Fesenko went home sick from practice Thursday and did not make the trip for the Jazz's game tonight against the Sonics. The Jazz will wait to finalize things as far as his D-League assignment when they return home Saturday.

The Jazz can assign Fesenko to the D-League up to three times this season. There are no plans for now to send fellow rookie Morris Almond to the Flash, although Almond is expected to spend some time in Orem this season.

Flash coach Brad Jones said he would welcome having Fesenko for the start of camp. With Fesenko under contract to the Jazz and so many NBA hopefuls trying to make the Flash, Jones said he thought training camp would be all the more competitive.

The Flash have forged close ties to the Jazz since their founding and have had representatives at training camp, practices and games. The Jazz, meanwhile, have made a three-year investment in Fesenko, with the focus for Year 1 being his adjustment to America.

"This is what we're here for," Jones said, adding, "I think there's no doubt with his body and his skill set he can be a solid NBA player."

Fesenko, a 7-foot-1 center, was a second-round draft pick out of Ukraine and won't turn 21 for another month. Jazz coach Jerry Sloan believes Fesenko will benefit from going through a second round of training camp with the Flash.

The Jazz's plan is to have Fesenko stay in Orem as long as the Flash are conducting two-a-day practices and then have him commute from Salt Lake City once he gets a driver's license.

They are still working out particulars with the NBA as far as things like working out before Jazz games with assistant coaches. The Jazz also will wait and see how things go with the Flash before deciding how regularly they will recall Fesenko to the NBA.

TAKING FLIGHT

The Jazz could not be in Seattle at a more unsettled time in the Sonics' future, with owner Clay Bennett having filed relocation papers to move the team to Oklahoma City and NBA commissioner David Stern delivering an ultimatum to civic leaders.

Stern said Thursday that "if the team moves, there's not going to be another team there, not in any conceivable future plan that I could envision and that would be too bad." Bennett wants a new arena, though the Sonics' lease runs through the 2009-10 season.

Sloan said he could sympathize with Sonics fans. "They've always supported their team really well here and you'd hate to see them lose [the team]," Sloan said. "It's been a good NBA city over the years that I've been here."

ETC.

The Jazz are leaning toward starting Andrei Kirilenko on rookie Kevin Durant, believing Kirilenko's length is a good counter to Durant. . . . .Sloan was leaning toward returning Almond to the inactive list and activating guard C.J. Miles.