers to, say, archrival Texas, we’d love to see Cochell locked in the same room with Terrell Owens. Both should have ample free time for a while.
Sad spiral: King County prosecutors charged former Sonic Shawn Kemp Friday for possessing more than 40 grams of marijuana and 1.2 grams of cocaine
Kemp and apparent acquaintance Gavin Lamar Jones were arrested April 4 in Shoreline. Police allegedly found 60 grams of pot in plastic bags in Kemp’s vehicle, along with cocaine, cigarette papers, a 9-mm handgun registered to Kemp and a stun gun.
If true, it continues one of the saddest downward spirals in Seattle sports. Once one of the most exciting, explosive players in Sonic history, Kemp, now 35, has turned into one of its tragedies, having had drug issues in the past for which he underwent rehabilitation.
We hope he can fully recover and use his fame to help others in similar circumstances.
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