Notebook | Sonics taking calls as trade deadline nears

Coach P.J. Carlesimo is committed to shaking up the rotation and perhaps reconfiguring the starting lineup, but what will happen may hinge on if the Sonics make a trade before Thursday's deadline.

"[We will see] if anything happens in the next couple of days, and then we go forward from there," Carlesimo said.

While fielding calls from several teams, the Sonics are reportedly shopping disgruntled guard Delonte West, center Johan Petro, swingman Damien Wilkins and Mickael Gelabale. It's also believed veterans Kurt Thomas and Earl Watson are also drawing interest.

Carlesimo plans to use the remaining 30 games to continue evaluating, especially seldom-used center Robert Swift, a restricted free agent this summer recovering from right knee surgery. To carve out time for Swift, who played his seventh game this season in Tuesday's 108-101 win over Memphis, Thomas and Petro may be expendable.

"I would think Robert would be one of the primary ones [goals]," he said. "I would say everything else is still secondary to trying to win games, trying to get better defensively.

"It's a better learning experience when you're winning than it is when you're losing. It's as simple as that. Losing is OK some nights when you learn a little bit, but I don't think nearly as effectively as when you're winning and certainly from a confidence standpoint.

"You want people to understand how we want to play, and we also want them to believe in how we want to play."

The mayor speaks

Mayor Greg Nickels acknowledged the Sonics' $26.5 million offer to buy out their KeyArena lease on Tuesday.

"We expect the Sonics to stay in KeyArena until the end of their lease," he said following his State of the City address.

Note

After playing just one game over a 10-day stretch, the Sonics play their next 16 games over a 27-day period.

Seattle Times staff reporter Sharon Pian Chan contributed to this report.

MEMPHIS
min		fgm-a	ftm-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Gay	40:51	9-23	3-4	0-7	3	5	23
Warrick	39:12	10-18	2-2	3-6	2	2	22
Milicic	20:48	2-8	0-0	3-7	0	2	4
Conley	31:14	3-9	2-2	0-4	9	2	8
Miller	11:50	3-7	1-2	1-2	1	0	7
Collins	26:54	4-7	0-3	3-10	0	6	8
Navarro	34:59	6-15	2-2	2-3	1	1	16
Lowry	18:59	2-7	1-1	0-3	5	0	5
Cardinal	15:13	2-4	2-2	1-3	1	2	8
Totals		41-98	13-18	13-45	22	20	101

Percentages: FG .418, FT .722. Three-point goals: 6-19, .316 (Cardinal 2-4, Gay 2-7, Navarro 2-7, Warrick 0-1). Team rebounds: 9. Team turnovers: 13 (9 PTS). Blocked shots: 7 (Gay 2, Milicic 2, Warrick 2, Collins). Turnovers: 12 (Warrick 4, Gay 3, Navarro 3, Conley, Milicic). Steals: 11 (Lowry 3, Conley 2, Gay 2, Navarro 2, Cardinal, Milicic). Technical fouls: None.

SEATTLE
min		fgm-a	ftm-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Green	26:35	3-11	4-6	1-9	0	5	11
Wilcox	32:48	2-5	2-2	0-4	0	2	6
Thomas	14:50	4-4	0-0	0-5	0	1	8
Watson	33:57	11-13	2-3	0-3	9	4	26
West	33:02	4-12	0-0	0-5	7	0	9
Szczerbiak	26:42	9-18	3-4	2-4	1	2	24
Collison	22:10	5-7	2-4	4-9	1	1	12
Swift	7:35	1-2	0-0	0-0	0	1	2
Ridnour	14:03	3-5	0-0	0-0	3	1	6
Petro	13:02	0-1	1-2	0-5	1	4	1
Wilkins	15:16	0-2	3-4	2-5	1	0	3
Totals		42-80	17-25	9-49	23	21	108

Percentages: FG .525, FT .680. Three-point goals: 7-11, .636 (Szczerbiak 3-5, Watson 2-2, Green 1-2, West 1-2). Team rebounds: 5. Team turnovers: 20 (23 PTS). Blocked shots: 4 (Collison, Ridnour, Szczerbiak, Thomas). Turnovers: 20 (Green 5, Collison 4, Szczerbiak 3, Watson 3, West 3, Ridnour, Wilcox). Steals: 5 (Watson 2, Szczerbiak, West, Wilcox). Technical fouls: None.

Memphis	31	31	16	23 — 101
Seattle	27	21	32	28 — 108

Attendance: 11,391 (17,072). Time: 2:11. Officials: Bob Delaney, Mark Ayotte, Leon Wood.