So just how good is this Sonic team? I keep thinking how I blasted Vin Baker for the last two years, harping on every facet of his game until it became clear to everyone that he had to go. Oh, I don't mean to claim responsibility for enlightening Seattle & the world; there were lots of guys like PickNRoll who were right there with me. But there were guys defending Baker to the bitter end & beyond. So watching the success of this team has me wondering if I am perceived as being just as blind as the Baker backers in continuing to loathe Wally.

As many of you know,my dislike for Mr. Walker goes back a couple of millennia. As wacko as George Karl was/is, he produced consistent winners & consistently entertaining teams under the stewardship of Trader Bob Whitsitt. Then Wally the Wanker took over, & the talent on the team gradually eroded until only Gary was left from the stockpile of stars Wally had inherited.

It took awhile, but with Walker at the helm,we watched a revolving door of stiffs bring us mediocrity. Don't forget who brought us big men like Jim McIlvaine, Vin Baker, Billy Owens, Jelani Mc Coy, some slug from Argentina (Wojo), Stepania,& many, many more. These last two are important because Wally has continued to go abroad, & I'm not talking about where he vacations. Wally loves dredging up foreigners that few are familiar with. It makes it harder to lambaste his choice when you've never HEARD of the guy, let alone seen him play. When he finally gets lucky with a couple of Yugos like Drob & Radman, people are more than willing to forget his past failures & start referring to him as a drafting genius. And don't forget about Fehse, on whom the jury is still very much out. As much as I like Drobnjak, Radman is the only one in the group who will ever be more than a journeyman - & he was a first rounder! So wouldn't you EXPECT good things of him?

No, Wally is NOT a drafting genius. And how about his latest great FA acquisition, the second coming of Jimmy Mac, Calvin "Toll" Booth? In the last two games he's had a grand total of 2 points, 2 rebounds, & 6 fouls in a combined 24 minutes. Those are positively Vin-like numbers. Yet some would have us believe he's part of the solution that will reverse this revolving door for big men in the Krispy Kreme offense slapped together by our "GM in fact" if not actual title.

I hate to burst everyone's bubble, but this team, while good, is not that great yet precisely because of the problem in the middle that we've always had under Walker. And when Fehse becomes the next casualty under this failed strategy, people will yet again clamor that "we need a talented big man in the middle" like it was a new idea after all these years, much the same as baseball fans keep wondering if the Mariners will EVER find a left fielder.

I used to think that Jerome James would be that guy. But with his lack of basketball experience, he started out behind the curve. At 27 he's no spring chicken anymore, so this latest foot malady is doubly vexing. He needs all the work he can get in developing his very obvious talents before that small window of opportunity closes down & age sets sail on a career in decline. This injury may not be debilitating enough that we eventually lump Jerome in with Booth & the others I listed; but time is running out for the big fella.

Now that he's got his $15 million, he also might not have the motivation necessary to remain on the fast track. That would be a shame both for James personally & the Sonics as a team. Somewhere, someplace there must be a FA big man like Elton Brand who will be available next year to solve this glaring weakness/need of our team. Haven't we been pointing towards this? Isn't that why we got rid of Vin, so we could be a player next year?

I realize in this salary cap era it's hard to have it all. But unlike Wally, you need to have a plan & stick with it instead of going from never-beens like Jimmy Mac to has-beens like Ewing & back again to Band-Aids & unknowns like we seem to be pursuing now. Are we building a team around a couple of super stars as some of you have suggested is the only legitimate way to build an NBA champion? Or are we building around a bunch of redundant jump shooters & athletes, hoping to fill in the hole at center with bargain basement big men, unheralded (sometimes undrafted) discoveries, & developing unknowns from around the world in this center by committee approach? That seems a lot closer to the current truth.

And how have we fared in the other half of the star equation, the dominating guard? I think even the casual follower of Sonic basketball is aware of Gary Payton & the accolades people shower upon him. But how many fans, in the middle of all this talk about how he's the highest paid guard in the league, realize that he STILL averages 21 1/2 points/game & an INCREDIBLE 10 1/2 assists!? He DESERVES to be the highest paid.

So in MY mind, the real telling point as to whether or not Wally knows what he's doing will come next summer when he decides what to do with Gary. I think Mr. Walker is as clueless about Gary as he is about big men. I don't think he REALLY knows what he's got based on how they've treated him so far. Ever fiscally responsible, he probably figures he can get 3-4 guards like himself if need be for the price of one Gary. But the problem is TEN guys like that couldn't do what one Gary does.

No, ladies & gentlemen, Wally Walker is hardly the architect of a divinely inspired Sonics team. It's almost like we're winning in spite of him owing to the players love of Nate & what is developing into one of the most respected coaching staffs in the league. But if Wally lets loose of Gary,this team will churn thru another few years of 40 something wins while many fans in residence wonder what happened to all the promise the Sonics once held. And I'll still be here telling you it all got flushed down the hole in the middle. Without Gary to compensate, it'll be obvious to all but some of Walker's contemporaries like Krause & Sterling just how much Gary means to this team.

The other problem is depth.You can't expect to shoot 55% against better teams like we did against the Kings the other night with essentially six guys scoring. Take Gary out of the mix & the burden would now be shared by five guys who'll wear down as they get older w/o a bench. There'll be more games like Sunday's against the Clippers when we'll shoot 39% or less; but mostly we'll be in the mid 40's. And that won't always be enough for a team that gets outrebounded as often as we do for reasons I've already beat to death. Teams like Dallas & Sacramento with their superior depth will grind us down in the playoffs, leaving the Lakers to shove us aside like tired old rag dolls.

You've either got to go the star route or the depth route. We don't seem committed to either. We'll have a few really good athletes & shooters, but without a strong presence in the middle OR better depth, we'll continue to be above average also-rans. And I'll continue bashing Wally another few years until everyone figures it out as they did with Vin.

The legendary and infamous David Kronfield has been a SonicsCentral.com columnist since day one. David can be reached at heavyd@sonicscentral.com. All opinions expressed in this column are solely the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other columnists or the SonicsCentral.com staff.

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