OBSERVATIONS FROM KEY ARENA

SONICS GET FIRST PRE-SEAOSN WIN
• Pre-Game Meeting with Bob Weiss. Tonight he will be working guys into a flow rather then just working guys minutes. He is really pleased with what he is seeing defensively. The primary teaching this season is Contain/ Help then Help the Helper. He feels that is taking place. They have shrunk the floor well. The rotations are much more active and the guys are firing out and firing back. Weiss’s goal with his line-ups are to always have 4 shooters on the floor. He classifies Vitaly and Nick as shooters.
• Sonics started Danny Forston and Nick Collison. The team is noticeable short with this line-up. Weiss likes playing Fortson and Collison together because they had success together last season and the offensive rebounding is amazing. However, they are forced to play zone when they play Collison at the center.
• Often the simplest way to evaluate a player is if it bothers you when he is on the other team. In the case of Cutino Mobley I like it when he is on the other team.
• Johan Petro does some remarkable things with his body and athletic skill. Elton Brand drove hard at Petro. Petro was athletic enough to defend the drive with a back peddle and then stop and still affect the shot. It was pretty impressive. Not a lot of 7 footers could do that. Most 7 footers couldn’t back peddle, they would be flat footed and they most definitely wouldn’t have been able to still defend the shot.
• I am not sure if Nick Collison is a good enough rebounder to be the sole rebounder on the floor. He may need a Reggie or a Danny on the floor with him.
• Rashard Lewis has a better handle this year then what we saw last year. It is another step in his yearly improvement.
• Luke is playing well in the pre-season. He must improve two areas of his game. He must start hitting the mid range jumper and he has to be able to finish on his way to the basket. He still seems to lack the strength necessary to finish plays at the basket. Late in the game with the score 90-88 he nailed the 19 footer when the Clippers went under on the pick and roll. The next play he nailed a three from the corner as the shot clock horn sounded to give the Sonics a 95-90 lead.
• Weiss had a line-up of Murray and Wilkins on the floor at the same time. I am not sure I am sold on either Murray as a point guard or Wilkins as a two but something about that line-up that was intriguing. They both are good penetrators, they both can finish at the basket and they are both pretty athletic. If they can shoot well enough to stretch the floor for the penetration is questionable. Let’s go with that it is interesting.
• Reggie Evans is on the verge of converting me. I have always been yea but on Reggie, but I am coming closer and closer to believing he just needs to be on the floor. Almost immediately after typing the above Reggie made three mistakes in a row that are the same mistakes that have driven me nuts about his game.
• The Sonics closed the game with Ridnour, Allen, Lewis, Collison and Petro. Petro is playing that well. That could be your starting line-up.