Sonics Notebook

Published 9:00 pm Monday, January 31, 2005

Opponent: Sacramento Kings

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Arco Arena, Sacramento, Calif.

TV: FSN (cable)

Radio: KJR (950 AM)

Probable starters: For Seattle – forwards Rashard Lewis (6 feet, 10 inches) and Reggie Evans (6-8), center Jerome James (7-1), guards Flip Murray (6-4) and Luke Ridnour (6-2). For Sacramento – forwards Chris Webber (6-10) and Peja Stojakovic (6-9), center Brad Miller (7-0), guards Cuttino Mobley (6-4) and Mike Bibby (6-1).

Next game: Charlotte at Seattle, 7 p.m. Saturday.

Sonics place Kutluay on waivers

Guard Ibo Kutluay, who had a reputation as one of the top players in Europe, has played just 12 mop-up minutes in five Sonics games this season.

Obviously his NBA career was not unfolding as he had hoped.

For that reason, Kutluay went to Sonics management in recent weeks and asked about getting out of his two-year contract with the team. On Monday the Sonics obliged by putting Kutluay on waivers and activating guard Mateen Cleeves from the injured list.

Kutluay, who is expected to sign with a team in Greece sometime soon, did not attend Monday’s game. His locker at KeyArena had already been cleared out.

The Sonics had expected Kutluay to be the team’s fifth guard, “but that fifth guard just is not going to get a lot of playing time,” said Seattle general manager Rick Sund. “I think maybe he’d thought he’d be able to work his way into the rotation a little more. But he came to us and said, ‘Hey look, if I get an opportunity, would you release me from my contract so I can go overseas and play?’

“If all he was going to be able to do is be a fifth guard, I think he wanted to be able to get some playing time and finish his career in Europe.”

Another of Kutluay’s concerns was the possibility of an NBA lockout in the coming offseason, due to the absence of a new collective bargaining agreement. If that happened, the Sonics would have been unable to negotiate a buyout, meaning he would have missed the opportunity to get back to Europe next season.

Kutluay, who scored 19 and 26 points for the Turkish national team in two games against the U.S. Olympic team last summer, signed a two-year contract on Sept. 22, 2004. He received the million-dollar exception, which actually would have paid him $1.6 million this season and $1.76 in 2005-06.

The two sides are believed to have negotiated a buyout of Kutluay’s contract, giving him all or most of his salary for this season, but none of next year’s salary.

Sonics associate head coach Dwane Casey called the personable Kutluay “a classy, classy man. I love Ibo. He’s a great ambassador. I loved sitting around talking about European basketball with him. For him, it’s a great opportunity to go back and finish his career (in Europe).”

Allen absent: Sonics guard Ray Allen missed his first game of the season Monday due to a bout with the flu.

Allen, Seattle’s leading scorer at 24.0 points a game, is questionable to play against Sacramento tonight. The Sonics were scheduled to fly out of Seattle’s Boeing Field immediately after Monday’s game and Casey held out the possibility that Allen might feel well enough to accompany the team.

There was also the chance of Allen flying down by himself this morning. His status, Casey admitted with a smile, is not day-to-day, “it’s hour-to-hour. It’s going to depend on him and how he feels.”

Allen went to a Seattle hospital on Monday morning and had IVs “to get some fluids put back in his system,” Casey said.

In Allen’s place, Flip Murray made his first start of the season Monday. The decision to start Murray instead of backup Antonio Daniels was made so the Sonics can “keep the rotation the same until Ray comes back,” Casey said.

With Allen missing Monday’s game, only Vlade Radmanovic, Luke Ridnour, Jerome James and Nick Collison have played in all of Seattle’s 43 games.

Familiar face: Former Sonics assistant coach Bob Kloppenburg was seated at courtside on Monday night, scouting for the Charlotte Bobcats. Kloppenburg’s boss with the Bobcats is Bernie Bickerstaff, his former head coach with the Sonics.

Other familiar faces: Also attending Monday’s game was Seattle Mariners second baseman Bret Boone and Seattle Seahawks defensive back Marcus Trufant.

Remembering Don: The Sonics did a brief tribute to Don Poier, the Snohomish native and Memphis Grizzlies broadcaster, who died earlier this month.

Rich Myhre, Herald Writer