In the absence of Gary Payton guard Brent Barry has been named a co-captain with Rashard Lewis, Percy Allen of the Seattle Times writes.  And whlie Barry was anxious to find out exactly what does go on in those pre-game captain-referee meetings after finding out the truth he couldn't help but be disappointed.

"I was joking around with Kobe (Bryant) and Shaq (O'Neal) because Rashard (Lewis) and I were up there doing the captain thing," Barry said. "The ref just goes, 'You guys have any questions?' And we said, 'No.' And they said, all right, have a good game.' And I said, 'That's it? I've been waiting to do this, and that's it? That's all you get?' "

Barry has made new teammate Ray Allen feel welcome since his arrival, showing him around the city and getting him out of the hotel.  Coach Nate McMillan believed that making Allen a co-captain immediately after his acquisition was not the best thing for his star player, while Barry has taken the role seriously.

"I don't know what I would have did without Brent yesterday," Allen said. "He got me out of that (hotel) room and took me around (the city)."

"Brent has really made an effort to become a leader in the sense of speaking to guys, communicating with guys and letting them know exactly what we want to do," McMillan said. "(Sunday) night I thought he did a good job of getting us in the offense."

Is it possible for a basketballer to struggle to get 41 points?

That was the case last night at the Staples Center when Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant continued on his phenominal run with his ninth consecutive game with 40 or more points, tying Michael Jordan's streak during the 1986-87 season and now sits only five more games behind Wilt Chamberlain's all-time record of 14.

Bryant scored 16 points in the third quarter, hitting on six of eight attempts.  Earlier in the season Bryant made a league record 12 three point shots, but in this one he hit only one, and things certainly were not as open for him this time around.

Bryant sat on 39 points from the 5 minute mark of the fourth quarter until 23 seconds remained in the game, missing five consecutive shots before earning a trip to the free throw line to put him over the magical mark.

I took us out of our system, but that's such a tough challenge to back down from," Bryant said. "I have to apologize to my teammates. It was tough because of the challenge ahead of me."

"These five guys wanted to stop me from scoring a single basket. I'm willing to take my odds on that."

Ray Allen starred in his debut role for the Sonics, coming one assist shy of a triple double while finishing with 26 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.

Bryant will have an opportunity to tie Chamberlain's record if he can score 40 or more points against the Clippers, Pistons, Sonics, Pacers and Timberwolves.  If he can manage to do this he will then have a chance at surpassing Chamberlain against Philadelphia on March 9.  The game is scheduled to be televised on ABC.

The newest player on the Milwaukee Bucks roster, All-Star Gary Payton had his new team foaming at the mouth in his season debut, Payton instrumental in the clutch as the Bucks beat the Portland Trail Blazers by three on the road.

Payton teamed with fellow point guard Sam Cassell in a fourth quarter rally which saw the duo outscore the Blazers 18-5 over the final seven minutes to take the win.  Payton set up three baskets, drilled a clutch 3-pointer and smothered Derek Anderson's shot in the final seconds during the stretch and finished with 22 points and 9 assists in his 1,000th NBA game, which ironically was his first outside of a Sonics jersey.

While Payton was wowing the Bucks on the court, his off-the-court comments may have the team a little worried. According to a story in the Seattle Times Payton never asked to be dealt and seemed ambivalent about the trade.  "It's not a life sentence. It's 2? months,? said Payton.  ?That's it."

When asked if he planned to re-sign with Milwaukee, Payton was noncommittal.

"I don't know. We're going to get through this season, get into the summer and see what happens," he said. "That's all I can say on that."

Should Payton leave as a free agent the Bucks will have lost their All-Star, leader and Olympian for a 2 ? player rental, leaving them without a true franchise player and further behind the pack than their current seventh seeding the East.  Last season the Bucks were expected to come out of the East but failed to make the playoffs, and this season again they have performed below expectations.

Both Payton and teammate Desmond Mason, who was also traded to Milwaukee in the deal, felt they were betrayed by their former team.  Mason believed his future was secure in Seattle after performing strongly and being regarded as a future building block for the franchise.  As recently as a week ago, Mason was told he was part of the nucleus for the future, according to Seattle Post-Intelligencer writer Danny O?Neil, and the message the emphasized at various times by general manager Rick Sund, president Wally Walker and owner Howard Schultz.  Now Mason is in Milwaukee as a member of the Bucks.

"They told me a lot of things," Mason said. "Rick, Howard, Wally told me a lot of things. Just from the standpoint of what the future was going to be like. Who they wanted here, and what they wanted to happen with the franchise, the direction they were going, and I was really looking forward to it."

Payton also had some choice words for the Supersonics organization before his new team played the Blazers in Portland, attacking Sonics owner Howard Schultz and Sonics President Wally Walker as though they were opposition point guards.

After the trade Schultz questioned the Sonics? lack of leadership in the locker room, clearly talking about Payton.  Not surprisingly Payton was quick to respond.

"Howard talks and I really don't think he knows what he's talking about," Payton said. "He just talks. That's all he does. He's an owner and he just talks. I've been a leader for 13 years and he just took over the team two years ago and now he thinks he knows everything about basketball, and I really don't think he knows anything about basketball."

Payton also added that he wanted to play in the Bucks? game against Seattle to say thank you to the fans, but was told he was not allowed.

"I just can't wait to get back to Seattle and play," he said. "I bet (not playing) was part of the deal they made because they didn't want me playing. But I'm not gone. They think I'm dead or something, but I'm not. I've got to go back to Seattle and it's going to be something for them to pay for. Everything comes back around and I'll know, when I see them, I'll be ready for them."

So you wanted a blockbuster at the trade deadline? You got it.

The Seattle Sonics and Milwaukee Bucks have hooked up on a collective haymaker. The Sonics have traded Gary Payton, a.k.a. Mister Sonic, along with Desmond Mason to Milwaukee for Ray Allen, Ronald Murray and Kevin Ollie. On the side, Seattle traded disgruntled backup guard Kenny Anderson to New Orleans for Elden Campbell.

The trade ended Payton's career in Seattle after 12? seasons and reunited him with coach George Karl. His first game with the Bucks will be Friday night against, of all teams, the Sonics.

Milwaukee plays at Seattle on Friday night on ESPN, but Sonics general manager Rick Sund said that neither Payton nor the four others in the trade would play.

Chris Broussard reports that Layden offered Charlie Ward and Kurt Thomas to the Seattle SuperSonics today for Gary Payton, according to high-ranking officials with three different teams. There were other minor parts included in the proposal, but the major components were Ward, Thomas and the 34-year-old Payton.

Seattle, whom the Knicks visit on Wednesday, did not hesitate in balking at the offer.

Long ago in a different life, I thought Karl Malone was about to be surpassed.
     
It was the 1993 NBA Playoffs. Seattle's Shawn Kemp, just 24, had scored 29 points in the opener against the Jazz. There was talk of the torch being passed. Malone had had a nice run as the top power forward in the league. But Kemp was quicker and jumped higher. It seemed inevitable he would become great. Malone would be 30 that summer, which seemed to mean his days as a dominating player were numbered.
     
A Seattle-area writer asked my opinion on who was better. I remarked that Malone wasn't as athletic. Moreover, Kemp had begun to realize he could play with the most feared power forward in the league. I said even though Malone was still better, the change could come soon. Very soon.

Frank Hughes of the Tacoma News Tribune reports: With the trade deadline only days away, the Seattle Supersonics are looking at their trade options.

With Seattle wanting to have salary cap flexibility this summer, they won't trade Kenny Anderson's or Gary Payton's expiring unless they get a star player in return.

The Sonics are also rumored to be shopping their bigmen but likely would have to throw in a young player or a draft pick to get a deal done.

However, the Sonics want to keep Jerome James and see if he can develop into a serviceable bigman.

Frank Hughes of the Tacoma News Tribune reports: As the trade deadline approaches, Seattle SuperSonics  guard Gary Payton is not concern about all of the rumors that involve him.

"I don't give a (care) about that," Payton said after the Sonics lost to the Sacramento Kings, 110-81, Friday night. "If (my name) jumps off, it jumps off. I'm not even worried about that. I'm not even focused on that. I'm going to play these games out. If (a trade) comes it comes. If it don't, it don't. And then I'll deal with whatever I got to deal with at the end of the year."

Payton's agent Aaron Goodwin, who was at the game said if the sonics were going to trade Payton, they would not inform him beforehand.

Payton also said he wasn't going to talk to management about a deal.

"I'm not going to do nothing," Payton said. "I'm just going to play basketball. They don't pay me to go talk to them. They pay me to come out here and try to get this team better."

Is Supersonics coach Nate McMillan tired of losing in Seattle? That's what Frank Hughes of the Tacoma News-Tribune seems to indicate in his column this morning.

In past interviews, McMillan has said on more than one occasion that he will take this work one season at a time, reflect on the job he is doing, and then make a decision about whether to continue, despite being under contract through 2005.

Now, there is word - and Hughes stresses this is only unconfirmed speculation - that McMillan may be a candidate for the job as coach of the expansion Charlotte franchise.

Hughes makes a convincing story that revolves around Charlotte Team President Ed Tapscott, growing tension between McMillan and the Sonics, and the fact that Nate McMillan is from the Charlotte area.

While, this is all speculation and McMillan didn't comment for the story, he had an interesting response when asked what he would be doing if he never got into coaching.

McMillan said he would be living in North Carolina.