In the morning, I headed over to the morning workouts, where Aaron Brooks was playing in a game. He obviously is as quick as anyone on the floor, but I didnt think he was overly impressive. I worry about his size. He is very small, but also very slight, not a great combination in an NBA point. If he gets taken, he will have to be a good fit on a team. It would be impossible for the Sonics to take him given their already diminutive status at the position. Brooks gets inside whenever he wants but had a hard time finishing, at least in this game. In the morning game, nobody really stood out the way the kid from Clemson did the other day, though a guy named Zabian Dowdell from Virginia Tech I think has been pretty solid. And a big kid named Kyle Visser had a couple of nice blocks. The one thing that really is noticeable is there are not many players who just drain it from outside.

In the afternoon, we headed over to a hotel where we met with the top players in the draft. Greg Oden just dominates. He reminds me of Shaq. He is engaging, funny, thoughtful, knows how to play the room. He looks you in the eye when he speaks and in an atmosphere that is a sort of free-for-all, he controls the interview session, which is rare for most athletes, much less a 19-year-old one. If I am Portland, it would be very very difficult to pass on him after you talk to the guy. He seems to have it all. Kevin Durant is much more reserved, not nearly as polished. Almost seemed shy. Though the guy is HUGE. He walked past me and I think he already is bigger than Rashard. And my guess is he grows some more. He said when he went home his friends told him he seemed like he had grown. I'd love to see his individual workout. HE seems like a menace on the court. But while I think Oden comes in and immediately dominates a team and a locker room, my guess is Durant tries to fit in, especially with somebody with a commanding personality like Ray Allen's. Spencer Hawes seems very confident, said he still has not made up his mind about staying in the draft or getting out. Said he doesnt know when he will make the decision. I'm writing on him for tomorrow's paper so you can see some of his quotes there in the morning. It was odd, because almost all the Florida players are here in Orlando, and then after we met with them the news broke that Billy Donovan was going to coach the Magic. I wonder if they wll be at his press conference tomorrow. Also, when word spread that Jim O'Brien was going to coach the Pacers, almost every reporter in the room had a similar reaction: Jim O Brien? Really?

Also, it appears that one of the men who I thought might be a candidate for the Sonics' GM opening could get hired somewhere else. Detroit's Tony Ronzone is a front-runner for the Golden State GM job that was opened when Rod Higgins left to go to Charlotte. He has a great history and I think will do a nice job alongside Chris Mullin. I get the sense the Sonics are going to name their GM next week. I am not hearing any other names outside of John Gabriel, Sam Presti, Gary Fitzsimmons and Tommy Sheppard. I know that Sheppard interviewed with Clay earlier in the week and I think Presti interviewed with Lenny or Clay today. My guess is that Lenny and Clay take the weekend to talk about their interviews and make a decision and an announcement next week. That is just a guess.

I dont mean to be dumping on Kobe any more than he needs to be dumped on given his trade demand today, but I can only guess that Ray Allen was smiling somewhere when he heard about Bryant's statements. Remember the feud between Allen and Bryant that was ignited at the beginning of the 2004 season. Well, here is what Ray Allen said that night in Portland a night after the Sonics lost to the Lakers in Anaheim.

"He's going to be very selfish," Allen said of Bryant. "And he feels like he needs to show this league and the people in this country that he is better without Shaq. He can win championships without Shaq. So offensively, he's going to jump out and say, 'I can average 30 points. I can still carry the load on this team.'

"I think the point production is not going to be so much what people are going to look at because (Tracy) McGrady did it in Orlando, Allen (Iverson) did it in Philly. Can you win a championship? I think that's the question. Carrying guys on your back and making everybody better."

Allen was right about that, as it turns out, but get a load of Allen's crystal ball on this one.

"If Kobe doesn't see he needs two and a half good players to be a legitimate playoff contender or win a championship, in about a year or two he'll be calling out to Jerry Buss that 'We need some help in here,' or 'Trade me,' " Allen said. "And we'll all be saying, 'I told you so,' when he says that."

Man alive, that is some good stuff. He was almost exactly right. It took three seasons instead of two, but Kobe finally did exactly what Ray said he was going to do. Unbelievable.

In Orlando, I went to the first game this morning and a guy named James Mays from Clemson jumped out at me. Reminded me a little of Ruben Patterson, jumping jack kind of player. Everybody was watching a guy named Aaron Gray, the 7-0 center from Pittsburgh, but he looked like a stiff to me. Bad hands, slow, not a lot of moves around the basket. I cant imagine he goes in the first round unless somebody is desperate.

I also spoke to George and Coby Karl after the first game. Pretty inspring stuff. George has cancer last year and had surgery. Then Coby got lymph node cancer and had surgery. It came back, he had a second surgery. With two big scars on his throat, he is here competing, trying to impress enough to get taken in the second round. He is not flashy but seems to make all the right plays. His quickness may be an issue, but, hey, who knows, maybe he has a shot.

It's a pretty incredible experience to be at this predraft camp. We showed up yesterday and you end up standing in line for credentials with Jerry West and Elgin Baylor and Lenny Wilkens and Byron Scott and Mitch Kupchak and any number of other NBA legends and current decision-makers. And there is very few media, probably abut 15 or 20 of us, so it casual access and much more laid back than usual. This job would be a breeze if it was like this all the time. THe first day of games is a blur because you are just trying to wrap your mind around who the players are and on what teams they are competing. Sonics assistant Ralph Lewis is coaching one team and Rick Sund is helping run the camp. (Lewis, incidentally, is reportedly going to get an interview to be part of Sam Vincent's staff in Charlotte.) Lenny came out of his shell yesterday, was affable, funny, joked with us. He told us he just wanted us to be fair and accurate in our stories and we countered that it is much easier to be both when we have access to him and other members of the organization. If they are not talking, we are left to go on the words of other people in the organization, and then everybody gets upset. So he vowed to be accessible to us, though he didnt say he would say much more than he is saying now. That's OK, as long as we can ask the questions. Lenny arrived with Gordie Chiesa, his son, Randy, and Steve Rosenberry. Dave Pendergraft and Jack Sikma already were there and sitting together on the floor. Lenny ended up sitting either with his son or by himself watching the players. RIch Cho also was there, watching the games by himself. The players started out doing drills then ended up playing some five-on-five, but not in official games, more a scrimmage. The games come today. That will give players a better chance to separate themselves. I am heading over the gym in about 45 minutes and will try to blog around lunchtime. There was some other stuff that happened yesterday that I want to write about also.

Also, if you get a chance, go to The Oklahoman. There is a story in there where Clay is talking about moving the team to Oklahoma City, basically saying he is out of ideas for exploring a deal in Seattle. He said he will apply for relocation on Nov. 1 of this year. This is going to get very interesting. It's a worthwhile read. I recommend it.

More later...

There has been a lot of speculation regarding Rashard and what the team does with him, so I am going to give you a best guess on what happens with him. His agent, Tony Dutt, says he wants the Sonics to make an offer on July 1 rather than waiting for another team to make an offer so they can match. Smart on Tony's part. So if I am the Sonics, here is what I do: Make Rashard a six-year, $80 million offer. That is a starting salary of $10.5 million, just above what he was scheduled to make this year anyway, and tell Dutt that if he can get a better offer from another team they would be willing to take a look at matching the starting salary of that offer. I get the $80 million -- if my math is correct -- from a starting salary of $10.5 mil with 10.5% percent raises ($1.1 mil) each year. The sixth year is key, because that will be the highest salary that Rashard will command in his career. After this contract, he likely will be signing two-year deals for the mid-level exception or less somewhere, playing out his career. So he needs to maximize this sixth year, the reason the Sonics have an advantage over every other team. If the Sonics play hardball and fail to negotiate with any other team in a sign-and-trade deal, and Rashard leaves via free agency for somewhere else, he is forgoing $16 million on the back end of this contract. Well, not quite $16 mil, because let's just say he will sign for the mid-level ($5 mil) somewhere after this contract is up. But still, he would be forgoing $11 million, which he does not want to do. As long as the Sonics offer that sixth year, I think Rashard is coming back. Also, conveniently, the $80 mil number is the same contract as Ray, so they can say he is being paid the same as Ray, which is what Rashard wants anyway. Granted, it is the same as Ray over one more season, but the total number is the same. Then, you figure, by the time Durant's rookie contract is up, Ray's will be expiring and you can give Durant the money that currently is alloted to Ray, assuming of course Durant is everything everybody expects.

I arrived in Orlando a few hours ago for the NBA pre-draft camp. I spoke to Dave Pendergraft, the team's director of player personnel, earlier today and he said he thinks the Sonics have more flexibility than any team he can ever remember because they own the 31st and 35th picks. It gives them means to fill out their roster with talented players on short-term contracts, or potentially pull off a trade and move up. Or, they could take one guy now and draft a project from overseas, much like Gelabale. Dave also told me the only top-notch player they will bring in besides Oden and Durant is Acie Law. Read what you want into that.

Also, I had a thought about Rashard opting out so early, though I have not been able to contact Tony Dutt, his agent, to speak to him about it. Yes, opting out early sends the message to teams that he will be available and they can then formulate their summers accordingly. But it was a foregone conclusion to me so teams should have known that. But, God forbid, what if something happens to Rashard like a car accident or a career-threatening injury while he is messing around or working out between now and June 30? Hasn't he just given up $21 million when he could have waited until the last possible moment to opt out? Not that I am a fatalist, but I sure hope they got insurance to cover that $21 million, just in case.

I'll try to blog on a daily basis from down here and let you know how the camp is going. I dont expect a ton of big names to be competing, but it should be interesting nonetheless. And I am sure there will be rumors swirling aplenty.

Sonics president Lenny Wilkens has interviewed John Gabriel for the vacant GM spot, I have learned from league sources, and he will interview Gary Fitzsimmons in Orlando next weekend. Gabriel, the 1999 executive of the year, is currently working for the Portland Trail Blazers as a scout and an advisor to Kevin Pritchard. Fitzsimmons, the son of Cotton Fitzsimmons, has worked the last three seasons for the Atlanta Hawks as an assistant GM. Fitzsimmons worked with Lenny in Cleveland during that late 80s, early 90s run of success. Gabriel to me seems like a sound choice, given his pedigree in Orlando. I don't think his vision of Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady playing together was flawed, Hill's ankles were flawed. I am not that familiar with Fitzsimmons. As far as I can tell, Sam Presti, David Griffin and Tony Ronzone have not been contacted. It makes me wonder if Lenny really does want to consider a young up-and-comer, which was rumored early on, or if he is intent on going with an experienced guy. The part that you hope Clay is taking into account is that you need a guy to stand in if the team moves and Lenny does not want to move to the Midwest.

Upon reflecting upon Brian Hill getting fired in Orlando, it dawned on me that Bob Hill used to be an assistant there, alongside Brian Hill. If the Magic were willing to bring back Brian Hill, I wonder if they would be willing to re-hire Bob, who, incidentally, has a good relationship with Rashard Lewis, who, incidentally, becomes a free agent this summer and has considered Orlando, who, incidentally, has more money under the cap than any other team. Any way the Magic hire Hill to entice Rashard to come to play alongside Dwight Howard?

Also, it has come to my attention that the agent representing Kevin Durant is Aaron Goodwin, Gary Payton's agent. Goodwin and the Sonics have long had an adversarial relationship, to the point that I know for a fact that the Sonics did not pursue some free agents because Goodwin represented them and they did not want to deal with him. However, that relationship was under the old regime, and as far as I know Aaron and Lenny do not have any bad blood. So I wonder if Aaron harbors any ill will toward the Sonics organization because of his past dealings? The one holdover from the old regime is Rich Cho, and I wonder how much say he will have and how much influence he holds given his knowledge of past dealings with Aaron. Interesting stuff.

Lenny granted reporters 10 minutes apiece after the Sonics got the second pick in the lottery. He has not spoken since he April 26, when he named himself president on KJR. There was a lot to cover, and at times the interview became I would say strained. Read for yourself and make your own judgments about the answers. Here is the unedited version of the interview.

Q: What is your reaction to today’s events?

LW: I am pretty excited about it. I think that it is great to finish in the top 2. I think it is great for the franchise, for the ownership, for the fans. I think it is something positive and something to go forward with.

Q: I assume you are going to take Durant if they take Oden?

LW: Don’t assume anything. We are going to sit and talk and discuss everything. But I think the chances are very good but I can’t say for sure we are going to do this or do that.

Q: Can you talk about your vision of getting this team back to the level that you want it to be at.

LW: I want it to be an elite team. A team that can compete, have a chance to win a championship. We know that we have to grow to that. Certainly you start in the right direction, and this is a first step to be able to have a chance to be able to take one of the top two players. That is very positive. Hopefully that gets people excited and starting to talk more about the team. It is a step at a time. We want to as soon as we can get a general manager and a coach, and I know that July 1 is coming up soon and we want to pursue Rashard Lewis. We are taking our time but I think we are doing all the right things.

Q: Lenny, specifically, some changes need to be made if you are 31-51. Do you have any ideas on that?

LW: Well, I think the team is a little better than its record. OK. Certainly we will evaluate that. We will sit with the general manager and the coach. I will give my opinions and see what they think. There may be some changes that need to be done, but that is something we will have to address.

Q: Lenny, are you going to hire your son to be a part of the organization?

LW: I don’t know. He is a great scout. He has done some scouting for us. I will have him help scout a little bit in Orlando. He has some experience in that. He judges talent pretty good. So we will see. It is a possibility he will scout for us. Why do you ask that?

FH: Because I have heard that.

LW: From who?

FH: We can discuss it afterwards if you want but I only have 10 minutes so can I ask the questions?

LW: I want to know. I am curious.

FH: We can discuss it after we are done. As the public face of the organization, at least in Seattle, why have you chosen not to speak publicly since you were named president?

LW: I don’t have anything to tell you. OK. Right now we are looking for a general manager, we are looking for a coach. And I don’t have anything to say or to report. So why was it necessary?

Q: Because other teams are going around conducting interviews with coaching candidates. Where does that stand with you guys?

LW: Just because other teams do their business one way doesn’t mean we have to do it that way. Does it, Frank? I don’t understand that.

Q: Were you guys waiting for today’s outcome to start interviewing?

LW: I have started to interview people already.

Q: You have? Can you say who?

LW: No. I don’t want to. When I have something to give you I will give it to you. And I will be very open with it.

Q: Do you have a time frame for the hire?

LW: Not really, but I would like to get it done as quickly as possible and more than likely I think that general manager will come first.

Q: What are the parameters for your hire?

LW: That is not for me to discuss with you. Certainly we want somebody who knows the NBA and has experience in the NBA.

Q: Is it going to be an up-and-coming guy or an experienced guy?

LW: That we will let you know when the time is right.

Q: How much of the time in Orlando will you spend on conducting interviews.

LW: As much as possible. There are a lot of hours in the day. I will watch the practices and in between those we will see.

Q: How much say will you have in the direction of the organization and how much say will the new GM have?

LW: Hopefully we will be able to work together. If I hire someone, I am going to have confidence they can do the job and I will ask their opinions and if I have any I will give it to them. But certainly we will work as a team.

Q: Is it going to be a consensus? Will you have final say? Is the GM going to have final say?

LW: We are going to work together. I am going to trust that the GM makes good decisions, and if he makes a good decision I am not going to overrule him. That doesn’t make sense.

Q: How much say will the GM have in the coaching hire?

LW: Hopefully he will have a say. We wan to get it done quickly but certainly I will value his opinion.

Q: Did you ever approach Clay about coaching?

LW: No I didn’t.

Q: Why? Did you no longer want to do that?

LW: I think this a great challenge to be vice chairman and to be also president of basketball operations. I like this challenge. I think I can be very helpful here and that is what I want to do.

Q: Lenny, so what happens if the team leaves? Obviously you have roots in Seattle?

LW: We will cross that bridge when we get there, Frank. I am not one of those guys who likes to speculate about this, that and the other. If it happens, then we will address it at that time.

Q: Lenny, so what does the acquisition of Durant mean for the roster, assuming that Rashard comes back?

LW: It adds a great talent to our roster and certainly we will evaluate it. We will look at it. We may have to make some changes but we want Rashard Lewis to be a part of our team.

Q: Lenny, preliminarily, if they play the same position, and obviously you have coaching background, how would you envision those guys playing together and with Wilcox established at the four and Swift coming back?

LW: That is something we will look at. That is what the coach will address. We will sit down and let him evaluate the team and see how he wants to pay them. I mean, who’s to say they can’t play together? These are assumptions that are being made. I think you have to wait and get them in training camp and then see.

Q: I am neot saying they can’t play together. But as a former coach, how would you play them together?

LW: Don’t worry about how I would do it because I am not coaching.

Q: Alright. Does this give you assets for other potential moves?

LW: No question about it. I think it makes us stronger. We have to sit and look at how do we put the best team on the floor. What is the best team? What can we do to make our team better? We will continue to look at all those avenues.

Q: A lot has been written about how this affects the potential of the team staying in Seattle. What is your view on that?

LW: I hope it has a huge positive impact. When you have an opportunity to get one of the top two players, it is a positive and it gets people talking about the team and keeps them in front of politician and business and in front of the community. The Sonics are worth keeping.

Q: Can you see a way that this sways the Legislature to do an about face on their current stance?

A: This is the last question because I have a lot of other calls to make. But I think that certainly it has an impact on them. I hope that it does. I can’t say that is will or it won’t but certainly if people are talking the issue is still alive.

Well, now things get interesting. With an 18 percent chance of getting one of the top two picks, the Sonics come up with a winning ticket, as did Portland, making the Pacific Northwest the hotbed of basketball next season. Surely Nate McMillan, who when he was in Seattle always longed for a big man, is going to take Greg Oden with the top pick, meaning the Sonics get the consolation prize of Kevin Durant. Some thoughts immediately come to mind: As I wrote in my Sunday column, is this part of a larger power play by David Stern to keep the Sonics in Seattle? Surely this thing is not rigged, but it raises some eyebrows, does it not? Also, what does the acquisition of Durant mean for Rashard Lewis, who is an unrestricted free agent this summer? They play the same position and certainly you would want Durant to come in and start almost immediately, so you wonder if Rashard feels threatened by this and how does this affect his decision-making this summer? Assuming he stays, there is no way Durant can move to the 4, which would mean Rashard would have to if they both start. And what does this mean for Chris Wilcox if Rashard starts? Does Wilcox go to center and Swift come off the bench? Or, perhaps this makes Nick Collison expendable and you can go out and get a piece (point guard?) in a trade because Collison is well regarded throughout the league? Don't get me wrong, these are all good problems to have, but they are issues that need to be figured out by the new coach and new GM.

Also, what does this mean for the future of the franchise? Durant does not hold the same cache as Oden, certainly, but he still is a huge talent that will generate a buzz that has not been around this organization is quite some time. The problem is, I don't see Frank Chopp all of a sudden saying, "Kevin Durant, oh, OK, let's call a special session." But perhaps if he or others in the Legislature now hear enough from their constituents that they can't allow the Sonics to leave , who knows, maybe something happens. This is an incredible soap opera with so many twists and turns and emotional ties that even a great novelist couldn't make this stuff up. At the very least, it makes the value of the franchise appreciate greatly. That is assuming, of course, that the Sonics don't mess this up and take Yi Jianlian with the second pick.

Go to hoopshype.com and check out a story there regarding suns guard Leandro Barbosa's visit to Seattle. It is actually from Seattlest.com, with which I am not familiar. However, the story would seem to jibe with some of the stuff I have heard about why the Sonics did not take Barbosa. When Nate was here, he always used to say they didn't take Barbosa because of "language concerns." I never really bought that, and this story seems to confirm it.

There has not been a great deal of news generated out of the Sonics lately, except, of course, in rumors generated on the internet. As far as I can tell, none of them are true. From what I can discern, Lenny has holed up and is not speaking to anyone, including some of his closest friends. So the reports that Sam Vincent, Jim Cleamons and now Kurt Rambis are going to interview with the Sonics for their vacant coaching position I would say is quid pro quo favor-mongering. Here's how it works in our business. Somebody in the league calls a reporter who they know and asks if they can throw their name into the mix. The rumor gets posted on Hoopshype.com, which everybody in the league reads, and the hope is that somebody with some pull thinks to themselves: Hmm, there is a lot of buzz about Sam Vincent, maybe we should be interviewing him as well. He becomes a hot name, and while he may not get a job this year, his name is in the forefront of people's minds when the next batch of jobs come open. But again, from what I can tell, Lenny is in a cave right now and is not coming out til next Tuesday, when the Sonics find out where they will be drafting.