Sonics
Barry's play erratic in first game in six weeks

By Percy Allen
Seattle Times staff reporter

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Beads of sweat dripped from his sandy brown hair, and between gasps for air, Brent Barry had just one question for his coach during his first full workout Monday.

"How do I look?" the Sonics guard asked.

Nate McMillan shot back a quick affirmative reply, but his actions spoke louder than words.

McMillan removed Barry from the injured list and activated him on the 12-man roster before last night's game against Minnesota at KeyArena.

Barry had missed the previous 20 games because of a fractured right ring finger suffered Jan. 27. He had surgery, in which a pin was placed in his shooting hand.

Trainers estimated a four- to six-week recovery, and yesterday was the six-week mark.

Barry said he believed he would return Friday and wanted an additional practice to improve his conditioning. He rushed his return in part because of the injuries among the Sonics guards, McMillan said.

"He felt like he was ready to go and it was really his call," McMillan said.

Wearing a black and white glove on his hand, Barry entered the game with 5:49 remaining in the first quarter to a loud ovation.
 
He immediately committed three turnovers and appeared out of sync. In the first half, Barry played 10 minutes and finished with one rebound, one steal and four turnovers. He badly missed his only shot, a contested three-pointer, and had three total points.

Player of the game: Ray Allen scored more points, but Kevin Garnett played a complete game as the Minnesota forward finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. He sank 11 of 20 shots.

Turning point: The Sonics were outscored 30-21 in the fourth quarter.

Key matchup: The Timberwolves gambled and lost when they placed Trenton Hassell on Allen, who scored 37 points.

Key statistics: Minnesota nearly converted half of its field goals. The Timberwolves sank 41 of 83 shots for 49.4 percent shooting.

Next: At Miami, 4:30 p.m., Friday, American Airlines Arena.

Allen returns

Ray Allen wore a sweater before the game to keep warm. He still felt the effects of the flu, which kept him from playing in Sunday's 86-65 loss to Detroit.

Williams' jersey to be retired

The Sonics will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 1979 NBA championship team March 22 with a weeklong celebration, ending March 26 against Denver.

During a halftime ceremony, the team will honor Gus Williams by retiring his No. 1 jersey and raising it into the rafters.

"Gus was one of our leaders," said Sonics assistant Jack Sikma, one of four ex-Sonics to have his jersey retired. "A great guy to have on the team. I enjoyed playing with him, and he brought a spirit to our team that was invaluable."

Lenny Wilkens, Fred Brown, Jack Sikma and McMillan are the others to have their jerseys retired.

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