According Atlanta Hawks beat writer Sekou Smith, the Hawks will announce former Sonics general manager Rick Sund will replace Billy Knight as general manager of the Hawks today. Read more about it here.

Sund was general manager for the Sonics for six seasons, which included two playoff appearances and one Northwest Division title. He's also the guy who helped pull the trigger on the trade that sent Gary Payton to Milwaukee and Ray Allen to Seattle. Check out Sund's bio here.

I’m sifting through depositions today, but decided to come up for air and post a few links on what is happening down in Orlando at the NBA pre-draft camp.

I’ve had a couple of people ask about making some of the depositions available. Initially when I received them paper copies were only made available. But some of them have now been filed electronically and I’ll post them as I get them throughout the day.

I’ll start with a deposition of Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels.

I was asked to and removed the Wally Walker deposition because it was accidentally released and supposed to be under seal.

ESPN’s Chad Ford updated his draft board, and now has Derrick Rose going No. 1 to Chicago and Michael Beasley going No. 2 to Miami. Ford still has Arizona’s Jerryd Bayless going No. 4 to Seattle.

Ford also has a run down of the first day of the NBA pre-draft camp in Orlando, which you can check out here.

Draft express also provides a pretty good overview of what's happening in Orlando, along with a list of participants. That list surprisingly does not included Washington State swingman Kyle Weaver, who has been projected to go late first round or early second round, but decided to turn down an invitation to the camp.

Looking for some insight on the collective bargaining agreement? Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban provides a good run down of professional sports salary caps and why NFL owners opted out of the current collective bargaining agreement here.

BY ERIC D. WILLIAMS
Eric.williams@thenewstribune.com

In the federal court case pitting the City of Seattle against the Seattle SuperSonics ownership group, attorneys for the team filed a motion seeking to silence the testimony of two local celebrities who are familiar faces at the team’s home games.

On Tuesday, attorneys for the Sonics filed a motion requesting U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman not permit local sports radio talk show host Mitch Levy and Seattle author Sherman Alexie to testify during the trial, which begins June 16.

Pechman will hold a hearing on June 6 to determine if the two will be allowed to testify.

Levy hosts a popular sports talk radio show on KJR 950. In the suit, attorneys for the Sonics argue Levy should be excluded from testifying because he “has no testimonial knowledge that aids in adjudicating the case.”

The suit goes on to describe Levy as “an entertainer whose audience consists largely of male sports fans in the 25-43 age bracket. His show mixes sports and other topics apparently believed to appeal to his audience, primarily attractive women.”

Attorneys for the Sonics argue Alexie, described as a columnist for The Stranger, a Seattle alternative weekly, is a writer known for his profanity-laced columns about the Sonics in the weekly paper.

“While he is obviously a Sonics fan, he is just as obviously so biased that his testimony is of no evidentiary value,” the suit states.
While Alexie is a regular contributor to The Stranger, the Seattle author is a critically-acclaimed writer who has been recognized nationally for his work, including a National Book Award last year for Young People’s Literature.

The city requested that Levy appear as a witness because of his knowledge of the Sonics before and after the Oklahoma City-based ownership group purchased the team. Alexie, who is Native American, was requested to talk about the Sonics role in the Seattle metropolitan community from the perspective as a season ticket holder, and also discuss the diverse nature of Sonics crowds and the impact the Sonics have on minority communities.

The Sonics filing was in response to the city’s pretrial statement on Friday, which included a list of witnesses who would testify at the city’s request. Both Levy and Alexie were included on that list.
The Sonics filing follows the release of 470 pages of depositions last week taken by both parties over the last month, as the two sides ready for the trial, which is set to begin in 18 days.

The city is seeking to force the Sonics to honor a specific performance clause in the team’s KeyArena lease, which states the Sonics must play all of its home games at KeyArena until September 2010.
The NBA has approved the Sonics’ application for relocation to Oklahoma City, and the ownership group wants to move the team as soon as possible.

Review the court filings here and here.

A sad but funny photo of one Sonics fan who made his way down to Oklahoma City to protest the move of the Sonics to the Ford Center.

It's a Friday heading into Memorial Day Weekend, so if you're at work you really can't be doing anything productive today, right? So I've rounded up some reading material while you pretend you're actually doing something before you sneak off to lunch and never come back.

From The Oklahoman today, Sonics co-owner Aubrey McClendon’s deposition became available on Thursday. McClendon’s was interviewed by an attorney representing the city of Seattle a month ago, and denied allegations that the ownership group plotted to move the team to Oklahoma City soon after they bought the team.

“We’re successful businessmen in our own right. We’ve all built companies, enjoyed success here,” McClendon testified April 16 in Oklahoma City, under questioning by an attorney for the city of Seattle, according to the report. “And I had every expectation that we would be successful in Seattle. And, frankly, I’m still surprised today that it did not get worked out.”

Jim Couch, city manager for Oklahoma City, also backs up the ownership group’s claim in his testimony.

Meanwhile in New Orleans, George Shinn, owner of the Hornets, said he’s ready to broker a deal with the state of Louisiana for the team to be in New Orleans long term, but he wants a commitment financially from the state.

In an ongoing story that could have ramifications on what Seattle does with its No. 4 overall pick, USC standout O.J. Mayo cut ties with his agent Bill Duffy, according to this report, before he attends the NBA pre-draft camp in Orlando next week.

Mayo is under scrutiny by both the NCAA and NBA players association, accused of allegedly taking $30,000 in cash from Duffy’s sports agency.

Some murmurs throughout the league now have Mayo going as high as the No. 2 pick to Miami.

Seattle native and current Dallas Maverick Jason Terry was interviewed by Yahoo Sports NBA blog, Ball Don’t Lie, and during the conversation asked what he thinks about what his happening in Seattle. Here’s what he said.

You know what, I play for the Mavericks, I’m an NBA player, but I still root for the Sonics when I’m not playing against them. They’re dear to my heart, and it would be tough seeing basketball not in Seattle.

Growing up in Seattle, my P.E. teacher was an ex-Sonic player, Slick Watts. I’ve always loved the Seattle SuperSonics. Sneaking into the arena with my mom at four years old to watch a playoff game was unbelievable. So, to see them leave the city of Seattle would be disappointing, but if they do, hopefully they can get another team back there soon.

Read the rest of the conversation here.

NBA D-Leaguer Rod Benson talks about participating in last week's Sonics mini-camp and a run-in with Nick Collison here.

When Benson is not chasing his dream of playing in the NBA, he's hyping the Boom Tho movement, which you can find out more about here.

Richard Yarmuth, a Seattle attorney representing former Sonics owner Howard Schutlz, filed an amended complaint on Tuesday in federal court regarding Schultz’s lawsuit against the current Sonics ownership group.

The amended filing adds breach of contract to Schultz’s lawsuit, which seeks to undo the sale of the team because of Schultz’s belief that Sonics Chairman Clay Bennett did not live up to a “good faith, best efforts” provision in the sale agreement to negotiate a new arena deal in Seattle for 12 months after the sale of the team.

The revised suit states that Bennett’s group failed to negotiate or propose a reasonable arena plan, and ceased any meaningful efforts to negotiate an arena plan in April, 2007 instead of continuing to make a good faith, best efforts for 12 months, through August, 2007, as required by the purchase agreement.

Check out the filing here.

If you’re looking for some more tidbits from what happened at the Tuesday’s draft, ESPN’s hoop blog master Henry Abbott was at the NBA lottery and offers some interesting comments from Tuesday night’s event.

And InsideHoops.com provides another mock draft here, with Arizona’s Jerryd Bayless going to the Sonics at No 4, and Seattle selecting Chris Douglass-Roberts of Memphis with the team’s 24th overall pick.

The Sonics get the No. 4 overall pick. Here's my story.

The Sonics have twice held the No. 4 pick in the team’s 41-year history, drafting Xavier McDaniel in 1985 and Mike Green in 1973.

And here are how the 14 lottery teams will select.

1. Bulls
2. Heat
3. T-Wolves
4. Sonics
5. Grizzlies
6. Knicks
7. Clippers
8. Bucks
9. Bobcats
10. Nets
11. Pacers
12. Kings
13. Blazers
14. Warriors

Here is ESPN’s updated mock draft, and check out DraftExpress here.

ESPN has the Sonics selecting Arizona freshman point guard Jerryd Bayless at the No. 4 spot, and so does DraftExpress.

That makes sense because at 6-foot-3 Bayless is ultra quick, shoots well and can push the ball. But he is not considered a great distributor. However, Earl Watson was solid as Seattle's point guard last season, and Seattle would seem to have a more pressing need inside, which would make Stanford 7-footer Brook Lopez a more sensible pick. Both mock drafts have Lopez going No. 3 to Minnesota.

O.J. Mayo is the wild card. Many NBA observers consider Mayo the third most talented player in the draft, but with the off-the-court issues involving his agent Mayo may drop. Plus, Mayo’s skill set seems redundant with Durant already in the fold.

Overall, it’s kind of an anti-climatic end to a lottery where the Sonics had a chance to add another franchise-changing player. But with two picks in the first round and six picks overall the Sonics still have a chance to make a splash via trade.

I had a chance to talk to Seattle General Manager Sam Presti for a few minutes after the draft, and you can check out that conversation below.

Q: It’s your first opportunity to attend the draft, what was it like being in that environment?

A: I think it’s an exciting environment because everyone is here with the opportunity to add a player to their team that they think will help them.

Q: Even though you had a shot to get a top-two pick, you end up with the No. 4 pick overall. Are you disappointed that you won’t get a shot at Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley?

A: In any lottery situation everyone hopes to have the first selection. We feel at the fourth sport we’re going to get a very talented player that’s going to help our team, that’s going to help build on the foundation that we have and that fits the Sonics, so we’re excited.

Q: What’s your strategy now? Do you draft based on need, or do you take the best available player?

A: We’re looking for the best player for our team – someone that fits what it is we’re trying to accomplish on the floor and that fits our philosophy. And we feel confident at No. 4 we’re going to have an opportunity to add a player that is going to be a great addition to our ball club.

Q: The Sonics have a need for an inside player and Brook Lopez is currently the top-rated center on several draft boards. What do you think about him as a player?

A: I think there are a lot of talented players in the draft, and Brook is certainly one of them.

Q: With two picks in the first round and six overall, along with two trade exceptions, the Sonics have some flexibility in terms of adding players. Where do you go from here?

A: We’re just going to continue our evaluation process and continue to look at our team. We’ll look at the draft and explore ways to continue to build on the foundation that we have.

We have a responsibility to always look at trying to improve our team and look at creative ways to do that. So we’ll sit back and evaluate ways of improving our team, whether it’s through the draft, trades or free agency, and take everything into consideration.

We feel good about the opportunity to add another talented player to our core. We feel like we have the opportunity to add someone that is going to help our team, so from that standpoint we’re excited.

As we close in on tonight's draft, if you're looking for tidbits from Secaucus, N.J., site of the NBA Draft, check out NBA.com’s blog here.

Videos of the top prospects in the draft can be viewed here.

And according to this article, Memphis fans are banking on the lottery to bring in a blockbuster player to lift the Grizzlies out of the doldrums.

NBA commissioner David Stern wrote an op-ed piece in the Sacramento Bee today outlining his reasons for continuing to pursue an arena deal for the Kings. Check it out here.

Here’s my advance on today’s NBA draft lottery, which includes a listing of probabilities for each team involved in the draft, along with some of the best and worst lottery picks over the years.

And The News Tribune columnist Dave Boling writes about the mixed emotions for Sonics fans regarding the draft.

Looking for more information on the draft? Check out this link here.

There also was some movement off the court involving former Sonics owner Howard Schultz and his lawsuit against the current ownership group over breach of contract. The federal judge presiding over the case, U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman, set a date of June 30 for a joint status report and discovery plan for the two parties involved in the case.

The date would be about a week after the estimated completion of the trial between the City of Seattle and the Sonics, which is scheduled for June 16. Check out the latest court filing here.

ESPN analyst Lester Munson also weighed in again on the court cases involving the team.

This was announced by the NBA today:

Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant and Seattle Sonics teammate Jeff Green headlined the NBA All-Rookie team announced Tuesday.

Atlanta’s Al Horford was the only unanimous choice with 58 votes, followed by Durant with 57 in balloting by the league’s head coaches. Horford ranked first among rookies in double-doubles (25) and rebounds (9.7), helping the Hawks end the league’s longest postseason drought with their first playoff berth since 1999.

Green (43 votes), along with Houston’s Luis Scola (53), Los Angeles Clippers forward Al Thornton (48) also made the first team.

The 6-foot-9 Durant led the SuperSonics with 20.3 points per game, 7.6 more than any other rookie. He was the only first-year player to lead his team in five categories — points, blocks, steals, free throws made and free throw percentage. Durant blocked more shots than any other guard in the league (75).

The All-Rookie second team was Toronto’s Jamario Moon, Memphis’ Juan Carlos Navarro, Philadelphia’s Thaddeus Young, Detroit’s Rodney Stuckey, who went to Eastern Washington, and Houston’s Carl Landry.

According to The Oklahoman today, Oklahoma City officials sent a nine-page letter to former Sonics owner Howard Schultz's attorney Richard Yarmuth, stating that if Schultz receives the Sonics back and does not move the team to Oklahoma City by 2010 they will file suit against Schultz.

Oklahoma City officials have negotiated a lease agreement with the Sonics Oklahoma City-based ownership group for the team to play its home games at the Ford Center beginning the 2010-11 season.

Yarmuth filed a lawsuit for Schultz against Sonics chairman Clay Bennett and the rest of his ownership group on April 22, seeking to undo the sale of the team because of breach of contract. In the suit Schultz claims that Bennett failed to honor a "good faith best effort" stipulation in the sales agreement.

In today's letter, Wiley Williams, an assistant municipal counselor for the city states: "there is an expectation by City leadership and citizens that the owners of the Team, whomever they may be, will honor all of the Team's contractual obligations with the City — including the contractual obligation to relocate to Oklahoma City and to play home games at the Ford Center for the duration of the term of the lease."

Williams also states in the letter that the city is prepared to sue if the Sonics do not relocate.

Check out the letter here.

Also, listen to a Sonics roundtable on the latest court dealings with Seattle P-I's Greg Johns, myself and KJR Dave "Softy" Mahler here.

From the Associated Press today.

SEATTLE (AP) — A federal judge ruled documents subpoenaed from a group that attempted to buy the Seattle SuperSonics from their Oklahoma-based owners can remain sealed.

U.S. District Judge Martha Pechman ruled Thursday that documents from Seattle developer Matt Griffin’s group that were labeled for “attorney’s eyes only” can remain confidential.

In seeking to have the documents unsealed, attorneys for SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett accused the potential owners and the city of Seattle of duplicity in an effort to force him to sell the team.

Pechman ruled that the SuperSonics didn’t make a good-faith effort to resolve the document dispute and failed to abide by an agreed-upon rule requiring 10 days to pass before challenging the confidentiality of documents.

The Sonics’ filing came two days before the NBA approved Bennett’s bid to relocate the team to Oklahoma City.

A trial is due to start next month in the city of Seattle’s attempt to enforce the final two years of the SuperSonics’ lease at KeyArena.

Here's the filing.

The Sonics will host a mini-camp for NBA Development League players and other professionals from overseas looking to latch on to an NBA roster next season.
The invitation-only, two-day camp will take place on Thursday and Friday at the team’s practice facility, the Furtado Center. Sonics general manager Sam Presti said the team will use the camp as another chance to evaluate players who could find themselves on the team’s summer camp roster.

The Sonics already got a glimpse of three players that might wind up on the summer league roster during the season, signing point guards Mike Wilks and Eddie Gill and small forward Ronald Dupree to 10-day contracts during the season.

Sonics fan and Tacoma native Paul Brogan was on KJR with Mitch in the Morning spitting lyrics and kicking knowledge on the Mariners' losing ways and his passion for the Sonics, among other things. Take a look at Brogan in his environment here.

Listen to his interview with Mitch here. And view Brogan's myspace page here.

Here's the press release from the Sonics.

Seattle SuperSonics general manager Sam Presti announced today that Troy Weaver has been named assistant general manager.

Weaver was the Director of Player Personnel for the Utah Jazz in 2007-08. He originally joined the Jazz as head scout and served in that capacity for three seasons before his promotion to Director of Player Personnel.

Prior to joining the Jazz, Weaver spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Syracuse, one season at New Mexico and three seasons as an assistant coach with Pittsburgh. While at Syracuse, the team won the 2003 NCAA National Championship led by Weaver recruit Carmelo Anthony.

"Troy comes from a very successful organization in Utah," Presti said. "He has a terrific array of personnel and coaching experience that will positively impact what we are trying to build here with the SuperSonics."

Weaver will serve as assistant general manager alongside current assistant general manager Rich Cho, who is entering his 11th season with the Sonics and his eighth as assistant general manager.

The Sonics will announce the hire of Utah Jazz head scout Troy Weaver as the team's new assistant general manager today, according to NBA sources.

Weaver will replace Scott Perry, who left after a season with the Sonics, returning to the Detroit Pistons as vice president of basketball operations.

Weaver seems to fit Seattle general manager Sam Presti's vision for the job, with a background both as a talent evaluator and coach.

Weaver worked four years as Utah's head scout. Before joining the Jazz, Weaver worked as an assistant at Syracuse University for four seasons, primarily coaching the forwards. He also served as an assistant coach at Pittsburgh and New Mexico.

Weaver also has a connection with Kevin Durant. He coached AAU basketball in the Washington D.C. area from 1993 to 1996, where Durant played.

U.S. District court judge Marsha Pechman rejected a motion filed by the Sonics, ruling on Tuesday she would not determine monetary damages for a buyout regarding the KeyArena lease between the city of Seattle and the Sonics.

Attorneys for the Sonics filed a motion requesting Pechman decide how much a potential buyout would be if the Sonics won its case regarding terms of the lease. The city filed a suit against the Sonics in order to force the team to honor a specific performance clause in the contract, which states the team must play all of its home games at KeyArena through September, 2010.

In her ruling, Pechman stated the Sonics request falls outside the scope the two parties agreed on during a scheduling conference in January. Pechman also stated that granting the Sonics’ request could also delay the trial.

Further, the Sonics had asked for an accelerated trial date, which begins June 16th, with the possibility of the team moving to Oklahoma City this season should they win the case. Adding the task of determining a buyout could delay the trial because of the added work involved for both parties.

Check out the Pechman's ruling here.

Sonics assistant GM search ongoing

Seattle general manager Sam Presti said he is in the midst of searching to fill the role of assistant general manager left vacant when Scott Perry took the job of vice president of basketball operations with his former employer the Detroit Pistons just after the season ended.

The move was a promotion for Perry and a return to his roots. Perry, 44, was with the Pistons for seven years, beginning as a college scout and working his way to director of player personnel before taking the job with the Sonics. Perry’s wife and daughter still lived in a Detroit suburb during the season while Perry worked in Seattle.

“Scott (Perry) was just a really solid person who is a team-oriented person,” Presti said. “Obviously he had a great understanding of what we look for in players. He brought both coaching and scouting experience to our front office and he contributed in a lot of different ways.”

With salary cap specialist, assistant general manager Rich Cho already in the fold, Presti is searching for another good talent evaluator like Perry to help continue the rebuilding process for the Sonics as the team tackles the upcoming draft and free agency.

Also, listen to Seattle deputy mayor Tim Ceis talks about the latest court filing with KJR's Mitch Levy here.

And Sonics broadcaster Kevin Calabro talks NBA on KJR here.

As part of ongoing discovery in the suit involving the Sonics and the city of Seattle over terms of the KeyArena lease, an April 2nd transcript of Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels being deposed was released by attorneys for the Sonics on Monday.

During the deposition, asked if he believed a solution to keep the Sonics in town was more likely to occur if the Sonics were forced to stay until 2010, Nickels said absolutely.

According to the suit, Nickels also gave purposefully non-responsive answers when asked if the city pursued a strategy of enforcement of the specific performance clause in the KeyArena lease so the Sonics would lose money and perhaps be more willing to sell to local owners.

In a filing on Monday attorneys for the Sonics stated they would withdraw a request for the judge to decide a specific number for the team to buy its way out of the lease if it delayed the June 16th trial.

However, the Sonics also argue that the city does not want a specific monetary number determined because it works against the city’s argument that it is entitled to specific performance.

Check out Nickels' deposition here. And look at the Sonics latest filing here.

Kevin Durant will get another opportunity to show off his growing wardrobe in two weeks.

The league’s Rookie of the Year will represent the Sonics in the NBA draft lottery on May 20 in Secaucus, N.J., according to the team’s spokesperson Tom Savage.

The No. 2 overall pick last season, Durant and Sonics are in the lottery again after finishing a franchise-low 20-62 overall, the second-worst mark in the NBA this season behind the Miami Heat.

The Sonics have a 19.9 percent chance of getting the top pick, an 18.8 percent chance of grabbing the No. 2 pick and a 17.1 percent chance of snagging the No. 3 selection.

Seattle can finish no worse than with the fifth pick overall.

=> Read more!

BY ERIC D. WILLIAMS
Eric.williams@thenewstribune.com

Attorneys for the Sonics filed a motion in federal court on Friday arguing against documents from Seattle developer Matt Griffin being sealed for attorney’s eyes only and not available for members of the Sonics ownership group to view.

Friday’s filing was the latest in court proceedings leading up to the June 16 trial between the City of Seattle and the Sonics over terms of the KeyArena lease.

The city filed a lawsuit against the Sonics to force the team to honor the last two years of its lease, which ends in September 2010.

View Friday's filing here.

The filing claims that Griffin, who serves as spokesperson for a private investment group trying to secure arena funding for an NBA team in Seattle, has not met the heavy burden necessary to establish confidential treatment for the documents.

=> Read more!

Just talked to Eric Williams, who is up in Bellevue covering the Kevin Durant/rookie of the year press conference. Eric said one piece of news came out of the event when general manager Sam Presti said coach P.J. Carlesimo would be back with the Sonics next season.

Two weeks ago Presti gave a vague answer in regards to Carlesimo's status for next season. In his first year with the Sonics, Carlesimo led the young team to just 20 wins.