Stewart Sets Blurry Sights On Making Sonics’ Roster Competition Getting Physical Among Seattle’s Free Agents

The patch over Larry Stewart’s eye is indicative of the competitive nature of the Seattle SuperSonics’ training camp.

Stewart was inadvertently scratched in the eye Thursday afternoon, during the Sonics’ fourth practice of camp. Although it didn’t stop him from driving back to his downtown hotel, it could temporarily affect the perimeter jumper he honed last season playing for Baloncesto Zarogoza against the zone defenses of the Spanish League.

Stewart is one of a handful of free agents vying for a possible roster spot as a reserve forward/center. The other candidates are Pig Miller, Derrick Alston, Jerrod Mustaf and rookie Kerwin Thompson.

The spot might also go to a player released from another NBA camp or a player from the Continental Basketball Association.

Stewart, a 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward, is acclimated to the Sonics, following a busy summer playing with the team’s entries in the Long Beach, Calif., and Salt Lake City summer leagues and taking part in a Sonics’ mini-camp in Las Vegas.

“I felt confident, in discussions with the coaching staff, that I had a shot to play here,” he said.

Sonics swingman David Wingate, who played with Stewart in 1991-92 as a member of the Washington Bullets, is impressed, so far.

“It seems like he still has everything going on,” Wingate said. “He’s been doing pretty good.”

Stewart, a former Coppin State star, was a Bullets reserve for four seasons before his move to Spain. His agent, Glen Schwartzman, hooked him up with the Sonics through Billy McKinney, Sonics vice president of basketball operations.

Stewart was a solid rebounder his first two seasons with the Bullets, averaging 5.2 per game, along with 10.1 points, but a broken foot and an assault at his home - in which he was shot and stabbed - limited him to three games in 1993-94.

“I’ve been through a lot,” he said. “You just have to learn from these things. It’s a crazy world. You just have to move on.”

Miller had to move on after the Los Angeles Lakers renounced him to create room under their salary cap for Shaquille O’Neal.

Although the roster of the defending Western Conference champions is a tough one to crack, Miller welcomes the opportunity.

“I like pressure,” he said. “And I like the Sonics.”

The Sonics are always Miller’s team when he plays NBA video basketball.

“I like playing (Shawn) Kemp, (Gary) Payton and (Detlef) Schrempf,” Miller said. “And (Nate) McMillan. In the video game, he doesn’t miss.”

Miller also has a friend on the team, former Michigan State teammate Eric Snow, and a growing comfort level with the rest of the squad.

“The guys are really friendly and they’ll get on you if you don’t take a shot,” he said. “In L.A. some guys were together and the rest went their own way. Here, the team is together. It’s like a big family. Even the coaches are tight with the players.”

Miller is aware of the Sonics’ need for a rebounder, but he also hopes to show he can run the floor, knock down 15-foot jumpers and shots from the low post, and play defense.

Although Miller’s given name is “Anthony,” he prefers to be known as “Pig,” the nickname his cousin gave him when he was 3.

“I was chubby,” Miller said, smiling. “I was chubby all the way until 10th grade when I got taller and the chubbiness went away.”

Chubbiness is the last thing Alston has to worry about. The 6-11, 225-pound forward has difficulty putting on weight. But he sees the absence of bulk as an advantage in quickness and agility.

A third-year forward from Duquesne, Alston planned to re-sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, but in August they changed their plans and renounced him. After considering Charlotte, Dallas and Milwaukee, he opted for the Sonics’ camp.

“It’s a hard situation,” he said. “You gotta come in and work hard to earn a spot. But I thought they would need a player of my size.”

Indeed, the Sonics lost size after renouncing two big men - Ervin Johnson and Frank Brickowski - and gaining only one, 7-1 center Jim McIlvaine.

Sonics notes

The fines for Shawn Kemp’s continuing holdout from training camp escalated on Thursday, to $2,500 per practice. Under terms of the collective bargaining agreement, Kemp was fined $1,000 for missing each of the first two days of camp. From now on, he’ll be fined $2,500 per session, which would be $5,000 if he misses both of Friday’s practices.