The main reason I asked Paul to join me--and the reason I will continue to beg his company over the course of the Sonics' season--is that he's proven himself capable of answering, with the utmost proficiency and patience, my consistently dull-witted questions regarding the more technical aspects of the game. For instance, after witnessing the much-anticipated offensive attack of Gary "Commissar" Payton and Patrick "The Mummy" Ewing during the first quarter of Monday night's scrimmage, I asked Paul if Ewing's towering, anchor-bang game would affect or in any way alter Payton's ability or tendency to post-up. It was my assumption that with the presence of a true, tested center in the Sonics' offensive scheme, Payton would be forced to curtail his play in the low post. Wrong! Paul pointed out that with teams doubling-up defensively on Ewing, as they inevitably will, Payton's post-up game will be intrinsically liberated--meaning he won't necessarily post-up more than he did last year, but he'll be freer to move and score on those occasions when he does.
As for other scrimmage-based observations: I continue to be astounded by the spectacularly smooth play of rookie Desmond "Free" Mason, who was paired up early on in the game with both Payton and Ewing. Though he has a tendency to get jammed up and a bit frenzied on the base line, Mason's instincts are good, and his quickness and agility are phenomenal. He's got a pretty nice jump shot, too; once he hones that, he'll be playing at a level well beyond his years. Once Lewis and Baker return, then, this will be the Sonics' starting rotation--a veritable full deck of All-Stars, present and potential.
There's no denying, after watching Monday's game, that the Sonics are going to be DEEP this year. Brent "Binary" Barry--with his leadership savvy, his orbital perception of the floor, and his consistent shooting from three-point range--makes the perfect sixth man. Shammond "Easy Rider" Williams, who came on like gangbusters after the All-Star break last year, has become an accomplished guard in his own right, a gorgeous shooter and a good person to spell Payton at the point position. As for new additions, Paul and I were both impressed with the solid, somewhat mannered game of forward Ruben "The Kraków Cowboy" Wolkowyski. Wolkowyski plays with intense concentration and determination, at times bringing to mind the careful, concise basketball style of former Sonic Detlef "Herr Mullet" Schrempf. Pervis "Puff" Ellison also looked good in the strong forward position--a veteran who bangs hard down low and who evinces a sharp awareness of who's doing what and where at any given time.
