Less than two and a half years after they were selected together by the Sonics, Collison and Ridnour have emerged as the pivotal figures in the team's defense of last season's Northwest Division Championship, both taking on larger roles. Ridnour, the team's starting point guard a year ago, no longer has steady veteran Antonio Daniels behind him at the position, meaning he'll be asked to play more minutes and finish every close game. Collison, who started slowly but came on quickly in his belated rookie season, will come off the bench to start this season, but he too is expected to serve as one of the Sonics closers.

Adding to Ridnour's responsibility this season is new Coach Bob Weiss' desire to push the Sonics tempo. That means fewer plays called from the sideline and more on-the-fly decision-making for Ridnour, whose role Weiss has compared to Magic Johnson's with the 1980s "Showtime" Lakers.

MORE ON COLLISON

Collison's and Ridnour's Parallel Tracks Intersect Sonics Q&A: Nick Collison Collison to Undergo Surgery Collison Gets Ready For Next Season Collison Working His Way Back to the Court Making the Adjustment NCAA Tournament Q&A

"He's going to be the starting point guard and he's going to have the ball in his hands a lot," says Collison. "I think Rick will do a good job backing him up, but I think they want him to play the majority of the game. Point guard for any team is real important, but especially the way we're going to play. He's going to be the quarterback and have the ball in his hands a lot, be making a lot of decisions."

To some extent, looking to run was a natural extension of the decision to draft Ridnour for the Sonics.

"When you drafted him, you knew that, if he hit, that was going to be the style you would need to play," says Weiss.

Ridnour hesitates to admit that he's earned more freedom and responsibility on the court, but he does believe he has proven his ability to his teammates and coaches.

"I don't know if earned is the word," he says. "I've worked hard, and I think I've proven I can do it. I think when you get that respect, you get to play. Now if you make a mistake, it's okay. You're not going to get yanked out if you miss a shot. Mentally, you can go play. So I'm excited about that."

"You show them you can play and they trust you can do it, and I think I've done that throughout all of my first year and last year."

The Sonics focus on scoring in transition is a perfect fit for Ridnour's abilities. At Oregon, he ran one of the most formidable fast breaks in recent memory, paired with high scorers Luke Jackson and Freddie Jones on the wings. In Allen and Lewis, as well as Radmanovic and big men who can finish like Collison, Ridnour has all the tools necessary to wreak havoc on opposing defenses.

"It's really hard for teams to get back and match up with shooters if he's pushing the ball so quickly, and I think that's a huge weapon for us is for him to be able to push the ball and guys to spot up," says Collison. "Transition defense is the hardest thing to do in the NBA or at any level, to get back and guard your man quickly. It's huge for our team to have a point guard who can push and find people like he can."

Ridnour's ability to score and find scorers is critical to Coach Bob Weiss emphasizing the transition game this season. Otto Greule Jr./Getty Images

For Collison, the ultimate proof of his ability came in the 2005 Playoffs. He keyed the Sonics Game 4 victory at Sacramento in the First Round by taking not one, not two but three charges in the fourth quarter.

"They came at the right time," said McMillan after the game. "It's the fourth quarter, you need stops, the game is close. I think that really frustrates the offense and it gives your team confidence and momentum. Those are momentum plays."

Collison followed it up with 15 points - on perfect 6-for-6 shooting - and nine rebounds in 25 minutes of the Sonics series-clinching Game 5 win. In the Western Conference Semifinals against San Antonio, Collison averaged 8.8 points and 4.5 rebounds, shooting 59.5% from the field while going head-to-head with two-time MVP Tim Duncan.

"I started feeling better about the All-Star break, but really confident about my play towards the end and the playoffs."

Collison hopes to carry over that performance to this year's regular season.

"In the playoffs, my minutes went up," says Collison. "I'm not exactly sure what they were, but I think they were over 20 a game [20.9, to be exact], some games close to 30. I'm confident I can play in those long stretches if given the opportunity. It will just be an adjustment to doing it over 82 games as opposed to the playoffs, where it's one game, day off, then a game. It's a little easier in that setting."

In Collison's mind, his postseason performance was the culmination of his season-long development, which was keyed by his budding confidence.

"Finally about the last part of the year, I really felt good out there," Collison says. "When I caught the ball, I knew what I was doing with it and didn't have to think about anything. It took almost the whole year. It was a natural progression for me. I started feeling better about the All-Star break, but really confident about my play towards the end and the playoffs."

While Weiss prefers to bring Collison off the bench alongside Danny Fortson, he has said he plans to give the young big man around 25 minutes a game between power forward and center, saving many of them for the end of the game. As the Sonics best all-around big man, Collison's role this season is a key one for the Sonics.

Collison's savvy post moves enabled him to shoot 53.7% from the field last season, the best mark amongst all rookies. Jeff Reinking/NBAE/Getty