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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2003754921_soni20.html

Two-man race to be Sonics' coach?
By Percy Allen

Seattle Times staff reporter

GREGORY SHAMUS / NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

P.J. Carlesimo, left, is an assistant coach for Gregg Popovich with the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. Carlesimo has said he would like to be a head coach again.

What began as three-man derby in the Sonics' coaching search appears to be narrowing to a two-man race as one-time front-runner Rick Carlisle continues to deny interest in the position while San Antonio assistant P.J. Carlesimo and former Minnesota coach Dwane Casey are privately staking claims for the job.

Casey and Carlesimo were finalists in Minnesota two years ago when the Timberwolves gave Casey his first head-coaching job.

This time, however, Carlesimo appears to have the advantage because of his ties to San Antonio, where new Sonics general manager Sam Presti had been an assistant GM. Owner Clay Bennett, a part-owner with the Spurs in the mid-1990s, is also a fan of San Antonio, which won its fourth NBA title last week.

During the NBA Finals, Carlesimo, who coached in Portland and Golden State, said he wanted another head-coaching opportunity but that he'd only return if the situation was right.

"The match will either be right or it won't," he said. "If not, I've got a great job here. If it works out, then it will be great and I'll be happy."

Presti said Monday he has begun interviewing candidates but declined to identify who has expressed interest in the job.


It is believed that he flew to San Antonio on Tuesday to meet with Carlesimo, but a team spokesman would not confirm that. Presti is expected to interview Casey this week in Seattle. It is unclear if Carlisle, the former Indiana coach, will visit with the Sonics.

Contacted last week after he severed ties with the Pacers, Carlisle said he was not a candidate for the Sonics' job despite speculation from league sources. He did not return messages Tuesday.

Casey, a former Sonics assistant, expressed interest in returning to Seattle after the Sonics fired Bob Hill on April 24, but Casey has been unavailable for comment recently.

Interviews scheduled

Ohio State center Greg Oden will meet with the Sonics on Friday and Texas forward Kevin Durant is scheduled to begin interviews Sunday, according to league sources.

During the three-day meetings, the players who likely will be chosen first and second, respectively, in the June 28 draft, are expected to perform drills in a light workout and interview with team officials.

It's possible the Sonics will have them undergo medical tests, but the team's trainers and physicians were in Orlando two weeks ago and conducted tests that were made available to every team at the league's predraft camp.

The Seattle visit completes a Northwest tour for Oden, who flew to Portland on Tuesday to meet with the Trail Blazers, owners of the No. 1 pick. Durant, who has spent the past week in Seattle working out, will travel to Portland on Thursday.

Unlike the low-key Sonics, the Blazers have turned the visits into a celebrity spectacle. When Oden arrived, guard Brandon Roy and forward LaMarcus Aldridge met him at the airport with a horde of media. The Blazers duo also will pick up Durant.

Lewis update

The Sonics felt the need to refute a story in Tuesday's editions of the New York Post by Peter Vecsey, who wrote that forward Rashard Lewis missed a contractual deadline to file for free agency.

"It's clearly understood by the Sonics and Rashard Lewis that he is a free agent," team spokesman Tom Savage said. "Nothing has changed in the past 24 hours. I don't know where that came from."

Lewis voided the final two years of his contract in hopes of securing a five- or six-year deal as a free agent.

Notes

• Seattle is not a suitor for Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who reportedly met owner Jerry Buss in Spain days ago and reiterated trade demands. A Sonics official said this week that Seattle won't shop its No. 2 pick for Bryant.

• Oregon guard Aaron Brooks, who starred at Franklin High School, highlighted players who auditioned for the Sonics on Monday. Others included Florida guard Taurean Green, Florida center Chris Richard and Massachusetts forward Stephane Lasme.

• Sunday, the team had workouts for Boise State guard Coby Karl, the son of former Sonics coach George Karl, Notre Dame guard Russell Carter, Boston College forward Jared Dudley and guard Rodrigue Beaubois of France.

Saturday's workouts included: Wisconsin forward Alando Tucker, Maryland guard D.J. Strawberry, Loyola-Chicago forward Blake Schib and Carter. Friday's drills saw Louisiana State forward Glen Davis, Wake Forest center Kyle Visser, Syracuse forward Demetris Nichols, Iowa guard Adam Haluska, Fresno State guard Quinton Hosley and Ukrainian center Kyrylo Fesenko.

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or [email protected]

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Sonics closing in on coach


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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basket...20_sonx20.html

Sonics closing in on coach
Carlesimo, Casey, Carlisle to start interviews this week
By GARY WASHBURN
P-I REPORTER

The Sonics are closing in on their coaching search and the three candidates -- San Antonio Spurs assistant P.J. Carlesimo, former Sonics assistant Dwane Casey, and ex-Indiana coach Rick Carlisle -- will begin a series of interviews this week.

Carlesimo was believed to be the first on the interview list on Tuesday in Seattle, but the Sonics appear to be in no hurry to make a decision, according to sources. There are no other NBA openings, as the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday will announce the hiring of former NBA guard Reggie Theus as their coach.

So there is not a sense of urgency to hire a coach, although the Sonics are believed to be down to those three candidates, and new general manager Sam Presti has worked feverishly the past week calling around the league to gauge opinions on the trio.

Salary demands are expected to be a factor in the interviews, and that could take Carlisle out of the running. He earned $16 million over a four-year contract with the Pacers, and many around the Sonics' organization believe owner Clay Bennett has no intention of paying a coach in that range.

Still, Carlisle is expected to interview with Presti and Bennett this week. Carlesimo, meanwhile, quietly expressed interest in returning to the sideline and has been a Spurs assistant since Sept. 2002, helping the club to three NBA titles in that span.

Presti and Carlesimo shared more of a respectful relationship than a friendship in San Antonio but Carlesimo's stock rose as the Spurs emerged as a perennial Western Conference force despite numerous roster changes.

Casey was fired as Minnesota coach in January after leading the Timberwolves to a 20-20 record (interim coach Randy Wittman finished 12-30 and received a contract extension). But the longtime Sonics assistant is familiar with most of the Seattle roster and could be critical in luring Rashard Lewis back to Seattle if the team chooses to keep him.

There doesn't appear to be any other emerging candidates, although Don Newman, another Spurs assistant, has expressed interest in the job, although he could be promoted to Gregg Popovich's top assistant if Carlesimo departs. It is uncertain whether Carlesimo would hire Newman as his top assistant if he were to get the Seattle job.

And the new Sonics coach won't have Jack Sikma in a pool of assistant candidates. The longtime Sonic departed Seattle officially and became part of Rick Adelman's new staff in Houston.

LEWIS UPDATE: According to a New York Post report, Tony Dutt, the agent for Lewis, did not file the paperwork for free agency during the proper window, meaning the small forward is still the property of the Sonics.

The club, however, refuted those reports and reiterated that Lewis is eligible to negotiate a contract with any club on July 1.

"It is clear with the Sonics and with Rashard Lewis that he is a free agent," team spokesman Tom Savage said. "Things are the same as they were 24 hours ago. Rashard is a free agent."

Presti and Dutt could not be reached for comment, but the Post report said Lewis had until either before the Sonics' season finale (April 18) or the five-day window of June 1-5 to opt out of his contract. Dutt announced May 26 that Lewis had opted for free agency.

Savage would not confirm or deny whether the report was correct but the Sonics allowed Lewis to remain a free agent. The NBA directed all inquires to the team.

P-I reporter Gary Washburn can be reached at 206-448-8006 or [email protected].

[Spurs Brazil]

Sonics clean house in front office

FRANK HUGHES; The News Tribune Published: June 20th, 2007 01:00 AM



The Seattle SuperSonics restructured their front office Tuesday, firing director of player personnel David Pendergraft and head scout Steve Rosenberry, three NBA sources confirmed.
It is expected that new general manager Sam Presti will name Scott Perry, Detroit’s director of player personnel, to the same position with the Sonics, replacing Pendergraft, sources say.

Though it would be a lateral move for Perry, it would give the former Oregon Duck more say in a team’s direction – in Detroit he was underneath Pistons president Joe Dumars and vice president of basketball operations John Hammond.

Presti could not be reached for comment late Tuesday, but the Sonics are expected to announce the moves as early as today. It is not known whom the Sonics will hire to replace Rosenberry.

The decisions come nine days before the draft, in which the Sonics have the second, 31st and 35th picks.

Though Pendergraft organized and conducted all the players’ workouts and has been instrumental in organizing the team’s draft strategy, Presti and – apparently – Perry will now take over those duties.

The Spurs, from whom Presti was hired, had the 28th and 33rd picks in the draft, so Presti, who has scouted college players for San Antonio all season, is familiar with most of the players who will be chosen with the final two picks – assuming the Sonics don’t trade them.

Also, with the Pistons, Perry was responsible for coordinating the draft preparation, college scouting and coordinating the team’s free-agent visits and summer league rosters.

The move to fire Pendergraft and Rosenberry comes 12 days after the team hired Presti and demoted Lenny Wilkens, who on May 29 said Pendergraft and Rosenberry would be around for the final year of their contracts.

“They are safe,” Wilkens said at the predraft camp in Orlando. “We have talked. I like what they are doing.”

This is yet another indication that Presti has assumed full control of the organization and is intent on putting his own stamp on it.

Pendergraft joined the Sonics in 1999 and had his responsibilities gradually increased to the point where he was in charge of coordinating every aspect of the team’s scouting. He was primarily in charge of overseas scouting while Rosenberry, who has been with the Sonics for almost two decades, scouted college players.

Under Pendergraft, the team focused more of its attention on overseas talent, drafting Mouhamed Sene, Yotam Halperin, Johan Petro, Mickael Gelabale, Peter Fehse, Vladimir Radmanovic, Olumide Oyedeji and Josip Sesar since 1999.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/sonics/story/91533.html