After taking Saturday off, the Sonics returned to the Furtado Center this morning for a spirited workout even though they were a little shorthanded.

When the media entered the final 20 minutes, F Nick Collison and C Kurt Thomas (left tendinitis strain) were on the sideline. Coach P.J. Carlesimo said Thomas went about 20 minutes before sitting down. He also said Collison had a hip-pointer, although the PR staff will list it as a right quadriceps strain.

That's how it goes with this team. On the day when Chris Wilcox (right dislocated pinky) and Luke Ridnour (left sore quadriceps) return to practice, they could lose two players.

Methinks Thomas will continue to start, but Collison is officially listed as game-time decision. Carlesimo said if Collison were healthy then he'd likely start and Wilcox would come off the bench. The coach doesn't rush injuries and he's always erred on the side of caution. If both players are equally limited, then he just might toss a coin to decide who starts.

Wilcox will not wear a brace or anything like that and will simply tape his ring finger and pinky. He said he's still in pain, but the time off has allowed him to recover from his nagging leg injuries. He's got a tough matchup in Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom and may not play more than 25 minutes because his conditioning isn't what it should be.

As for Ridnour, well, it remains to be seen how Carlesimo will handle his three point guards. Most likely, Earl Watson will start and Delonte West will slide to 2-guard as a backup to Kevin Durant. This will likely affect Damien Wilkins minutes since Wally Szczerbiak is Jeff Green's understudy.

Carlesimo spoke at length about re-igniting the running game, which has been stagnant lately. He said Ridnour could help, but chose not to throw Watson and West beneath the bus.

Still, it's becoming obvious that Carlesimo favors a quick PG to run his Paul Westhead offense, which relies on transition points and pushing the ball on defensive rebounds. Watson and West are better in the halfcourt. Watson is a good manager of a team with a streaky three-pointer, while West can create shots for himself better than he can create for others.