Some teams have no 'Mo' interest

Published: Sunday, July 8 2007 12:26 a.m. MDT

Teams with supposed interest in Toronto Raptors free agent Morris Peterson seem to keep falling by the wayside.

First it was The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer that reported "it appears Peterson will not play with the Cavs next season," even though Cleveland previously was reported to have interest.

Now a Detroit newspaper suggests the Pistons — another team widely reported to have been a potential suitor — aren't interested in the veteran swingman, either.

According to Saturday's Detroit News, "Pistons president Joe Dumars has said he wasn't particularly enamored with the rest of the available small forwards on the market (including Morris Peterson and Ruben Patterson), so there is a good chance that for the first time in at least six years, the Pistons might not use their midlevel exception."

Peterson, seen as a potential successor to Derek Fisher as the Jazz's shooting guard, is scheduled to arrive in Salt Lake City today for a recruiting visit with franchise brass.

New Orleans also is said to be one of the front-runners for Peterson, who has played all seven of his NBA seasons in Toronto.

COACHING FRONT: According to the Akron Beacon Journal, former Jazz assistant coach and ex-Jazz guard Kenny Natt — an assistant in Cleveland the last three years — "is moving on."

Reported the Beacon Journal: "Natt, whose contract with the Cavs had expired, accepted an assistant coaching position with the Sacramento Kings under new head coach Reggie Theus."

Meanwhile, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that former Jazz forward Mike Brown — a k a "The Brown Bear," not to be confused with Cleveland head coach Mike Brown — has joined Seattle's summer-league coaching staff.

Brown, a former D-League head coach, played for five NBA teams over 11 seasons, including five in Utah from 1988-93.

After finishing play at the ongoing NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, the Sonics will play three games in the Jazz-hosted Rocky Mountain Revue summer league that gets under way Friday night at Salt Lake Community College.

Jazz training camp for the Revue, incidentally, gets under way this week.

TRADE TALK: According to Florida Today, the Orlando Magic "are trying to peddle the expiring contracts" of three players to Seattle, including the $4 million one belonging to former Jazz point guard Carlos Arroyo.

The Magic, the newspaper reported, "are willing to sweeten the deal by including one or more future first- and second-round draft picks."

Also rumored to be trade bait: Pat Garrity and Keyon Dooling.


E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com

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