Sonics Like Lack Of Movement By West Foes

When the phones finally had stopped ringing and the rumor mill once again was rendered silent, the Seattle SuperSonics liked what they saw.

The NBA trading deadline passed Thursday and Chris Mullin didn’t end up in Utah, and Derek Harper didn’t go to Houston, although the Los Angeles Lakers did get George McCloud, who has been something of a Sonics-killer the past two years.

But though McCloud is worrisome - he makes up for the loss of Robert Horry for the Lakers - the Sonics, who host the New York Knicks in KeyArena tonight at 7, figure it could have been worse.

“We’re well-positioned,” Sonics president and general manager Wally Walker said Thursday afternoon. “Now we have to execute. We’ve got all the pieces we need to have the best record in the West, and that’s still our goal.”

Walker had said all along he doubted the Sonics would make any last-minute moves, and the team didn’t, despite some inquiries.

“We got a couple of offers in the last couple of days, although nothing of a blockbuster nature,” Walker said. “But we felt like we liked our team and our players.”

McMillan update

Nate McMillan’s back spasms forced him to miss a second consecutive day of practice Thursday.