You remember Calvin Booth, don't you? He was billed as Seattle's center of the future when the Sonics inked him to a six-year, $34 million deal the summer of 2001. Of course, Booth was hurt most of the time he was here and only lasted three seasons in Seattle.

Well, four teams later and Booth is coming off the bench for Philadelphia. He joins ex-Sonics Reggie Evans and Kevin Ollie on Philadelphia's roster.

Hopefully you found something exciting to do this New Year's Eve besides watch this game, which has been a dud so far.

Seattle was outscored by the 76ers 25-11 in the second quarter and trail 46-34 at the break.

Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said rookie guard Kevin Durant and forward Chris Wilcox will not play tonight against Philadelphia.

Durant has a sprained left index finger and shot basket during pregame warmups at KeyArena, but Carlesimo said Durant is still feeling some pain in his hand and decided to give him the night off.

"It’s feeling better," Durant said. "I can’t really catch the ball too well, and that’s a big part of the game. But I’ve been getting treatment on it, so hopefully by next practice or next game I’ll be all right."

The same goes for Wilcox, who also still has pain in his left knee so Carlesimo will give him the night off as well.

“It’s not broken bones, and it’s not tears or things like that,” Carlesimo said. “But it’s a lot of pain. One guy maybe can’t run or jump, and the other guy can’t catch the ball, which is kind of a problem for playing basketball.”

That means Nick Collison will start in place of Wilcox tonight, and Wally Szczerbiak will start in place of Durant.

Luke Ridnour also will miss his fourth straight game, nursing a sore left quad.

You can listen to the full conversation with Carlesimo here.

Down 30-21 at the end of the first quarter, Seattle had its highest scoring quarter of the season in the second quarter, outscoring Minnesota 36-16 to take a 57-46 lead into halftime.

Wally Szczerbiak continues his hot shooting, finishing with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor.

Kevin Durant sprained his left index finger with nine seconds left in the first quarter and left the game. X-rays were negative and Durant will not return to the game.

Seattle rookie Jeff Green will get his second start of the year tonight, and presumably for the next several games as Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo says he will continue the evaluation process of his players.

Green will start for Damien Wilkins, who has been struggling on the offensive end the last several games.

Green got his first professional start at Memphis Nov. 16, finishing with 11 points and 14 rebounds and playing 31 minutes in a blow out loss to the Grizzlies.

"I’m going to go out there and continue to play the way I’ve been playing," Green said. "Rebound. Make intelligent plays and just play hard."

Wilkins said he'll adjust.

"I'm going to roll with it," Wilkins said. "I'll come off the bench with energy, effort and intensity. Like I said it's nothing new to me coming off of the bench. So we'll see what happens."

If you want to get an early idea of what players might be available for the Sonics in the 2008 draft, here's a good overview by ESPN's Chad Ford on next year's prospects.

Ford ranks Kansas State power forward Michael Beasley No. 1 and Memphis point guard Derrick Rose No. 2.

Mouhamed Sene played in his first D-League game with the Idaho Stampede on Wednesday, finishing with eight points and four rebounds in a little over 17 minutes. Check out the box score here

The Stampede defeated Bakersfield in Boise, Idaho 114-99, with ex-Sonic Randy Livingston setting a D-League record with 22 assists. The Stampede host Anaheim today.

39.5 -- Boston’s field goal percentage for the game, as Seattle did a nice job defensively against the Celtics, although Seattle lost 104-96.

19-- A season-high in points for Delonte West off of the bench. West also finished with eight assists.

24 -- The Celtics matched their win total from last season with the win.

23-- The number of fast-break points Seattle had, the most against Boston this season.

14 -- Kurt Thomas’ rebound total, the eighth time he’s finished with double digits in rebounds. Thomas also played good defense on Boston’s Kevin Garnett.

Boxscore -- Check it out here.

Durant watch -- Kevin Durant played well against the Celtics, finishing with 25 points on 10-of-23 shooting from the field

Did you see that? -- Durant had a nice finish off of the break form a pass from Delonte West in the first half that energized the crowd and kept Seattle nipping at the Cetlics’ heels.

Overheard -- “Got ‘em”. Kevin Durant said this over his shoulder to the Boston bench after making a jumper on the wing. The Celtics’ bench hounded Durant every time he put up a shot.

Boston’s benched harassed Durant most of the night, but he didn’t back down.

“It was kind of a unique situation,” Durant said. “I heard their bench talking a lot of trash. It was very fun, and very competitive. I kind of had a few words back at them, and I think when I had an opportunity to get the ball I just tried to be aggressive.”

Final take -- Seattle played well for most of the game, but as they have done several times this season they failed to execute in the fourth quarter, and Boston kicked it up another notch to get the win.

Delonte West probably played his best game of the night. He also only finished with one turnover in 25 minutes.

Durant needs some help. He doing a nice job of getting to the basket, but he needs to have someone consistently step up to take some of the scoring pressure off of him when he’s in the game.

Seattle has a chance to go .500 on the month if they win their last two games against Minnesota and Philadelphia, both winnable games.

Listen to Carlesimo talk about the game here. And Ray Allen talks about being back in Seattle here.

It looked like Portland would put the game away in the third quarter, taking a commanding 66-50 lead with just over four minutes left. After a tough first half, Brandon Roy carried the Blazers during a 20-6 run to oepn the third quarter, scoring 11 point during that stretch.

But Seattle managed to cut the lead to 70-62 at the end of the third. Kevin Durant leads Seattle with 19 points. No other starter is in double figures, which is a problem as the Blazers can focus their attention on Durant.

Seattle also is getting killed on the offensive boards, giving up 17 offensive rebounds to Portland.

Seattle and Portland are tied at 24-all at the end of the first quarter. Neither team is in much of a rhythm early on, but individually Wally Szczerbiak has shot the ball well offensively for Seattle off of the bench, finishing 5-of-7 from the floor including two 3-pointers. Szczerbiak has 12 points.

Portland's Brandon Roy shot 2-for-10 from the field in the first half, and finished with four points in the opening quarter. It looks like the game will come down to how well the Sonics contain Portland's big guys inside.

The Sonic aren't having trouble scoring, but have already allowed six offensive rebounds by the Blazers.

Seattle (8-19) at Portland (15-12)

When: 5 p.m., Rose Garden, Portland.
TV: ESPN. Radio: 770-AM.

Series: It’s the first game of the year between the two teams. Portland and Seattle split the series two game apiece last season.

Scouting the Blazers: Portland hasn’t lost since Dec. 2 at San Antonio, tallying the longest winning streak – 10 games – in the NBA this season despite having the youngest team in the league. The Trail Blazers only have two players born before 1980: Raef LaFrentz and Joel Przybilla. The winning streak is Portland’s longest since the Blazers won 12 straight during the 2001-02 season.

Seven of the 10 wins in this streak have come at home, where the Trail Blazers are 12-3 overall.

The Blazers will wear red uniforms tonight for at home for the first time this season. And most will wear read shoes to go along with the uniforms, although it was not a unanimous choice.

Several of the older players did not want to wear the red shoes because they reminded them of the circus, including LaFrentz, who had a new, shiny pair of Nikes sitting in front of his locker.

“The young fellas decided they wanted to do something a little different, so what the hell,” LaFrentz said. “I’m going with the flow.”

Brandon Roy gave Przybilla the business as the big guy laced up a pair of red Adidas that would make Bozo the Clown proud.

The Blazers have won five games during their streak without LaMarcus Aldridge, who was battling plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

Aldridge, averaging 18.5 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds, has totaled 33 points and 15 boards in two games since returning.

Scouting the Sonics: Seattle’s Delonte West will be in uniform and could see his first action tonight since the team’s Nov. 30 win over Indiana. West has missed 10 games with plantar fasciitis.

Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said West probably will see more action at shooting guard this time around.

The key for the Sonics will be containing Brandon Roy, who is averaging 23.6 points and 6.8 assists during Portland’s winning streak. Damien Wilkins will start on Roy, but expect Kevin Durant and perhaps Delonte West or Mickael Gelabale to see some time against Roy.

It’s moves like this that have garnered Roy Western Conference Player of the Week honors two weeks straight.

Wilkins talks about guarding Roy here.

Carlesimo said he’s interested to see how the Sonics deal with playing on Christmas, with many of the players competing on Christmas for the first time.

“That will be a big part initially -- which team does a better job of handling that,” Carlesimo said. “It’s not like totally different from anything we do all year, but being on the road, playing on Christmas day and playing at 5 o’clock, all three of those things are a little different. So yeah, I want to see how we handle that, because it’s different.”

Next: 7:30 p.m. Thursday vs. Boston, KeyArena.

After seeing limited action during the regular season, the Seattle SuperSonics assigned green center Mouhamed Sene to the team’s NBA Development League affiliate the Idaho Stampede this weekend.

"I feel badly he’s not with us," Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said. "But he has a chance to get a lot better more quickly down there playing with them than he does sitting around with us."

Carlesimo said Sene needs playing time, and even when Sene is around, he doesn’t see much playing time during practice, with Chris Wilcox and Kurt Thomas working with Seattle’s starters and Nick Collison, Jeff Green and Johan Petro working with the team’s second unit.

In his second year, Sene's only appeared in nine games, averaging 1.7 points and 1.2 rebounds in 4.2 minutes a game.

Sene played in 15 games for the Stampede last season, averaging 9.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a contest in 21.7 minutes a game.

"As crazy as it sounds, you should prefer to play in the D-league then opposed to not playing at all, or even worse, being inactive in the NBA," Carlesimo said. "I mean it's nice to travel on the charter and get the per diem and all that stuff, but it’s about playing basketball. We’ve had guys in the past say, 'Hey, send me down. I want to go play 35 minutes.'"

The 10th pick overall in the 2006 draft, Sene's played a limited amount of organized basketball, which is another reason Carlesimo would like to see him get extended minutes in the development league. Sene also is familiar Stampede head coach Bryan Gates, who helped coach Seattle’s summer league team in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City.

"I think he’s going to be a good player in this league, but the timetable is hard to set," Carlesimo said. "But I think what will accelerate the timetable is him getting game experience."

NBA teams can assign up to two players who are rookies or in their second season to their D-League affiliate. Players can stay with the D-League team for as long as the team wishes, and be recalled back to the NBA at any time. A player can only be sent to the D-League a maximum of three times during the season.

Idaho is 7-5 on the year, and has 38 games left on its schedule. The Stampede host Bakersfield on Wednesday and Anaheim on Friday.

Listen to Carlesimo talk about the decision to assign Sene to the D-League here.

Also, Seattle guard Delonte West worked out with the team for the first time since a Nov. 30 game against Indiana. West has missed 10 games with plantar fasciitis on his right foot.

Carlesimo said West looked fine during practice on Sunday, and if he feels good during shootaround on Tuesday West could see action against Portland on Christmas day.

Carlesimo said he’ll look at West a little more a shooting guard for awhile.

33 -- The number of assists the Sonics had, a season high, on 47 field goals as Seattle defeated Toronto 123-115.

56-- Seattle’s shooting percentage for the game, including 10-of-17 from the 3-point line.

90.5 -- The Sonics free throw percentage, going 19-of-21 from the line.

20-- The margin Seattle outscored Toronto in the paint (50-30).

15 -- Down 62-56 at halftime, the margin Seattle outscored the Raptors in the third quarter, taking a 92-83 lead into the fourth quarter..

Boxscore -- Check it out here.
View highlights from the game here.

Durant watch -- Kevin Durant shot it well tonight, scoring a game-high 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the floor, including 4-of-5 from the 3-point line. Durant scored 14 of his points during a third-quarter run where Seattle surged ahead.

Did you see that? -- Durant went baseline in the third quarter and dunked over Toronto 7-footer Rasho Nesterovic, bringing the crowd to its feet.

“I wasn’t planning on dunking it to be honest with you,” Durant said. “I just went up, and I pictured Wheezy (Chris Wilcox) dunking on Tim Duncan when we played the Spurs, so I just tried to do what he did.”

Overheard -- “Get back and play some defense!” Toronto coach Sam Mitchell implored his team to do most of the night, but it didn’t matter as everything Seattle shot seemed to go in.

Final take -- A nice win for Seattle after two forgettable performances against Utah and New Orleans.

The Sonics ball movement was the most impressive thing tonight, as they crisply moved the ball around the perimeter and consistently found the open man inside for easy buckets. Getting shots inside the paint has been hard for Seattle all season, but if they can move the ball around like they did against Toronto on Friday the Sonics can compete against anybody.

Durant against showed why he is a special talent. When he’s shooting like he did tonight he’s pretty much unstoppable because of his ability to get to the basket and finish. And Wally Szczerbiak has been a nice complimentary player to Durant off the bench as a person you can count on to get double digits in points each night.

The defense wasn’t spectacular, but Seattle did have 10 blocks as a team tonight, with Kurt Thomas leading the way with three blocks.

Seattle will see if it can carry the momentum created from the win over Toronto to Portland on Christmas, where they will face a Trail Blazer team riding a 10-game winning streak.

Listen to Carlesimo talk about the game here. Collison says the Sonics need to play with energy every game in order to compete.

And Wally says everyone is starting to get comfortable with one another on the floor.

A well-played game by both teams so far.

Toronto really executes well offensively, and already has three players in double figures, lead by Chris Bosh's 16 points and nine rebounds.

Seattle has hung tough by matching the Raptors offensively. Earl Watson and Wally Szczerbiak lead Seattle with 10 points each. Durant has eight points, two rebounds and two assists, and shot 4-of-8 from the field in the first half.

It's important for Seattle to get off to a good start in the third quarter or Toronto could run way from them in the second half.

Toronto (15-12) at Seattle (7-19)

When: 7:30 p.m., KeyArena. TV: FSN. Radio: 770-AM.

Series: Seattle split the season series with the Raptors last season, winning at home, 110-97, and losing in Toronto in overtime, 120-119.

Scouting the Raptors: Toronto is in the middle of a seven-game trip through the Western Conference. The Seattle stop is the Raptors’ third game on the road.

Toronto defeated the L.A. Clippers, 80-77, on Tuesday but lost to Portland, 101-96, on Wednesday.

Toronto point guard Jose Calderon, who had a season high-tying 19 points and nine assists against the Blazers, has emerged as a consistent contributor after regular starter T.J. Ford suffered a head injury in a win over Atlanta on Dec. 11. Ford probably will not play, which means Calderon should extend his run as a starter to six straight games tonight. He’s averaging 13.8 points and 9.2 assists in the five games Ford has missed.

Toronto also is a good 3-point shooting team, leading the league in 3-point, field-goal percentage at 42.8 percent a contest. Seattle has struggled defending the 3-point line so far this season.

Seattle head coach P.J. Carlesimo said the Sonics will have to defend the pick-and-roll tonight, with Toronto running 55 to 60 of them a game. Making it harder on the Sonics is the Raptors have several players who can shoot from beyond the arc, so Seattle will have to vary who comes to help off the pick and roll. Listen to Carlesimo talk about the matchup here.

Chris Bosh leads the Raptors in scoring (19.1 points a game) and rebounding (8.9 rebounds a contest).

Scouting the Sonics: Starting small forward Damien Wilkins has struggled recently. Since his 41-point outburst in Seattle’s double-overtime win over Atlanta on Nov. 16, Wilkins scoring average has fallen from a high of 17 points a contest to a season-low of 12.2 a game.

Wilkins said he had lost confidence in his game, but he said he's starting with a clean slate this week. Wilkins talks about his struggles here.

Delonte West (plantar fasciitis) shot with the rest of the team during pregame and looks closer to being able to return.

Chris Wilcox draws the tough matchup tonight, starting out on Bosh, a versatile big man who can hurt you in the paint and on the perimeter. Wilcox should have the quickness to stay with Bosh, but will need some help in dealing with the Georgia Tech product inside.

Next: 5 p.m. Tuesday at Portland, Rose Garden.

A couple of interesting topics for Sonics fans. As most of you already have heard, Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett announced on Thursday plans to put a proposal before his city voters a 1 cent temporary sales take to pay for a $100 million upgrade to the city’s Ford Center arena in preparation for the NBA to move there.

You can read my story about Cornett’s announcement here, and the story from The Oklahoman here. Cornett said he believes the remodel could serve as the long-term solution for a NBA franchise locating there.

I think it's interesting that the Sonics ownership group would be willing to do a remodel at the Ford Center and not KeyArena. I've never seen the Ford Center in person, but I would assume it's in better shape than KeyArena because it's only five years old. Still, I would think a remodeled Ford Center would need to e replace in 10 years. It will be interesting to see how supportive people there will be in voting for the tax, although it hasn't been a problem getting tax initiatives through for Oklahoma City in the past.

And in other news, ex-Sonic Gary Payton told the Boston Globe that the Celtics could use a veteran point guard in their pursuit of a NBA title, and he’s the guy. Payton had been contemplating retirement, but obviously would like to return this season in the right situation. With scoring options like Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, returning to the Celtics and chasing another ring appears very appealing to Payton.

32.9 -- The shooting percentage from the field for the Sonics. A cold shooting night for the Sonics, as they finished 26-of-79 from the floor in a 96-75 loss to Utah.

44-31-- The margin Seattle’s bench outscored its starters. Wally Szczerbiak (24 points) and Luke Ridnour (10 points) were the only players in double figures, both off of the bench.

6 -- Seattle rookie Kevin Durant’s total points, tying a season low..

46-34-- Utah’s scoring advantage over Seattle inside the paint.

19 -- The number of times the Sonics turned the ball over, leading to 19 points for Utah..

Boxscore -- Check it out here.

Durant watch -- Another disappointing night for Durant. He only played 19 minutes because of foul trouble, and shot 3-of-11 from the field, finishing with six points.

“I just wasn’t in the game,” Durant said. “I sat out awhile in the first half. I don’t know how many minutes I played, but I know it wasn’t a lot. … I’ve just got to be a little more cautious on getting those fouls.”
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Did you see that? -- Guarding Deron Williams at the top of the circle in the third quarter, Wally Szczerbiak got his ankles broken on the dribble drive and stumbled to the ground. Williams smiled and was so wide open he missed the easy 17-footer. Szczerbiak smiled as he got up off the floor and headed down court.

Overheard -- “Petro! Get in!” Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo screamed down at the bench after Chris Wilcox committed yet another turnover. Wilcox struggled, finishing 1-of-8 from the floor with eight points and a team-high four turnovers.

Final take -- The result is not too much of a surprise here. Particularly with Seattle center Kurt Thomas out with a sprained ankle. Thomas hurt his ankle against Minnesota but should be available on Wednesday against New Orleans at home.

Seattle actually had a 27-20 lead at the end of the first quarter before the self-destructed in the second and starting handing the ball to the Jazz and letting them run down the floor to score easy points.

Down 51-40 at halftime, Seattle let the Jazz go on a 9-2 run to open the third quarter. Carlesimo called a time out about three minutes into it and basically gathered everybody around to scream at them for a few minutes.

Seattle played better after that, but had no answer for the inside-out game of Carlos Boozer (21 points, 16 rebounds) and Deron Williams (18 points, 10 assists).

So Seattle finishes its road trip at 2-3 overall, which isn’t bad considering they started the trip 0-2. Now they travel home and host New Orleans on Wednesday. Seattle plays five or its next six games at home. It’s only road game will be at Portland on Christmas Day.

Szczerbiak says 3-2 would have been better. And Durant talks about his struggles to stay in the game.

Can anyone hold onto the ball? The two teams combined for 15 turnovers in the second quarter alone in a sloppily played 12 minutes.

But the Jazz made more buckets inside and overtook Seattle. The Jazz lead 51-40 at the break.

Kevin Durant has been in foul trouble and only played six minutes in the first half, totaling only two points in the first half.

Seattle is shooting 37.5 percent from the field (15-of-40), and have 13 turnovers in the first half, which Utah has converted into 12 points on the other end.

Seattle is out-of-sync on both ends of the floor and needs to play more under control in the second half in order to get back in the game, or else this could get ugly in the second half. Utah's lost seven straight and is hungry for a win.

Seattle opened up the first quarter grabbing a 27-20 lead. And the Sonics accomplished the feat without the services of Kevin Durant most of the quarter. Durant picked up two quick fouls and had to sit with 9:01 left in the first.

Wally Szczerbiak came in and filled the scoring void, with eight points in the opening quarter, including two 3-pointers.

Seatttle is playing without Kurt Thomas, who sprained his ankle against Minnesota and is sitting at the end of the bench in street clothes.

Durant just picked up his third foul with 8:10 left in the second, and likely will have to sit again. So far a good effort by Seattle.

18 -- A season-high scoring total for Kurt Thomas tonight. He also had eight rebounds, and had to have five more stitches after getting popped in the mouth again. But he returned to finish the game in the fourth quarter in Seattle’s 99-88 win over Minnesota.

7-- The number of double-doubles for Chris Wilcox, who finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and three steals. It was also Wilcox’s fourth double-double in seven games.

15 -- The combined number of assists for Luke Ridnour (13 points, 7 assists and Earl Watson (six points, eight assists), as both have played well the last two games.

7-- Seattle shooting percentage from the 3-point line (1-of-14).

21 -- Seattle forced 21 turnovers, turning the miscues into 26 points.

Boxscore -- Check it out here.

Durant watch -- One word – ugly. Durant shot a horrid 4-of-17 from the floor, and finished with a head-shaking eight turnovers, a day after setting The Garden on fire.

“He couldn’t hang onto the ball and he couldn’t shoot it. He had a very tough night,” Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said about Durant.

Did you see that? -- You may have turned off the TV already but Kurt Thomas managed to get high enough off the ground and got his first dunk of the season late in the game off a pass from Ridnour.

"I kind of got up there," Thomas quipped. "That was really for my teammates. They’ve kind of wanted me to dunk all year. And I was fortunate enough that no one was around me, and I was able to get up there and put one down."

Overheard -- Thomas had to have the inside of his mouth stitched again, five in all, when he got popped in the head in the third quarter. Thomas has been taking some heat from his teammates for the appearance of his swollen lip the past week.

Asked how his lip is, Thomas said, “Beautiful.”

Thomas said he took a lot of abuse for his swollen lip by teammates, mostly from Delonte West and Wilcox and Damien Wilkins, but wouldn’t divulge any of the nicknames he’s been called the past week.

"They’ve all got their two cents in," Thomas said.

Final take -- Seattle did what it is supposed to do, which is beat a team you’re supposed to beat.

Kurt Thomas continues to show his value to this team, with his ability to score, defend and lead.

And Seattle’s guard play of late with Ridnour and Watson has been superb. I think having that stability at the point guard position has helped tighten up things with the rest of the team.

Defensively Seattle continues to play well, holding a team under 40 percent shooting for the sixth time this season.

Seattle can accomplish a couple things with a win at Utah on Saturday. It would be the team’s first three-game winning streak, and first winning road trip of the year if they can manage a win against the Jazz.

Listen to Carlesimo talk about the game here. Thomas explains his swollen lip.

Luke Ridnour talks about his improved play here. And Earl Watson talks about sharing the point guard minutes with Luke.

The Sonics outscored Minnesota 32-20 in the second quarter and only trail 46-43 at the half.

Chris Wilcox and Luke Ridnour were a lethal combination in the second quarter. Wilcox eight straight points during one stretch of the second quarter and leads Seattle with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Wilcox scored several of those points off of lob passes from Luke Ridnour. Ridnour finished with five points and five assist in the first half.

There's not many folks here tonight, maybe 12,000 in an arena that seats 19,000, so the atmosphere isn't the greatest in terms of getting the players pumped up.

Seattle has had trouble containing rookie Al Jefferson, who already has a double-double, with 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead all scorers.

Kevin Durant has seven points and four rebounds for Seattle.

Seattle is playing the worst team in the league, and the Sonics are down 26-11 at the end of the first.

A pretty pathetic effort in the opening quarter, as Seattle shot 5-of-21 from the field (23.8 percent are are betting bashed on the boards 19-12.

The T-Wolves also have a 14-2 scoring advantage in the paint.

I guess Seattle's only saving grace is the Sonics can't get any worse.

At the quarter pole of the season Seattle general manager Sam Presti met with all of the beat reporters who cover the Seattle SuperSonics to talk about the team. The following is my conversation with Presti on several different topics concerning the rebuilding of this franchise.

Q: What’s your assessment of the team as far as where they are at a quarter of the way into the season in terms of this rebuilding process?

A: As we go through the year I think it’s good to look at the group and look at the team in chunks. At this point, we feel good about the way our guys have competed every night. I think they’ve been consistent with that.

And also obviously we’ve said consistently we want to have a defensive mentality, and I think we’ve taken steps toward that direction. And I think our guys have been great about working at that everyday and being committed to that. And we’re excited about the direction we’re headed in.

Q: Specifically what are your thoughts on the development of the two rookies, Kevin Durant and Jeff Green and where they are at, at this point of the season?

A: Sure. Both of those guys I think have handled the challenges of being a rookie in this league exceptionally well. And I think it speaks to the type of people they are and the way they’ve been raised. Both Kevin and Jeff our guys who want to learn. They want to get better. But they understand it is a process.

Obviously being in a rookie in the NBA there’s going to be peaks and there’s going to be valleys. Watching them go through that, and watching them manage their successes, and also respond to their adversities is helpful for us to learn about where they are and ultimately where we hope they will be.

=> Read more!

Seattle (6-17) at Minnesota (3-17)

Tipoff: 5 p.m., Target Center, Minneapolis.

TV: FSN. Radio: 770-AM.

Series: Seattle won three out of four games against Minnesota a season ago, with the only loss a 101-82 setback at Minnesota. The Sonics have won the past three games in the series, and four of their past five.

Scouting the T-Wolves: Minnesota has lost seven of its last eight games by an average of 12.9 points. The team’s only victory during that span was a 100-93 win over Phoenix on Saturday.

Seattle will have to stop Minnesota’s Al Jefferson inside. The 22-year-old big man was the centerpiece the Wolves received in trading franchise player Kevin Garnett to Boston. Jefferson has 14 double-doubles through 20 games.

"He’s a good player," Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said about Jefferson. "Al’s one of the better young bigs in the league. He can score. He can rebound. He’s very, very strong. He’s legit."

Similar to the game against New York, Carlesimo said Seattle will have to keep Minnesota off the boards inside, with Jefferson and Craig Smith two physical guys who pound the glass for the Wolves.

Minnesota center Theo Ratliff will have exploratory arthroscopic surgery Tuesday on the injured right knee that has kept him out for the past month. Randy Foye (left knee) and Greg Buckner (calf strain) also are out for the Wolves.

Scouting the Sonics: Seattle’s Delonte West has missed the past five games with plantar fasciitis in his right foot and will not play against the Wolves. And Robert Swift remains on the injured lift, working on losing weight and rehabilitating his surgically repaired right knee.

Guys coming in and out of the lineup has made Carlesimo’s evaluation process a bit tougher.

"I wouldn’t say we’re coming close to anything until everybody is healthy and we’ve had a chance to look at everybody," Carlesimo said. "Three guys have started every game. We haven’t changed a lot, but I don’t even think in those terms. Earl’s (Watson) the only one that’s been healthy the whole year. Luke’s (Ridnour) not even close to healthy now. And Delonte’s (West) not. It’s just that’s something that’s not even a consideration at this point."

Expect Wally Szczerbiak to have a big game tonight, playing at Minnesota where he started his professional career.

"I had six and a half phenomenal years here," Szczerbiak said. "I really love this place. I have a lot of great memories. I just took a ride over to my house that’s luckily going to get sold next week, so that will kind of close the chapter here in Minnesota for good. It was a lot fun. It’s always special coming back here."

It will be odd for Szczerbiak facing Minnesota without the team's former franchise player Kevin Garnett, who was traded to Boston during the offseason.

"Obviously a little bit," Szczerbiak said. "You know, I played with him for a lot of years. He’s moved on, and he’s doing pretty well where he is right now. The Timberwolves are in a different situation. They are struggling to get some wins, as we are, too."

Next: 6 p.m. Saturday at Utah, EnergySolutions Arena.

58 -- The percentage Seattle shot from the field, including 5-of-12 from the 3-point line.

6-- The number of Sonics in double figures.

5-of-5 -- Luke Ridnour’s stat line from the field, as he finished with 12 points and went a perfect 5-of-5 from the line, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc.

47-36-- The margin New York outrebounded Seattle, but the Sonics overcame the disparity.

12 -- The number of turnovers for Seattle, as they took care of the ball.

Boxscore -- Check it out here.

Durant watch -- The Seattle rookie was scintillating tonight, finishing with a game-high 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting. Durant became the first rookie to score 30 points against the Knicks since Steve Francis accomplished the feat in 2000.

Did you see that? -- We’ll have to go with two play here. Durant’s dunk over New York’s David Lee to seal the win late in the game will probably make Sportscenter tonight. But Jeff Green’s block of Jamal Crawford was just as spectacular, and just as important because it persevered a one-point lead for Seattle midway through the fourth quarter.

Overheard -- Lots of oohs an aahs from the crowd as Durant put on a shooting clinic tonight. More chants of “Fire Isiah” at the end of the game as the Knicks lost their fourth straight. New York coach Isiah Thomas also was soundly booed during the opening introductions.

Final take -- A good team win for the Sonics after two game of mostly bad basketball. Point guard Earl Watson said it would be important for his team to respond after getting blown out by Chicago the night before, and the Sonics again showed some resiliency by escaping New York with a win.

Durant was impressive, but Jeff Green (17 points, five rebounds) and Kurt Thomas (nine points, eight rebounds) also had good games. Ridnour played within the flow of the offense and added another element to the game with his ability to penetrate and spread the floor.

Now, can they do it again? Seattle travels to Minnesota to play the T-Wolves on Friday in another winnable game for the Sonics.

Listen to Carlesimo talk about the game here. Durant talks about playing at Madison Square Garden for the first time. Kurt Thomas says it’s all about the team playing together. And Jeff Green talks about his performance here.

Seattle (5-17) at New York (6-14)

When: 4:30 p.m., Madison Square Garden, New York

TV: FSN. Radio: 770-AM

Series: Seattle split the series with the Knicks, losing at home (111-93) and winning in New York (100-99).

Scouting the Knicks: The Knicks have lost three in a row, and five of their past seven games. New York’s struggles are no surprise, given the controversy off the court surrounding the team. Knicks fans have started to chant “Fire, Isaiah”, in regards to embattled head coach and general manager Isiah Thomas.

Seattle native and Rainier Beach High graduates Jamal Crawford (17.5 point and 4.5 assists a game) and Nate Robinson (8.5 points and 1.7 assists a contest) are healthy and should play for the Knicks tonight.

The Knicks are trying to avoid their fourth straight loss tonight.

I was unable to talk to either Robinson or Crawford during the pre-game media session, but I did talk to New York assistant coach Herb Williams about the two, and here’s what he had to say about the two Seattle natives.

Scouting the Sonics: Delonte West and Robert Swift will be inactive again today. Seattle faces a pretty big team inside in the Knicks with Eddy Curry, Zach Randolph, David Lee and Randolph Morris, so rebounding will be a key for Seattle tonight, particularly on the defensive end.

And Seattle will have to bring a much stronger defensive effort tonight than they did against the Bulls on Tuesday. Allowing dribble penetration again came back to haunt the Sonics, so it will be important to keep Knick guard Jamal Crawford. Oregon product Fred Jones should play a lot if Stephon Marbury can’t go tonight. Marbury missed the last game to mourn the passing of his father.

Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo returns back to the place of his youth. Carlesimo grew up attending games at Madison Square Garden and talked about what it means to be back at the Garden.

Next: Friday at Minnesota, 5 p.m., Target Center

67 -- The number of points Seattle gave up in the first half

54-32 -- The Bulls scoring advantage inside the paint over Seattle.

53.7 -- Heading into the game with Seattle the Bulls were shooting a league-worst 39.8 percent from the field. But they shot much better against the Sonics.

27-- Ben Gordon’s total points for the game. The Chicago guard, along with Kirk Hinrich (15 points, eight assists), carried the Bulls.

18 -- The number of turnovers for Seattle, resulting in 24 points for Chicago.

Boxscore -- Check it out here.

Durant watch -- Durant finished with a team-high 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting in his first game in the United Center. He only played 24 minutes as Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo sat the starters for most of the second half.

Did you see that? -- With halftime winding down Ben Gordon drove the length of the floor and floated in a tear drop from eight feet just before the buzzer, giving the Bulls a 67-49 lead. It serves as a good example of how the Bulls dominated this one.

Overheard -- Not much heard, but lots of frustration seen from Kurt Thomas and Chris Wilcox as they were pulled from the floor midway through the third quarter and down 25. The guys continue to show a solid front when interviewed, but the veterans seem to be getting frustrated with the way the season is going.

Final take -- There’s not much to say here if you watched the game. If you didn’t watch the game you were one of the lucky ones.

Seattle continues to struggle with teams that have quick guard that can get to the rim. It’s a combination of things. Bad perimeter defense. A lack of an shot blocker inside. And just bad rotations defensively that allow for gaps in the defense and guys open on the perimeter with no one getting a hand in the face.

Seattle can’t blame its performance on not being rested because they had a day off in Chicago. But I’m still waiting to see some leaders emerge and take on the role of vocal leader on the floor. Durant is too young to do that. And veterans like Kurt Thomas and Wally Szczerbiak haven’t necessarily taken on the role, for whatever reason, at least publically.

There’s seems to be a leadership void, and I think someone needs to be out there holding the team accountable when they are not playing well. Maybe that’s the residual affect of a team going through a rebuilding process and youth movement.

Listen to Carlesimo talk about the game here. And Earl Watson says the team needs to bring it against New York tomorrow.

This one is pretty much over, with Chicago leading 95-72 at the end of the third quarter.

Chicago got into a groove offensively in the first half, and after getting comfortable shot the ball with much more confidence in the second half.

After that the Sonics have pretty much mailed it in. They're not playing with any intensity on the defensive end, letting the Bulls drive to the basket at will in what has turned into a glorified scrimmage for the most part.

Chicago guards Ben Gordon and Kurt Hinrich have been the catalysts. Gordon has 27 points and six assists, and Hinrich has 15 points and eight assists. Seattle again had trouble stopping dribble penetration.

They came in only shooting 39.8 percent from the field, but the Chicago Bulls shot 57.1 percent in the first quarter and lead 31-27 at the end of the first.

Ben Gordon has been the catalyst for the Bulls, scoring 14 points in the first quarter on 6-of-7 shooting from the field.

Seattle's hung in by shooting 52 percent form the field. Luke Ridnour has looked good so far. He came in with three minutes left in the first quarter and has done a nice job penetrating inside and getting to the basket. Rid has four points so far.

Seattle (5-16) at Chicago (6-12)

When: 5:30 p.m., United Center, Chicago

TV: FSN. Radio: 770-AM

Series: Seattle lost both contests last season, a 99-84 setback in Chicago and a 107-101 defeat in Seattle.

Scouting the Bulls: After starting the season 2-10, the Bulls have won four of their last six games. But Chicago hosts the Sonics after suffering a disheartening 92-81 loss to Boston on Saturday.

The Bulls were supposed to contend for the Eastern Conference crown this season, but poor shooting has been the primary cause of Chicago’s struggles so far. The Bulls are last in the league in scoring (89.27 points a contest) and last in field goal shooting percentage (39.8 percent).

Chicago’s poor shooting numbers included three of its primary players in the starting lineup in Ben Gordon (37.3 percent), Kirk Hinrich (35 percent) and Ben Wallace (35 percent).

"You can lose sleep over it but is pretty simple. We have to make shots. You have to step up and make them," coach Scott Skiles told USA Today. "In the games we have struggled to make shots, a common denominator has been our ballhandling and our passing. We are making it tough on our shooters."

Gordon (17.6 points a game) leads the Bulls in scoring and Wallace (9.1 rebounds a game) leads the Bulls in rebounding.

Scouting the Sonics: Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said Luke Ridnour should play again tonight, which is a good thing because Seattle will need some help at the guard spot against Chicago’s three-guard tandem of Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich and Chris Duhon.

Carlesimo said the key to the game will be keeping Chicago’s quick guards from penetrating, and holding the Bulls’ big guys off of the boards.

Delonte West and Robert Swift will be inactive tonight.

Defensively, except for the first half of the New Orleans game, Seattle has been better of late. The Sonics have moved up to tied for seventh in the league in opponents’ field goal percentage (44.3).

Carlesimo said the difference is guys are trusting each other to help when they get beat, and the team has developed better communication and defensive chemistry over time.

Listen to the rest of Carlesimo’s conversation here.

Rookie Kevin Durant also talked about playing in the United Center for the first time ? the house that Michael Jordan built.

"I don’t think anybody could do what he did in this gym. Nobody," Durant said. "I don’t care who you are. I mean a guy like Jordan, I guess I would say he made this arena. You can’t think about trying to compete with a guy like that. So I’ll just go out there and play my game and try to have fun."

Listen to the rest of Durant’s conversation with the Chicago media here.

Next: Wednesday at New York, 4:30 p.m., Madison Square Garden

15-3 -- The margin Seattle was down early as the started slowly and fell behind in the first half. Seattle was 1-of-9 from the floor early in the first quarter.

29 -- The amount of points New Orleans’ Chris Paul scored in the game. He also had 10 assists, leading his team to a 91-88 win.

33.3 -- The shooting percentage from the floor that the Sonics held the Hornets to in the third quarter as they fought their way back. Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said it was perhaps Seattle’s best defensive quarter of the year.

13-- Seattle’s rebound advantage (56-43), as the Sonics big men continue their strong play inside.

14 -- The Hornets’ scoring advantage in the paint (42-28).

Boxscore -- Check it out here.

Durant watch -- Durant finished with a team-high 23 points on 7-of-22 shooting. He also shot 7-of-8 from the free throw line and was more aggressive getting to the basket in the second half.

Did you see that? -- With Seattle nipping at New Orleans’ heels Chris Paul buried an off-balance 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to put his team back ahead 80-78. The Hornets would never trail again.

Overheard -- "Don’t give him that shot!," A New Orleans Hornet’s fan screamed as Durant calmly drained a 3-pointer to pull Seattle back within one point late in the game. It was a same fan that was heckling during throughout the game, saying he was overrated.

Final take -- Seattle lost this game by coming out slow in the first quarter and getting down by double digits.

You have to give them credit for bouncing back in the third quarter, only trailing by two points, 67-65 at the end of the third quarter. But the Sonics should have never been in that position, particularly with New Orleans’ shorthanded with starters Peja Stojakovic (strained groin) and Morris Peterson (lower back) out with injuries.

“We were lucky to be where we were,” Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said about his team’s first half performance. “We were terrible. Our defense was a disgrace. .. I don’t know where we were. Our heads just weren’t in the game and we weren’t ready to play.”

Losing Kurt Thomas in the fourth quarter also hurt. Thomas cut the inside of his lip trying to strip Jannero Pargo from behind, and had to leave the game to get three stitches. He had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

“I think that was just my fault for reaching in there, and I should have just contained him,” Thomas said about play. “So I can’t be mad at anyone but myself.

“That’s the only thing I’m upset about is I couldn’t finish it out. I’m fortunate enough that I was able to stay aggressive, stay on the boards. And I was able to get a couple easy put backs. But I wish I was able to play there down the stretch.”

Down one point with seven seconds left, Seattle had a chance to win the game, but Nick Collison turned the ball over trying to advance the ball to Durant at mid court, who caught the ball out of bounds.

Seattle had no time out left, so Collison and the rest of the Sonics were put in a tough situation when Jannero Pargo missed both free throws.

Luke Ridnour also played for the first time since suffering a partially torn left quad at Orlando Nov. 13. Ridnour finished with three points and an assist in 12 minutes.

"I’ve still got some soreness," Ridnour said. “But just to be able to test it, it felt good.”

Listen to Carlesimo talk about the game here. And Wally Szczerbiak, who finished with 14 points off of the bench, talks about the game here.

The Sonics outscored New Orleans 24-15 in the third quarter and only trail 67-65 heading into the fourth.

Earl Watson and Kurt Thomas were the catalysts leading Seattle back.
Watson chased down loose balls and found open shooters for the Sonics. And as usual, Thomas is doing the little things, grabbing rebounds and making open jumpers to keep the defense honest.
Thomas has 12 points and 10 rebounds. Watson has nine points and seven assists.

More than anything Seattle has played with more energy, particularly on the defensive end.

New Orleans point guard Chris Paul has been a one-man wrecking crew so far for the Hornets.

Paul has 14 points and six assist at the half, as the Hornets lead Seattle 52-41.

Seattle is getting beat down the floor in the first half. The Hornets have a 10-3 advantage in fastbreak points.

Kevin Durant leads Seattle with 14 points on 4-of-13 shooting in the first half. Wally Szczerbiak has 10 points off of the bench.

The Sonics are settling for jump shots and not aggressively attacking the paint, which accounts for their 36.6 percent shooting from the floor.

New Orleans also holds a 30-10 scoring advantage inside the paint for Seattle.

Seattle needs to attack the basket and turn up the intensity defensively of they want to get back into this game in the second half.

Seattle started the game 1-of-9 from the field and fell behind early 15-3. It's kind of surprising because with the day off and New Orleans down a couple guys you would have thought the Sonics would come out with more energy.

Luke Ridnour entered the game with with 2:20 left in the first after a time out. He played with Nick Collison, Wally Szczerbiak, Jeff Green and Kevin Durant.

Down 23-11, Seattle went on a 6-0 run to end the quarter and trail 23-17. The Sonics shot 8-of-25 (32 percent) for the quarter.

After warming up Luke Ridnour said he will play tonight.
Delonte West said he had X-rays on his right foot, which revealed no tear and he's hopeful to play at Chicago on Tuesday.
Ridnour will come off of the bench tonight. Starters are Earl Watson (PG), Kevin Durant (SG), Damien Wilkins (SF), Chris Wilcox (PF) and Kurt Thomas (C).

Robert Swift is still out rehabilitating his knee and taking some weight off. He's be out indefinitely.

Seattle (5-15) at New Orleans (13-7)

When:4 p.m., New Orleans Arena, New Orleans

TV: FSN. Radio: 770-AM

Series: Seattle split the season series with the Hornets, winning both games at home but losing on the road in New Orleans and Oklahoma City.

Scouting the Hornets: New Orleans will be undermanned tonight, with starting forward Peja Stojakovic (strained groin) and shooting guard Morris Peterson (sore back) both probably will not play tonight.

The two join Ryan Bowen (sprained left ankle) and Adam Haluska (sprained left ankle), leaving the Hornets with only 10 healthy players.

"Guys have got to step up now," New Orleans point guard Chris Paul told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Paul scored a career-high 43 points against the Grizzlies, the third time in five games he scored more than 30.

"Hopefully, our injured guys will get healthy as soon as possible.

"I can't shoot as well as Peja, but there are other things you can do to accommodate for him being out."

Rookie Julian Wright probably will get the start in place of Stojakovic. New Orleans coach Byron Scott said Rasual Butler will start if Peterson can’t go.

Sonics coach P.J. Carlesimo said it’s important for his team to try and contain Paul.

“It will be another big game in terms of whether we can control or minimize his penetration a little bit,” Carlesimo said.

Listen to the rest of the Conversation with Carlesimo here.

Scouting the Sonics: Carlesimo said there’s a 50-50 chance Luke Ridnour will play today. Ridnour is recovering from a partially torn left quad injury, but has said he expects to be ready to go today. I wrote a story dealing with Ridnour’s long-term future as a Sonic, which you can read here.

Carlesimo said point guard Delonte West (plantar fasitiis) will not play tonight, and Robert Swift (right knee tendonitis) also will not play.

Seattle has played well of late, wining two straight and finishing its home stand at 3-1. But they need to come out aggressive tonight against a short-handed New Orleans team to kick start the Sonics five-game road swing, which includes stops in New Orleans, Chicago, New York, Minnesota and Utah.

Seattle’s big guys have played well the last two games. Kurt Thomas, Chris Wilcox and Nick Collison have averaged 30.5 points and 30 rebounds combined the last two games.

“Since Nick’s been back he’s had two really solid games,” Carlesimo said. “And Kurt (Thomas) has played well basically all year. But I think the more he plays the better he’s going to continue to play. And Wheezy (Chris Wilcox) is having a good year And the couple games Johan (Petro) has come in he has contributed. So I think the bigs have done a good job.”

Next: Tuesday at Chicago Bulls, 5:30 p.m., United Center.

34.6 -- The Clippers shooting percentage from the floor, as the Sonics did a nice job defensively in a 95-88 win.

18 and 17 -- The number of points (18) and rebounds (17) for Nick Collison, as he earned his third double-double of the year in his return back from a broken nose..

5 -- The number of players Seattle had in double figures, as the Sonics had balanced scoring tonight.

18-- Seattle’s largest lead of the night.

49-39 -- Seattle's rebound advantage over the Clippers, one of the better rebounding teams in the league.

Boxscore -- Check it out here.

Durant watch -- Durant rebounded from his worst game of the season, a six-point effort against Golden State, to post solid numbers against the Clippers. Durant finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, and shot 7-of-8 from the foul line.

Did you see that? -- Damien Wilkins banked home a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down, and backpedaled down the court with a smile on his face.

“What do you mean, I called that,” quipped Wilkins afterward. “I don’t know how that went in to be honest with you, but I’m glad it did.”

Overheard -- “We’re getting hammered out there.” Los Angeles coach Mike Dunleavy pleading his case in the second half as the Sonics ran away from the Clippers. Dunleavy felt his big man Chris Kaman wasn’t getting any calls in the second half. After totaling 15 points and 10 rebounds in the first half, Kaman notched four points and four rebounds in the second half.

Final take -- This game was set-up for a Sonic win with the Clippers having to travel from Los Angeles and playing in the second game of a back-to-back. And Seattle made it happen with a balanced scoring attack offensively and solid effort defensively that kept the Clippers from lighting up the scoreboard from beyond the arc.

Collison’s effort after taking a week off was particularly impressive.

Said Carlesimo: “Getting Nick back was enormous. That’s Nick’s best game all year, and obviously he was fresh. He did everything.”

Earl was solid at point, playing 37 minutes and finishing with 10 points and six assists. He was backed up by Mickael Gelabale, who also played well in his first time at point guard, finishing with three assists in 11 minutes.

Seattle has a chance to finish its home stand at 3-4 with a win Friday against Milwaukee. It would be 3-5 overall if you count the game at Los Angeles against the Lakers. The Sonics hit the road on Sunday, beginning a five-game trip at New Orleans.

Listen to Carlesimo talk about the game here.

Los Angeles Clippers (6-10) at Seattle (3-15)

Tipoff: 7:30 p.m., KeyArena

Television: FSN. Radio: 770-AM

Series: Seattle lost the first meeting this season, 115-101, in Los Angeles.

Scouting the Clippers: Los Angeles will be playing the second of back-to-back games after facing Milwaukee – Seattle’s opponent Friday – in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. The Bucks posted an 87-78 win.

The Clippers lost their sixth consecutive game, letting a 15-point lead slip away in a fourth-quarter collapse to another struggling team. With the win, the Bucks snapped a four-game losing streak.

"We just suck right now, pretty much," a frustrated Chris Kaman told the Los Angeles Daily News. "We lost six in a row, pretty much, we just suck right now. We have to dig ourselves out of this hole, and I can't tell you one thing that will do it. It's a lot of things."

With Elton Brand out until at least February after having surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon, Kaman has had a breakout season. Kaman is third in the NBA in rebounds (13.9 per game), fourth in blocks (2.9 per game) and tied for third in double-doubles (12). Kaman averages 18.3 points a contest

“I always thought he was a good player, but I think he’s about to go to the next level,” Carlesimo said. “He’s putting up numbers and he’s sustaining them.”

Gonzaga graduate Dan Dickau has received more playing time lately for the Clippers with starting guard Sam Cassell out with a strained left calf. Dickau played eight minutes Tuesday.

Scouting the Sonics: Seattle will try and rebound from a deflating, 109-96 loss to Golden State on Sunday.
The Sonics should get a boost from the return of Nick Collision, who has missed the last three games recovering from a broken nose suffered after taking a hard shot from the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant.

Collison will have to wear a protective mask, but will give Seattle a boost tonight inside if he can go.

However, the Sonics are thin at point guard because Delonte West can’t play. West missed the tail end of practice with a bruised right heal. Earl Watson will start and Mickael Gelabale could see some time at point guard.

Carlesimo also said Luke Ridnour will practice on Thursday if cleared, and could see time on Friday against Milwaukee. Ridnour has been out since Nov. 13 with a partially torn left quad.

In an effort to keep Chris Wilcox fresh at the end of games, Carlesimo said he might limit his starting power forward’s minutes.

Wilcox is an energy player who relies on running the floor and playing aggressively inside. He has dealt with a couple nagging injuries of late.

Wilcox is averaging 15.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 30.1 minutes a game.

“I sometimes wonder if we don’t play him too many minutes,” Carlesimo said. “I know he’d like to play more minutes, but maybe 26 to 28 minutes at 150 percent is better for him than 32 minutes at 85 to 90 percent.”

Listen to Carlesimo's pregame conversation here.

Next: 7:30 p.m. Friday vs. Milwaukee, KeyArena.

Two highly touted freshman guards will play against each other tonight as Memphis and Southern California square off at Madison Square Garden. The game will be televised on ESPN at 6:30 p.m.

The game pits Memphis freshman Derrick Rose and Southern California freshman O.J. Mayo. Both are expected to declare themselves eligible for the draft come June. And with the Sonics uncertainty at point guard, both should be potential draft candidates for Seattle as the team appears headed for another lottery pick.

The two guards are both different in personality and ability, as explained in this preview story on the game from the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Rose is an athletic, soft spoken guard that likes to distribute. Mayo is the attention grabber that can fill it up from anywhere on the floor.

If you have time to watch the game tonight check it out, or at least record it for later.

The effort to keep the Seattle SuperSonics in the Puget Sound area is on life support, according to state Sen. Margarita Prentice (D-Renton), chairwoman of the Senate Ways and Means committee.

“They are about as close to (being gone) as I have experienced,” Prentice said. “It’s a shame. A lot of people are going to be disappointed. It’s a disgrace to lose a team for no good reason.”

And Prentice doesn’t mince words when asked who’s to blame for the NBA franchise’s imminent departure from the Emerald City – pointing a finger at the City of Seattle.

“Seattle has painted itself in a corner because it’s impossible now,” Prentice said. “They are desperate, trying to figure out a way to make it work, and it doesn’t work.

“Too may people have engaged in wishful thinking, hoping that the fairy godmother is going to arrive, and there’s no such person out there.”

The comments were the Renton senator’s harshest since Sonics chairman Clay Bennett and his Oklahoma City-based ownership group purchased the team in July 2006. Prentice said Seattle city officials, along with the powers-that-be in Olympia, worked to kill an effort proposed by Bennett’s group during last year’s legislative session to build a new arena for the Sonics within her district in Renton.

“I know for a fact that he wanted to stay,” Prentice said about Bennett. “He spent a lot of time and money trying to make it work here. And the real tragedy is we had the votes in both houses.”

Looking ahead to the 60-day 2008 session of the Legislature that begins Jan. 14, Prentice said chances are slim for a new arena proposal to develop. Prentice appears to have an ally in the house in state Rep. Eric Pettigrew (D-Seattle), who backed the proposal for an arena in Renton.

“It’s a dead duck as far as I know,” Pettigrew said. “I haven’t heard any whispers or anything. But as a business supporter and someone who has always been a fan of the Sonics and Storm I would be supportive if someone is willing to step up and come up with a creative way to make it work.”

Seattle deputy mayor Tim Ceis has said the city will introduce a revamped KeyArena proposal in the near future. It will include a price tag considerably less than the $500 million Bennett’s ownership group has asked for in a new arena. But Ceis has not given a specific date when that proposal will be released. Ceis didn’t return phone calls to The News Tribune on Monday.

“(Bennett) has made it very clear – KeyArena will not work,” Prentice said. “I spoke to him today. I had called just to see if there was any room for him and the city to talk, and he won’t discuss anything that includes KeyArena.”

When asked if the Sonics would support a new arena proposal in the Legislature, Dan Mahoney, a spokesman for Bennett, declined to comment.

Meanwhile, the NBA has created a relocation committee to review the Sonics ownership group’s application to move to Oklahoma City. Bennett’s group filed for relocation on Nov. 2. According to NBA by-laws, the committee has 120 days to make a recommendation to the full board of governors. NBA spokesperson Tim Frank said the issue is scheduled for discussion April 17-18 during semiannual meetings in New York.

The process is in its early stages, Frank said, adding that the relocation committee has not scheduled a time and place for its first meeting.

“Obviously they will review the proposal and do their due diligence on the other aspects of the proposal, and then make a recommendation to the board,” Frank said.

The seven-member committee is headed by Micky Arison, managing general partner of the Miami Heat. Arison also serves as chairman of the board of governors. Other members include Jerry Buss (Los Angeles Lakers), Chris Cohan (Golden State Warriors), Lewis Katz (New Jersey Nets), Herb Simon (Indiana Pacers), Ed Snider (Philadelphia 76ers) and Peter Holt (San Antonio Spurs).
Seattle’s pending lawsuit against the Sonics could affect the relocation process.

Last month, attorneys for the Sonics ownership group requested a scheduling conference to speed up a possible federal court trail. However, the team’s request was rejected by U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo Martinez.

The city and the Sonics are going through discovery, exchanging documents and making pre-trial motions before Martinez sets a trial date.

The only other arena proposal to be presented publicly, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe’s market feasibility study on a site the tribe owns next to Emerald Downs in Auburn, received a tepid response from both the Sonics ownership group and the state, with neither formally replying, spokesperson Rollin Fatland said.

Gov. Chris Gregoire has said she will continue to work to keep the Sonics in Seattle. But even if the city gets the result it wants and the Sonics have to honor their lease through 2010, Prentice said the decision only prolongs the inevitable.

“They will absorb that,” Prentice said about Bennett’s group keeping the Sonics in Seattle another two years. “And I think he (Bennett) will be regarded as a hero back home.

“I don’t know if Clay Bennett even wants to continue talking, but I certainly will because there are supporters and fans of the Sonics out there.”

Seattle rookie guard Kevin Durant today was named the Western Conference T-Mobile Rookie of the Month for games played from the start of the season (Oct. 30) through November.
 
Among rookie qualifiers, Durant ranks first in the league in scoring with 20.4 points per game, fifth in rebounding with 4.4, and first in assists with 2.1. 

He is also ranked second in the league among rookie qualifiers in free throw percentage (81.6 percent) and third in steals (1.06 a game). In addition, Durant also posted a pair of career highs in points with 35 and blocks with three in Seattle's Nov. 30 win over Indiana on Friday.

Atlanta's Al Horford was named the Eastern Conference rookie of the month.

6 -- The amount Kevin Durant scored, a career low. It’s the first time Durant has not scored in double figures.

90-40 -- The number Golden State’s starters outscored Seattle’s starters by..

4 -- The amount of points Mouhamed Sene scored, a season high.

28-- The Warriors largest lead of the night.

11 -- The number of 3-pointers Golden State made, the most allowed by Seattle this season.

Boxscore -- Check it out here.

Durant watch -- Probably Durant’s worst game of the year. He shot 2-of-12 from the floor and also had three turnovers and just three rebounds in 25 minutes.

Did you see that? -- Golden State’s Monta Ellis had several jaw-dropping dunks and drives off of the break. He’s really got some explosiveness. The 22-year-old finished with 18 points and five rebounds.

Overheard -- “Stephen Jackson, where’s your gun?," a Sonics fan screamed from behind Golden State’s bench. The fan was referring to Jackson’s seven-game suspension by the league commissioner David Stern. Jackson pleaded guilty in June to a felony count of criminal recklessness stemming from an incident in which he fired a gun outside an Indianapolis strip club during training camp in October 2006. The fan was escorted out of the building by police soon after his comments. The fan actually tried to return to his same seat (but surprise!) and was escorted out again.

Final take -- A forgettable game by Seattle, which played surprising sluggish tonight. Carlesimo was visibly upset with the way his team played. He was going to give the players the day off on Monday, but after such a lackluster performance the team will practice on Monday.

Seattle in particular needed to play with energy in order to match the fast-paced tempo of Golden State, but that didn’t happen. It was especially surprising to see Golden State center Andris Biedrins dominate inside. Biedrins had a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds) by the end of the first quarter and finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds.

Earl Watson was one of the few guys who played hard, finishing with 16 points and five assists in a reserve role.

Carlesimo’s motto is for Seattle to play hard every night. For the most part they’ve done that, which is why Seattle has been in most games down the stretch. But the Sonics don’t have enough talent to coast, and the loss to Golden State tonight is a good example of what will happen the rest of the year if the Sonics don’t bring energy every game.

Here’s Carlesimo’s post-game interview. And Damien Wilkins called his team’s effort embarrassing.

With seven minutes left in the first quarter a light in the scoreboard over halfcourt caught fire during a timeout, stopping play. Spoke billowed from the top of the scoreboard, as emergency workers on hand helped put the fire out.

Seattle fire fighters responded to the fire, arriving within a minutes, removing the burning light and taking it away. The incident took about 10 minutes to revolve. Several fans took pictures of the lowered scoreboard with their cell phones.

The players were allowed to warm up for four minutes before play resumed.

Seattle has not played with much fire so far, falling behind 35-18 at the end of the first quarter.

The Warriors are the Sonics, shooting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and 15-of-28 (53.6 percent) from the field and holding a 10-0 advantage in fastbreak points.

Golden State center Andris Biedrins already has a double-double, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds at the end of the first.

Seattle shot a dismal 7-of-28 (25 percent) in the opening quarter.

Golden State (8-7) at Seattle (3-14)

When:6 p.m., Key Arena, Seattle

TV: FSN. Radio: 770-AM
Series: The Sonics finished 1-3 against Golden State last season, with Seattle’s lone victory a 117-115 win at home on Dec. 10.

Scouting the Warriors: The Warriors arrive in Seattle riding a five-game winning streak. Golden State captain Stephen Jackson has been the difference. Since his return the Warriors have won seven of their last eight games.

“It’s not only just what he does on the floor, he sets a tone,” Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said. “He’s got a defensive mentality. He’s aggressive. He’s competitive. He was a big part of the success we had in San Antonio when he was there. He’s not just another player. He bring a little something extra.”

The combined scoring of Baron Davis (24.2 points per game), Stephen Jackson (21.6) and Monta Ellis (16.3) is just short of Boston’s All-Star trio of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, 62.1 to 62.2.

During the Warriors' current five-game winning streak, the output from Davis, Jackson and Ellis has jumped to 72.0 points per game.

Carlesimo said the Sonics probably will not go small and try to adjust to the Warriors.

“I just think we have a better chance of Kurt (Thomas) and Wheezy (Chris Wilcox) beating them up for offensive rebounds and Wheezy scoring in the paint than we do going small,” Carlesimo said.

Scouting the Sonics: Seattle will start the same starting five of Delonte West (point guard), Kevin Durant (shooting guard), Damien Wilkins (small forward), Chris Wilcox (power forward) and Kurt Thomas (center).

The Sonics went hard at practice on Saturday, working out for an hour and half. Thomas sat out practice to rest his legs, but should be ready to go today.

Durant has been productive offensively this past week. The last five games Durant is averaging 23.8 points and five rebounds a game, and shooting 48.3 percent from the floor (43-of-89).

“He is becoming better certainly with his decision making, and certainly with his shot selection,” Carlesimo said. “And he’s involving people more. We’re putting him in more pick-and-roll situations than we did earlier. And he’s getting more assists.”

Durant scored a career-high 35 points in Seattle’s 95-93 win over the Pacers on Friday, shooting 12-of-20 from the field, including 3-of-5 from the 3-point line, and 8-of-12 from the free-throw line.

“I’m just trying to be aggressive throughout the whole game,” Durant said. “I think in the fourth quarter the game tightens up, so I just try to get to the free-throw line and get some easy points.”

Injuries: Nick Collison (broken nose) will be re-evaluated on Tuesday and could play on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers. He’ll have to wear a mask to protect his nose. Luke Ridnour (partially torn left quad) and Robert Swift (right knee tendonitis, plantar fascitis left foot).

Next: Wednesday vs. Los Angeles Clippers, 7:30 p.m., KeyArena.