New Coach Coming Soon; Will Lewis Be Here For It?

As NBA free agency began at midnight, the Seattle SuperSonics had completed their second round of interviews with coaching candidates and should be close to naming a replacement for Bob Hill. Sonics general manager Sam Presti and chairman Clay Bennett met with P.J. Carlesimo and Dwane Casey on Friday, according to two Eastern Conference sources, and plan on selecting one of the candidates early this week. Presti took a flight Saturday to Houston, league sources say, to meet with Rashard Lewis, his mother, Juanita Brown, and his agent, Tony Dutt, to discuss the team's plans for the future and its intentions regarding Lewis, who opted out of his contract in May and is seeking a contract. It is not known if Bennett accompanied Presti, though it is believed he did. It also is not clear if Presti will ask Lewis his opinion regarding the naming of a coach, though Lewis is close with Casey, who coached Lewis his first five years in the league.