The Supes' Frontcourt Logjam
Posted Oct. 17, 2007 at 8:33 am by Mike SeelyAfter Mo Sene exploded for 15 rebounds and four blocks the other night in an exhibition game that Robert Swift didn't play in (get used to that: tendinitis doesn't just go away), he's evidently inched his way toward the front of the Supes' frustrating three-headed, barely legal, seven-foot center monster. This is as much a byproduct of what Swift and Johan Petro aren't doing as what Sene is. Swift, for one, isn't playing much; his surgically repaired knee continues to nag him. And Petro is still the same brilliant-for-one-stretch, nonexistent-for-another softie that he's always been. Complicating matters further is the fact that the Supes' front office will all have to make decisions on whether to fish or cut bait on these three first-rounders at year's end, if not sooner. And then there's the issue of a similar three-man logjam (Wilcox, Collison, Thomas) at power forward. Sticky stuff, to put it mildly.
We're only sure of one thing, and that's not to repeat last season's band-aid of starting Wilcox at the four and Collison at the five. The undersized Border Collie was a rebounding machine and battled gamely down on the block, but he and Wilcox provided absolutely zero defensive presence down there last year — and it killed the Supes. So that leaves Collison backing up Wilcox at the four. Fine by us: In an ideal situation, Collison is a bench player in heavy rotation anyway, and he ran out of gas at season's end last year. On nights when it's obvious the maddeningly inconsistent Wilcox's head is in the clouds, glue his ass to the pine and give the Border Collie a ton of run.
Which leaves us with the center dilemma. Start by relegating Petro to the end of the bench. While he's an incredibly delightful individual who shows flashes of rare dexterity for his size, Petro's a small forward trapped in a center's body. If he is to flourish, it's going to be in a system such as Phoenix's that embraces tweeners such as Petro. But his future isn't with the reconstructed Supes, and the team should let him walk at season's end while throwing him mere garbage time scraps for the remainder of his Seattle tenure.
So here we are with Swift and Sene. When healthy, Swift is the obvious candidate to start at center. But any Supe fan who expects him to play more than 60 games this season is kidding himself. When Swift can't go, the Supes should start Sene; while Thomas, a rock of a defender if not a particularly potent shot-blocking threat, should back them both up and get the lion's share of minutes in the fourth quarter. See how easy that is? We wish.
Topics: Sonics
Comments
I was psyched to see that statline from Sene. I really hope he can get it together—for his and the team's sake, but also because it'd simply be fun to watch a dude that physically freaky—lanky with a 7'8.5" wingspan—moving with quickness and dexterity around the court. This is one reason I was hoping the Sups would draft Yi (a very talented guy, but, like many of their previous picks, one with high bust potential—Green was likely the better choice): imagine, just for aesthetic purposes, a starting lineup of, say, West, Durant, Yi, Wilcox, and Sene. That'd be a strange looking thing.
Posted Oct. 17, 2007 at 9:35 am by Damon