Notebook | Relocation talk might damage Sonics searches

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Depending on who you ask, the Sonics' threat to move to Oklahoma City or Kansas City either has had no effect on the team's search for a general manager and coach, or it has turned away potential candidates.

When told on Wednesday that Sonics chairman Clay Bennett plans to immediately petition the NBA for relocation after an Oct. 31 deadline, Denver coach George Karl said: "That's a shame. It really is. For that city and that team, that's sad."

Karl, who spent 6 ½ seasons in Seattle, has the best winning percentage and has won more games than any other coach in franchise history. During the 1995-96 season, he led the Sonics to a team-record 64 wins and the NBA Finals.

"If it's certain that they're moving, good luck finding somebody to take that job," he said. "That changes everything. You have to take that into consideration, I would think."

Sonics president Lenny Wilkens said he had not read Bennett's comments, which first appeared Wednesday in his hometown newspaper The Oklahoman, and declined to comment about the team filing for relocation.

Wilkens, however, said none of the candidates that he's spoken with have mentioned a possible move as a deterrent to taking the job. In fact, the search for a new GM has moved to stage two and now involves Bennett.

"Clay and I are both working on that," Wilkens said. "We've interviewed people. We're going to get together, he and I, and discuss the candidates and then see where we go."

Wilkens declined to identify candidates, but league sources said San Antonio assistant GM Sam Presti, Washington vice president of operations Tommy Sheppard and former Orlando GM John Gabriel have spoken to the Sonics.

While Orlando (Billy Donovan) and Indiana (Jim O'Brien) filled coaching vacancies on Thursday, Wilkens said Seattle will hire a GM before choosing a coach and believes he'll find quality candidates.

The Sonics received permission to speak with former Dallas assistant Sam Vincent, who took the head-coaching job in Charlotte last week. Former Phoenix assistant Marc Iavaroni, who was also believed to be near the top of Seattle's wish list, is headed to Memphis, and Rick Adelman, who expressed interest in the Sonics, is the new coach in Houston.

Sacramento is the only team besides Seattle still looking for a coach.

Note

• Former NBA guard Tim Hardaway attended the pre-draft camp Thursday, making one of his first appearances at a NBA-sanctioned event since uttering homophobic remarks in February. His "I hate gay people" response to an inquiry about former NBA player John Amaechi led to Hardaway's removal from league-sanctioned events during All-Star weekend.