Kevin Pelton, SUPERSONICS.COM
After being out of the NBA for all but four games in 2003-04, which he mostly spent in the NBDL,
Mateen Cleaves looked to return to the NBA with the Seattle SuperSonics.
Cleaves joined the Sonics for summer-league play, averaging 7.2 points and 3.7 assists in six games. That performance was enough to earn Cleaves an invitation to training camp in the fall, where Cleaves was one of three true point guards on the roster.
Cleaves saw action in four preseason games, averaging 5.5 points, 3.0 assists and 1.0 rebounds. He made eight of his 12 shot attempts and was also 6-for-8 from the free-throw line. Still, Cleaves was beaten out by impressive rookie 
Damien Wilkins for the last spot on the Sonics roster. On October 28, Cleaves was waived.
Eight days later, Cleaves was back. When 
Ronald "Flip" Murray aggravated his strained quad, the Sonics were left thin at the point and Cleaves was re-signed.
“I knew I was very close to making the team,” Cleaves said when he was re-signed. “That let me know that if something happened, I’d probably be one of the first guys they brought back.”
Cleaves saw his first action of the season that night as the Sonics beat the Atlanta Hawks in their Home Opener. Four nights later in Denver, he scored his first basket of the season. Cleaves saw action in nine games before being placed on the injured list on Dec. 14 with a strained left shoulder.
Cleaves was activated on Jan. 31 when Ibrahim Kutluay was waived. He saw action in three games before returning to the injured list with a sprained right thumb. Cleaves would spend most of the rest of the regular season on the injured list, but that doesn't mean he was not valuable. On a team known for its tight bond on and off the court, Cleaves played a leadership role in the locker room, drawing on his experience at the NCAA level, when he helped the Michigan State Spartans win the National Championship, and as a reserve on the Sacramento Kings for two seasons.
Cleaves was re-activated on April 8. With the Sonics battered by injuries, he played 12 minutes at Denver the following evening and handed out a season-high three assists. Cleaves was on the floor on April 15 as the Sonics clinched the Northwest Division Championship with a win over the New Orleans Hornets. He got his longest extended run of the season in the regular-season finale on April 20 in Houston, scoring a season-high eight points in 31 minutes of action.
2004-05 Highlights:
Waived on Oct. 28 and re-signed on Nov. 5.
Scored a season-high eight points on April 20 at Houston
Handed out a season-high three assists on April 9 at Denver
