Sonics fall short again

INDIANAPOLIS — In the wake of yet another distressing defeat, Sonics coach Bob Weiss confirmed on Monday that he has talked to the front office about trading for a shot-blocking post.

"It's something that we talked about, but there's just not that many [centers] that people are willing to get rid of," Weiss said after his team allowed 15 layups or dunks in a 115-96 defeat to Indiana. "Those kind of guys are pretty much at a premium. So just because you want one, and you're willing to trade to get one, it's not necessarily going to happen."

Reports the Sonics seek a backup point guard may be overblown. However, the team is actively trying to upgrade a porous front line that is being bogged down by the slow development of 7-foot centers Robert Swift and Johan Petro.

When asked if there were shot-blocking centers in the NBA that he'd like to trade for, Weiss said yes. He also acknowledged it will be difficult for the Sonics to pull off a deal for a big man given the structure of contracts on their team.

Three players (Vladimir Radmanovic, Reggie Evans and Ronald Murray) have just one year remaining on their contracts, but they have the right to veto any trade. Radmanovic said he'll exercise his right and Evans and Murray said they will evaluate any deals before deciding.

Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, Luke Ridnour and Nick Collison are considered virtually untouchable, and the coaching staff is intrigued by the potential of Damien Wilkins.

What remains as trade bait are a bunch of spare parts in Danny Fortson, Vitaly Potapenko, Mikki Moore, Rick Brunson, Mateen Cleaves, Petro and Swift.

General Manager Rick Sund declined comment. However, Weiss was less than optimistic the Sonics could complete a trade any time soon. After Monday's defeat, he looked tired and worn-down, like a man who has ran out of options.

Clearly, Weiss was frustrated and grasping for straws after losing so decisively to Indiana (16-12), which had a four-game losing streak and played without All-Star Jermaine O'Neal, point guard Jamaal Tinsley and embattled forward Ron Artest, who combine for an average of 53.2 points.

The loss of firepower, however, didn't stop the Pacers from racing past Sonics guards and attacking the basket. Indiana scored just 36 points in the paint, but its aggressive stance allowed it to attempt 35 free throws and convert 30.

"We got 6-6 Reggie Evans back there and Vitaly at 6-10," Weiss said. "Neither of them are shot-blockers and they got to feel like Custer back there with people running at them.

"They were in our paint. ... They were executing and attacking. They had us on our heels all night."

Actually, Indiana needed a quarter to subdue the struggling Sonics [13-17].

The Pacers took the lead after 62 seconds and never looked back. They stretched their advantage to 11 (19-8) with 6:45 remaining in the first quarter and 20 (33-13) with 3:42 left.

Jackson scored 13 of his 22 points in the first, while reserve guard Fred Jones tossed in eight of his game-high 26.

Indiana converted 14 of 21 shots (66.7 percent) in the first.

"In the first quarter, we gave up too many easy points," said Allen, who scored a team-high 24 points on 9-for-21 shooting. "It seems like it's a fairly even game through the other three quarters."

The Sonics reduced their deficit to 54-45 with 3:36 remaining in the first half, but trailed 63-47 at halftime, 70-47 early in the third and never cut the margin to less than 14 for the rest of the game.

Hoping to create a spark, Weiss benched starters Wilkins and Potapenko to the start of the second half and replaced them with Ridnour and Petro.

His plan backfired as the rookie Petro's inexperience was revealed in the first two minutes. He collected a foul, which led to two Pacers points, and a blown defensive switch resulted in a David Harrison dunk.

"If we did that [traded for a shot-blocker], it would help us because our weak-side defense is so bad, we're not getting help in rotation and guys are running to the basket," Allen said. "We miss Jerome [James] a little bit. ... But I still believe on the guys on this team.

"We need to be cognizant of who we have on the floor and what that man is doing. We're not a shot-blocking team. OK, let's admit that and work with that. But it's like we don't know who we are or what guys are capable of."

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com