<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Mom and dad are coming next week, and soon Mickael Gelabale will move out of a Queen Anne hotel room and into a three-bedroom apartment downtown. Perhaps then, the Sonics' coaching staff will begin to see the explosive 6-foot-7 wing player the scouting department and front office have raved about since selecting him in the second round (48th overall ) of the 2005 NBA draft. While he practices with flair and above-the-rim athleticism, he has been subdued in two exhibitions and has looked like a travel-weary 23-year-old who is 6,000 miles from home. Still, Sonics coach Bob Hill will give Gelabale another chance to prove he belongs tonight at KeyArena in the exhibition home opener against the Portland Trail Blazers. "When you're comfortable, you're able to relax and be more like yourself," said Gelabale's agent, Bouna Ndiaye. "Considering everything, he's actually getting the system pretty quickly. He understands what he has to do and how to play with Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. "When everything else gets settled, you'll see a different Mickael." Gelabale's parents, Marie-Josee Gelabale and Jean Michele Cayol, are scheduled to arrive Wednesday and will remain in Seattle for a few months. Mickael Gelabale, a native of Pointe Noire, France, whose name is pronounced MEE-kah-el Jhay-la-BAHL, is uneasy speaking English in one-on-one situations and will enroll in English classes once the season begins.</div> Source
If you understand some basic French, his name is actually pretty funny. Jhay-la-Bahl = J'ai la balle or I have the ball. Sounds like a ballhog!! Anyway, he's too old too expect him to improve much. He won't ever do more than he did for Real Madrid. He's a role player at best.
