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A Sonic believer

-- I’m officially on the Seattle bandwagon. Who cares if the Sonics don’t have a low-post presence, or that their offense basically consists of five guys standing around the perimeter frantically waving their arms and screaming for the ball? That’s not far from the truth, as Ray Allen was 4-of-4 on three-pointers in a win at New Jersey -- and just 1-of-11 from everywhere else.

-- Either way, the Sonics are lots of fun to watch, simply because coach Nate McMillan has them putting forth maximum effort every night (not always easy when you’re dealing with millionaires who are forced to play 82 games). Other than Allen, forward Rashard Lewis and the improved play of second-year point guard Luke Ridnour, I especially like what I’ve seen from Antonio Daniels off the bench. Daniels was once the fifth overall pick in the draft and never really lived up to expectations. But he seems to have found his niche in Seattle, relieving Ridnour and usually coming through in the game’s most meaningful moments.

-- While newcomer Danny Fortson won’t remind anyone of Shaquille O’Neal on offense, he does have a penchant for setting nasty picks and taking up space under the basket. Granted, the Sonics will never pound the inside, but they could do worse than Fortson, Jerome James, and Reggie Evans as their key big men. Rookies Robert Swift and Nick Collison (who missed all of last season with a shoulder injury) also seem to be coming along nicely.

-- Finally, let’s not forget about Seattle rookie swingman Damien Wilkins. As you probably know, Damien is the son of former New York and Cleveland guard Gerald Wilkins, and the nephew of former Atlanta all-pro Dominique Wilkins. You may also remember Damien as the guy who declared for the draft as an underclassmen at N.C. State, before pulling his name back out at the last minute. Then N.C. State coach Herb Sednek said Wilkins wouldn’t be allowed back -- and Wilkins transferred to Georgia. Interestingly, he stayed until his final year of eligibility and didn’t get drafted. Now, he’s doing a nice job for the Sonics by hustling in games and working hard in practice.

-- As for the Sonics’ top rival, it appears to be the same old same old in Portland. In other words, the Trail Blazers didn’t make any drastic offseason moves, they aren’t any more consistent, and they seem to be headed for another season of .500 ball. But that could change if a report by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith holds true. Smith wrote that the Blazers are having “serious discussions” with the Raptors for a trade that would send Vince Carter, Jalen Rose and two others to Portland for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Derek Anderson, and backup center Vladimir Stepania. If it happens, hopefully Carter and Rose will understand that the Blazers’ offense runs through power forward Zach Randolph -- which is how it should be.

-- Reader Dan Edwards (Anaheim, Calif.) e-mailed to ask, “Who’s a better power forward? Zach Randolph or Elton Brand of the Clippers?” That’s a tough one, Dan. I’ll let the readers decide by sending an e-mail to me at samamico22@netzero.com. Let me know who you think is better and why.

-- Back to Toronto. Raptors fans have to be very pleased with the addition of young center Loren Woods. Woods is a legitimate 7-foot-2 with arms that make him seem more like he’s 8-6. A bad back kept him from producing in other stops, as Woods bounced around the league for a couple years before landing in Canada. Now, he has used his length and athleticism to become a major player along a frontline that features second-year forward Chris Bosh, an all-star in waiting.

-- The more I follow his career, the more I’m sure Antoine Walker belongs in Atlanta. Or more accurately, Walker belongs with a bad team. That’s not meant to trash Walker, who certainly possesses his fair share of offensive talent. But it just seems like he needs to be the center of the offense to enjoy himself. And my contention is, any team with Walker as its top option won’t be too good.

-- As for Walker’s teammate in the frontcourt, Al Harrington … well, this is what he wanted, right? Harrington asked to be traded from Indiana so he could get more playing time, and that’s exactly what he’s getting in Atlanta. But while the Pacers are one of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference, the Hawks won’t make the playoffs and will be lucky to win 25 games. Harrington is a lot like too many of today’s young players, who think that averaging 20 points makes them a good player. But guess what? This is the NBA. Everyone could average 20 points. The players who are truly successful are the ones who can accept their roles. As former point guard Kenny Smith said on TNT, each team can only have one, maybe two, stars. The rest of the guys need to accept that and play accordingly.

-- Not that I completely blame Harrington for his thinking. If he believes he’s good enough to lead a bad team to great things, good for him. But he sure isn’t ready for that yet. Obviously. Just look at the poor Hawks.

-- Speaking of the Hawks, I really like backup point guard Royal Ivey, a second-round pick out of Texas. In fact, it can be argued that Ivey has outplayed first-round pick Josh Childress (there’s no doubt that he’s been better than the Hawks’ other first-rounder, Josh Smith). Ivey isn’t the most athletic guy in the world, but he plays smart and really wants to win. I like starting point guard Kenny Anderson, who somehow has reached his mid 30s, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see Ivey starting by next season.

-- Apparently, Big Z isn’t getting any Zs. In what has to be the first such case reported in NBA history, Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilguaskus is suffering from insomnia. I’m not making fun, just pointing it out. Besides, you sure can’t tell he isn‘t sleeping. So far, he’s played like the second best center in the East.

-- Despite obtaining long-range bombers Lucious Harris and Sasha Pavlovic, the Cavaliers are still a poor perimeter shooting team. I’ll never question Paul Silas’ coaching moves, but I am a bit puzzled at his refusal to give rookies even a passing look. Luke Jackson couldn’t be much worse than Harris on defense, and Jackson at least has the athleticism to get open for good looks.

-- Jerry Stackhouse has had a reputation for being selfish, but you have to love what the guy is doing off the bench in Dallas. He’s been unselfish, productive, and just generally has conducted himself like a true pro. No doubt, he’s a big reason for the Mavericks’ early-season success.

-- Finally, five players who have added underrated contributions to their respective teams in the early going: Eddie Griffin (Minnesota); Marcus Banks (Boston); Maurice Williams (Milwaukee); Dahntay Jones (Memphis); and Antonio McDyess.

Readers E-mails

From Jim Logan (Phoenix): “Can you remember the last time it was possible that the NBA Finals would be played anywhere but L.A., Chicago, or New York? It almost seems like "NFL Parity" has come to the NBA. We may be watching San Antonio and Indiana in the Finals this year -- and that has got to scare the heck out of the NBA brass and TV execs. On the other hand, having lousy financial numbers might help with those nasty union negotiations that will take place at the end of the season.”

Dear Jim, right on. Although it did look like L.A., Chicago and New York would all miss the Finals in 1999 -- until the eighth-seeded Knicks mysteriously upset their way through the Eastern Conference. And who says the NBA is fixed?

From Arley Collado (Oxnard, Ca.): A friend and I were having a short discussion on some of the worst No. 1 draft picks ever, and we were wondering if you would be kind enough to share your opinion on the subject.

Dear Arley: I’m assuming you mean first picks overall, and the first names that come to my mind are Michael Olowokandi (1998), Pervis Ellison (1989), Joe Barry Carroll (1980), Kent Benson (1977), and especially, LaRue Martin (1972). Of course, Benson and Carroll had some decent seasons, and if we’re going to include them, we’ll have to throw in Joe Smith (1995) and Glenn Robinson (1994). I hate doing that, because I really like Joe Smith, but he is what he is -- a solid role player.