Getting to the Next Level By David Kronfield November 24, 2003 Well, I guess since nobody really appreciated the absurdity of my trade, I'll stick to what I do best, and that’s bitching. I always thought that the PI moderator was a woman because posters could describe all kinds of gross bodily functions over there, not to mention making direct reference to sexually oriented body parts. God forbid one would dare speak of female dogs! Perhaps there's a gender identification issue there. Who knows? Anyway, the point of the proposed trade was that we need to bring in a QUALITY big man if we are to move to the next level. We don't need to trade our crap for someone else's crap. We've had enough centers of dubious acclaim dating back to Jimmy Mac to last this franchise a lifetime. We don't need another project or over-the-hill aging veteran. We don't need another journeyman with limited skills. We don't need another headcase. We've had all those and it just hasn't worked. The proof of that is in our declining win totals. But some people, particularly those over at the PI, still don't get it. They want to know why guys like Ryan & myself are dumping on Rashard & proposing bogus trades. They want to know if next we'll be proposing that the Sonics get rid of Allen. Well, yeah, if that's what it takes. Don't misunderstand, I like both of these guys. Lewis is still young & despite what Ryan points out in his most recent column, the guy is still a fine player who has continued to show improvement every year. He's great if you let him be what he is. What's wrong with being Robin to somebody else's Batman? Shannon may have a problem with that, but I don't. The problem as usual is with the Sonics management. Just as they’ve tried to force Radman to play out of position because they have squandered every opportunity to bring in a REAL PF, they're trying to mold Lewis into being that go-to guy. As a weak side player, perhaps that's just not his style. I think what he does best is lurk on the weak side periphery for someone to kick him the ball so he can drain an open three. He's gotten much better at creating for himself, but it's still not his preference or forte. His game, like the man himself, is quiet & unassuming. There’s nothing wrong with that. Just don't try to make him into something he's not. We only need him to be "taking over games" because we lack someone of suitable talent & temperament to do exactly that. But is that Rashard's fault? I don't think so. He'd be killer on a team like Dallas where there is more than enough talent to play that role while Rashard slips through the cracks. Cuban knows that & he understands the relationship. Lewis is a role player par excellence; a hired gun. He's not a go-to guy. So what does that mean to the Sonics? It means that he is miscast here. Remember the ill-fated experiment when he was first made captain in an effort to get him to accept more responsibility? It didn't work well then, & like many of fans, I have my doubts how well it will continue to work. The solution in a perfect world would be to bring in someone who would allow Rashard to play second fiddle. He'd have his break out moments to be sure, but he would be absolved of the emotional burden of being expected to carry the team. Can Allen be that player? Maybe, but then we’re back to the historical question: Can two talented weak-side players with a weak supporting cast lead a team to success in the playoffs? I say no because these two are NOT Jordan & Pippen, & the rest of the team is woefully inferior to what the Bulls had in their glory years. So how can you remold this team in the image of a champion with the least amount of turmoil? Management's wait it out approach this past summer would seem to indicate that most of the pieces are already here. All we need is time & a little luck. Are you buying that? I know I'm not. Collison may develop into a fine journeyman PF, but I'm sticking by my earlier evaluation that he's going to be more of a workhorse role player in this league than a go to guy. Think of Reggie Evans with offense. Again, as with Lewis, nothing is wrong with that. Ridnour will put on some weight, shear his curly locks, & get everyone the ball in perfect position to score. Yeah, right. But even if this pipe dream comes to pass in the best of all possible worlds, we're still left with a bunch of nice, fairly talented players with no real leader. NO GO-TO GUY! We don't need to blow up the team & start over to get one. But what are our chances of getting one in the middle positions of the draft? Where is the CAP space going to come from to attract one such suitable FA? What is the possibility of one of our current crop of dreadful big men suddenly emerging? Slim & none, my friends. Like it or not, that leaves a trade as the only REAL possibility for transforming this team. That most likely means trading Allen or Lewis unless you want to continue to believe that we can get lucky trading Radman &/or Barry. Knowing Wally & the lack of cajones on the part of management in general, I fully expect them to try the latter. I also fully expect them to fail yet again in this pursuit. Oh, we might become minimally better. We might even make the playoffs. Won't that be exciting? Howard might even find it in his heart to televise a few more games. But mark my words, as sure as the Cougars will blow the next big one, we won't be ready for prime time until we somehow manage to lasso a bona fide go-to guy big man. How ironic that the "go-to” guy is a Cougar.   The legendary and infamous David Kronfield has been a SonicsCentral.com columnist since day one. David can be reached at heavyd@sonicscentral.com. Got an opinion on this column? Discuss it in the SonicsCentral message boards. The Curmudgeon's Corner Archive 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.