Monroe: Fortson plans to keep attacking

[Kori Ellis]

Fortson plans to keep attacking
Web Posted: 05/14/2005 12:00 AM CDT

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...270681eb6.html

Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer

SEATTLE — The serious portion of practice was over for the Sonics on Friday afternoon, so the players engaged in shooting games or ran through some individual drills with assistant coaches at the team's practice facility near KeyArena.

Guards Luke Ridnour and Antonio Daniels were engaged in a spirited shooting contest, mostly from 3-point range, but they were joined by an unusual compe or: bulky power forward Danny Fortson.

Watching from the side as Fortson put the finishing touches on a convincing victory over the two point guards, Seattle assistant coach Bob Weiss shook his head in amazement.

"Danny wins these shooting games with the guards all the time," Weiss said, "but he hasn't taken a single shot all season outside the paint."

Fortson, whose bull-in-a-china-shop style makes him both a feared rebounder and a foul magnet, knows who he is and what his game has to be for the Sonics: rebounder, screen-setter and occasional "enforcer."

That doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy outshooting the point guards.

"The guards think they're a bunch of Larry Birds and Dirk Nowitzkis," Fortson said, "so I have to go out there and show them a little something."

Sonics forward Vladimir Radmanovich is out for the rest of the Spurs-Sonics NBA Western Conference semifinals series. Forwards Reggie Evans and Rashard Lewis are listed as "game-time decisions" after suffering injuries in Game 3. So Fortson knows that he has to be ready to go in Sunday's Game 4.

"The game will dictate the guys that are playing and the rotations," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. "I thought we made it tough for their bigs to get anything easy in the paint. We were aggressive on the boards and did a better job helping our guards contain (Tony) Parker's and (Manu) Ginobili's penetrations."

Fortson played only 10 minutes combined in Games 1 and 2 in San Antonio. He got an early call in Game 3, but he also got in early foul trouble. After playing only six minutes in two separate shifts, Fortson had four fouls and four points, making both shots he took.

Nick Collison, a more common member of McMillan's up-front rotation, played 18 minutes, including the bulk of the fourth period, after Lewis left with a sprained left big toe. His rebound basket with 2:32 remaining gave the Sonics a 90-88 lead and was Seattle's final basket.

"We all have to be ready to play when our number is called," Collison said. "Nate's confident in everybody who's suited up, and when you get out there I think everyone is confident we're going to play well.

"We've played with so many different lineups all year I didn't feel the deal was going to change that much (after Lewis got hurt). We didn't score much, but we got enough stops to win the ballgame."

One of Collison's three fouls in Game 3 was a hard non-shooting foul that sent Manu Ginobili crashing to the floor. Ginobili got right back to his feet, and on the ensuing possession took the ball right back to the rim for a score.

Fortson has gained a well-earned reputation as one of the league's most physical players. Weiss clearly believes he gets refereed very closely. But Fortson says teammates Collison, Evans and Vitaly Potapenko are "unheralded hackers" capable of putting a lick on opponents, just as he does.

"We play like that in practice, and do that to each other," Fortson said.

Some players can be cowed when they take a hit from one of the Sonics' hackers, Fortson said, but not Ginobili.

"I wouldn't expect Manu not to come back at us," Fortson said. "He's got a lot of heart."

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Bah, WOAI announcers said before game 3 that Robert Horry sunk ELEVEN threes in a row during the warmup.

I'd like to see Fortson pull that off.

[orhe]

he's a way better dude than that jerome james fellow...
that guy's just an ass! he's stupid as ... he plays bad pick and roll defense he really got lucky because our guys weren't ready for his charge-getting "dunks"

[Cant_Be_Faded]

i disagree orhe.

It is one thing to make yourself look like a classless trashy s.o.b. by saying things to the media.

But it is another to use brute strength to get a result you don't have the talent to do, with adverse effects (injuries, flagrants, etc)

James is a dumb-ASS

But Fortson plays like a pig

[milkyway21]

Fortson keeps attacking...

i hope there won't be floppings after the attacks!

...are the Spurs supposed to be scared?

[DannyF]

I don't want to sound like a jerk, but if you think the Sonics play hard, you better hope you don't get to the finals and have to play the Pistons. At least with the Sonics, you get the foul called, because the refs have no respect for them. But when you play the defending champs, you won't get half the calls. Your team better man up and grow a pair, because its just gonna get worse.

[TMTTRIO]

I hate Fortson. Poor Manu

[T Park]

Your team better man up and grow a pair

a trolling we will go, a trolling we will go.............

[ChumpDumper]

Your team better man up and grow a pair, because its just gonna get worse.

Your "star" should stop being the biggest pussy in the league before you can seriously post something like that.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I hate Fortson. Poor Manu

holy man look at what fortson is ing doing to manu

i never saw his leg snapping manu right in the crotch

thats ridiculous

i say we shoulda put Massenburg in there and have him break Fortson's cheek bone