Sprewell, Carlesimo Meet Face to Face at Hearing

For the first time since the attack that rocked the NBA, Latrell Sprewell and Coach P.J. Carlesimo met face to face Wednesday during a hearing over whether Sprewell’s punishment was unduly severe.

“It was kind of odd, because they were both there,” said Felton Spencer, one of three Warrior players who testified Wednesday in Portland, Ore.

Spencer said he was in the hearing room for two hours and testified for about an hour.

“It was rather intense,” he said, but he couldn’t talk about the content of his testimony.

Forward Joe Smith and guard Bimbo Coles also gave testimony Wednesday. In all, four Warriors have testified. Muggsy Bogues was called as a witness Tuesday.

Assistant coaches Paul Westhead and Rod Higgins also testified Wednesday. Carlesimo listened throughout the lengthy session, counting a lunch break, but flew out of Portland Wednesday night without taking his turn as a witness.

With the Warriors playing at Seattle tonight and at home against Chicago on Friday night, Carlesimo’s testimony, presumably a necessary part of the proceedings, might not come until the sessions shift to New York next week.

Wednesday’s session lasted 11 1/2 hours.

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Center Hakeem Olajuwon, sidelined since knee surgery Nov. 24, might return to the Houston Rockets’ lineup next week.

“We’re going to start this week, probably [today], playing some full-court with his teammates in practice,” Rocket team physician Walter Lowe said. “We’re going to run some game situations and work him out.”

Rocket Coach Rudy Tomjanovich, however, was cautiously optimistic, saying, “We’ll do the right thing. If he’s ready, he’ll play. If not, we’ll push it back a little.”

Without Olajuwon, Houston has lost 16 of 30 games, with the struggle becoming more pronounced this month with the Rockets dropping 14 of its last 20 to fall below .500.