Mentally and physically exhausted from a long trip that included a team-wide flu bug and several injuries, Seattle SuperSonics coach Nate McMillan took it easy on his charges Wednesday.

After a difficult loss Tuesday to the Portland Trail Blazers, McMillan essentially gave his starters the day off from practice while his younger players ended the day playing some three-on-three, half-court basketball that came to an abrupt conclusion when rookie Vladimir Radmanovic went down following a hard collision with Desmond Mason.

"Players start to tune the coach out," McMillan said. "It's like a broken record. Sometimes you have to step away from it."

McMillan - with the help of an objective coaching staff - has done a pretty good job this season of recognizing when to push his players and when to back off.

He sensed that his intensity was beginning to grind the players down, so he delivered an unexpected tonic.

But he will have to revert to his intense ways tonight, when the Sonics play host to Sacramento, the team with the best record in the NBA - though once again the teams will meet without Kings All-Star power forward Chris Webber.

Webber was suspended for the game after the league deemed that an elbow he threw at Utah rookie Jarron Collins in the Kings' previous game Saturday was intentional.

Webber was fined $7,500 and suspended for this game, which will cost him 1/82 of his $12.75 million salary. This comes after Webber missed the season opener against Seattle with a severely sprained ankle (a Kings victory), and the teams' second meeting Dec. 19 with tendinitis in that sprained ankle (a Sonics win).

"They beat us without Webber before," McMillan said. "They are a very good team, a top team in the league. We have to prepare for them just as if Webber was there. They have more of a threat playing smallball, they have a strong bench ... and they are a very dangerous team, with or without Webber."

Sonics forward Vin Baker, meanwhile, said he will play tonight after aggravating a sprained left shoulder in the Sonics' loss to Portland.

"Hopefully, tomorrow I can give it another shot," Baker said. "We need wins and my team needs me."

Baker said he re-injured the shoulder when he made an awkward spin move on Rasheed Wallace, forcing his body one way and his shoulder the other.

Sonics point guard Gary Payton also is ailing, suffering from an injury to his left shin.

- - -

* Reach staff writer Frank Hughes at 253-597-8742, ext. 6120, or frank.hughes@mail.tribnet.com

- - -

SIDEBAR: GAME DAY

Matchup - Sacramento Kings at Sonics

When - 7 p.m., KeyArena

TV - KONG

Radio - 950-AM

The series - The teams have split two meetings this season, each winning at home.

Scouting report - Kings All-Star power forward Chris Webber was suspended by the league for the game, the third time in three meetings Webber has missed the Sonics this season. Vin Baker, suffering from a sprained left shoulder, said he will play. Gary Payton, with a bruised left shin, also is expected to play. The Sonics had their two-game win streak snapped with a loss to Portland on Tuesday. This is the second game in a stretch in which the Sonics play seven of eight games at home.

Next - 7 p.m., Saturday, vs. Chicago Bulls, Key-

Arena.

Tonight's game could be a shootout.

It could be played at a blistering pace, with end-to-end action, featuring buckets galore and a final score of 118-117.

It could be fun.

The matchup: Sacramento vs. Seattle, two of the NBA's most accurate teams, squaring off at KeyArena.

The circumstances: Both teams have power-forward problems.

Chris Webber won't play for the Kings, suspended by the NBA for one game after throwing an elbow at Utah's Jarron Collins last Saturday. Webber will miss his third consecutive game against the Sonics after sitting out the first two with a sprained ankle.

Vin Baker might not play for the Sonics after aggravating his bruised left shoulder Tuesday night in a 92-86 loss to Portland.

Originally injured in Milwaukee last Thursday, Baker twisted his shoulder trying to make a move on the Blazers' Rasheed Wallace in the third quarter.

The fact that X-rays were negative is a positive. But little else is. Baker feels stinging pain when he raises his shoulder. Although he's right-handed, the injury still affects his shot.

As evidence, Baker, a 50-percent shooter, went 3-for-10 against the Blazers.

"With the pain, it's tough to concentrate on making the shot," Baker said.

Off the court he has a difficult time with the simplest things, like putting on clothes. He also can't sleep on his left side.

But he wants to play. The team considers him questionable for tonight's game. Baker lists himself as probable.

"I want to try to help my team win basketball games," he said. "There is some degree of pain, regardless. There's no sense in staying out."

If forced to play without their biggest inside threats, the Kings and Sonics might engage in a fast-breaking affair that emphasizes their athleticism and ability to drain pull-up and spot-up jumpers.

Although the Sonics are plenty capable, that kind of game would favor the deeper, more versatile Kings, who arrive with the best record in the NBA at 33-10.

Sacramento also is used to playing without Webber, who has missed 23 games this season because of his ankle injury.

Vlade Divac supplies another effective offensive weapon on the block, and Scot Pollard figures to grab many of the rebounds that would have gone to Webber.

The Kings also have all of those freelancing, fluid types like Peja Stojakovic, Mike Bibby, Doug Christie, Bobby Jackson and Hedo Turkoglu, just to name five. Seven Kings score in double figures.

If the Sonics have to compensate for Baker in the paint, coach Nate McMillan can call upon, well, uh ... no one in particular.

Gary Payton has the best low-post moves, but he's a guard who needs to direct and distribute to maximize his teammates' potential. Other back-to-the-basket options, Desmond Mason and Rashard Lewis, were snuffed by the Blazers.

"After that, we're limited with who we can go with," McMillan said.

The coach didn't even discuss rebounding, probably because it is not his favorite subject.

With Baker's 6.6 rebounds a game, the Sonics are 28th in rebounding in a 29-team league. Without them, they might be 30th tomorrow morning after crashing the glass with the second-ranked Kings.

The Sonics have yet another problem: without Baker, they don't have an inside-out game, precluding many of the open perimeter shots that his teammates normally get.

In spite of statistical data that points to a Kings victory, the Sonics have a shot at the upset. They already beat Sacramento, 104-92, on Dec. 19 at KeyArena.

In addition, for a supposed championship contender, the Kings tend to stumble when they are not playing in front of their electrified fans at ARCO Arena. They are 9-9 on the road, a sign that Rick Adelman's team can be had tonight.

SONICS VS. KINGS

WHEN: Tonight at 7

WHERE: KeyArena

TV/RADIO: KONG/6, 16; KJR-AM/950

RECORDS: Kings 33-10, Sonics 23-21. Season series tied 1-1, with Kings winning 101-95 in Sacramento on Nov. 1 and Sonics winning 104-92 at KeyArena on Dec. 19.

INJURY REPORT: Kings: G Mateen Cleaves (sore foot) is out. Sonics: C Calvin Booth (ankle tendinitis) is out. F Vin Baker (bruised shoulder) is questionable.

SCOUTING REPORT: Kings have won 14 of their past 15 games. Their only loss in the past month was Jan. 22 at Portland, when the Blazers prevailed 116-110 in OT. Kings are coming off an impressive 114-90 victory at Utah Saturday night, in which Peja Stojakovic scored 25 points and Scot Pollard had 15 rebounds. ... Kings second in the league in shooting (.464) and scoring (104.4). ... Rainier Beach graduate Doug Christie returns to his hometown, averaging 13.2 points and 1.7 steals. He scored his season high of 23 points in most recent game here, a 104-92 loss on Dec. 19. ... Kings will miss suspended Chris Webber's 24.6 points and 10 rebounds, but Stojakovic should offset any offensive worries: the 6-foot-9 forward averages 22.8 points

OUTLOOK: Kings have more of everything, but the Sonics have been playing well of late, the loss to Portland notwithstanding. If forced to play without Baker, Sonics need to create with penetration, trying to free up the best perimeter firing squad in the league. The hunch is that Sacramento will be gunned down tonight.

LINE: Pick 'em

P-I PICK: Sonics, 110-102

When: 7 tonight.
Where: KeyArena.

Records: Sonics 23-21, Kings 33-10.

TV: KONG (Channel 6/16). Radio: KJR (950 AM).

P SONICS Ht. Ppg. R/A
C Art Long 6-9 4.9 4.5/R
F Vin Baker 6-11 16.5 6.6/R
F Rashard Lewis 6-10 16.8 7.3/R
G Brent Barry 6-6 13.0 5.6/R
G Gary Payton 6-4 23.0 9.1/A
P KINGS Ht. Ppg. R/A
C Vlade Divac 7-1 11.3 8.6/R
F Scot Pollard 6-11 6.1 7.7/R
F Peja Stojakovic 6-9 22.8 5.4/R
G Doug Christie 6-6 13.2 4.9/R
G Mike Bibby 6-1 14.1 5.0/A

Notes: Vin Baker participated in noncontact drills in yesterday's practice. Seattle's 6-foot-11 power forward aggravated his strained left shoulder in the third quarter of Tuesday's 92-86 loss to Portland. But Baker intends to play tonight. ... Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic have been named to the Western All-Star team as reserves.

Injuries: Sonics ? C Calvin Booth (right ankle) is on the injured list. Kings ? G Mateen Cleaves (plantar fasciitis) won't play.

As expected, Seattle SuperSonics point guard Gary Payton was named to the Western Conference All-Star team Tuesday, the eighth time he has been chosen.

It was the third consecutive season that Payton was not elected a starter by the fans, being outvoted by Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Steve Francis of the Houston Rockets.

But Payton became the franchise's career leader in All-Star Game appearances, eclipsing Jack Sikma's seven appearances.

"It's a great honor," Payton said. "It's more of an honor for the guys on my team this year because a lot of my stats (are) up, and they've been doing a lot of things for me. I credit them in making this one. This one was real special."

Payton joined Karl Malone, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Peja Stojakovic, Wally Szczerbiak and Chris Webber as the West's reserves.

The odd part about Payton being named a reserve for the game this year, which will be played in Philadelphia on Feb. 10, is that he is having one of the best seasons, if not the best, of his career.

He is averaging 22.9 points (12th in the league), 9.2 assists (third),

4.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals in

41.2 minutes a game (third) while leading a team that many thought would be no better than .500 to the sixth spot in the Western Conference, which would be good enough for a playoff spot if the season were to end today.

Francis, on the other hand, has missed almost half his team's games with a variety of injuries and illnesses, including recent bouts with migraine headaches.

"We haven't been on national television this season," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. "So fans haven't had an opportunity to see what Gary has done.

"He's basically been carrying the team, for the most part. This is probably one of his best seasons."

"It doesn't make any difference to me," Payton said. "The real voting to me is the coaches' vote."

No other Sonics player finished among the top 10 in fan voting at their positions.

However, Desmond Mason will participate in the All-Star Saturday events. He will play on the sophomore team in the rookie-sophomore game, and then will defend his slam dunk championship later that night.

Time change - The Sonics' game in Toronto on Feb. 24 has been changed from 2:30 p.m. to

3 p.m. (PST).

If you watched Saturday's nationally televised Utah-Sacramento game, you may have seen Chris Webber's elbow to the face of rookie Jarron Collins. On Wednesday, the NBA proved that league officials were apparently watching too.

Webber was fined $7500 and suspended for Thursday's game at Seattle for the flagrant foul. He will be missing his 24th game of the season, the previous 23 due to an ankle injury.

Sacramento, which has the best record in the NBA at 33-10, has managed to play well in his absence, going 16-7 in games without Webber.

This is the Kings second visit to Seattle, and Webber will have missed both games.

The Associated Press reports:

"Sacramento Kings forward Chris Webber was suspended Wednesday for one game and fined $7,500 for deliberately throwing an elbow to the head of Utah's Jarron Collins last week.

Webber will miss the Kings' game Thursday against Seattle. He was called for a flagrant foul for hitting Collins last Saturday, and the NBA imposed the suspension."

Since the Portland Trail Blazers are to bad publicity what gravity is to rocks, it's hard to imagine Bob Whitsitt would want to see his other team, the NFL Seahawks, emulate the NBA unit.

But the strongman of Paul Allen's sports empire would beg to differ. At least a little.

"If we talk five years from now, I would hope that the Seahawks would have been in the playoffs at least three times, maybe four," Whitsitt said yesterday. "The Blazers have been in the playoffs 19 straight seasons, something we take pride in."

Though it is much easier to get into the NBA playoffs than the NFL playoffs -- usually, two pieces of ID will do -- it is not nearly as hard as the Seahawks have made it.

Earlier this month, they avoided the postseason for the 10th time in 11 seasons, prompting a federal investigation into a previously undetected change in the laws of statistical probability.

The Blazers, meanwhile, always seem to step over their own mess -- Enron executives, take note -- and show up for the postseason, whether or not anyone wants to see them there. Not only is 19 in a row the NBA record, another April appearance will tie the record for all sports set by the NHL St. Louis Blues.

Last night at KeyArena, Bob's Bad Boys took another step toward the record, beating the Sonics, 92-86, after the locals came out lifeless to start the second half.

After winning their 10th game in their past 12, the Blazers (23-20) appear back in a Western Conference race full of giant three-headed dogs. And if Rottweiler personalities are the requirement for success, the Blazers figure to have the edge over Seattle. They picked up four technical fouls last night, including two by the ejected Scottie Pippen, and it didn't matter.

As the sports world knows, when it comes to matters of behavior and character among his sporting employees, Whitsitt has never lost chunks of sleep. And with reason -- most fans don't much care either, as long as the team wins.

Still, even for one as iron-plated as Whitsitt, he's only now coming out of an industrial-strength cringe.

"The last 10 or 11 months, we've had a lot of image and PR issues, and a lot of changes," Whitsitt said, understating the case by a fathom or three. "We have to regroup after a three-year championship window.

"We crashed. It was such a disappointment. Now, we're working hard to rebuild."

It seems ages ago, but at one point last season the 40-18 Blazers led the West. But they finished out the season 10-14 and were flattened by the Lakers in the first round, an average of 14 points per defeat.

Despite the highest payroll in the NBA, the team was spectacularly dysfunctional. After a partial roster makeover and the firing of coach Mike Dunleavy, matters regressed in December, when a Sports Illustrated story featured a sullen outfit detached from its fan base and reality.

Since then, Whitsitt has issued fines and apologies, and the team has regained physical health and competitiveness, although regaining a reputation in Portland among thousands of disaffected fans figures to take years.

At least he's honest enough to admit the "championship window" is closed. Not that he had much choice.

"We're not talking championship anymore, but we can be good," he said. "We were up for three years, and now we're down. We succeeded well enough to raise the bar. My job is to break us down and rebuild while staying out of the lottery."

If that rings a vague bell, you must be a Seahawks fan, although the analogy is imperfect. It has been a decade since the football team had anything to break down.

"I feel pretty good about where we are," he said, switching to his football helmet. "There was a lot of shoulda-woulda-coulda about the playoffs, and I wouldn't expect otherwise. We had to take our lumps -- 6-10 (in 2000) was a big lump -- but I consider 9-7 a big improvement.

"We have 29 players with three years or less of experience, a good mix of veterans, and we're in great salary cap shape. And we have a good coach and a good system."

So much for the Mike Holmgren-bashers. Whitsitt is not nearly as exercised as many Seahawks fans about the coach's handling of quarterbacks Matt Hasselbeck and Trent Dilfer.

"If you talk to our personnel people, there's no one in our camp who doesn't like Trent," he said. "He played better than anyone thought he would, but if Matt hadn't been injured, we never would have known.

"We signed Trent a week into training camp when there wasn't one starting job in the NFL for him. His own team, which won the Super Bowl, didn't want him back."

That doesn't mean Whitsitt won't attempt to re-sign Dilfer, a free agent. But if he comes back, the Seahawks must seek out the real guy -- his four good games (and victories) as a Seahawks starter, or his previous eight years of NFL mediocrity.

"Did Trent get good overnight? Did the rest of the team just come together? Was it our system that allowed him to flourish? We have to figure that out, and we're going to want to have the chance.

"Matt's got to earn it, and Trent's got to earn it. It will be a lot easier to figure it out with both having experience in the system."

Of course, all this figuring out has allowed yet another Seahawks season to expire with little to show.

"We're asking people to be patient," he said, "because when we get into the new stadium, the goal is to be good not just for one year, but a number of years."

Asking the Seahawks fans to be patient is, of course, like asking rain to be wet. It has been so long since nature offered any alternative, they know nothing else.

Just don't ask them to accept Rasheed Wallace at wide receiver, unless he gets nothing but crossing routes over the middle.

To the surprise of no one, Gary Payton was selected yesterday by NBA coaches to play in his eighth consecutive All-Star Game.

To the surprise of many, he won't start, aced out by Kobe Bryant of the Lakers and the Rockets' Steve Francis in a vote by fans that spoke to their knowledge, as much as their ignorance.

Unquestionably, Bryant is a superstar. But Francis missed most of the first half of the season because of a foot injury. Nonetheless, he will start in Philadelphia on Feb. 10, apparently due to his marquee appeal nationwide.

"That's how the system is," said Sonics coach Nate McMillan. "We haven't been on TV. Fans haven't gotten the opportunity to see what Gary's done. He's basically carrying the team."

What Gary's done is this: averaged 22.9 points, 9.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds. He has a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, which means at his current pace, it could be 6-to-1 by the end of the year.

More than the statistical evidence, Payton, at 33, has taken on new roles as team spokesman and respected leader. In the past, he might have gone off on reporters and teammates. Now he communicates, distributing advice as well as the ball.

"He's come in and done a great job," McMillan said. "He's continuing to compete at a high level."

Watching him from afar, Payton's former coach George Karl has been impressed.

"Other than Jason Kidd, no one is playing better than him at the guard position," said Karl, now coaching the Milwaukee Bucks. "He doesn't have the blazing quickness he once had, but he's still effective. He's better defensively. He's got a stronger body."

In regards to Payton's changed attitude, Karl said: "I used to tell him, 'Gary, you have good leadership, and you have bad leadership. You choose which way you want to go.' As he gets older, he's choosing the good path, not the crazy path.

"But even in the negative mode, he was passionate toward winning. With Gary, you know he feels the pain. Hell, you want guys to feel the pain, rather than having guys who are laughing five minutes after they got their asses kicked."

Payton has averaged more than eight points and eight assists in his previous seven All-Star appearances. In 1995, Payton was second in All-Star Game MVP voting after helping Mitch Richmond win the award. Payton had 15 assists.

TECHNICAL FOULS: On Portland's Dale Davis after losing control of his dribble, thinking he was fouled by Brent Barry. Davis did not give the ball to referee Ronnie Garretson in a timely fashion.

Scottie Pippen, upset with Barry's physical defense, was ejected in the second quarter by referee Bennie Adams.

Four seconds later, Rasheed Wallace finally popped off, earning his 13th technical foul of the year.

DEFENSE, DEFENSE: Art Long and Gary Payton, harassing and double-teaming, causing the Blazers to commit an 8-second violation. ... Pippen, whirling around Barry on the baseline, thinking he would be able to lay it in with his left hand. But Predrag Drobnjak met him at the summit and blocked his shot in the second quarter.

TOUGH NIGHT: After making 26 of 34 shots on the Sonics' four-game road trip, Barry went 3-for-10 last night.

REIGN MAN: Sonics coach Nate McMillan on former star and current bust Shawn Kemp: "It's sad to see. I thought once Shawn lost his legs, he would have a tough time because he didn't work on his post moves. He was all about power. He's still young, but he's been this way the last three to four years. It's disappointing to see him end up playing like this. He's not playing above the rim, he's playing below it."

Kemp used to perform in the KeyArena rafters, nearly leading the Sonics to the championship in 1996, finishing second in NBA Finals MVP voting to Michael Jordan. Kemp received a mixture of boos and applause when he entered the game.

STEAL AWAY: Payton, intercepting a Kemp pass at midcourt and pulling up for a three to put the Sonics in front, 34-26. ... Pippen, picking Payton's pocket, leading to a Damon Stoudamire fast-break layin.

MUTED RESPONSE: In his first return to KeyArena since playing for the Sonics last year, Ruben Patterson checked in at the beginning of the second quarter and received a small round of applause. Patterson signed as a free agent with Portland during the off-season.

IN ATTENDANCE: Mariners Bret Boone and Mike Cameron and pitcher James Baldwin, a potential teammate, drew the loudest cheers of the night when they were introduced during a break in the third quarter. Boone helped Squatch throw T-shirts into the crowd in the fourth quarter. ... Former UW quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo and girlfriend Megan Franza were in the front row, right behind four members of the Sonics dance team.

NEXT UP: Sacramento, KeyArena, tomorrow at 7

Player of the game: Portland's Dale Davis, a veteran center not known for his point production, Davis had 20 points and 14 rebounds and caused problems defensively. He made 9 of 10 shots, several on follow-up dunks.

Top reserve: The Sonics' Desmond Mason, who scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds in slashing fashion.

Keys to the game: Portland's Derek Anderson and Bonzi Wells picked up on offense (a combined 29 points) for Scottie Pippen, who was ejected in the second quarter. Anderson hit two key jump shots, one a three-pointer, in the final 2:27. The Blazers took advantage inside after Sonics forward Vin Baker aggravated a shoulder injury that knocked him out of the game in the third quarter.

Next: Tomorrow, 7 p.m., vs. Sacramento at KeyArena. Seattle Coach Nate McMillan says watching Shawn Kemp the Portland Trail Blazer and remembering Shawn Kemp the explosive Sonics power forward is tough.

"It was fun, because he was an entertainer," McMillan said of Kemp's days in Seattle, when they were teammates. "It was so much easier, when you had a point guard like myself, who loved to push the ball, and then you had a big man like Shawn ... who loved to dunk. It's sad to see.

"I've always said that once Shawn lost his jumping, his legs, he would have a tough time, simply because everything was about power. I didn't think he would lose his legs due to weight, but once that was gone ... Now he's out on the perimeter trying to do up-and-under (moves), but it's sad because he's still young. That's the part that's disappointing, to see him like this."

Kemp came into the game in the first quarter to a mix of boos, applause and derisive catcalls.

Payton's an All-Star

The Sonics' Gary Payton was named to the NBA's Western Conference All-Star squad as a reserve, the league announced yesterday. Payton, a guard averaging 22.9 points and 9.2 assists per game before last night, made the team for the eighth time in his career.

Notes

? Former Sonic Ruben Patterson, making his first return to Seattle in a Portland uniform, drew brief cheers when he entered the game to start the second quarter.

? Two changes for the Sonics-Raptors game in Toronto on Sunday, Feb. 24: Game time has been changed to 3 p.m., and it will be broadcast on Channel 5 in Seattle.

? Marques Tuiasosopo, the Woodinville native and UW Rose Bowl star who is now a quarterback for the Oakland Raiders, sat courtside last night with Megan Franza, former UW women's basketball player.