Opponent: Los Angeles Clippers
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles
TV: FSN (cable)
Radio: KJR (950 AM)
Probable starters: For Seattle – forwards Rashard Lewis (6 feet, 10 inches) and Reggie Evans (6-8), center Jerome James (7-1), guards Ray Allen (6-5) and Luke Ridnour (6-2). For Los Angeles – forwards Bobby Simmons (6-7) and Elton Brand (6-8), center Chris Wilcox (6-10), guards Corey Maggette (6-6) and Marko Jaric (6-7).
Injury update
Forward Rashard Lewis and guard Flip Murray got in full practices on Tuesday and both are expected to play in tonight’s season opener against the Clippers.
Lewis, who missed the team’s last six preseason games with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, likely will be in his familiar starting forward spot. Lewis had participated in part of Monday’s practice, then woke up Tuesday “and really didn’t feel a lot of pain,” said Sonics coach Nate McMillan. “So he was able to go again, which was a good sign.”
Murray, who missed all of the exhibition season with a quadricep strain in the first training camp practice, got in his first full workout Monday and will back up Ray Allen at shooting guard.
A final decision about the availability of both players will be made this morning, following a report from trainer Mike Shimensky, coach Nate McMillan said. The trainer’s report also will determine if one or both players is available, but should play limited minutes.
One Sonic expected to miss tonight’s game is backup forward Danny Fortson. He is bothered by back spasms and missed practice Tuesday for the second day in a row.
Seattle also will be without starting center Vitaly Potapenko, who broke a bone in his right hand during Friday’s preseason game against Portland. He likely will miss 5-6 weeks and be replaced by Jerome James.
Asked if he was comfortable with the often-underachieving James as his starting center, McMillan said: “I wouldn’t put him there if I wasn’t. This is an opportunity for him to step in and play the center position for us.”
Scouting report: Though the Clippers are perennial doormats, they might end up giving Seattle a good tussle tonight.
That’s partly because the Sonics are trying to get past injury problems and because the Clippers just might be better than usual. Forward Elton Brand is a force in the low post, and is coming off a season in which he averaged 20.0 points and 10.3 rebounds a game. Center Chris Wilcox averaged 12.0 points and 7.1 rebounds a year ago.
“They really pound the ball inside,” McMillan said. “They go down to Brand and Wilcox, and they have big guards, too (6-6 Corey Maggette and 6-7 Marko Jaric). Their guards are good post players, their big men are good post players, and it looks like they’re really pounding the ball into the paint wherever they have a mismatch.”
For Seattle, the good news is that LA has injury problems of its own. New forward Kerry Kittles (sore right knee) and center Chris Kaman (sprained left ankle) are both on the injured list.
Well-grounded: In a world of glitz and glamour, Allen is impressed by the down-to-earth approach of his backcourt running mate, Luke Ridnour.
“Luke is a pretty smart guy,” Allen said. “He’s not into a lot of jewelry and spending his money on flashy things. In the NBA, those are a lot of pitfalls – wasting your time and wasting your money. But Luke is a grounded young man. Not a lot affects him in a glamorous way, and I think he learns from the mistakes he sees around the league.”
Managing minutes: McMillan said he doesn’t have a set number of minutes he expects to play Allen and Lewis in a given game.
“I’d think less would be better,” he said, “because if they’re playing less minutes it means we have some guys doing good things (off the bench). Ray and Rashard may play all 48 (minutes), but I’d hope they’d be around 35 because less minutes will always help them.”
A year ago, McMillan shuffled his rotation in an attempt to have either Allen or Lewis on the court at all times. He did that by taking Allen out midway through the first period, then putting him back in the game to start the second quarter when Lewis came to the bench.
Now McMillan wants to have both players on the court late in each period since the Sonics are usually shooting penalty free throws then. Both are good free throw shooters and both handle the ball enough to get to the free throw line.
Not as I say: McMillan had a quibble with the media on Tuesday. It seems the coach reads his quotes in the daily newspaper and doesn’t like his own use of the language. Sports writers, he groused with feigned severity, should tidy up his grammar.
“You guys have to look out for me,” he said, drawing chuckles from the gathering of reporters. “Don’t print everything I say. Knock some of that (stuff) out. You know it ain’t right.”
Public appearance: Allen will appear from 4-6 p.m. Thursday at the Alderwood Mall’s Nordstrom store to promote the Arnold Brant clothing line.
Rich Myhre
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