Sonics Coach Nate McMillan practiced yesterday.
Yes, it has gotten that bad.
Weary about forward Desmond Mason pulling his already tight hamstring, McMillan stepped in and scrimmaged at the shooting guard position with his injury-prone team. Mason, who is expected to start tonight, sat on the sideline with injured center Jerome James (right ankle) and forward Vin Baker (left knee).
But McMillan won't pull an Air Jordan and return from retirement for tonight's game against the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs (6-4) enter the matchup having lost their past two games.
"The one thing I didn't want to do was sprain my ankle, that would be too much," said McMillan, only half-joking, considering the rash of injuries to hit his team. "But I looked over at the sideline and saw Jerome with his boot, then I looked up and saw (Assistant General Manager) Rich Cho walking with crutches and wonder what was going on.
"We have so many strains, twists and bleeding, and there's nothing we can do about it but wait it out."
Six players are experiencing some sort of major pain, including guard Gary Payton, who missed practice yesterday with an undisclosed illness. Payton is taking medication and traveled with the team to Dallas.