A six-year stint with the Seattle SuperSonics was the longest period of time Michael Cage spent with any of the five teams he played for in his 15-year NBA career. Nevertheless, the best game of Cage’s career came not with the Sonics, but against them. Cage entered the final day of the 1987-88 season locked in a fierce battle with Chicago’s Charles Oakley for the NBA’s rebounding title. To top Oakley, Cage needed 29 rebounds in the Los Angeles Clippers finale against the Sonics. He got 30 and led the league with his average of 13.0 rebounds per game.

Two months later, he was a member of the Sonics, traded on the day of the NBA Draft for Seattle’s 1988 first-round pick (guard Gary Grant) and a future first-rounder. “I didn’t think at the time that the Sonics would have interest in me,” Cage says now, “or that the Clippers would let me go.” The Sonics acquired Cage as insurance against the departure of starting power forward Tom Chambers, who was an unrestricted free agent at the time. When Chambers signed with Phoenix on July 6, Cage inherited his starting job to give the Sonics a defensive-minded banger to go with high-scorers Xavier McDaniel and Dale Ellis.

In addition to being a top rebounder with the Clippers, Cage was also a good scorer. He averaged 14.5 points per game during his final season in Los Angeles and 15.7 the season before. In Seattle, that wasn’t his rule. Cage’s first year in the Emerald City was the only time in his six seasons as a Sonics player that he cracked double-figures. Don’t believe for a second, however, that scoring average was the true measure of Cage’s contribution to the team.

Cage demonstrated that aggressive positioning made a great rebounder.

At 6-9, Cage’s natural position was power forward, where he usually played against players of the same height. Because of the Sonics perpetual quest for an answer in the middle, Cage was forced to play out of position at center during much of his career. In addition, the development of star Shawn Kemp at power forward limited Cage’s minutes. After averaging more than 30 minutes per game during his first two years with the Sonics, he played closer to 25 minutes a night the next four seasons, dipping to barely more than 20 minutes during the 1993-94 season. Through it all, Cage soldiered on without complaint, happy that the team was winning.

Cage was present – and a key part of – the beginning of the Sonics run of success in the 1990s. The 1988-89 season, Cage’s first in Seattle, was the end of the previous group’s run. As Cage just missed a double-double with 10.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, the Sonics went 47-35 and advanced to the second-round of the playoffs. The next season, Kemp’s rookie year, they slipped to 41-41 despite continued strong play from Cage. With Kemp playing a larger role and newly-acquired Benoit Benjamin at center, Cage’s minutes were cut slightly and his production dropped to 6.4 points and 6.8 rebounds. He bounced back during the 1991-92 season with averages of 8.8 points and 8.9 rebounds. At the same time, the franchise was revitalized by the mid-season hiring of Coach George Karl. The Sonics finished 47-35 and won a playoff series for the second time in Cage’s run as a Sonic.

1992-93 marked the start of championship contention for the Sonics, and Cage continued to play a role, sharing time at center with midseason pick-up Sam Perkins. He averaged 6.1 points and 8.0 rebounds in the role while the team went to the Western Conference Finals. Cage cites game seven of that series as his favorite memory as a Sonics player. Not necessarily because of the game – the Sonics were beaten 123-110 – but the reception from Seattle afterwards. “We got off the plane and fans were cheering us,” he recalls fondly of the fans’ support.

The next year didn’t end so well for Cage or the team. After the Sonics drafted center Ervin Johnson, it was clear they were in the process of phasing out Cage, by then 32 and an impending free agent. With the frontcourt more crowded, Cage’s minutes dropped off further and he averaged only 4.6 points and 5.4 rebounds. Cage started 42 games, but that total was still the lowest of his career as a Sonic. While the team was successful in the regular season, winning a league-high 63 games, the Sonics were eliminated by Denver in the first round of the playoffs.

Cage speaks to Sonics fans on opening night.

Game five of that series was Cage’s last as in a Sonics uniform. He signed as a free agent with Cleveland on Aug. 3, 1994, and spent the next two seasons with the Cavaliers. During the 1995-96 season, Cage started 80 games for the Cavs, averaging 6.0 points and 8.9 rebounds. He subsequently began bouncing around, spending a season each with Philadelphia and New Jersey as a reserve big man. In 1999, Cage was traded back to the Sonics. He never played with the team during the shortened season, however, and was released the next day. “I was considering retirement,” he explains, “and didn’t want to bother getting in shape for a short season.” Come next fall, Cage did return, playing 242 minutes in a final season with New Jersey before hanging it up for good.

Aside from leading the league in rebounding, Cage’s main claim to fame was his consecutive-games streak, which was for a time second-longest in the NBA behind league record-holder A.C. Green. All told, Cage played 736 straight games, which was the fourth-longest streak in NBA history when it ended. Cage was more than lucky. He was also devoted to keeping himself in peak physical condition. A major part of his fitness regimen was drinking juice made from his juicer. Cage was known in Seattle as “The Juiceman” for his love of the healthy liquid.

During his playing days, the articulate Cage spoke about getting into broadcasting following his playing career. So far, that hasn’t happened, as he instead says he’s making up for lost time with his wife and children. Additionally, Cage has recently been paying more attention to the Sonics. “I’ve been following the team since Nate (McMillan) took over,” Cage says of his former teammate and the current Sonic Head Coach. As a result, Cage returned to Seattle last October to attend a practice and take part in opening night festivities. Seattle fans hope they haven't seen the last of the man who controlled the glass for the Sonics for six seasons.