 Oklahoma City WiretapTroubled Forte no longer in Sonics' plans, unless it's a tradeThe Seattle SuperSonics have decided not to invite Joseph Forte to their training camp, despite his $1.1 million guaranteed salary that they are required to pay. The Sonics have not yet officially waived Forte, but only because they are waiting to see if they can either trade him, or if he is needed in a multi-player trade to meet salary-cap requirements. Seattle still is trying to deal one of its post players, and would like to package Forte in any deal. Barring those scenarios, Forte will be waived when players with less than three years of service report to the team's training camp in a month. Although he has only two years of NBA experience, Forte was not invited to participate on the team's summer league team, which competed in Los Angeles and on which youngsters Vladimir Radmanovic, Ronald Murray, Ansu Sesay and rookie Nick Collison played. Forte also has been excluded from the team's travel plans to Tokyo, where it opens the season against the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 31. The team has been making plans for several months. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Duncan sits in win against Virgin IslandsDespite being a native of the tiny territory, Tim Duncan does not play for the U.S. Virgin Islands. On Saturday, he didn't play for the United States, either. With a conflicted Duncan sitting it out, Team USA used a small lineup for a big 113-55 rout of the Virgin Islands that kept it undefeated in the FIBA Tournament of the Americas. Duncan's absence allowed Team USA coach Larry Brown to experiment a bit and he found a small but lethal combination in the second quarter. With a lineup featuring Kenyon Martin at center, Tracy McGrady at power forward and Mike Bibby running the show, the Americans ran off 20 straight points to turn the game into the rout everyone expected. The quickness was especially evident on defense as the Virgin Islands could barely get into its offensive sets. Team USA repeatedly intercepted high cross-court passes, turning them into breakaway dunks and layups that wowed the Roberto Clemente Coliseum crowd. The track meet finally ended on Martin's backcourt steal and layup that made it 46-21 with 5:35 to play in the first half. Martin and Bibby had seven points each and shooting guard Ray Allen added two flying slams. At the 2:57 mark, Brown inserted Nick Collison, an NBA rookie selected as a collegian who has become the team's human victory cigar. He immediately dunked, signifying the end of the game and the beginning of the show. General Basketball, San Antonio Spurs, New Jersey Nets, Oklahoma City Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Forte settles assault caseSonics guard Joseph Forte avoided a harsh sentence during his misdemeanor assault case yesterday afternoon by entering into a court-mandated dispute settlement with the alleged victim. Accompanied by his attorney Samanta Cabe, Forte, 22, appeared in Orange County District Court in Hillborough, N.C., to answer charges that he punched a man in the face on May 1 during a pickup basketball game on the University of North Carolina campus in Chapel Hill. Details of the settlement are unknown, but Forte must remain in compliance with the agreement or else he could once again face the assault charge, which has a maximum five-month sentence. On Oct. 20, a court representative will inform Judge Patricia Devine, who presided over the case, if Forte has remained in compliance with the agreement and the case could be dismissed at that time. However, Forte's legal troubles will continue. On Oct. 23, he's scheduled to appear in Harford County District Court in Belair, Md., to answer to misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia and possession of a handgun. Each drug charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail and Forte could serve a three-year sentence on the handgun charge. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Aug 2003 Archive
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