Sonics Coach Wants Reinforcements

Sonics coach Bob Weiss thinks he's finally figured out what's wrong with his 13-17 team--they lack a shot-blocker.

""We got 6-6 Reggie Evans back there and Vitaly at 6-10," Weiss told the Seattle Times. "Neither of them are shot-blockers and they got to feel like Custer back there."

(Custer, as is well-known to generations of schoolchilden, was a sub-par shot blocker--he stood less than six feet and had only a 17-inch vertical leap. Though he did block plenty of shots at Little Big Horn.)

Weiss said he's asked GM Rick Sund to acquire a center. Not that Sonics management hasn't been trying. They've picked 7-footers in the first round of the past two drafts: Robert Swift (in 2004) and Johan Petro (in 2005). Unfortunately, these two players aren't very good. Swift's played only 16 minutes all year, and Petro doesn't understand how to play defense yet.

Swift's even asked to be demoted to the Sonics' Developmental League team in Albuquerque.

Here's the worse news: Weiss admits that teams don't want to trade shot blockers. So this thing that's wrong with the team isn't going to get fixed.

It's an interesting motivational tactic by Weiss--let your team know that they aren't likely to win because they don't have a shot blocker, and then tell them that there won't be a shot blocker on the team anytime soon. Look for a rededicated effort from an inspired and confident Sonics team when they face the Bulls tomorrow night.