I talked with Seattle general manager Sam Presti on Friday for a few minutes about the Sonics upcoming training camp and wanted to share that with you. There’s also some newsworthy stuff involving the Sonics that occured in the past few days, so we’ll try and catch up.

Most notably, Sonics chairman Clay Bennett said he may delay plans to apply for permission to relocate the team if the Oct. 31 deadline for coming up with an arena deal in Seattle passes with no deal in hand.

Also, The Daily Oklahoman takes a look at how the Sonics relocating to Oklahoma City could help change the city’s image.

Supersonic.com has an interesting interview with P.J. Carlesimo.

And the Oakland Tribune caught up with Gary Payton’s agent Aaron Goodwin, who talks about where the glove might end up this season.

Here are Presti's thoughts on the upcoming training camp.

Q: What are your thoughts on the overall roster heading into camp, and do you plan to make any changes before Oct. 1?

Presti: We are pleased with the roster. We certainly like our young core. And we feel like we have a number of guys that have the opportunity to improve, get better and continue their development. We also feel like we have a veteran presence as well. So we have a nice blend and depth at all positions.

Q: How many roster invitees will you have?

Presti: We’re still working through it. I don’t anticipate it being a large number. We have a new coach and a lot of new faces. So we’re really getting right into teaching and putting in a system. So we need to give our guys as many reps as possible.

We are pleased going into the camp with this roster. But as I will always say, you never know what could happen. But I would say it would be most likely we go into camp for the most part with the guys we have.

Q: I know you don’t want to talk specifically about competition between players at each position, but what types of things are you looking for from the point guard position?

Presti: I think PJ’s (Carlesimo) system will ultimately dictate that. I also think obviously we have some guys with differing skill sets, so we like the diversity that we have at that position. And we feel good that we have guys that bring different things to the table at that position. So we like the combination that we have.

Q: Talk a little bit about what Delonte West brings to this team?

I think he’s a great competitor. He’s a guy that plays for his teammates, but is also capable of being aggressive with the ball. And I do think he’s a little bit of a rarity in that he can legitimately play both positions.

Q: What role do you see Kevin Durant playing and how will you help protect him from the pressure of high expectations this season??

Ultimately the line up and minutes will be decided by P.J., and the most effective five guys that he wants to play together will be out on the floor. The focus on our guys is always on getting better every day. Coming to work and trying to find a way to help the team, and help the organization. And that’s the expectation for our players, coaches and our staff. So we’re looking for that type of effort and that type of process.
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Q: If this team plays up to its potential can they make the playoffs?

Presti: I’m not sure. But I think we have to see once we roll it out on the floor and evaluate our roster, and obviously it’s totally our of our control how the other teams look. But we’re really focused on getting better from practice to practice, and game to game and establishing an identity for the basketball team. If we can come in and take some steps toward those goals and build good team chemistry, we’ll let the outcome and standings develop from there

Our focus is on getting better form day to day, and not skipping steps in that process. We want to craft a foundation for long-term success. And that can’t happen when you’re swinging for a grand slam. You have to take the time to do the little things.

Q: What are your thoughts on Chris Wilcox and how do you see his role evolving this season?

Presti: We’re excited to see Chris and our other big guys in PJ’s system. As we go going I think we’ll have an opportunity to see where everybody fits into that scheme. But he’s certainly someone we’re excited to see on the floor and using his athleticism.

Q: How has Wally Szczerbiak recovered from last year’s season-ending ankle surgery?

Wally had a good summer. He played in the New York pro-am league, and he’s excited to get started. We’re excited to add a player that can score as efficiently as he does.

Q: How important is it to get the young players time together on the court to help build some cohesiveness for the future?

Those are things that P.J. has to determine — what gives us the best opportunity to win games and also to develop our guys. So those things will work themselves out.

Q: Ready to get training camp going?

We’re definitely excited to get started. Now that we have our coaches in place they our prepping and meeting. We’ve got guys in town and working out. So we’re excited about starting up and getting to work. We’re putting things in place and getting our guys focused on what they’re going to do.