Seattle Sports: In the Morning

Roy returns, but Blazers lose...
Brandon Roy felt the effects of missing two games to attend a relative's funeral, telling the Oregonian's Joe Freeman: "I felt a little rusty. I was trying to find my rhythm again."

His return was more important for the impact he has on the rest of the team, writes Dave of Blazers' Edge: "The very first thing we need to acknowledge is the difference Brandon Roy makes in our intangibles, most notably attitude. From moment one you could see it in every line of most every body out there...Tonight we came out with purposeful movement and confidence. That's Brandon Roy's influence. Also, outside of the fourth quarter, how many truly bad shots did you see us take compared to the last couple of games? That's Roy too. I haven't seen a guy make this kind of attitudinal difference since Clyde Drexler."

The Blazers' James Jones will miss 3-5 weeks with a sore left knee. Jones leads the Blazers in three-point percentage and is 2nd-best in the NBA.

More wonderful news about the 2000 Huskies...
The UW will be sued for allegedly discouraging a student from filing rape charges against former Husky and current Houston Texan Roc Alexander. Alexander was a freshman on that 2000 team.

Neuheisel reacted to the stories for the first time, telling the Sporting News' Matt Hayes: "There are some things I could have done differently. In Jeremy's [sic] case, I should've been harder on him after the reckless driving incident. I should have sent a message." Hayes writes that the fact that the Times' series appeared just after Neuheisel was named coach of UCLA, but just before National Signing Day, supports Neuheisel's theory that the Times has a vendetta against him.

Another Husky goes unpunished...
The Pac-10 won't punish Tim Morris for throwing an inbounds pass off Alfred Aboya's face in Sunday's Husky win, saying Aboya jumped into the ball. I'm not so sure about that. Judge for yourself: Here's the play on YouTube.

The Sonics' young frontcourt is improving...
Chris Wilcox--who heretofore has been unreliable from the field unless he's dunking--has been working on his short-range game with assistant coach Mark Bryant, and it seems to be paying off, writes the P-I's Gary Washburn.

TNT's Eric Williams asks if Johan Petro, who's played well lately, could be the Sonics' future at center. Says Carlesimo: "We need him to be more of an inside presence on both ends of the floor. I don’t think it’s debatable whether he can shoot the ball or not. I think we know he can shoot the ball. I think we know he can run. What he needs to continue to improve on is his interior game.”

Mickael Gelabale is coming back to the Sonics after six games in NBDL exile--he averaged 16.6 ppg down there. Carlesimo tells TNT's Eric D. Williams that Gelabale will get regular playing time when he returns.

In other news...
If you were asleep all off-season, the Times' Larry Stone catches you up on the Hot Stove League trades and transactions.

The P-I's John Hickey checks in on how preparation for the Vancouver Olympics is going.

After a turnover-prone start, Cougars PG Taylor Rochestie is taking better care of the ball, writes TNT's Todd Milles. Says Bennett: "It’s tremendous, and it’s not like he’s a safe player, like he doesn’t try and make a play. He’s aggressive. He’s wheeling and dealing, and driving and dishing.”

Today's action:
Tons of boys' basketball playoff games tonight. Here's the schedule. I'll be at Old Lincoln High, watching Tony Wroten and Garfield play Inglemoor--which has been surprisingly pesky after U Nevada-bound senior Mark McLaughlin left the team.