Ray Allen and Howard Schultz sat next to one another coutrside at a Seattle Storm playoff game on Monday night.

They avoided discussing the often discussed contract situation of Allen.  They agreed to leave the business of hashing out a contract extension to Allen's agent, Lon Babby, who was in town the past couple of days, and general manager Rick Sund.

When asked Tuesday about the status of negotiations, Allen said he was pleased at the progress, but declined to elaborate on specifics.

"That's why I hired an agent, so I wouldn't have to worry about some of that stuff and I could keep my focus on what I have to do," he said. "I get my updates and I'm plugged in, but I'm still a little detached from all of that, which allows me to be amicable to the people in management here and still have a good relationship with people like Howard."

Desite his recent legal troubles, Denver GM Kiki Vanderweghe still has an interest in re-signing guard Rodney White, providing of course he can keep out of trouble.

"We're going to wait and see how things turn out," Vandeweghe said. "We just want to do what's best for Rodney. Obviously, this is a very hard lesson for him."

Vandeweghe believes the parties could reach an agreement soon, with the Nuggets also expected to sign free-agent guard Greg Buckner.

Denver also maintains an interest in free agent Ryan Bowen, who also has the attention of Miami, Houston and Seattle for his services.

Ibrahim Kutluay has officially signed with the Seattle Supersonics to an undisclosed contract.  This coming after many have said that he could not handle the rigors of the NBA.

?I know myself and believe in myself, and when I get on the court, I believe I can play here,? Kutluay said. ?Against the US team, when I played good, it made me more believe that I can play in the NBA.?

Kutluay scored 19 and 26 points in two exhibition games versus team U.S.A.

Sonics CEO Wally Walker has said that the franchise is not for sale, but he left open the possibility that principal owner and founder of the widely-popular Starbucks coffee chain, Howard Shultz might sell his share of the team.

Mr. Shultz is apparently unhappy with the volatile nature of owning an NBA team.  Rumors that Shultz might sell his share have been circulating for months; however, yesterday was the first time Walker did not deny Shultz?s perceived intent.

At the heart of his unhappiness is the fact that Shultz must pay his players 60% of revenues, a vastly inflated number compared to what Starbucks employees take in.  Mr. Shultz is also frustrated by his inability to sway the views of his players in a business that he believes should be customer-friendly.

Though it is not official, the Seattle Supersonics are expected to offer a two-year contract to Turkish swingman Ibrahim Kutluay.

Mr. Kutluay, who just turned 30 years of age, is expected to sign a contract worth $3.36 million.  

Labeled as one dimensional many NBA critics are not high on his overall game.  "He's one of the five best shooters in Europe," said one NBA coach, who asked not to be identified. "But defense? I think he can spell the first four letters."

The Sonics will be looking to Mr. Kutluay to fill some of the shooting void left by the departure of Brent Barry.

Sonics star Ray Allen is taking his game to the next level.  Thursday he will unveil his "Assist With Algebra", a new middle school program for students and parents of Madrona and Meany Middle School.

"I loved math. It was the only subject where you could really get an answer," Allen said. "Kids always ask, 'When will I ever need this stuff in life?' What most don't understand is that, with math, you get a solution you can apply to anything else in life. It's problem solving."

According to sources, Ray Allen has told the Sonics that he is looking for a $100 million contract that would span five seasons.

As a result of the recent signings by other NBA stars for big bucks such as Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O?Neill, Allen appears to be thinking big dollars.

The Sonics have already offered a six-year, $86.6 million deal that seems to be far less than what the sharpshooter is expecting.

This comes after a summer of exorbitant contract offers to seemingly marginal players, including Erick Dampier, Adonal Foyle, and Brian Cardinal among others.

Nick Collison, a 6-foot-9 forward out of Kansas, sat out last season because of shoulder injuries but has stated that he felt fine playing in the NBA summer league.  He was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics in last year's lottery.

While other teams in the Western Conference were trading Hall of Famers and signing big name free-agents, the Sonics had an inactive summer.  Letting Brent Barry leave and sign with the Spurs and acquiring Danny Fortson via trade were their only newsworthy stories.

According to a team source, they do plan on resigning Ray Allen to a longterm contract.  Allen will be an unrestricted free-agent after this season and there has been rampant discussion in Seattle whether he warrants a maximum contract.  

Allen's agent, Lon Babby, is currently negotiating contract terms with Sonics general manager Rick Sund.

David Young a second round selection out of North Carolina Central was signed to an undisclosed contract by the Seattle Supersonics.

Young, a 6-foot-5 guard averaged 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists last season at North Carolina Central.