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Thursday, March 9, 2006 - Page updated at 12:00 AM

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Notebook: Sonics sign Fizer for 10 days

Seattle Times staff reporter

With room at the end of their roster, the Sonics plan to use the rest of the season as an extended audition for minor-league basketball players.

Seattle signed Marcus Fizer, who played with the Austin Toros in the NBA developmental league, to a 10-day contract on Wednesday and will re-sign Noel Felix to another 10-day deal next week.

Before joining the Sonics on March 2, Felix played 41 games with the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the Continental Basketball Association.

Star of the game: Memphis' All-Star forward, Pau Gasol, registered his first triple-double and finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists. He was incredibly efficient offensively, converting 8 of 12 field goals.

Play of the game: Seconds after Jake Tsakalidis jammed over him, Chris Wilcox responded with a monster dunk on Gasol and Shane Battier midway through the fourth quarter. The Sonics' forward received the ball at the top of the key, drove the lane, cupped the ball behind his head and flushed a tomahawk jam despite being fouled.

Key statistic: The 74 points was the third-lowest scoring output of the season for the Sonics.

Up next: Minnesota, 7:30 p.m. Friday, KeyArena.

Adding the two forwards to the roster addresses an immediate need and may provide a long-range solution.

Without forwards Nick Collison (partial torn left plantar fascia) and Danny Fortson (sore left knee), the Sonics have just 10 healthy bodies on the roster with guaranteed contracts and need help in the post.

Seattle will also need to fill the backup power forward position and may turn to either Felix or Fizer if it is unable to retain Chris Wilcox, who is a restricted free agent this summer.

At 6 feet 8 and 260 pounds, Fizer is nearly identical in build to Fortson and plays with a similar bruising style. He averaged 20.4 points on 50 percent shooting and 7.6 rebounds in the D-League.

"Everybody said he would be the guy to bring up," Seattle coach Bob Hill said. "When he was at Iowa State, I thought that guy was going to be a terrific NBA player. He had good size, and he kind of had an NBA game when he was in college."

Chicago selected Fizer fourth overall out of Iowa State in the 2002 draft.

"When he was drafted by Chicago, he was trapped behind some awfully good players and just never really got a chance," Hill said. "I think he appreciates the opportunity to get another chance."

Fizer, who has career averages are 9.7 points and 4.7 rebounds, played four seasons in Chicago and was with Milwaukee last season.

Notes

• The closing of the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge may have adversely affected Monday's attendance, estimated at less than 10,000 at the start of the game. The sparse crowd is perhaps a testament of the Eastside's influence on the Sonics' fan base.

• Memphis guard Eddie Jones sat out his second consecutive game with a sprained left foot. He was hopeful of practicing today.

Information from The Associated Press is included in this report.

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Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company

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