Kevin Pelton, SUPERSONICS.COM | July 12, 2005
During this week's summer camp and Rocky Mountain Revue action starting on Friday, the Sonics are balancing two goals: Developing young centers Johan Petro and
Robert Swift, the team's last two first-round picks, and finding free agents to invite to training camp who could potentially make the Sonics roster - if not now, then a year or two down the road.
"We're looking for players," said 
Jack Sikma, who is coaching the Sonics summer-league squad. "We've got a lot of free agents. I don't think we can sign them all. There are opportunities for a guy or two out of this summer league to have a chance at a job."
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Former Louisville star Larry O'Bannon joined practice Tuesday.
Elsa/Getty Images
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While the evaluation process continues through Rocky Mountain Revue play, the Sonics must determine by later this week which players to take to Salt Lake City. 17 players are in competition for presumably 12 spots, and making cuts won't be easy.
"We'll have some hard choices," said Sonics Director of Player Personnel Dave Pendergraft, who put together the roster. "We've got some guys that have been on the radar that have improved, and then we've got some guys like Rashid (Byrd) and Jermaine (Blackburn) who weren't on the radar and they whet your appetite a little bit."
Pendergraft sees a handful of players who could challenge for a roster spot in the fall.
"Obviously, that depends on our success or failure in the free-agent market," he said. "I think there are probably three guys. I don't want to name those guys now, but I think there are three guys who we would have to seriously consider at some point.
"It's a three-step process. Number one, to make our summer-league team. Number two, to be invited back to training camp. And then, number three, once you get to training camp … I don't think there's anybody here who, after summer league, we'd give a guaranteed roster spot. I think we'd let free agency play out first, and then the guys we do invite back to training camp will probably be on a make-good basis."
One player who is no longer in that mix is Florida swingman Matt Walsh, who went undrafted last month after being projected as a possible late first-round pick. Initially, Walsh was expected to participate in Revue play with the Sonics, but the Miami Heat scuttled that by offering him a contract for training camp.
"He was getting on the plane and Miami called his agent and said, 'What do we need to do to stop the process?'" said Pendergraft.
The Sonics were also unable to convince forward 
Damien Wilkins, a restricted free agent, to play this summer because of injury concerns.
"We'd have loved to have him, but the fact that he is a free agent, you risk an injury," explained Pendergraft. "In reality, I probably wouldn't have participated either."
With Louisville guard Larry O'Bannon arriving and practicing this morning, the only player still absent from camp is forward Noel Felix, who is playing for the New Jersey Nets in the Reebok Vegas Summer League. Felix will arrive in Seattle tonight and practice with the team tomorrow evening.
Forward Mustafa Al-Sayyad, a Fresno State product fresh out of college, watched from the sidelines because of an ankle injury. Al-Sayyad suffered the injury before reporting to Seattle and attempted to practice Monday, but was unable to do so.
A pair of Sonics, guard 
Luke Ridnour - sporting a newfound dark tan - and restricted free-agent forward 
Reggie Evans, were spotted at The Furtado Center.
Sonics Chairman Howard Schultz, who had been out of town, watched this morning's practice with GM Rick Sund and President Wally Walker.
