Nick of Time

Some guys just need to start. Nick Collison's one of 'em. Previously ridiculed on this blog as an overpaid, underachieving, 6'9" backup power forward who can't jump, can't defend and has no post moves, Collison led a balanced Sonic attack with 21 points and 8 rebounds in a thrilling 105-103 win over the Indiana Pacers that was capped by an off-balance Luke Ridnour buzzer beather (yee-haw!) in the lane.

While we're in the process of propping out much-maligned Sonic figures, Bob Hill's taken a ton of crap for his unpredictable rotation pattens during the year -- and rightfully so. But while he still didn't give Chris Wilcox (13 points & 7 rebounds in 24 minutes) enough run last night, every other tweak he made last night was pure genius. Obviously, starting Collison worked. Using Johan Petro (8 points) as his sixth man worked too. Petro has a very nice, if unorthodox, mid-range jumper that would be all the more effective if the Supes had a reliable low-post threat to clear space for. The jury's way out as to whether Wilcox and Collison -- who played like he was back in Lawrence, replete with the white point guard playing Robin to his Batman (Ridnour replacing Kirk Hinrich in that role) -- can become that threat.

Mickael "Jean-Michel Basquiat" Gelabale had eight points in 26 minutes and was in the game in place of Wilcox down the stretch. But for his first nine minutes of playing time, the rail-think Basquiat was an invisible man on the court, posting zeroes across the box score and generally staying out of the way as the Sonics traded fast-break buckets with the Pacers in a 120-point first half. Jean-Michel doesn't make mistakes and has a nice three-point stroke, but we're thinking last night was something of an aberration -- and that Hill needs to find a way to close with Wilcox in the game instead.

What makes last night's win all the more impressive is that I really think the Pacers might emerge as the cream of the horrible Eastern Conference by season's end if they decide to start playing defense. Hobbling Jermaine O'Neal is still dominant down low when he wants to be, they've got an ocean-deep bench led by Danny Granger (18 points), they start four guys over 6'8", and Al Harrington's inside-out game is virtually impossible to guard. One wonders if the Pacers weren't in cahoots with fantasy hoops bookies when they elected to list Harrington, who looks like Lou Gossett Jr. in Enemy Mine with his mohawk, as a Forward-Center on their roster. He's a small forward. Period. Oh yeah: The only Pacer to not start the game with a yellow headband was Jeff Foster, who got in early foul trouble and uses way too much hair product and exfoliator for a guy with a banger's rep. If Ben Wallace is looking for a team that'll let Ben be Ben, Indy's it (plus, the shot-blocking tandem of Wallace and O'Neal is a downright scary prospect). And with the East way up for grabs, it'd likely take a mere package of Foster, Marquis Daniels, Sarunas Jasikevicius and cap filler to get the dealin' done.