Ronald Tillery of the Seattle Post intelligencer Reporter writes: Trading Vin Baker is an enormous task. But, evidently, not as enormous as Baker himself.

An NBA player agent, familiar with the Sonics' efforts to move their big man, tells the Post-Intelligencer that Baker is battling the bulge, and teams do not want to touch his heavy body and prohibitive salary.

"It's awful, just awful," he said. "He's got a problem, and it's the worst it's ever been. The biggest problem, though, is for the team to have to have him on their cap four or five more years. He's a franchise killer."

Consider: Baker weighed 244 pounds during the 1997-98 season -- his first in Seattle and last productive NBA season. Now, Baker is said to tip the scales at 270 even though his playing weight is expected to be 255.

In other news, Forward Ruben Patterson met recently with Cleveland general manager Jim Paxson and head coach John Lucas in Salt Lake City, where the Cavaliers are participating in the Rocky Mountain Revue summer league.

Patterson, a restricted free agent, was quoted in the Cleveland Plain Dealer as saying: "The conversation went really well. Coach Lucas is the type of guy I'd like to play for. It would be good to play at home, by bringing the energy and excitement that we need at the Gund Arena. Other teams are interested, but Cleveland's my No. 1 team. We'll just take one step at a time and see what happens."