Notes on a Loss to the Team We Wish We Had

Christmas dinner prevented me from watching last night's Sonics-Blazers game in its entirety (Blazers won 89-79), but here are a few notes from what I did see:

-Even though he had an awful night shooting the ball, it was still a great pleasure to watch Brandon Roy. His handle is flawless and he changes speeds and directions with ridiculous ease for a man his size. He’s like a bigger, slower, more ambidextrous version of Manu Ginobili: both can always find their way into the paint, no matter what the defense does.

-In other not-really-news, Damien Wilkins provided minutes and not much else, Jeff Green didn't play enough, Wally Szczerbiak scored, and Earl Watson was the team’s best point guard.

-Who would have thought that, at this point in the year, Kevin Durant would be playing the two spot and his most consistently effective weapon would be his crossover? Maybe I just didn't watch enough of him in college, but I wasn't expecting a 6'10" Jamal Crawford.

-Now that Mo Sene is in the D-League, will Mickael Gelabale be following? He had the league’s highest shooting percentage in the immediate basket area last year, but he still looks lost and tentative. I’ll go out on a limb and venture that he’s thinking too much. He seems concerned about his handle, but on a fast break last night, he quickly wrapped a dribble around his back while moving at a decent clip to avoid a defender who suddenly appeared--an instinct play that showed some dexterity with the leather. Yet just seconds later, after he crossed halfcourt, he looked indecisive and sloppy when facing down the waiting-in-defense Jarrett Jack (who unwisely fouled him). If you're reading this, Mik, know that the time has come to uncage the ballyhooed Franco baller with in. Go get 'em, tigre!

-Finally, who in Seattle isn’t jealous of Portland for the Trailblazers? Their coach is Mr. Sonic; their star the best Husky ever (sorry, Detlef); their owner a rich dude with Seattle roots who isn’t likely to sell the team to guys who look like this:

And they don’t draft seven-footers unless those seven-footers are good.

Maybe we can engineer a trade--say the Sonics, the S.L.U.T., and Chris Gregoire’s expiring contract for the Blazers? Hell, we’ll even throw in one of our American Apparels. You guys like those, right?