 Oklahoma City WiretapPotapenko Can Avoid Jail TimeSeattle SuperSonics center Vitaly Potapenko can avoid prosecution on misdemeanor charges of disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest if he successfully completes a pretrial diversion program. Miami-Dade County Judge Jeffrey Swartz on Wednesday approved the NBA player's entry into The Advocate Program, a nonprofit organization. Potapenko, 29, was arrested July 11 outside a nightclub after arguing with a security guard who refused him entrance to the club. The Miami Beach police report said he was unable to maintain his balance and was slurring his speech. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Seattle Hesitant About a Maximum Deal for AllenSonic sharpshooter Ray Allen will be a free agent following this season and the Sonic management appears to be very reluctant to give the former Buck star a maximum contract. Allen could command up to $100 million over five years. Allen recently turned 29 and is one of the Sonics most veteran players. "It's always obvious when a team wants to keep a player and a player wants to be there," Allen said April 15, the day after the regular season ended. "Negotiations, we've talked about it on and off, but when you officially go into negotiations, they shouldn't take long." Allen was part of the 1996 draft, one of the deepest in history, which also featured the likes of Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Antoine Walker and Shareef Abdur-Rahim. The first three have been very successful financially, yet the other two were not given extensions and have been traded in the last year. The Sonics will likely use the recent contract that was signed by Rasheed Wallace with the Pistons as a more appropiate model to Allen's value to the organization. Also going against Allen is the fact that high end salaries have been dwindling as owners are more cautious about offering max contracts. During this past summer, only Kobe Bryant and Kenyon Martin were given contracts that were as lucrative as those given to the likes of Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O'Neal in years past. Via Seattle Post-Intelligencer Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Raptors still trying to persuade CarterAccording to Rogers Sportsnet the Toronto Raptors still have not given up hopes of retaining star guard Vince Carter who has maintained that he wants out of Canada for most of the offseason. Reports indicate that Carter discretely flew from Florida to Toronto Thursday and spent the day in meetings. According to sources a member or members of Raptors brass met with Carter, possibly as a final shot at convincing the Raptors star to forgive and forget club president Richard Peddie. Carter wants Peddie fired, but this scenario appears unlikely to happen as Peddie has full support from the owners, particularly the Teachers Pension Fund. The article mentions that it is believed the Raptors are exploring deals for the high flyer, with one potential blockbuster that Carter has mentioned to some of his friends seeing the Raptors star heading to Philadelphia, Allen Iverson to Seattle and Ray Allen to Toronto. Toronto Raptors, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia 76ers Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Aug 2004 Archive
|