Petro goes out, Swift comes in for Sonics

Admittedly, Johan Petro is a tad apprehensive about undergoing surgery to repair his broken nose.

"No, I'm scared," the Sonics rookie center said. "I've never had surgery before. This is my first one."

Not even a little playful ribbing from coach Bob Hill after Monday's practice could calm his fears and soothe the wrinkles that had settled above Petro's brow. Usually, he's jovial and upbeat and keeps teammates in stitches with his playful disposition and comical antics.

But when Hill teased him about needing his services tonight against Houston's Yao Ming, Petro, who has become fluent in English the past few months, peered at him as if he were speaking a foreign language.

In the past 13 months, three Sonics have broken their noses. Forward Nick Collison began the trend last season on March 6, 2005, against Phoenix. This season, Robert Swift underwent surgery to repair a broken nose on Feb. 22 and lost his job to Petro during his four-game absence.

Perhaps it's fate a similar injury returns Swift to the starting lineup.

"He's fine," Swift said of Petro, who will be off the court for about a week. "It's just going to pop back into place. He'll wear a mask for the rest of the season, and it's not really a big deal."

Petro was just starting to thrive as a starter before his injury. The same can be said of Swift, whose setback six weeks ago was a dip in what has been a roller-coaster season.

With the exception of Earl Watson, who scored 20 points, no Sonic could claim a boastful night in last Wednesday's 115-87 loss to Houston in the Toyota Center. But the game was particularly embarrassing to Swift.

Yao had his way with Seattle's big men, with 29 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Sunday's 122-83 win against Portland, however, marked a slight upward turn for Swift. Against the Blazers' Joel Przybilla, he had 10 points and six rebounds, his first double-digit scoring total in four games.

Perhaps it's no coincidence that Swift played without the plastic face mask that had been protecting his nose for the first time on Sunday.

"They [doctors] said it's more susceptible to being broken again, but it wouldn't matter if I took it off now or if I get hit two years from now," he said. "It's going to have the potential to break. ... But I wasn't thinking about that."

If the Sonics (30-43) are going to snap a six-game losing streak to the Rockets (32-41), then Swift will have to contain Yao, who has averaged 26.3 points and 11.3 rebounds against Seattle this season.

Swift, who stands 7 feet 1, said defending the 7-6 Yao is "like a small forward playing a guy who's a center. I'm not short by any means, but I'm small compared to him."

"Robert has got to beat him to spots and stay active and move his feet," Hill said. "He's capable, certainly. It would be great for him. He keeps telling me about a game against Houston last year where he had 17 points or something.

"He has a good frame of reference for playing Yao. Now, how much that means, I don't know. But we'll see."

Actually, Swift scored 10 points in 17 minutes in a meaningless regular-season finale claimed by the Rockets last year. Seattle sat Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, Houston rested Tracy McGrady, and Yao played just 23 minutes in that game because both teams were headed to the playoffs.

With no postseason in sight for either team this season, there are few incentives tonight. For Swift, it's a chance to test himself against the best center in the Western Conference, if not the NBA.

"It's a chance for us to get back at them," Swift said. "I'm looking forward to the opportunity. We had a good win [Sunday]. We're playing well, so it's time to get them back."

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