The Associated Press reports that a former Seattle Supersonics assistant coach claims he is owed money by Vin Baker and is going to court to get paid.

Steven Gordon, a Sonics special assignments coach until last year claims that Baker promised him $1 million if he could help work a trade to get Baker out of Seattle. In a lawsuit files on Jan 17, Gordon says he "devoted time and resources'' speaking to various NBA teams last season to promote a possible trade on Baker's behalf.

Baker was traded to Boston with Shammond Williams in exchange for Kenny Anderson, Vitaly Potapenko and Joe Forte last summer. Gordon claims he had discussions with the Celtics that facilitated the trade, and that Baker reneged on a promise to pay him $1 million if the deal was completed.

Gordon is seeking $1 million in damages from Baker, along with $46,000 a month for the duration of Baker's NBA contract, which runs through 2005-06, saying he agreed to become Baker's business partner.

Baker had no comment Friday after Boston?s 77-58 victory over Denver.

Seattle currently trails Minnesota by four games in the Western Conference standings, but when you're in ninth place in a conference where only the top eight proceed wins mean everything.

For this reason, Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Post-Intelligicer Reporter states, that tonight's battle with their fellow playoff hopefuls holds even more value.

"We have to catch more than just Minnesota," states Sonics forward Rashard Lewis. "I don't want to be one of those teams that's going to be in the eighth spot and come down to the end where we have to win or we're not in the playoffs."

With 43 games remaining in the Sonics schedule this one game is hardly do or die.  The team, however, only looks to the next few games at any one time in an effort to break the long 82-game schedule into bite-size chunks.

"That's how I've always done it," Anderson said. "Until the second half of the season, when it gets to crunch time, then you start looking at the standings."

"I don't think you want to put pressure on these guys that it is a must-win game," McMillan said. "But it is a (conference) game, and this is a team that we're close to and could be in the race with at the end."

It is getting into the funny season in the NBA.  Yes, that's right, from today there is exactly one month remaining for teams to tweak their rosters to make those playoff runs.  Will your team make a deal to make your team better?

This time of the year is renowned for its hot air talk, with rumors running rampart and unrealistic deals hitting the papers we read and the sportstalk radio we hear.  So who will be discussed this year?

The Indiana Pacers were involved in the biggest trade of the period last season when they traded Jalen Rose to the Bulls for Ron Artest, Brad Miller and Ron Mercer.  According to Dave Lewandowski of the Indianapolis Star the Pacers again are set to make the headlines this year, but will it only be hot air?

The Pacers are a wild card thanks to the impending free agent status of starters Reggie Miller, Brad Miller and Jermaine O'Neal.  Team President Donnie Walsh is committed to re-signing all three and all signs appear to point to these players liking Indiana, but with the team quickly looming on the luxury tax threshold it will be very hard to achieve without being penalized.

"I'm depending on Donnie to do his magic," co-owner Herb Simon said.

The Pacers could certainly do with cap space to make Walsh?s job a little easier, and according to Lewandowski deals talked about over the upcoming month will have everyone from Austin Croshere and the remainder of his four-year, $39 million contract to the injured Jonathan Bender going to a team for a player in the final year of his contract.  [RealGM Note: Bender signed an extension this summer and this season still remains on his rookie contract.  For this reason he qualifies for the Poison Pill Provision (PPP), a nasty type of Base Year status that makes him very difficult to deal.  Ron Artest of the Pacers also fits under this category.  For more information on PPP please visit Larry Coon?s CBA FAQ (link available on RealGM left menu)]

Gary Payton has already been one name mentioned as a  potential acquisition for the Pacers, a deal which the Pacers would be reluctant to do due to the cost involved.  Payton has thus far been unbothered by the trade talk.

I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing," said Payton. "Trust me. That other stuff, that's not bothering me."

Other players likely to be involved in trade talk is Kelvin Cato of the Rockets, Kenny Anderson of the Supersonics, Brian Grant of the Heat, Marcus Camby of the Nuggets, Robert Horry of the Lakers, Jamal Crawford of the Bulls, and Jason Terry of the Hawks.

Of these players the most likely to be dealt would be Horry, who Lewandowski states has a cap-friendly contract, his on court performance during the Lakers struggles may just make him available.  The other player highly likely to be dealt would be Anderson, whose final year-$9 million contract makes him all that more attractive.  Washington and Minnesota, two teams desperate for point guard help, appear to be the obvious suitors.

It was a night to note Matt Harpring, whose 15 third-quarter points turned the game around. And a game to wonder at Karl Malone, who at 39 can still come close to scoring his age.
     
But in the closing moments, with the outcome still in doubt, Thursday's Jazz-Seattle game ended up in the hands of John Stockton and Gary Payton. No surprise there. Time has yet to steal the pleasure of seeing two certain Hall of Famers working their craft. Heaven knows, they have scars. Payton picked up another memento when Stockton caught him in the throat with an elbow late in the game.

They seemed tired. Slow. Perhaps a tad disinterested.
     
Don't think their fans didn't notice, either.

"Maybe we deserved to be booed," forward Matt Harpring said.
     
And they were.

The Sonics were within one point of matching their largest halftime lead of the season.

Instead they matched their largest collapse of the season, and their largest losing streak in more than 12 years.

They led the Utah Jazz by 16 points in the final minute of the second quarter, yet still lost 92-85 at the Delta Center.

The Seattle SuperSonics are finding a season that started so promising has taken an extended downward turn.

A first-place team in November, when they jumped to an 8-2 start, the Sonics have gone just 8-19 since, including six straight losses after falling 92-85 to the Jazz on Thursday.

Tipoff was pushed back an hour Thursday night to accommodate national television audience.

The Jazz started even later than that.

Trailing by 15 points at halftime, Utah finally showed some life in the third quarter, when Matt Harpring and Karl Malone combined for 28 points.

The Jazz outscored the Seattle SuperSonics 34-11 in the period to take an eight-point lead, then rolled from there to a 92-85 victory at the Delta Center.

The last time Karl Malone faced the Sonics, he didn't score a point.
   
This time, the Sonics didn't.
   
No, wait -- it only seemed that way during the Jazz's near-perfect third quarter, when Malone, with plenty of help from Matt Harpring, paid Seattle back with interest for that flu-induced, opening-weekend embarrassment. Malone scored 13 points, Harpring 15 and the Sonics just 11 in the decisive quarter, all the Jazz needed for an impressive 92-85 comeback victory in the Delta Center.
   
Malone was too weakened from a virus to play his usual game in Seattle last November, but he was way too healthy for the Sonics this time. Malone finished with a season-high 34 points and nine rebounds, and he captained a defensive effort under the basket that so flustered the Sonics' corps of big men, they were essentially limited to jump shots most of the night.

Five consecutive losses isn't the only streak the Sonics carry into Utah tonight.

The team has failed to score 100 points in 11 consecutive games, the longest stretch in franchise history. Before this season, the team hadn't been held under 100 for more than eight consecutive games.

There's also seven losses in a row to the Jazz at the Delta Center, including three playoff defeats in 2000.