World of hoops at Gelabale's fingertips Wednesday, December 27, 2006
As strangers in a strange land, it made sense that Sonics center Johan Petro, a Frenchman, would invite countryman Mickael Gelabale and his parents to his Redmond home to celebrate Christmas.
The two families had what Petro described as a West Indies-themed celebration, where their mothers prepared the meals and they spent the day relaxing and getting away from basketball.
"The way he's playing right now, it doesn't seem like he needs a break at all," Petro said of Gelabale. "He's playing very well. When he first got in the league back in France (in 2001) he was like this.
"He's the kind of guy who would play everywhere. He's the kind of guy who is going to surprise you because he'll do things that you didn't think he could do."
Gelabale, 6 feet 7, is incredibly thin at 215 pounds, which hurts him in the post, but enables him to slither around defensive screens on the perimeter. He sometimes looks as if he's gliding on the court, which belies the effort he's exuding.
And his easy-going demeanor and unflappable coolness sometimes causes skeptics to question his desire.
"I get emotional, but I just keep it inside," Gelabale said. "I get excited. Not nervous anymore ... I like to celebrate in here [the locker room] when the game is over. On the court, I like to play and help my team win."
The Sonics believed they'd stolen a gem in the 2005 draft when they nabbed Gelabale in the second round (48th overall), but they figured the 23-year-old swingman would need time to mature and develop.
After spending the 2005-06 season with Real Madrid in Spain, Gelabale joined the Sonics this summer and played well in the exhibition season.
Still, Sonics coach Bob Hill never imagined he'd seriously contemplate starting Gelabale so soon into his rookie season.
But when Ray Allen suffered a bone bruise in his right foot, Hill he had a hole in his starting lineup and a decision to make. Who to start: Damien Wilkins or Gelabale?
So the Sonics coach summoned both players to his office and asked for their input.
Gelabale, from Pointe Noire, France, didn't say many words, but he extended an index finger and pointed toward Wilkins.
"I said to him [Gelabale], 'You probably deserve to start and do you feel comfortable starting?'" Hill said. "And he just pointed to Damien and I started Damien. That's important to me. He's comfortable coming off the bench right now."
Said Gelabale: "It's better if I sit for 5-10 minutes, then after that I can go in and get a feel for the game."
After just two months, Gelabale has become an integral part of the Sonics and one of their most consistent bench players.
His season averages, 3.6 points and 2.2 rebounds, aren't eye-popping, but in four of the past six games Gelabale has shown flashes of brilliance. During the span, he's averaging 7.6 points and 4.3 rebounds.
He scored a career-high 16 points against Cleveland on Dec. 15 and has scored in double figures three times.
"He's one of those guys that morphs into what the team needs," Allen said. "He can sit outside and shoot it if we need him to. He can penetrate if we need him to. He does so many things well that he's great to have out there on the floor."
When it was suggested that Gelabale looks like a poor man's Andrei Kirilenko, the do-everything-forward for Utah, Allen said: "Oh no, he's a much better offensive player. But he is just as active on the defensive end as Kirilenko."
In the 110-97 victory against Toronto on Saturday, Gelabale finished with six points and a game-tying nine rebounds. He also had two assists, a steal and blocked a shot.
"Nine rebounds?" Petro said. "I didn't have nine rebounds and that's my job, to get rebounds. It just shows you how active he is."
For the record, Petro, a 7-foot second-year center, had two rebounds against the Raptors.
"I don't know how it would have been for me as a rookie if I had someone here [from France]," Petro said. "It's probably easier for Mickael. We talk about things and I try to be like a big brother to him ... But the way he's playing right now, I can learn a lot from him."
posted by Brandon Schenz @ 5:39 AM,
