Sonics Prefer a Coach of Fewer Words

The News Tribune

[imgl]http://www.thenewstribune.com/images/unisys-images/20051005-images/SPT1005_SONICS_P-thumb.JPG[/imgl] After the Seattle SuperSonics ran through a nearly three-hour practice on their first day of training camp Tuesday morning, new coach Bob Weiss called together the players at midcourt.
There was a brief discussion, a team cheer, and the players were left to shoot, be interviewed, lift weights or go to the locker room.

Many players breathed a sigh of relief – and not because practice was complete.

No, Weiss’ abbreviated words were a robust and welcome departure from the habitudes of former coach Nate McMillan, who would admit to being a bit long-winded as he preached from his coach’s pulpit.

No players ever publicly criticized McMillan for this practice, but their body language – Rashard Lewis chewing his fingernails, Ray Allen kicking the floor as if he was imagining ice skating, Jerome James craning his neck – said more than enough about the opinions of players, who simply wanted to relax after running for two hours.

“You don’t know how tough it is, after you get done practicing and my blood is flowing, then you stop for 30 minutes – it is like a yo-yo effect,” Allen said. “So we talked with Bob. He is going to limit his talking. We are going to talk about what we are going to do, then we are going to practice. Bob is very precise.”

Lewis, a Sonics co-captain, said it wasn’t just the talking at the end of practice that would bother players.

“When you are sitting there talking and guys get stiffened up, then you go back out and scrimmage, then you are not moving as fast or going as hard because you are stiff,” Lewis said. “Then (McMillan) would get upset and scream at us because we were not going as hard – but we were stiff.

“Nate did a lot of talking, but it was just talk. Coach Weiss gets right to the point, tells us what he wants us to do, then we go out there and do it.”

This is not to suggest the players were happy to see McMillan depart, particularly after the success the team enjoyed last season.

But sometimes change and a new atmosphere are good and refreshing. And the focus on work and off rhetoric is one of the primary changes Weiss is going to make.

But there will not be too many other significant alterations. After all, this is not a team going from, say, George Karl to Paul Westphal. Weiss was hired to replace McMillan because of his familiarity with the organization and his ability to make the transition seamless.

But there will be differences beyond the hyperbole – or lack thereof. Weiss will focus more on shooting during practice, in part because this is such a perimeter-oriented team. He will scrimmage more in the hopes that players get in better shape. And he wants to run things up-tempo, the same way he chooses to play the games.

“Obviously, it’s only been one day, but it seemed like it was a little bit lighter mood,” forward Nick Collison said. “We are still down to business. Guys are playing hard. (Weiss) does a good job of communicating. Nate did a good job of disciplining. I can’t say one is better than the other. A coach like Coach Weiss can be successful if (the players) are mature and don’t let things slide. If they are self-motivated, then we will be successful.”

That, of course, is the question of the season: Will players who are guaranteed millions of dollars regardless of their performance be self-motivated enough to stay disciplined and reward Weiss’ more lenient, more understanding ways?

“I have talked to Luke (Ridnour), Nick, Rashard and even Damien (Wilkins) about being in control of practice, making sure that everybody does their job, pays attention, listens to Bob,” Allen said. “We have to be professional as far as that. But me and Rashard have to make sure that we keep a lid on that stuff.”

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