ducks
10-14-2005, 12:04 PM
Sonics: Radmanovic the Sonics' perennial question mark
The Seattle Times
October 14, 2005
>Rocking leisurely in a chair, Ray Allen watches several Sonics in drills after practice. Across the court, Vladimir Radmanovic and Damien Wilkins engage in a spirited one-on-one matchup.
>Asked how Radmanovic, who returned to practice yesterday after missing the previous six days because of inflammation of his left foot, has looked in training camp, Allen shoots back a puzzled look.
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>"I really don't know about Vlade, and I don't mean to be funny when I say that, but I don't know because quite frankly I haven't really seen him on the court," the Sonics co-captain said. "You've got to think that most of us have played together for at least a couple of years so we have a certain amount of history with one another.
>"But each season is a new year, and you have to, for the most part, put the past behind you. It's kind of like, what have you done for me lately? So on the basis of this year, we're all kind of still waiting on Vlade to see what's going on with him."
>That question has hovered around the mercurial, playful power forward since he was selected 12th overall by the Sonics in the 2001 draft.
>"What's going on with Vlade and his shot?" they asked after his rookie season when he averaged 6.7 points. Two years later, he raised his average to 12 points when he was yo-yo'd in and out of the starting lineup. He started 38 games but lost his position midway through the season to Reggie Evans, who has held it since. The two entered training camp last season competing for the job, and Evans went on to start 79 games.
Top Ticket
Exhibition basketball: Phoenix Suns at Sonics, KeyArena, 7:30 p.m. Seattle, and Ray Allen, left, play their second exhibition of the season and their first at home. Tickets: $10 to $948.
>New coach Bob Weiss has thrown the position up for grabs again, and, largely because of Radmanovic's injury, it appears as if it's Evans' position to lose.
>"I'm used to it," Evans said. "Every year it's the same. We all know what he's about. And you know what I'm about. The crazy thing is, it's like they [the coaching staff] think something has changed from those past years. Ain't nothing changed about me or him."
>Said Radmanovic: "There is nothing personal between me and Reggie. We are both trying to get the same spot. That's natural and normal. And thank God it's like that. The bottom line is, we have to win."
>If only it were that simple. The Sonics won 52 games and the Northwest Division title last season, but the futures of Evans and Radmanovic remain unclear. They wanted to sign long-term deals with Seattle this summer, but chose one-year tender offers when big-money contracts they'd hoped for never materialized.
>Radmanovic declined a $42 million offer from the Sonics in favor of the $3.2 million tender. The risk is significant. He needs an impressive season to prove he's one of the top free agents next summer.
>He needs to better last season's 11.8 scoring average and to improve his low-post moves and interior defense. And if he's to become one of the best players on the market, he needs to - in his mind - become the Sonics' top power forward.
>"When it comes to signing a contract, the team that you're going to sign with is going to pull out all of those little details of what you've been doing in the past year," he said. "You can't say it doesn't matter if you're starting or not.
>"I guess starting is going to give you a little bit more money. But if you're starting and you're not playing 30 minutes or more, then it doesn't mean anything."
>Even if he fails to win the starting position, Radmanovic figures prominently in the Sonics offense and is almost assured significant playing time.
>Weiss said he'd like Radmanovic to start in an exhibition or two and expects him to play about 12 minutes tonight against Phoenix at KeyArena.
>"I'm not expecting much out of him for another week because the guy just hasn't done much," the Sonics coach said. "I'd expect him to be really rusty the first couple of games as he tries to get the feel and get his legs back. Then we go from there.
>"With Vlade, I don't know how that thing is going to shake out. ... It's kind of been that way ever since he's been here. He makes us so good when he's out there because he's a spacer, he creates space, but it's always been about finding the right role for him."
>In the Sonics media guide, a few items in Radmanovic's bio provide insight into his personality.
>One reads: "Loves to sleep late, hang out with friends and play video games."
>Another states: "Enjoys American movies and lists 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' as his favorite."
>And finally: "Keeps in touch with family and friends in Yugoslavia through e-mail and the Internet."
>Radmanovic admits his devotion to Serbia-Montengro, the former Yugoslavia, waned after competing for the national team that lost in the quarterfinals of the Euroleague championship amid infighting among players.
>Coach Zeljko Obradovic complained of disharmony and detailed a postgame, locker-room fight between Minnesota's Marco Jaric and teammate Igor Rakocevic. Radmanovic reportedly tussled with Dejan Tomasevic, but yesterday the Sonics forward denied he was involved.
>"European guys, I can say, are jealous of the guys playing in the NBA because they are making more money," Radmanovic said. "[We] are playing in the best league in the world. ... Nobody is saying that those guys are not playing basketball, but you can't just bring NBA players back home and expect them to sit on the bench because, first of all, we are ruining our reputation here.
>"Second thing is nobody wants to sit on the bench during the summer. Either I'm going to play or I'm going to work on my game. That's one thing they have to understand."
>So at home or abroad, Radmanovic has struggled to start.
>"Yeah, it's the same on both sides of the ocean," he joked.
>Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or [email protected]
Updated on Friday, Oct 14, 2005 12:04 am EDT
The Seattle Times
October 14, 2005
>Rocking leisurely in a chair, Ray Allen watches several Sonics in drills after practice. Across the court, Vladimir Radmanovic and Damien Wilkins engage in a spirited one-on-one matchup.
>Asked how Radmanovic, who returned to practice yesterday after missing the previous six days because of inflammation of his left foot, has looked in training camp, Allen shoots back a puzzled look.
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>"I really don't know about Vlade, and I don't mean to be funny when I say that, but I don't know because quite frankly I haven't really seen him on the court," the Sonics co-captain said. "You've got to think that most of us have played together for at least a couple of years so we have a certain amount of history with one another.
>"But each season is a new year, and you have to, for the most part, put the past behind you. It's kind of like, what have you done for me lately? So on the basis of this year, we're all kind of still waiting on Vlade to see what's going on with him."
>That question has hovered around the mercurial, playful power forward since he was selected 12th overall by the Sonics in the 2001 draft.
>"What's going on with Vlade and his shot?" they asked after his rookie season when he averaged 6.7 points. Two years later, he raised his average to 12 points when he was yo-yo'd in and out of the starting lineup. He started 38 games but lost his position midway through the season to Reggie Evans, who has held it since. The two entered training camp last season competing for the job, and Evans went on to start 79 games.
Top Ticket
Exhibition basketball: Phoenix Suns at Sonics, KeyArena, 7:30 p.m. Seattle, and Ray Allen, left, play their second exhibition of the season and their first at home. Tickets: $10 to $948.
>New coach Bob Weiss has thrown the position up for grabs again, and, largely because of Radmanovic's injury, it appears as if it's Evans' position to lose.
>"I'm used to it," Evans said. "Every year it's the same. We all know what he's about. And you know what I'm about. The crazy thing is, it's like they [the coaching staff] think something has changed from those past years. Ain't nothing changed about me or him."
>Said Radmanovic: "There is nothing personal between me and Reggie. We are both trying to get the same spot. That's natural and normal. And thank God it's like that. The bottom line is, we have to win."
>If only it were that simple. The Sonics won 52 games and the Northwest Division title last season, but the futures of Evans and Radmanovic remain unclear. They wanted to sign long-term deals with Seattle this summer, but chose one-year tender offers when big-money contracts they'd hoped for never materialized.
>Radmanovic declined a $42 million offer from the Sonics in favor of the $3.2 million tender. The risk is significant. He needs an impressive season to prove he's one of the top free agents next summer.
>He needs to better last season's 11.8 scoring average and to improve his low-post moves and interior defense. And if he's to become one of the best players on the market, he needs to - in his mind - become the Sonics' top power forward.
>"When it comes to signing a contract, the team that you're going to sign with is going to pull out all of those little details of what you've been doing in the past year," he said. "You can't say it doesn't matter if you're starting or not.
>"I guess starting is going to give you a little bit more money. But if you're starting and you're not playing 30 minutes or more, then it doesn't mean anything."
>Even if he fails to win the starting position, Radmanovic figures prominently in the Sonics offense and is almost assured significant playing time.
>Weiss said he'd like Radmanovic to start in an exhibition or two and expects him to play about 12 minutes tonight against Phoenix at KeyArena.
>"I'm not expecting much out of him for another week because the guy just hasn't done much," the Sonics coach said. "I'd expect him to be really rusty the first couple of games as he tries to get the feel and get his legs back. Then we go from there.
>"With Vlade, I don't know how that thing is going to shake out. ... It's kind of been that way ever since he's been here. He makes us so good when he's out there because he's a spacer, he creates space, but it's always been about finding the right role for him."
>In the Sonics media guide, a few items in Radmanovic's bio provide insight into his personality.
>One reads: "Loves to sleep late, hang out with friends and play video games."
>Another states: "Enjoys American movies and lists 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' as his favorite."
>And finally: "Keeps in touch with family and friends in Yugoslavia through e-mail and the Internet."
>Radmanovic admits his devotion to Serbia-Montengro, the former Yugoslavia, waned after competing for the national team that lost in the quarterfinals of the Euroleague championship amid infighting among players.
>Coach Zeljko Obradovic complained of disharmony and detailed a postgame, locker-room fight between Minnesota's Marco Jaric and teammate Igor Rakocevic. Radmanovic reportedly tussled with Dejan Tomasevic, but yesterday the Sonics forward denied he was involved.
>"European guys, I can say, are jealous of the guys playing in the NBA because they are making more money," Radmanovic said. "[We] are playing in the best league in the world. ... Nobody is saying that those guys are not playing basketball, but you can't just bring NBA players back home and expect them to sit on the bench because, first of all, we are ruining our reputation here.
>"Second thing is nobody wants to sit on the bench during the summer. Either I'm going to play or I'm going to work on my game. That's one thing they have to understand."
>So at home or abroad, Radmanovic has struggled to start.
>"Yeah, it's the same on both sides of the ocean," he joked.
>Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or [email protected]
Updated on Friday, Oct 14, 2005 12:04 am EDT