Wilcox feels left out, wants more touches

You know the play Chris Wilcox likes best. Heck, anyone who has watched a Sonics game the past two years knows the play.

It's the one where he sets a screen at the top of the key before driving hard to the rim, retrieving a pass and flying high over defenders to deliver a vicious slam.

That's Chris Wilcox in a nutshell.

He's a capable defender and exceptional in transition; at 6 feet 10 and 235 pounds, he's able to outrun most of the NBA's post players.

Still — much to the dismay of former coaches who pushed him to diversify his offensive arsenal — Wilcox, a six-year veteran, still is working on developing a reliable low-post game.

"His forte is still on the move, beating people up and down the floor and using his quickness and athleticism," coach P.J. Carlesimo said Thursday.

The Sonics power forward, acquired in February 2006, is best when attacking the basket. He says that to stay productive he needs a pass-happy point guard consistently feeding him an assortment of passes.

"I'm more of a pick-and-roll guy and I'm not in pick-and-rolls," Wilcox said. "That's the tough thing. I'm definitely a pick-and-roll guy and every team in the league knows that. That's how I was the last couple of years when I was effective. Now it's just like me just sitting around on the block."

It has been a roller-coaster month for Wilcox, who has posted four double-doubles in nine games. A pattern has emerged. In the first four games he scored in double figures, he grabbed at least 11 rebounds and showed flashes of brilliance.

Wednesday's 107-93 defeat to New Orleans is the lone exception. Wilcox scored 10 points, but had only three rebounds and appeared disinterested for long stretches.

"With me, to get a rhythm, I have to be involved, and a lot of times I feel like I'll just be running up and down and then I lose my focus in the game," Wilcox said. "I'm going to work on that now. Just trying to stay consistent, but it's kind of hard when your mind is not there and stuff is not going the way you want.

"I just want to be involved. Me going out there and getting rebounds and things like that all game, that's something that I'm doing. If the guys on your team are not looking for you, you look at yourself like, 'What can I do to get open? What can I do to get the ball?' So when I do get it, there's more pressure on me because I want to score. I might not get a touch the whole game."

Each time Wilcox has posted a double-double in December, he has attempted at least 10 shots. When he hasn't, he has averaged 7.6 attempts.

Some would suggest Wilcox is playing to his potential. He averaged 13.5 points on 52.9 percent shooting and 7.7 rebounds last season and after 26 games this season he's averaging 13.9 points on 50.5 percent shooting and 7.6 rebounds.

But he believes he's capable of more.

Wilcox says tendinitis in both knees and a mildly sprained right ankle have sapped his strength in the second halves of games, but more worrisome is tonight's 7:30 p.m. game against two-time All-Star Chris Bosh and the Toronto Raptors as well as his relationship with point guards Earl Watson and Luke Ridnour.

"It's kind of hard for me to say [to them] you need to do this because those guys have different things on their minds," Wilcox said. "They're thinking about whether they're going to be playing or not and me telling them that I need touches isn't helping anything. We're not on the same page right now, but then that's to be expected with everything they're going through.

"I've just got to stay focused and bring more energy. I've got to be more on the glass. Since I'm not going to get any touches, I've got to get them off the glass. I've got to get putbacks and things like that."

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com