<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">SEATTLE -- SuperSonics starting center Vitaly Potapenko will be sidelined six weeks with a broken right hand. Team officials said Saturday they don't think Potapenko will need surgery on the broken bone in the hand. The injury occurred during Friday night's exhibition game against Portland. Potapenko is expected to be re-evaluated in a week.</div> Full Story Who gets the start now? I'm thinking Fortson, despite being undersized will give us more than what JJ will, many times over. Will free up a bit more time for Collison and Evans also.
Fortson I think starts now, unless there is anything on the waiver wire, and I don't really think there is in terms of centres. Will be interesting to see whether this actually fast tracks Swift's development, or if it just means Fortson spends most of his time in the middle.
I think that the Sonics have to start Jerome James. We have to have an appearance of a shot blocking presence in the paint. An opening day front court of Radmanovic, Evans, and Fortson (assuming that Rashard Lewis is unavailable) gives me nightmares. The Sonics are dropping like flies. Robert Swift is not ready to log minutes and with this injury he will probably be asked to play 10 minutes a game. This could really ruin his confidence if he performs poorly (which I anticipate him doing). Jerome James is a veteran who is in the last year of his contract. I guarantee that his efforts will improve greatly from his past performances. I think that he should be given the opportunity to start the in the opener.
Opening night is against the Clippers, and a likely opening pairing of Elton Brand and Chris Kaman. Do you start James and try and give off that presence, or do you take advantage of a sophomore centre in Kaman by employing Fortson to bang him around down low?
No, no, no, no, no, no. Jerome James SUCKS. I'm not even trying to funny. He is awful. Disgusting. I would take Calvin Booth over him any day. I'm telling you, he's worse than ever this year. Unless he was just messing around when I saw him play. I think the Sonics should just have an all-out five man rotation with their power forwards and centers. Whoever is playing well plays.
