Microsoft mogul Steve Ballmer has been subpoenaed by attorneys for the Sonics owners. In a filinig dated April 28, Ballmer's attorney Llewelyn Pritchard acknowledged receipt of the subpoena.

It's believed that Ballmer will be deposed even though the discovery process was supposed to have concluded April 30.

Ballmer led a local investment group that offered to pay $150 million toward a $300 million KeyArena renovation project and buy the team from Clay Bennett.

IN OTHER NEWS, the Sonics officially announced the hiring of assistant general manager Troy Weaver today. He replaces Scott Perry, who returned to Detroit after just one season with the Sonics.

Weaver has a good reputation in NBA circles. He's spent the past four seasons with the Utah Jazz and served as director of player personnel last season. He began as a scout with the team.

Before joining Utah, Weaver was an assistant at Pittsburgh, New Mexico and Syracuse where he helped the Orangemen win a national championship. Weaver was instrumental in recruiting Carmelo Anthony and he recruited Sonics rookie Jeff Green, who played three years at Georgetown.

Weaver also coached an AAU team in the Washington D.C. Long after he departure, his team produced Kansas State freshman Michael Beasley, who will be taken no lower than No. 2 in the June 26 draft. Weaver also has ties to Sonics rookie Kevin Durant, who hails the district.

ONE MORE NOTE ... Here's a press release about Nate Robinson's upcoming basketball camp. For more information, contact Matthew Wade, (206) 227-9387.

NY KNICKS GUARD AND FORMER UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON STAR NATE ROBINSON HOSTS "NATE ROBINSON BASKETBALL CAMP" AT MERCER ISLAND'S MERCER VIEW COMMUNITY CENTER

What: New York Knicks guard and former University of Washington star Nate Robinson will host his first-ever "Nate Robinson Basketball Camp" at Mercer Island's Community Center at Mercer View benefiting Mercer Island Parks and Recreation.

The Nate Robinson Basketball Camp will provide boys and girls ages 6-16 with a structured basketball learning experience that encourages team participation and personal development. Robinson will be in attendance everyday instructing campers and helping them with basketball fundamentals. The camp will include guest speakers, low coach-to-camper ratio, several games per day and daily contests.

The cost of the four-day camp is $275. Campers will receive a reversible jersey, autographs, snacks, NY Knicks prizes and much more. Many of Robinson's NBA friends are scheduled to appear at the camp including Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy, NY Knicks teammate Jamal Crawford and Sacramento Kings center Spencer Hawes.

Mercer Island Parks and Recreation Department takes pride in providing the highest quality facilities and services in partnership with the community to enhance livability on Mercer Island.

When: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 - Friday, August 1, 2008 9a.m. - 4p.m.

Where: Community Center at Mercer View
8236 SE 24th Street
Mercer Island, WA 98040
Ph# - 206-275-7609 or www.miparks.net

Visuals: Nate Robinson instructing campers on basketball fundamentals.

Nate Robinson shooting jump shots and playing with campers.

Nate Robinson answering questions from campers.

General manager Sam Presti said emphatically today that coach P.J. Carlesimo will return next season.

He tried to dance around the question as he did two weeks, but finally when asked point blank if PJ will be back, he replied: "Absolutely."

It's pretty hard to read between those lines.

During a season-ending meeting with reporters on April 17, Presti dodged three questions about Carlesimo's tenure, which led to rampant unsusbstantiated speculation that the team would make a coaching change.

I never thought it was going to happen partly because Presti has shown himself to be meticulous person who examines the issue from every conceivable angle before making a move. Privately, I heard Presti was suprised that his non-committal created such a commotion.

Those fans frustrated with Carlesimo had dreams of Avery Johnson, Mike D'Antoni, Sam Mitchell or Rick Carlisle coaching this team. Granted some of those guys are still employed, but they are on the proverbial hot seat.

Kevin Durant downplayed any type of player uprising against Carlesimo. In fact, the newest Rookie of the Year said he enjoyed playing for ther fiery coach and hopes he's coaching the team for many more years.

SOME THOUGHTS ON TODAYS'S ROY PRESENTATION ... The T-Mobile headquarters was a strange venue for the event. I know the company is the sponsor for the award, but it would have been nice if fans were allowed to attend. As it were, roughly 300-400 T-Mobile employees gathered in the parking lot to witness Durant win the ROY.

Noticeably absent were any Sonics players. When Brandon Roy won the award last year, he was surrounded by 4-5 Portland Trail Blazer teammates. I understand players may be out of town or vacationing, but it seems strange that nobody turned out for the show. Representing the Sonics were: GM Sam Presti, coach P.J. Carlesimo, assistants Ralph Lewis and Brian Keefe, a few front office employees and Squatch.

Chairman Clay Bennett was not there, however, an Oklahoma City television news crew made the trip.

Kudos to T-Mobile for donating $49,700 to the New Orleans Recovery School District. The company pledged $20 per point during the month when the Rookie of the Month won the award. Durant tallied $28,500 during the five months he won the award.

More kudos to the Goodwin Sports Management. The Seattle-based boutique-style sports agency had the first and second-place finishers in the ROY voting. Atlanta's Al Horford finished second. Durant is the fifth Rookie of the Year for GSM, joining Jason Kidd, Chris Webber, Damon Stoudamire and LeBron James.

And finally ... the Sonics moved up one spot in the upcoming NBA Draft last week when Phoenix won a tie-breaker with Houston and will select at No. 23. The Suns, who finished the regular season tied with the Rockets, will give their pick to Seattle because of the Kurt Thomas trade.

2008 FIRST ROUND DRAFT CHOICE ORDER

The teams entered in the lottery, to be held on May 20, 2008, are as follows (note: the first three picks in the Draft will be determined by the lottery and the remainder of the "lottery teams" will select in positions 4 through 14 in inverse order of their consolidated standings at the end of the regular season):

2008 SECOND ROUND DRAFT CHOICE ORDER

31. Miami (To Minnesota via Boston)
32. Seattle
33/34. Memphis (To Portland)
33/34. Minnesota
35/36. LA Clippers
35/36. New York (To Portland)
37. Milwaukee
38. Charlotte
39. Chicago
40. New Jersey
41. Indiana
42. Atlanta (To Sacramento)
43. Sacramento
44. Philadelphia (To Utah)
45. Toronto (To San Antonio)
46. Portland (To Seattle via Boston)
47. Washington
48. Cleveland (To Phoenix)
49. Golden State
50. Denver (To Seattle)
51. Dallas
52. Orlando (To Miami)
53. Utah
54. Houston
55. Phoenix (To Portland via Indiana)
56. New Orleans (To Seattle via Houston)
57. San Antonio
58. LA Lakers
59. Detroit
60. Boston

*Please note that teams that finished the regular season with identical records will select in the second round in the reverse of the order in which they select in the first round. With respect to the ties between Memphis and Minnesota (33 and 34); and the Los Angeles Clippers and New York (35 and 36): since the order of selection in the first round for each set of teams may change based on the results of the Draft Lottery, the order of selection in the second round cannot be determined until after the Draft Lottery is conducted (on May 20, 2008).

New York guard Jamal Crawford is returning to his native Seattle, a normal off-season routine. This summer, he'll also host a benefit for Seattle Public Schools. Here's the press release for the June 14 festivites.

NY KNICKS GUARD AND FORMER RAINIER BEACH ALUM JAMAL CRAWFORD HOSTS "HIGH TOPS AND HELPING HANDS" AT SEATTLE'S "TALARIS" TO BENEFIT SEATTLE PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS CERTIFIED ATHLETIC TRAINER SPORTS MEDICINE PROGRAM

"The Jamal Crawford Foundation is thrilled to be presenting this fun and entertaining event that will raise awareness and funds for Seattle Public High School Certified Athletic Trainers program -- protecting our student-athletes," said Crawford, who established his foundation in 2005. "The work of athletic trainers is essential. As parents of student-athletes, we want to know that our children will receive the best medical care on and off the playing field. Athletic Trainers are the first wave of treatment for student-athletes that face such unfortunate circumstances."

The Jamal Crawford Foundation is currently taking reservations for the June 14 "High Tops and Helping Hands" event up until 6 p.m. on Friday, June 13. Tickets and VIP reservations for the fund-raising event can be arranged by calling Matthew Wade, executive director of the Jamal Crawford Foundation, at (206) 227-9387. Only a few tickets for June 14 will be available at the door the evening of the event.

Let's take a break from the Sonics' Law & Order proceedings and dive into the explosive admission from Josh Howard, who chronicled his use of marijuana this morning.

The Dallas Mavericks forward must have attended the Aubrey McClendon School of Public Relations.

How else can you explain the one-time All-Star going on the Michael Irvin radio show and openly discussing that he smokes marijuana in the offseason. He said it doesn’t effect his performance and he also said most players (in the NBA) do it.

You can hear his comments here.

Howard brushed off the admission as no big deal, but apparently he's unaware or forgot that smoking marijuana is against the law and it is against the NBA collective bargaining agreement.

No comment yet from owner Mark Cuban or coach Avery Johnson, who trail the New Orleans Hornets 0-2 in the Westernn Confernce first-round playoff series.

Paul Lawrence, a K&L Gates attorney representing the city's case against the Sonics, said he flew to Oklahoma City and deposed team chairman Clay Bennett on Wednesday.

He also said the city is seeking to depose NBA Commissioner David Stern, however, the league it attempting to block the subpoena. A hearing in federal court in New York is scheduled for Monday.

You can read Jim Brunner's story here.

Bennett's deposition may prove to be crucial in the city's case to force the team to honor its KeyArena lease through 2010. He likely had to explain the intent in e-mails in which he conversed with members of the ownership group about moving the Sonics to Oklahoma City before a 12-month deadliine after the July 2006 sale of the team.

A week ago, we broke the news that former Sonics owner Howard Schultz intended to file a lawsuit against the Sonics' onwership.

Well, today Schultz made good on his promise.

You can read our story here.

We'll file much more for Wednesday's newspaper and online editions.

I'm still gathering news and writing, but I can tell you this much, there's more juicy e-mails from chairman Clay Bennett that puts him in hot water once again. Amazing. This story never quits.

OK, you knew there had to be a catch, right? Well, there is. A reader sent this clip to columinist Steve Kelley and I'm sharing it with everyone here.

There was a time not so long ago when NBA commissioner David Stern raved about KeyArena. When the building re-opened in 1995 after a $74.5 million renovation he called it "a very special" place.

After Friday's Board of Governors meeting, Stern had this to say about KeyArena: "It's the smallest footprint in the league with one of the lowest amounts of suites, the smallest amount of additional amenities and generally is not viewed in its current state as an arena that can support team on a going forward basis."

Also, check out the intrepid sideline reporter.

Here's another videoclip that's making the rounds.

***UPDATED 5:22 P.M.*** This is for Crow. Just did a quick check and I can't find the NBA Constitution anywhere on the Internet, which is not surprising because it's a private industry. And I'm not sure if any other news outlet has reported that the Sonics relocation approval expires after a year.

I did see that the Save Our Sonics website mentions the term limit on the approval.

Basically, here's what happened. The Sonics requested approval for location for the 2008-09, '09-10 and 10-11 seasons f the team is unable to resolve the KeyArena lease litigation this summer. The NBA's counsel told the relocation committee that Article 7 of the NBA Constitution does not permit approval of a relocation application for seasons other than the season following the application (in this case the '08-09 season).

The Board approved the move for next season and if the Sonics renew its application for either of the '09-10 or '10-11 seasons, the Board should approve the renewed application unless there's a major change in the circumstances.

It is interesting to note that the New Orleans Hornets reminded the Board of the Article 7 provision before the owners vote on Friday. No other team made any submissions regarding the Sonics' application.

I know there's a lot of technical phrases in there, but I'm quoting documents given to owners at last week's Board of Governors meeting.

Just combining through notes, transcripts and all of the stories from Friday's NBA Board of Governors meeting when I was reminded about this comical exchange between Commissioner David Stern and KING-TV reporter Chris Daniels.

Stern sometimes refers to himself in the third person as "Easy Dave," but Daniels clearly got under his skin with a tough line of questioning. It reminded me of the Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson scene in the film "A Few Good Men."

Anyway, here's the transcript.

Chris Daniels: "For all of the fans back in Seattle who are watching this live right now, what do you want to say to them, to the fans who have supported the Supersonics franchise in Seattle for 41 years, and let's settle it once and for all with Key Arena, there is a $300 million propose all out will; is that a significant proposal and could that solve the problem?"

Commissioner David Stern: "Actually there's no proposal out there right now, and I don't think you would mean to misrepresent that to me, would you?"

Daniels: "The $300 million proposal that the state legislature did not want to get involved in and they talked about getting involved in January."

Stern: "That would be the fourth that would be the fourth I'll let you finish. Go ahead."

Daniels: "The Key Arena remodel plan that's out there is a viable proposal."

Stern: "The Key Arena model has been available for four years, and never been acted upon by anybody. So I would say to the fans of Seattle, we very much appreciate your support. We think you have a great city. We think King County is great and we think that Washington is great and we are very sad that the absence of a first class facility, or even a funded, voted upon plan for one wasn't able to be put together by whoever's responsibility it is, collectively for this day now to occur."

Then later in the interview Daniels hammers into Stern for the last time.

Daniels: "There's been so much discussion about good faith and best efforts between Mr. Bennett and his group and the City of Seattle and you believe he was acting in good faith over those negotiations, but over the last week there have been several e mails, including an exchange between you and Mr. Bennett and e mails between Mr. Bennett and his have you had a chance to read through those?"

Stern: "My response, as I have been reminded, wasn't lengthy at all. So your predicate is ..."

Daniels: "Have you read through those e mails?"

Stern: "No."

Daniels: "Especially between Mr. Bennett and ..."

Stern: "Live or not, I don't like to be interrupted, and I'm not going to interrupt you. So why don't we just go to the next question."

That was really priceless. I've attended quite a few Stern press conference and he rarely gets upset likes this. He took a somber tone on Friday - perhaps aware of the pain he was causing so many NBA fans in Seattle - but he also displayed that dry sense of humor that often gets characterized as smugness.

When asked: "Would Key Arena, if that proposal ever finds the funding for it it's been talked about for several years, but would it be something that would be viable for an NBA arena in the future?

Stern replied: "I'm not going to talk about how many angels you can fit upon the head of a pin ..." when a simply "I'm not going to speculate on that" would have served the purpose.