SEATTLE – Though their schedule began two months and 25 games ago, many of the Seattle SuperSonics will surely think of tonight’s meeting with the Phoenix Suns as the team’s genuine season opener.
All because Ray Allen will likely be back.
Sidelined since Nov. 1 arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle, the three-time All-Star and 2000 U.S. Olympian is due to make his season debut tonight at KeyArena. Though he could be held out an additional game if he experiences pain and swelling from Monday’s team practice, everything is pointing to Allen’s return tonight.
” (There is) nothing that will prohibit me from getting out on the floor,” Allen said after Monday’s workout. “I pretty much ran through every drill and there’s nothing I’m worried about being able to do, maneuverability-wise. Now I just have to get out there (in a game) and test it out.
“I definitely don’t think I’m going to jump in and play 40 minutes,” he added. “I’ll probably be trying to catch my second wind all night. But just getting out there is a start.”
As Christmas gifts go, this is a dandy for the Sonics. Though they started the season briskly, winning six of their first eight games, they have struggled in recent weeks. Seattle has dropped seven of its last 10 games and needed a surprising 115-106 win in Denver on Saturday night to snap a three-game losing string.
“It’ll be tremendous (having Allen tonight),” said Sonics guard Brent Barry. “We’ve been playing a lot of games without our best player.”
“From here on out,” said coach Nate McMillan, “we basically have our group together.”
To understand Allen’s impact on the team, we need only remember what happened late last season. On the day he was acquired from Milwaukee with two teammates and a draft pick for Gary Payton and Desmond Mason, Seattle had a 22-30 record. Allen missed one game, then guided the Sonics to a 17-12 mark the rest of the way, and in those 29 games he averaged a team-best 24.5 points to go with 5.9 assists and 5.6 rebounds.
Whereas Payton “really didn’t have a lot of trust in some of the guys,” McMillan said, “Ray was moving the ball around. Offensively, he got everybody involved as well as creating opportunities for himself.”
Certainly, it would be unfair to expect Allen to have the same immediate impact this season. First, he has only been running about two weeks after more than five weeks of inactivity, and it may take him another few weeks to get into normal game condition. Also, he is expected to play limited minutes tonight and in the next several games as the team’s medical staff monitors his recovery from surgery.
His jump shot, normally one of the NBA’s best “is flat,” Allen admitted. “I don’t foresee getting out there (tonight) and starting out long, trying to get 3s, though if I’m there I’m definitely going to shoot them. But I kind of want to ease myself into it.”
Whether Allen starts tonight was not to be decided until today. Because he will play limited minutes, the preferred option would be to use him from the bench. He may start, though, simply so he can warm up and play immediately, rather than warm up and risk having his ankle stiffen as he sits on the bench.
“Eventually I’ll work my way into the starting lineup,” he said, “but right now it’s just time for me to get back (on the court) and give the team a boost. However I can do that, I’m looking forward to it.”
Needless to say, Allen’s much-anticipated return caused an air of excitement at Monday’s practice. Perhaps the happiest Sonic is forward Rashard Lewis, who has taken the brunt of opponents’ defensive schemes in Allen’s absence.
Having Allen back “will help me out a lot,” Lewis said. “Usually on my isolations, when I turn around and look at the paint, there’re two or three guys running at me, either trying to block my shot or just trying to get the ball out of my hands. But with Ray back, it’ll open a lot more one-on-one offense for me and everybody else.
“We’re around .500 right now,” he added, “and it’s little mistakes that have been keeping us from (winning more games). With Ray coming back, it should help us get away from making those same mistakes and maybe winning some of those close games we’ve been losing.”
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