Danny Fortson apparently canceled his dentist appointment for his sore tooth. No reason given why. Bob Hill had a difficult time keeping a straight face as he told us that Danny could not fly because they told him that an abscessed tooth might explode in flight. Now there is something I would like to see. I wonder if it could blow up the plane.

There are a good number of front-office personnel on this trip, for the obvious reason that this trip ends in Oklahoma City, wherethe bizarre dynamic of the Hornets leaving town after this season and the SOnics the possible replacements convenes tomorrow. Lenny Wilkens is meeting with Clay Bennett in the afternoon to plot a course for what to do after the season; and the owners are going to have a breakfast meeting with the players at the team hotel, the first time they will have met their investment. Hill said he was excited to see what transpires on Wednesday -- though in a weird circumstance, after the owners have breakfast with the team, they apparently will have a board meeting to determine his future.

RC Buford, the Spurs' general manager, is not at the game tonight. I wanted to speak to him about his potential interest in being the Sonics' next GM -- though I doubt he would have wanted to answer the sensitive questions since he still works for the Spurs. His assistant, Sam Presti, is a name that keeps popping up as well.

I asked my editor how the NASCAR development affects the Sonics' chances at getting an arena, and he said there was no clear-cut answer. Here is what he wrote: "I think most folks never thought the two would be horse-traded because there hasn't been enough support for either to get to that level. It might help
just a tad because it removes a similar proposal that was competing for
attention. But it doesn't advance the Sonics' cause, so I'd argue that it
doesn't help, but it doesn't hurt either."

The city of Renton on Wednesday will release it report on fiscal and economic impact of the new arena on its community. I'm quite certain it will be a glowing report.