The Seattle SuperSonics today signed 7-0 center Mikki Moore, Sonics General Manager Rick Sund announced. As per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

?We?re  pleased  to have Mikki in a Sonics uniform,? said Sund. ?Mikki?s length and his ability to run the floor complements the Sonics? style of play and gives us added depth at both the center and forward positions.?

Last season, Moore?s eighth in the NBA, he appeared in 74 games with the L.A. Clippers, averaging 5.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 15.9 minutes. He shot 50.2 percent from the floor and 78.7 percent from the foul line. Moore started four games and scored in double figures on 17 occasions, including a career-high 18 points in two separate games. Moore recorded a career-high 14 rebounds vs. the L.A. Lakers last season on Dec. 11, 2004.

The Seattle SuperSonics today named Bob Hill and Ralph Lewis as assistant coaches on head coach Bob Weiss? staff, Sonics General Manager Rick Sund announced.

Hill and Lewis join current Sonics assistant Jack Sikma on Weiss? bench for the 2005-06 season which opens Wednesday, Nov. 5 vs. the L.A. Clippers at KeyArena. Weiss was named head coach of the Sonics July 18.

?I?m greatly looking forward to working with both Bob and Ralph,? Weiss said. ?Their extensive coaching experience will be invaluable for our young and talented team.?

The Seattle SuperSonics today exercised their right of first refusal on restricted free agent Damien Wilkins, Sonics General Manager Rick Sund announced. Wilkins, a guard/forward entering his second season, had received an Offer Sheet from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

?Due to his outstanding work ethic in his rookie season, Damien earned the respect of our players, coaches and fans,? said Sund. ?He improved as much in one season as any player we can remember and we expect that trend to continue. We believe Damien will be a part of our young, talented core for years to come.?

In his rookie season, Wilkins appeared in 29 games, averaging 6.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 17.9 minutes. The 6-6, 225-pound swingman started seven games and scored in double figures on eight occasions, including two 20-plus point performances. Wilkins recorded a career-high 21 points at Portland on March 24, 2005.

Damien Wilkins signed an offer sheet from Minnesota last week. The Sonics must match the five-year, $15 million offer by Friday or lose him to the Timberwolves.

"I'm not juggling quite as many balls now as I was when this whole thing [free agency] started," Sund said. "Something will happen with Damien within the next day or so and we've got some other decisions that we need to make, but as it's winding down, things are falling in place a little bit."

According to league sources, Wilkins has indicated that he'd prefer to play in Minnesota, believing that more playing time would be available there rather than being slated behind Lewis and Radmanovic.

The Sonics, however, appear to be leaning toward retaining the 6-6, 225-pound Wilkins, who averaged 6.3 points in 29 regular-season games as an undrafted rookie out of Georgia.

Sonics General Manager Rick Sund announced today that the Seattle SuperSonics re-signed Vitaly Potapenko. As per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

?In his three years with the Sonics, Vitaly has given us a tough, physical presence in the middle along with the ability to score,? said Sund. ?We?re excited Vitaly will be in a Sonics uniform again because he also gives us solid veteran experience.?

Last season, his ninth in the NBA, Potapenko appeared in 33 games. He shot 52 percent from the floor and 87 percent from the foul line. The 6-10, 285-pound center missed the first six weeks of the season due to a fractured fourth metacarpal in his right hand. Potapenko was originally acquired by the Sonics from the Boston Celtics on July 22, 2002.

Seattle SuperSonics general manager Rick Sund said Saturday that his team will wait until this week to decide whether to match the offer sheet Sonics restricted free agent Damien Wilkins signed with the Timberwolves. Sund said he's been out of town and hasn't looked at the specifics of the five-year, $15 million deal Wilkins signed Thursday.

Seattle has seven days to match the Wolves' offer.

Sund said he wasn't surprised Wolves coach Dwane Casey encouraged Minnesota executives to make a run at Wilkins, a 6-foot-6 forward entering his second year. The Wolves also showed interest in Sonics restricted free agents Ronald Murray and Reggie Evans.

"Those were pretty good players on our team last season," Sund said. "Dwane knows them and has a comfort zone with them."

Dale Davis' agent Chubby Wells has told Locked On Sports that his client has narrowed his free agent options down to Detroit and Seattle.

With the loss of Jerome James and potential loss of Reggie Evans, Davis figures to get more playing time in Seattle, and could even compete for a starting spot, while playing in Detroit would mean backing up Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace.

The Minnesota Timberwolves signed Seattle forward Damien Wilkins to an offer sheet on Thursday.

The Sonics have seven days to decide whether to match the offer or let Wilkins, a restricted free agent, leave. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

As a rookie last season, Wilkins averaged 6.3 points and 2.3 rebounds a game for Seattle, but saved his best basketball for the playoffs.

He averaged 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 25.2 minutes in the Western Conference semifinals against San Antonio, including 15 points and six rebounds in Game 3.

"Damien is someone that we believe has tremendous upside," general manager Jim Stack said. "He continually improved throughout last season, and he became a significant contributor for Seattle during the playoffs. Hopefully, we'll see him in a Timberwolves uniform this upcoming season."

Wilkins' transition to Minnesota would be a relatively easy one. In the offseason, the Wolves hired longtime Seattle assistant Dwane Casey as their head coach. Casey plans to use a system much similar to the freewheeling transition game that made the Sonics one of the surprise successes last season.

"Obviously Dwane's got a great comfort level with him," Stack said. "We felt like he really came on down the stretch of the year and into the playoffs. We kind of eyeballed him and Dwayne encouraged us to look into doing something with him."

The Seattle SuperSonics are on the verge of solidifying their center position by closing in on an agreement with Vitaly Potapenko. An announcement could come this week.

It is not clear what the terms of Potapenko?s contract will be, but it is thought that his salary will be about $3 million.

When Jerome James signed a $30 million contract with the New York Knicks earlier this summer, the Sonics were left at center with second-year player Robert Swift and rookie Johan Petro.

Though the Sonics spoke with free agents DeSagana Diop and Andrew DeClerq, they decided to bring back Potapenko.

The Sonics' Damien Wilkins is a restricted free agent, which saw him average 6.3 points per game in his rookie season.

Agent Mark Bartelstein named the Nuggets among the teams eyeing Wilkins. Others reportedly interested include Minnesota and Atlanta.

"We're having conversations, but nothing's settled right now," Bartelstein said Sunday.

Denver general manager Kiki Vandeweghe could not be reached for comment. The Nuggets probably will make no major moves before Aug. 15, the deadline for teams to release players under the NBA's one-time "amnesty" clause.