Murray opened eyes with his performance against Minnesota. David Sherman/NBAE/Getty

In the middle of October, Sonics guard Ronald "Flip" Murray was largely anonymous around the NBA. During a rookie season split between Milwaukee and Seattle, he played just 62 minutes and scored but 27 points. Murray was fighting to solidify his spot in a crowded Sonics backcourt when Sonics All-Star Ray Allen was sidelined by arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle. In part because Antonio Daniels was suffering from back spasms, Murray was selected by Coach Nate McMillan to replace Allen in the starting lineup.

In his first NBA start, Murray dropped 24 on the L.A. Clippers in Japan. He followed it up with 22 two nights later, and things only snowballed from there. By the time Murray completed his fifth consecutive 20-point game with a buzzer-beater at Minnesota to give him a then-career-high 29 points and the Sonics an 89-87 win over the Timberwolves, Murray was officially the hottest player in the NBA.

Suddenly, people who couldn't have picked Murray out of a lineup two weeks before were declaring him an up-and-coming star. He was profiled in ESPN The Magazine, USA Today and the New York Times. He was one of the NBA's leading scorers, and Allen was telling the media how he would have to fit in with his teammates upon his return.

Then, as suddenly as Murray had become a household name, he was returned to the bench. McMillan, frustrated with Murray's defensive intensity and shot selection, benched him before the month of November was even over. About the only one unsurprised by the move was Murray himself.

"I knew already that I was going to be coming off the bench anyway before the injury occurred," Murray explained in the Sonics locker room earlier this week, preparing to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. "Once the injury went down, I had a chance to play until he (Allen) came back. I knew once he came back, I was going to go right back to the situation where I was coming off the bench anyway."

Murray is adamant that it doesn't matter to him whether he's a starter or reserve.

"It doesn't matter to me as long as I'm out there playing," Murray said. "Once I go out there and I get a chance to play out there on the court, I just know I've got to go out there and go to work."

Then again, despite Murray's youth (he turned 24 last summer), not much seems to faze him.

Trade rumors? "I try not to worry about stuff like that."

Confidence issues? "No. For what?"

Still, there can be no denying that Murray's performance declined when he went to the bench. He still had big moments in December - 27 points at New Jersey; 23 in a win over Milwaukee at KeyArena; and 24 and 10 assists as a starter at Denver in another win - but they were offset by a pair of scoreless games (at Toronto and Phoenix) and six games scoring in single-digits - five more than in November.

Murray made Milwaukee pay for trading him with 43 points in two matchups this season. Gary Dineen/NBAE/Getty

Allen's return at the end of December cut further into Murray's minutes and made things even more difficult for him. During the month of January, Murray averaged just 8.5 points per game and shot 36.9% from the field.

Things began to turn around when Murray played in last month's got milk? Rookie Challenge at the All-Star Game in Los Angeles. Murray scored 19 points in the penultimate game of the first half, then followed it up with an outstanding 25-point, 10-assist effort in the Sophomores' 142-118 victory over the Rookies, who featured much-hyped talents LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.

"It was cool to go out there with them," Murray said. They might be the talk of the young guys so far this year, they came in and (despite) them being so young, playing, they've made a big impact on the league right now, they're making the game more exciting. It was definitely a chance for me to go out there and show that I belong up top with them, that I can go out there and play on the same court."

Murray returned from the break with a flourish, putting up 14 points and then 17 for his highest combined point total in consecutive games since Allen's return.

Murray's best opportunity in that period came during the Sonics road trip last week. When Daniels joined Brent Barry, already on the injured list, amongst the walking wounded, Murray got the opportunity to play 30 minutes three straight games. He responded with 19 points at Dallas, 24 at San Antonio and 28 in STAPLES Center against the Los Angeles Lakers. Murray's ability to create his own offense off the dribble down the stretch allowed the Sonics to make fourth-quarter comebacks in all three games, though they ultimately fell short.

Most of Murray's minutes in that stretch were played at the point. While Murray was billed as a combo guard when the Sonics acquired him from Milwaukee and he played with the ball during summer-league action this past summer (when he averaged a team-best 22.9 ppg), they were Murray's first extended minutes as a point guard this season. He would like to see more. When asked if he has a preferred position, Murray did not hesitate at all before answering "Point."

"Point-guard mindset, get people involved," Murray added about his attitude when playing the point. "Running the team, running the floor out there, getting everybody in position when we're running plays. It's two different types of positions, playing the point and shooting guard, two different mindsets. … Point guard, you've got to get everybody involved. Shooting guard, it's more you're looking for your shot."

Despite the crowd that now exists in the Sonics backcourt with Barry and Daniels healthy, Murray will probably see some action at the point down the stretch as McMillan tries his young players out in new roles.

"That may be something I look at during the last part of the season; having Flip (Murray) in there for a few games to see what he can do," McMillan told the media during the road trip. "I may need to find out if he can do it.

"I think he feels more comfortable at the point than at the two, but clearly his versatility, that's a good thing."

Whatever position it's at, Murray has made his point - he can be a starter in this league. Now what will it take for him to return to the All-Star level he played at the first month of the season?

"Minutes," he said. "That's it."