Rebounding help: With the trade deadline less than a month away, McMillan said the Sonics may have to pursue a player who can help shore up the team’s rebounding.
The Sonics are last in the league in defensive rebounds per game and next-to-last in total rebounds.
“This is the group I have,” McMillan said. “We know that rebounding has been a problem for us. Am I comfortable with it? We want rebounding. If we can’t find rebounding with the group we have, then we have to go out and find somebody that will bring that to us. We are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league, and until we get that solved, it wil be a concern of mine.”
The only player the Sonics have to offer that has value is point guard Shammond Williams. Although the Sonics will not admit it, there is some thought that Williams has had his minutes increased in the past few games so he can be showcased for other teams.
One difficulty with trading Williams is that he is a base-year compensation player, which means the Sonics can bring back only half of his $1.75 million salary. There aren’t that many talented front-court players available making less than $1 million.
Adding to the Sonics’ evaluation woes is that they don’t know how good they would be if center Calvin Booth was healthy. Booth has missed most of the season with a right ankle injury.
“It’s hard to measure where we would be if Calvin was with us,” McMillan said. “Would we get better rebounding from him, would we be in the middle (of the league statistically) or would we be where we are now? It is something that has been a problem for a number of years, and it is something that we are aware of.”
Before they make a move, the Sonics likely will determine whether Booth will return this season. He will have his ankle evaluated after two more weeks in a walking boot.
For now, McMillan said he is stressing to his players a need for focusing on the shortcoming.
“We are talking about that and I want them to concentrate on that more,” McMillan said. “A lot of times, rebounding is not about size or leaping ability but concentrating and focus, especially when it is a weakness. We all have to help out.”
Shared empathy: Shammond Williams understands what McMillan is going through in dealing with his mother’s illness.
Williams’ grandfather also is experiencing kidney problems and on dialysis, so Williams made the 1 1/2-hour drive to Greenville, S.C., twice to visit him.
“It was just good being back in the area,” Williams said. “Being out in Seattle and my grandfather being sick, and being able to walk in on him. He watched the game in Philly, and then I walked in and he was like (double take).
“It lifted his spirits, and it lifted mine. With my grandfather being old, and being on dialysis, epsecially being thousands of miles away, it was good just to see him, be near him.”
Williams, however, said he hasn’t spoken with McMillan about their sick relatives.
That is a touchy situation,” Williams said. “Everybody copes with it in their own way. I pray for his mother and my grandfather when I pray at night. Hopefully, God will put his hand on them and help them.”
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