The Seattle SuperSonics have decided not to invite Joseph Forte to their training camp, despite his $1.1 million guaranteed salary that they are required to pay.

The Sonics have not yet officially waived Forte, but only because they are waiting to see if they can either trade him, or if he is needed in a multi-player trade to meet salary-cap requirements. Seattle still is trying to deal one of its post players, and would like to package Forte in any deal.

Barring those scenarios, Forte will be waived when players with less than three years of service report to the team's training camp in a month.

Although he has only two years of NBA experience, Forte was not invited to participate on the team's summer league team, which competed in Los Angeles and on which youngsters Vladimir Radmanovic, Ronald Murray, Ansu Sesay and rookie Nick Collison played.

Forte also has been excluded from the team's travel plans to Tokyo, where it opens the season against the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 31. The team has been making plans for several months.

Despite being a native of the tiny territory, Tim Duncan does not play for the U.S. Virgin Islands. On Saturday, he didn't play for the United States, either.

With a conflicted Duncan sitting it out, Team USA used a small lineup for a big 113-55 rout of the Virgin Islands that kept it undefeated in the FIBA Tournament of the Americas.

Duncan's absence allowed Team USA coach Larry Brown to experiment a bit and he found a small but lethal combination in the second quarter. With a lineup featuring Kenyon Martin at center, Tracy McGrady at power forward and Mike Bibby running the show, the Americans ran off 20 straight points to turn the game into the rout everyone expected.

The quickness was especially evident on defense as the Virgin Islands could barely get into its offensive sets. Team USA repeatedly intercepted high cross-court passes, turning them into breakaway dunks and layups that wowed the Roberto Clemente Coliseum crowd.

The track meet finally ended on Martin's backcourt steal and layup that made it 46-21 with 5:35 to play in the first half. Martin and Bibby had seven points each and shooting guard Ray Allen added two flying slams.

At the 2:57 mark, Brown inserted Nick Collison, an NBA rookie selected as a collegian who has become the team's human victory cigar. He immediately dunked, signifying the end of the game and the beginning of the show.

Sonics guard Joseph Forte avoided a harsh sentence during his misdemeanor assault case yesterday afternoon by entering into a court-mandated dispute settlement with the alleged victim.

Accompanied by his attorney Samanta Cabe, Forte, 22, appeared in Orange County District Court in Hillborough, N.C., to answer charges that he punched a man in the face on May 1 during a pickup basketball game on the University of North Carolina campus in Chapel Hill.

Details of the settlement are unknown, but Forte must remain in compliance with the agreement or else he could once again face the assault charge, which has a maximum five-month sentence.

On Oct. 20, a court representative will inform Judge Patricia Devine, who presided over the case, if Forte has remained in compliance with the agreement and the case could be dismissed at that time.

However, Forte's legal troubles will continue. On Oct. 23, he's scheduled to appear in Harford County District Court in Belair, Md., to answer to misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia and possession of a handgun.

Each drug charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail and Forte could serve a three-year sentence on the handgun charge.

Nick Collison swears he never dissed the Knicks, made fun of New York or alleged that Willis Reed was faking that Game 7 injury. No matter; he still became the target of Garden boo birds yesterday - sort of a walking tribute to Charles Smith.

"They just wanted to see me do something good," said Collison, the SuperSonics rookie. "I struggled early, got caught by surprise on a pass low and I screwed that up and turned one over and they gave me that Bronx cheer. They got me good."

Collison eventually won over the crowd with a nice hustle play, saving a rebound and possession by bouncing it off an opponent. "It was not the type of cheer you wanted," he conceded, smiling. "That was more the, 'Hey, he finally did something' cheer.' "

So did Collison say something to offend New York around draft time? "I don't think so. The Knicks didn't draft me at nine - but that's not my fault."

Trade rumors are swirling involving the Sonics and one of their four centers: Jerome James, Calvin Booth, Vitaly Potapenko and restricted free agent Predrag Drobnjak. Memphis and Portland are seeking centers, and each team has reportedly shown interest in the Sonics' big men.

While Joseph Forte awaits a decision from the Sonics on his future with the team, the mercurial point guard must first confront legal battles that pose an even greater threat to his NBA career.

Forte, 22, is scheduled to appear Monday in Orange County District Court in Hillsborough, N.C. He is charged with misdemeanor assault, stemming from an incident May 1 when he allegedly punched a man in the face during a pickup game on the University of North Carolina campus.

If convicted, Forte could serve five months in jail, although probation is a common sentence for first-time offenders.

He then will face misdemeanor charges in Maryland: possession of marijuana and paraphernalia, and possession of a handgun. His court date is Oct. 23 at the Harford County District Court in Belair, Md.

Each drug charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail; the handgun charge can mean a three-year jail term.

The Sonics have not yet decided whether to bring Forte back for another season or release him and swallow his $1.1 million contract. If Forte remains with the Sonics, his Maryland court date would not conflict with the team's exhibition schedule. The Sonics' final exhibition game is Oct. 22.

The Seattle Center and the Sonics have begun the process of selecting a design firm to come up with a plan for long-range improvements and remodeling of KeyArena.

Today is the deadline for design firms to apply to be part of the project to create a "Concept Plan and Program for Enhancements to KeyArena," according to the letter inviting applicants for the project.

The design firm will be paid out of a pool of $4.6 million set aside for improvements and enhancements to the building.

"It's really to explore what are the next generation of opportunities for the building," said Terry McLaughlin, the Sonics' executive vice president of administration. "We're halfway through the term of the lease with KeyArena, it's time to begin to explore what needs there may be in the building when the lease expires in 2010."

KeyArena is eight years old, and the Sonics are now midway through their 15-year lease in the building. The $4.6 million was designated at the start of the lease with the intention of using it for facility improvements during the upcoming season.

"In 2003-04 you hit that mid-mark, and the building may need some upgrades," said Kym Allen, the Seattle Center's director of communications and public affairs. "So the sub-fund was established so you could make those upgrades."

The building has had some changes, such as the new scoreboard and a digital readerboard encircling the arena. A new sound system that included microphones in the nets was also added before last season, and there will continue to be improvements this year.

But the design team will be looking at more than just the best way to spend the current allotment of $4.6 million for renovations, said McLaughlin. It's taking some of that money and coming up with a more far-reaching plan that could include expansion of the building's facade, restaurants, seating clubs or other improvements.

A design firm will be selected in September with the goal of having a plan in place by January 2004.

USA team member Ray Allen admitted he "started despising" coach George Karl in Milwaukee before Allen was traded to Seattle from the Bucks.

"George, when he first came to Milwaukee, he was every bit a players' coach. He listened, he responded to things we needed, things we wanted and everyone wanted to play hard for him," Allen said of Karl, who was fired last month.

"If we were tired, he made us work harder. If we needed a day off, he made us practice. It always seemed like when something went wrong he'd bash us in the papers . . . I started despising him . . . I got tired of that after a while, and my hatred started growing."

Desmond Mason answered the phone, his voice fighting through cell-phone static and baggage-claim clatter.

He had just landed in Miami, where he would play in Alonzo Mourning's charity game. Just one stop on a jet-set schedule for one of the NBA's highest fliers, known as much for his springs as his smile.

It may be the off-season, but Mason is still going coast to coast. Just part of a bigger transition game the past few months in which he has gone from a piece of the Sonics' future to a part of the Milwaukee Bucks' foundation.

This summer he has been between seasons, and between cities. He's living in Maple Valley, yet likely will begin discussing a contract extension with Milwaukee this month.

That makes this a swan song of a summer in Seattle, perhaps his final months in the city where he started his NBA career.

"It has been a little bit tough," Mason said. "We're probably going to put the house on the market. We're closing a chapter on our life, which is tough because we had a great time here and we loved our home."

But his future is in Milwaukee. There's the possibility of a contract extension, the probability of a starting role.

The agent representing restricted free agent Predrag Drobnjak said he has talked with the Denver Nuggets this week about multiple scenarios that would ship the Sonics' center out of Seattle.

In an interview with the Rocky Mountain News, David Bauman indicated that Portland might also have interest in Drobnjak, and suggested a return to Seattle is unlikely.

"The Nuggets have identified (Drobnjak) as one of their top guys," Bauman said. "I know they're trying to get their shooting guard done. But there is Portland, with (Arvydas) Sabonis having retired, and some other teams that could gobble (Drobnjak) up."

Telephone messages to Bauman yesterday were not immediately returned, and Sonics general manager Rick Sund was unavailable.

The Nuggets are considering if Drobnjak fits their needs and how much they might offer the two-year veteran, who earned $526,413 last season. Any team would have to offer at least a three-year deal, and Bauman is looking for an annual salary in the $3 million to $4 million range.

The Sonics could match any offer Drobnjak receives and retain his rights, but the team has expressed an unwillingness to do so despite his consistent production.