Sonic Notebook -- Rookie Higgs Cut; Roster Now At 16

Rookie Nate Higgs, a free-agent guard-forward from Elizabeth City State (N.C.), has been waived by the Seattle SuperSonics.

Yesterday's move left the Sonics with 16 players on their roster, including two - centers Rich King (knee surgery) and Steve Scheffler (sprained ankle) - who are on the injured list.

Seattle has until Nov. 4, the day before the season opener against the Utah Jazz, to trim its roster to 12 active players.

Injured players are not counted against the active roster. The NBA allows teams to have no more than three players on the injured list at a time.

Sonic Coach George Karl said no further roster moves will be made until after the team completes its exhibition schedule with two games in Mexico City this weekend.

Seattle, which is 4-1 in exhibition games, is scheduled to play the Los Angeles Clippers tomorrow in the second game of a doubleheader at Mexico City's Sports Palace. Houston plays San Antonio in the first game.

If the Sonics beat the Clippers, they will face the Houston-San Antonio winner Saturday. If the Clippers win, Seattle will play the Houston-San Antonio loser.

NOTES

-- Guard Kendall Gill, who has a stiff back, didn't dress for yesterday's workout at the Sonics' practice facility. Seattle Coach George Karl said Gill should be physically able to play in Mexico City, but has to secure a passport to make the trip. Center Bill Cartwright practiced yesterday, but his groin pull may keep him from playing in the Mexico City games. Karl said Steve Scheffler's sprained ankle could keep him on the sideline for three weeks.

-- Given their choice, a couple of Sonics would rather skip the trip to Mexico and go straight to regular-season play. "I'd like to go there on vacation," Cartwright said. "But that's a long way to go to play a couple of games."

Forward Detlef Schrempf said, "I'm not excited about going."

But center Sam Perkins said it will be good to get out of town because the players will be away from the distractions of home and forced to focus on basketball. "Besides, it won't be as long a trip as the one I took this summer to South America," said Perkins, who took part in a shoe company-sponsored tour of Brazil, Chile and Argentina.