Sonic and Heat picks available

[Celtic4Hire@xxxxxxx]

Shuffling has Sonics GM scratching his head 
FRANK HUGHES; The News Tribune 

With less than a week to go before the NBA draft, Seattle SuperSonics general 
manager Rick Sund said things are becoming more muddled rather than more 
clear. 

Usually, Sund said, teams start to get an idea of which players are going to 
be selected among the top five, then among the top 10, which leads to a 
general idea of the next six or seven selections.


However, as teams begin to wrap up their evaluations of players, Sund said 
the value of some players is going up and others is going down, making it less 
certain which players will drop to the Sonics at Nos. 12 and 14 - assuming, of 
course, the Sonics remain in those positions.


In his calls around the league, Sund said he is getting the idea that the 
stock of Texas point guard T.J. Ford, Marquette off guard Dwayne Wade and Oregon 
point guard Luke Ridnour is slipping. Meanwhile, the stock of Maciej Lampe, a 
7-foot forward from Poland, and Jarvis Hayes, a shooting guard from Georgia, 
has risen dramatically.


"Things are all over the board right now," Sund said. "It affects us if 
(certain players) slip to us."


Meanwhile, rumors are beginning to surface that the Sonics are in trade 
discussions with teams that would allow them to move up in the draft order.


One internet rumor has the Sonics involved in a three-way deal that includes 
Boston and New York. The report says Celtics All-Star Antoine Walker would go 
to New York, Knicks forward Kurt Thomas and the ninth pick would come to 
Seattle and Boston would receive Seattle's two picks, as well as New York's choice 
at 30.


The same Web site says the Sonics have been discussing a deal with the Miami 
Heat in which the Sonics would send Vladimir Radmanovic and a combination of 
their picks to the Heat in exchange for the fifth pick.


Sund does not comment on specific trade rumors, but he did say the Sonics 
have had exploratory trade talks with teams, though he said nothing of substance 
has been discussed.


"People have called us and asked would we be willing to move up," Sund said. 
"I have said, 'Yeah, it's a possibility.' There is a lot of talk going on with 
teams right now. But nobody has their homework done yet. I might be 
interested in moving up, but I have to see everybody first."


To that end, the Sonics this week worked out Pavel Podkolzine, a 7-4 center 
from Siberia; Sofoklis Schortsanitis, a 6-9 forward from Greece; Ridnour; 
Alabama guard Maurice Williams; Illinois forward Brian Cook; Viktor Khryapa from 
Russia; Reece Gaines, a 6-3 guard from Louisville; Paccelis Morlende, a French 
guard; and Ronald Dupree, a 6-7 forward from LSU. Podkolzine and Khryapa 
withdrew their names from the draft on Thursday.


The Sonics will complete their workouts today when they bring in Lampe and 
David West, a 6-9 forward from Xavier.


For the most part, the Sonics worked out almost all power forwards and point 
guards, with the exceptions of Marquette's Wade and Georgia's Hayes.


Assuming that a 7-footer like Chris Kaman does not slide to them, the Sonics 
likely will be choosing between Mike Sweetney, a power forward from 
Georgetown, and Nick Collison, a forward from Kansas.


While many mock drafts have the Sonics taking Sweetney, sources say the team 
may have its eyes on Collison.