New-look Ridnour looks like the Sonics starting point guard. Jeff Reinking/NBAE/Getty

Despite the fact that Ridnour has not had an overwhelming preseason thus far, Sonics Coach Nate McMillan has rarely wavered from Ridnour as his starter at the point. Antonio Daniels has gotten two starts thus far during preseason, but one of those came when Ridnour was sitting out against the Portland Trail Blazers after being poked in the eye. While McMillan refuses to call the lineups he uses in practice starters or reserves, Ridnour is consistently working with Ray Allen and either Rashard Lewis or Vladimir Radmanovic since Lewis was sidelined by plantar fasciitis, the two certain spots in the starting five.

Barring a dramatic shift in tune from McMillan over the next week, Ridnour will likely start the 2004-05 season the same way he ended 2003-04 - as the Sonics starting point guard against the Los Angeles Clippers at the STAPLES Center.

For all the discussion of whether Ridnour or Daniels should be the starting point guard, one of the most important aspects of the debate has gotten precious little attention. Daniels and Ridnour will likely split time reasonably equitably, meaning the key for the starter will be blending with the other players in the starting lineup, notably backcourt-mate Allen.

In that regard, Ridnour has to get high marks so far during the preseason. When Ridnour and Allen have teamed in the backcourt, Ridnour has assisted on nine of Allen's 15 field goals. Last year, Ridnour was democratic in his distribution of the basketball when he drove the lane, but so far this season he seems to be keying on getting the ball to Allen - a good idea, considering that only five players scored more than Allen's 23.0 points per game last season.

Even last year, despite the fact that they were rarely on the court together (407 minutes, according to 82games.com), Ridnour and Allen demonstrated good chemistry as the starting backcourt. During the five times the two started, Allen averaged 21.8 points per game and shot 50.7% from the field and 43.3% from three-point range - both marks above his season percentages (44.0% and 39.2%).

It could be a coincidence, but so far, Allen has had an outstanding preseason, averaging 35.0 points per 48 minutes and shooting 50% from the field and 45.5% from downtown. If Allen can keep up that level of performance during the regular season, or at least approximate it, credit has to go to the players alongside him.

Allen has argued in favor of starting Ridnour, recently telling The News Tribune, "If (Daniels) came off the bench, he would keep it steady. If Luke was out there with me, he could learn as opposed to Luke coming off the bench and playing with (rookies) Ibo (Kutluay) and Nick (Collison). It takes a little pressure off him early."

Despite a tough night Saturday in San Antonio where he fouled out with four points on 2-for-6 shooting, three turnovers and just two assists, Ridnour has been solid during the preseason. As a starter or a reserve, Ridnour's first job will be distributing the basketball, and he's handed out a team-best 4.5 assists per game thus far. His assist rate of 9.4 per 48 minutes is a significant upgrade over last year's 7.0 mark, as is Ridnour's 2.57 preseason assist/turnover ratio.

Daniels provides a steady hand for the Sonics off the bench. Jeff Reinking/NBAE/Getty

At the same time, Ridnour will need to be more of a scoring threat than he has been during the preseason, averaging 5.0 points per game on 34.8% shooting. While Ridnour is more of a true point guard than last year's starter, Brent Barry, Barry created space for his teammates because opposing defenses were so respectful of his ability to shoot from downtown. McMillan is not looking at Ridnour as the same kind of three-point threat, but the youngster's ability to knock down the 18-footer and force defenses to collapse when he drives the lane because of his scoring touch near the basket are both important.

Daniels is looking to duplicate a career-best performance during his first season in Seattle. Playing a variety of different roles, Daniels led the league in assist/turnover ratio (4.88) and was also one of the league's most efficient scorers. In terms of true shooting percentage, which measures how many points a player averages per shot or trip to the free-throw line (it's calculated as PTS/(FGA+.88*FTA)), Daniels' 59.6% mark ranked him in the NBA's top ten. That mark will be difficult to duplicate, but Daniels continues to demonstrate in practice that he's one of the league's most underrated shooters.

There is still room for improvement for Daniels this season. While the Sonics were pleased with his ability to avoid turnovers, Daniels might have been too cautious at times last season, unwilling to take the risk of a turnover when it could have led to an easy shot. McMillan also wants Daniels to provide more defensively, and he is asking both point guards to pick up full-court defensively in an effort to force opponents to use more time getting into their offense.

Cleaves

Entering training camp, McMillan also gave Ronald "Flip" Murray a chance to win the starting point guard job, but the quad injury that has sidelined Murray throughout camp has almost certainly ended Murray's chances of starting. Murray's injury has also allowed training-camp invitee Mateen Cleaves to enter the mix at point guard. Cleaves has played well during limited preseason stints, averaging 4.0 points and 3.3 assists in three games, but is still considered a longshot to make the team because of the Sonics depth at guard.

Should the Sonics not keep a third true point guard, Murray would be available to slide over from his natural shooting guard position in case of an injury at the point. McMillan has also experimented with Allen running the point during scrimmages because the Sonics have only three healthy point guards. The Sonics want Allen looking to score, not set up teammates, but his ballhandling ability makes him an option there for short stretches if necessary.