The progressive motion of Heracleitus and Vedder is not always evident in our day-to-day lives when things can sometimes feel so incredibly repetitive and mundane, repetitive and mundane, repetitive and mundane . . . well you get the point. However, in the microcosm of life that is professional sports, this constant state of fluctuation and change can be clearly seen and examined on a nightly basis. In no arena is it more evident than the fast-paced, up and down world of the NBA.

In the NBA nothing ever stays the same. If you don’t believe this all you need to do is ask Michael Jordan why he was not in this year’s All-Star dunk contest or ask Shawn Kemp to try to fit into his old Sonics uniform. But a little less drastically than these changes that have taken place over years, are the everyday moves that see third string point guards move up to second on the depth charts, or free agent acquisitions placed on the injured list giving summer league prospects playing time.

Regardless of what the changes are, the fact is they occur with every second passed, every decision made, and after these changes take place the world is never the same again. After Vin Baker dislocated three toes in the Sonics' February 14th loss to the L.A. Lakers the Sonics experienced a major change that will definitely prevent their world from ever being the same.

Before the Sonics' St.Valentine’s Day massacre against the Lakers, Seattle was a single game above the .500 mark, using Vin Baker as the interior scoring presence that forced the opposition to double team him and allow the Sonics to play their inside-out style of offense. After the injury, the Sonics were forced to adjust their offensive scheme to focus on a high post pick and roll philosophy to compensate for the loss of their former All-Star power forward. Since the time of this fundamental team realignment the team has gone nine and two, including tying the team’s second best road trip of all time to raise the team’s record to .557.

Change may be constant but that in no way means we have to like it. In fact change is perhaps the most dreaded thing in the world; we all like to seek out the stability and security of the routine. Fear of change is why the adjustment of the offensive aim that Nate McMillan’s Sonics have adopted is such an incredible transition. To halfway through the season be forced to scrap the game plan that the team had been following all along and suddenly pick up a new concept without skipping a beat on the court is an impressive feat. To do it and not only maintain, but also significantly improve, the team’s performance is a feat worthy of Coach of the Year consideration.

The league is filled with coaches known for their tried and true systems: Pat Riley, Jerry Sloan, and Phil Jackson’s famed triangle offense, forcing players to conform to their coaches’ style. Nate McMillan has to be highly praised for being able to evaluate his team, and having the confidence to part from his own preference to make the best with what his players have to offer. In an interview with Nunyo Demasio published on March 2nd in the Seattle Times, McMillan displayed his confidence by asking if anyone was surprised by the result. The answer is yes, but clearly there is no surprise in McMillan’s eyes.

Things might be good in Sonics land now, since the change, but the point is that there is always more change on the horizon; a thought that has haunted Sonics fans’ dreams with the prospect of Baker’s return. The fear of Vin Baker coming back and messing up a good thing is understandable; after all, seldom in Baker’s Sonic tenure has his name been synonymous with optimism.

However, regression back into the Sonics regime of yesterday seems to be an unlikely possibility; the water flows only one way. Since Baker has been out, Radmanovic has grown as a player; James has shown even more growth. Maybe most of all, McMillan has developed as a head coach in the NBA. The entire Seattle franchise has undergone an evolution. And with all these other variables changed it will be almost impossible for Baker’s return to signal a return to the same river the Sonics left behind when Vin went on the IL. In fact Baker’s return should end up being a positive change for a team that now knows how to utilize its capabilities. Vin is just another weapon for McMillan to integrate into the team’s new approach.

Over the past two and a half weeks the Sonics have faced adversity and used it as the motivation to turn a corner. A small glimmer of success has started to shine down on the Northwest and it seems to have done wonders for a team that only needed a chance to grow together and progress as a team, a progression that potentially has just begun. One that can eventually evolve the team into a force to reckoned with in the Western conference and ensures Seattle a whole lot more of the spotlight tomorrow.

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All opinions expressed in this column are solely the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of other columnists or staff of Sonicscentral.com