Clearly, this is not the future Cleaves envisioned when he completed his college career as the Big Ten's all-time assists leader, a two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, a three-time AP All-American (First Team as a junior, Second Team as a sophomore and senior) and the Most Outstanding Player of the 2000 Final Four as his Michigan State Spartans won the national championship in his final collegiate game.

Cleaves is known for his ability to run a team. Sam Forencich/NBAE/Getty

If there is any trace of bitterness or even disappointment in his fate, however, Cleaves shows no sign of it on the court or when speaking to the media.

"I'm kind of excited about how it's been going," Cleaves said of his camp after a recent practice. "I've just been working hard. I think I've been shooting the ball pretty good, which is not surprising - I've been working a lot on it. The coaches have made me feel comfortable being here, playing the way I play, playing my game. The guys have been cool, welcomed me in."

It looked like Cleaves was destined to make a greater NBA impact when the hometown Detroit Pistons (Cleaves is a native of Flint, Mich., along with former Spartans teammates Charlie Bell, who played briefly in the NBA, and Morris Peterson, now with the Toronto Raptors) took him just outside the lottery in the 2000 Draft. As a rookie with the Pistons, Cleaves averaged over 16 minutes per game, but new Detroit management wasn't impressed. The following summer, Cleaves was dealt to the Sacramento Kings for Jon Barry and a first-round pick.

Going to Sacramento gave Cleaves a chance to join a winning team, but also meant his opportunities on the court were limited. In Mike Bibby and Bobby Jackson, the Kings already boasted perhaps the NBA's best point guard tandem, nailing Cleaves to the bench. He played just 153 minutes in his second season, and the change was tough to take at times.

"When you're a competitor, you want to be out there," Cleaves said. "You'd be a fool not to want to be out there. I understood, because the guys in front of me were playing good. Being a professional, you've got to know that. I understand every situation. You've got to look at it two different ways: The competitor in me wanted to be out there, but the professional knew the situation, so I could deal with it."

It didn't help that Cleaves continued experiencing serious injury problems with his feet. Cleaves missed time during the season when he developed plantar fasciitis in his right foot. (Cleaves' experience with the injury has made him a valuable interview subject recently with Sonics forward Rashard Lewis dealing with plantar fasciitis.)

Just before the start of 2002 training camp, Cleaves had surgery on his left foot to prevent a stress fracture from developing and was sidelined for more than two months. The surgery cost Cleaves several opportunities. It forced the Kings to rescind a deal they had made sending Cleaves to Cleveland, where he might have had the chance to start at point guard, and then kept him from seeing action when Bibby suffered a stress fracture in his foot early in the season. To fill those minutes, the Kings signed Damon Jones as a free agent, demoting Cleaves to fourth string.

Cleaves suffered through the tough times in Sacramento with a smile, and the lingering image of his two years with the Kings is Cleaves on the sidelines, cheering on his teammates.

"If you see me cheering, I'm not doing that to be rah-rah, that's in me," Cleaves said. "I've always been like that. There's nothing fake about it. I've been like that since elementary school. I get a kick out of supporting my teammates."

It's that kind of attitude that has always made Cleaves a favorite of fans and coaches. Cleaves' coach at Michigan State, Tom Izzo, even went so far as to give his adopted son the middle name Mateen, so tight was the bond between player and coach.

Cleaves spent four games with the Cavaliers last season. David Liam Kyle/NBAE/Getty

In the bottom-line NBA, Cleaves' attitude wasn't enough to earn him a job after his rookie contract ended last summer. He spent training camp with the Boston Celtics and headed to the NBDL after being waived. Cleaves averaged 13.7 points and 5.9 assists for the Huntsville Flight, enough to earn him a 10-day call-up from the Cavaliers, who gave him two starts with starting point guard Jeff McInnis sidelined. Cleaves had 19 assists and just five turnovers in the four games, but he was back in the D-League after McInnis returned.

Now, it's on to Seattle, where coaches and observers continue to say the same thing about Cleaves: great leader and passer, good defender, but can he shoot?

Cleaves' summer-league performance with the Sonics in the Rocky Mountain Revue was a step in the right direction. Starting at point guard after Luke Ridnour was sidelined by injury, Cleaves led the team with 22 assists and shot a respectable 45.0% from the field. In two preseason games, Cleaves has hit only two of six shot attempts, but he's handed out seven assists without turning the ball over. True to his reputation as a leader on the court, the Sonics have outscored opponents by seven points with Cleaves in the game - despite losing the two games in which he's seen action by a combined 35 points.

"I'm going to show what I can do and what I've been doing for years, and that's running a team," Cleaves said. "That's what I want to do. If I've got a shot, I'll take it. That's the main thing Coach Nate (McMillan) told me - run the team, but if you've got a shot, shoot it."

Still, it clearly helped Cleaves' chances of making the roster when he shined Wednesday in the Sonics open scrimmage, scoring 17 points and forcing coaches to shift Antonio Daniels, in the running to start at the point, to shooting guard.

"In the scrimmage last night, I thought Cleaves showed steady play," McMillan said Thursday. "I want to try to get him some minutes."

For a training-camp invitee, not only are there no fancy cars or houses, there are also no guarantees. While the fact that Ronald "Flip" Murray, currently the Sonics third point guard, has been sidelined throughout camp by a strained left quad helps Cleaves, he could be gone in a week and a half. The Sonics may not choose to keep any of the three invitees left in camp, while Lewis' situation helps the chances of swingmen Damien Wilkins and Galen Young.

A player can have a successful camp even if he gets cut. Last year, it pained McMillan to have to tell invitee Jason Hart he was being cut. Eight days later, Hart was picked up by the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, and he served as the team's backup point guard during the playoffs. Now, Hart is the favorite to be the first starting point guard of the Charlotte Bobcats. (Two other Sonics cuts a year ago, Matt Barnes and Mikki Moore, ended up seeing extensive action with the L.A. Clippers and Utah, respectively.)

If Cleaves doesn't end up making the Sonics, it won't be because of a lack of effort on his part.

"I think I've been playing well, but I'm always trying to get better, always trying to find my niche," Cleaves said. "I just come in to play hard every day. Hopefully that's good enough to make the team."