That's not to say that McMillan wants Ridnour to turn the ball over. But there is a trade off to be made between turning the ball over and making good, aggressive plays, and as a rookie, Ridnour tended to favor conservative play much more than he did at the University of Oregon.

Player Team TO48 Raul Lopez UTA 5.16 T.J. Ford MIL 4.53 Dwyane Wade MIA 4.42 Steve Blake WAS 4.42 Marcus Banks BOS 4.34 Leandro Barbosa PHO 3.84 Kirk Hinrich CHI 3.62 Luke Ridnour SEA 3.45

Last season, Ridnour averaged 3.45 turnovers per 48 minutes. For an NBA player, that's a lot, but the important context is that rookie point guards generally turn the ball over like most of us breathe. Not only was Ridnour's turnover rate lower than those of his predecessors at the point in Seattle, Gary Payton (3.85) and McMillan himself (3.79) when they were rookies, it was the lowest amongst rookie point guards who saw regular minutes last season. (See chart at right)

"I know that the less you turn it over, the more you're going to play," Ridnour said. "So when I got the opportunity to play, (I tried) to make the most of it and not turn it over. It's something you've got to focus on, especially as a point guard."

Ridnour hits on a key point. As the fifth guard in the rotation last season, Ridnour was cognizant of the possibility that making a costly mistake could result in him sitting next to McMillan on the bench. It was when Ridnour knew he was going to play that Ridnour was generally at his best. In six starts, for example, Ridnour averaged 10.0 points and 5.0 assists per game, shooting 55.6% from the field. The Sonics were 4-2 in those games.

Whether Ridnour will be the starter for the Sonics this season will be determined during camp, as he battles sure-handed Antonio Daniels and Ronald "Flip" Murray, but either way, Ridnour's playing time will be more regular this season. He's more comfortable on the court leading the team, which should be reflected in his performance.

"That just comes with playing more," Ridnour said. "The more comfortable you get, the more you can do on the court and make things happen a little bit more. It does make you think about it twice, but once you start playing, instincts take over anyway and you don't really think about it. I'm just going to play, not worry about what people think, just play, have fun."

In other words, look for more of the razzle-dazzle at Oregon that led Sonics Director of Player Personnel Dave Pendergraft to label Ridnour the best passer he'd seen since Pete Maravich. That's what McMillan wants to see, though he said it was too early to evaluate whether Ridnour was following through.

"He's aware of that, but it's too early to see," McMillan said. "We talked about those things, so I'm sure he is trying to do it."

During the first Sonics scrimmage of the young season, Ridnour did a fine job of leading his team's offense in transition. He was also impressive on the defensive end of the court, containing Daniels and keeping the other top combatant for the starting point guard job in front of him.

"He's trying to do what I've asked him to do, which is get up on the ball, push the ball," McMillan said. "It's really early, but he's still busting his butt to do the things I want him to do."