Cotton Impressive In Sonics Camp

Of the four rookies fighting for roster spots with the Seattle SuperSonics, James Cotton has been the most impressive.

The 6-foot-5 Cotton, who was acquired from Denver in a draft-day deal for Bobby Jackson, came to the Sonics primarily as an active scorer. He hasn’t disappointed.

“We have a lot of older guys here, so I’ve just been following Eric Snow’s lead,” said Cotton, who averaged 23.5 points last season as a junior at Long Beach State. “In college I was used to being the man, now I have to come in and find my place.”

Cotton also indicated that his highly recruited brother, Schea, will attend a prep school this fall. Schea signed with UCLA last spring but was ruled academically ineligible last month by the NCAA.

After a busy off-season of roster-tweaking, Sonics coach George Karl will emphasize increased pressure defense, running and rebounding in his sixth training camp.

The Sonics were one of the league’s better defensive teams, allowing 93.2 points last year.