Seattle’s Kemp Misses Practice Again

Shawn Kemp, on the verge of returning to the Seattle SuperSonics’ starting lineup, missed another required practice Friday.

Accompanied by his son and a friend, Kemp arrived at the SuperSonics’ training facility after the midday practice was over. He had no comment.

Kemp faces a fine under team rules, but Coach George Karl also would not comment. Kemp, a five-time All-Star, already had been pulled from the starting lineup because of previous failures to show up on time.

Once Kemp arrived Friday, Karl called all his players back for a team meeting.

After Thursday night’s 103-80 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, Karl said he hoped the struggling power forward could start today against Dallas.

“We need him playing at a high level, and it’s our job to get him back to that level before the playoffs,” Karl said after the game. “It’s not only his job, it’s our job.”

Kemp was late for a meeting Wednesday, missed a team flight Sunday and a practice Tuesday. He also was late to practices on Jan. 29 and Feb. 11. He has been fined for his actions and did not start the last three games.

Kemp’s unexplained behavior has disrupted the team, which has lost three of its last four games.

When Kemp is late “it tears my guts up,” Karl said Thursday night. “I worry about him. I worry about the team. It has a draining effect. That’s not the fun part of the job.”

Kemp has been below his scoring and rebounding average in 14 of the SuperSonics’ last 19 games and Seattle has gone 12-7. Seattle has eight games remaining in the regular season.

“When you play for seven years and you’ve proved yourself to be an All-Star, then you see guys who haven’t proved themselves sign for millions of dollars, you have a right to be upset,” Kemp said in October.

After making $4.8 million last season, including a $2.1-million signing bonus, Kemp is making $3 million in the second year of a seven-year extension he signed in 1993.

He is the sixth-highest paid member of the SuperSonics this season.

Center Jim McIlvaine, a backup center in Washington last season, signed a $33 million free-agent contract with the Sonics. Kemp’s All-Star teammate, Gary Payton, signed an $87.5-million deal during the off-season.

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Kentucky Coach Rick Pitino said he spoke with Larry Bird about the Boston Celtics’ coaching job, but told the former star player that he was happy with the Wildcats.

“I listened, thanked him very much, told him I was very happy at Kentucky, but if I had a change of heart I would let him know,” Pitino said in an interview with WHAS radio in Louisville, Ky.

Pitino said the conversation with Bird took place Wednesday, two days after Kentucky lost to Arizona in the NCAA championship game, depriving the Wildcats of a second consecutive national title.

Pitino said Thursday his talk with Bird was a follow-up to a discussion the two had during the college season.

“The first time I spoke to Larry Bird during the season, he called me and said that his owners have asked if I would ever have any interest in the job down the road,” Pitino said.

“And I said, ‘Larry, you’re one of my favorite professional basketball players. At the end of the season I would let you know. Right now I’m totally focused in on the season.’ ”

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The Sacramento Kings made a change in the middle by placing center Duane Causwell on the injured list because of a strained left calf and activating center Kevin Salvadori.

Causwell has missed seven of the last 10 games because of coach’s decisions and is averaging 2.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 46 games.

Salvadori was placed on the injured list March 5th with tendinitis in his left knee and missed 14 games.

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Funeral services will be held today in Mount Sterling, Ky. for former Boston Celtic Dan Swartz, who died Thursday of an apparent heart attack. He was 65. Swartz played on the Celtics’ championship teams in the 1960s.