<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">On the eve of the Seattle SuperSonics’ first exhibition game, coach Bob Hill chose his starting lineup. And it looked strikingly familiar. When the Sonics face the Portland Trail Blazers in the Rose Garden tonight, they will use the same starting lineup with which they ended last season: Luke Ridnour and Ray Allen in the backcourt, with Rashard Lewis and Chris Wilcox at the forward spots and Johan Petro at center. Hill said the lineup is not set for the regular season – though some players have been hinting that this lineup was Hill’s intention all along and he was saying lineup spots were open to produce a competitive training camp. “As I told you all along, my thinking has always been who is the best bench?” Hill said. “But we will see what happens (tonight), we will see what happens in LA (on Thursday), and then we will come back here and regroup again.” Hill said his starting lineup in the fifth game of the preseason will be a better indicator of what the opening night lineup will be. “The first four (exhibition) games, I play around with,” Hill said. “The last four, I don’t.”</div> Link As much as Hill wanted to make it seem like there were three positions that were up for grabs it is pretty evident that he still believes that it is April of last year and just went with the group that he felt comfortable with when the year finished last season. I doubt seriously that Luke Ridnour outplayed Earl Watson in camp and I also doubt seriously that Petro convincingly separated himself from all of the other big men in camp (that includes Collison and Fortson). Personally I just want to see Robert Swift and Nick Collison get the opportunity to showcase their talents and it bothers me that for whatever reason that Johan Petro is initially given the opportunity to take minutes away from those two. Petro is a servicable big man who has a place in this league, but I would rather play Swift and Collison.
