Former Seattle SuperSonics forward Shawn Kemp was charged on Friday with marijuana possession.

King County prosecutors said Kemp and Gavin Lamar Jones were arrested about 1 a.m. on April 4 in the Seattle suburb of Shoreline, after a county sheriff's deputy noticed a large truck belonging to Kemp sitting behind a closed car wash.

According to court papers, when the deputy approached the truck, the driver's door was open and a strong smell of marijuana was coming from inside the vehicle. Kemp initially said the pair had smoked marijuana earlier and there was none in the vehicle, but later told the deputy there was ``a bag full,'' in the truck.

A source very close to LeBron James has told the Beacon Journal that the young superstar would prefer Nate McMillan to become the next head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

McMillan is coaching without a contract for next season in Seattle and so Dan Gilbert will be able to court the coach this summer.

McMillan's agent has been working for an extension and with this report, his client's negotiating power will surely rise.

Sacramento Kings guard Cuttino was fined $15,000 by the NBA yesterday for making an obscene gesture toward Seattle fans at the Key Arena in Game 1.

The gesture came after he hit a 3-pointer with 42.4 seconds to play in the game

When the Seattle Supersonics square off against the Sacramento Kings in Game 2 tonight they would be better suited to find a different way to win other than holding Mike Bibby to 1 of 16 shooting.  It isn?t going to happen again.

Coming off a season low 3 points, the Kings star will likely not repeat his miserable shooting performance, good players never do.  Also, do not expect Bibby?s backup Bobby Jackson to shoot 0-for-7 either.

?We gotta feel that Mike and Bobby are going to be better the next game,? Kings coach Rick Adelman said after Game 1.

?He?s a great player and he?s a guy that gets a lot of screens and a lot of shots, so he?s a guy you have to be ready to guard all the time,? said Ridnour, who often applied full-court pressure on Bibby in Game 1. ?He?s one of the best in the league at the point guard spot right now. ... He?s going to hit a lot of shots, and I?ve got to stay on him and make everything tough.?

The Seattle SuperSonics will begin working on a contract extension for general manager Rick Sund in the next few weeks, with the hope that an agreement can be reached within the next month, well before the June draft.

Meanwhile, team sources said coach Nate McMillan is expected to contact his agent this week to have him initiate discussions for a new contract.

?I assume they want us back,? Sund said. ?Picking up the phone and calling (two weeks ago) is a pretty good indication that they want us back. In terms of me, Howard (Schultz, the team?s principal owner) told me he would love to have me back.?

McMillan should expect to get at least $4 million per year.

?Are there budgetary constraints? Yeah, but no different than they have ever been,? Walker said. ?They have always been that way. We have a good group in place, we like what is going on, so we hope to get something worked out.

?We want to be fair, and we want to keep people. Oftentimes what happens in negotiations is there are different definitions of ?fair? going in. But you spend some time and you try to get to a point that works for both sides.?

Ray Allen scored 28 points to lead Seattle to an 87-82 win over the Sacramento Kings.  Also huge for the Sonics was Jerome James who had a monster 15 rebounds to go along with his 17 points.

The Sonics were dominant early, leading by 15 at halftime, but a strong 3rd quarter from the Kings made the game interesting, as they outscored the Sonics 24-15 in the frame.

Peja Stojakovic scored 24 points in 44 minutes of action, while Cuttino Mobley had 22.

Both teams were unsure what kind of club they'd field on Saturday night, as both the Sonics and Kings have endured a host of injuries.

With the Seattle Supersonics first playoff game versus the Kings tonight, Ray Allen is focused only on advancing the Sonics to the second round and beyond.

"I feel vindication after having been sent away from Milwaukee and being able to come here and help this team be successful and win," Allen said yesterday, the eve of the Sonics' Western Conference first-round series opener against Sacramento. "Where this team was, it was somewhat in a downward spiral. But we rebuilt it in the last year and half, and we're in a good place now."

When contract talks do come up, Allen still remains unsure of his future in Seattle.

"I know I'll still get judged, but I feel like I have done enough to guarantee some type of position in free agency on any team next year."

"I've hopefully solidified what I can do and I can carry a team to the playoffs. To win now is the most important thing. Whatever happens with this contract, hopefully they know what they are going to do already and what direction we are going to move in so we'll be good over the next couple of years to come."

Ray Allen ? Playing for a contract or just playing to win?  You be the judge.

The NBA Playoffs begin on Saturday in Detroit where they left off last season, when the Sixers face the defending champion Pistons.  The match-up features Larry Brown against his former club and Allen Iverson, who thrives on the big game.

The Houston Rockets will then meet the Dallas Mavericks, their in-state rivals.  In past year's this would surely be a shootout, but both teams are stressing defense this season.

At 8:00 EST in Boston, the Pacers will face the Celtics.  This will be Reggie Miller's final postseason and he has made his career on showstopping performances in the playoffs.

The day's nightcap will come from KeyArena in Seattle when the SuperSonics host the Sacramento Kings.  Both teams have been battling injuries, so the healthier team here will have the advantage.

After sitting the last 19 games with a stress fracture in his right fibula, Seattle Supersonics sharpshooter Vladimir Radmanovic is back in practice and says he will be ready for the team?s playoff opener against Sacramento this Saturday.

?I had hoped to come back and play the last two games of the regular season, but after awhile we figured out that wasn?t going to be possible,? Radmanovic said. ?So our main goal was to be ready for the playoffs. I?m not going to play 40 minutes in the first game. I just need to get in and get a feel for the game, and see how it goes. There?s not much we can say right now because it?s all up to me and how I feel on the court.?

He didn?t practice too hard yesterday as Sonics? coach Nate McMillan does not want to take any chances before the first round of the playoffs.

?We want to just save his legs as much as possible, and have him ready for the game,? McMillan said.

No Ray Allen, no Rashard Lewis, no Tracy McGrady and a 106-78 Rocket win over the Seattle Supersonics.  

The Houston Rockets finished the season on a seven-game winning streak while the Sonics, hobbled by various injuries, finished a miracle season losing 10 of their final 14 games.

In McGrady?s absence, Mike James led the Rockets with 24 points and 5 other Rockets scored in double figures.

"Right now that is a big concern," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said of McGrady's health. "This wasn't one of those fake sit out the last game things. I can't tell you what will happen."