Bob Hill refuses to admit it, but this Danny Fortson business is getting old. The coach is at his wit's end as to how he's going to handle the power forward who has indicated he no longer wants to be a Sonic.
With six weeks remaining in the regular season, Hill's patience may be at an end. Fortson skipped Thursday's practice at Suffolk University because he didn't think he had to be there.
"I told [trainer] Mike Shimensky last night when we got off the bus that we would have practice and I would let them know in the morning who'd be coming to practice because I don't want to make a decision [upset]," Hill said following a heartbreaking 92-89 defeat to Philadelphia. "I never make those decisions at night. I always sleep on them. I got up this morning, I decided to leave the starters at home and everyone would come, which gave us seven guys, and I wrote out a practice.
"We called everybody. He [Fortson] was called at 10 or whatever, and about 3:40 he said he was told that he didn't have to come. And I told him, 'Yes, you do' and he said 'OK, I'll take a cab.' "
Fortson never arrived.
Two days earlier, he missed a morning shoot-around in New York apparently because his cab driver was unable to successfully navigate the 1-?-mile distance from the team's Central Park hotel to Madison Square Garden. His explanation had many team members rolling their eyes.
And his latest no-show has Hill scratching his head.