Kevin Pelton, SUPERSONICS.COM | July 26, 2005
A year ago, a member of the Seattle SuperSonics going into their second NBA season with limited experience in the league finished third amongst players in the Rocky Mountain Revue in rebounding. Same thing this year. The performance of center
Robert Swift on the glass was the most encouraging sign for the Sonics in a 3-3 performance last week in Salt Lake City.
Last year, that player was forward 
Nick Collison, returning from surgeries on both shoulders that cost him his entire first season in the NBA. After averaging 12.2 points and 7.3 rebounds in summer-league play, his first game action since the surgery, Collison enjoyed a strong rookie season as a key reserve for the Sonics. They would be ecstatic if Swift could follow the same path.
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"Swift more than doubled those marks to 7.5 rebounds per game (good for third in the Revue) and 1.3 blocks (also third)."
Kent Horner/NBAE/Getty
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After playing only 72 minutes as a rookie, Swift demonstrated his development in summer-league play. A year ago, Swift averaged 3.5 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game. This year, playing only three more minutes per game, Swift more than doubled those marks to 7.5 rebounds per game (good for third in the Revue) and 1.3 blocks (also third), showing great potential at the defensive end of the court.
On offense, Swift displayed less polish. After starting strong with nine points (and 14 rebounds) against lottery pick 
Sean May of the Charlotte Bobcats, Swift finished the Revue averaging 5.2 points per game. Still, Swift demonstrated enough this summer to expect him to challenge for a spot in the Sonics rotation next season.
The Sonics other top prospect in summer-league play, first-round pick Johan Petro, showed his development is still in progress, as it should be at age 19. Playing with NBA refereeing for the first time, Petro was the victim of quick whistles throughout his time in Salt Lake City.
"He's got some habits that just don't work," assistant coach Jack Sikma, who ran the summer-league team, told the Seattle Times. "He's got to learn how to play defense. He uses his hands and grabs and that's an automatic call in this league. He's going to have to wean himself from that and just get a feel for the defense."
While the fouls limited Petro's court time, he demonstrated tremendous athleticism and potential on the defensive end of the floor, averaging 2.7 blocks and 4.1 steals per 48 minutes. Utah's Andrei Kirilenko - an All-Defense Second Team pick - was the only player to average more than Petro's 6.8 combined blocks and steals on a per-minute basis in 2004-05.
Point guard 
Mateen Cleaves, the most NBA experienced player on the Sonics roster, played as well as would be expected of a veteran. Cleaves started slowly, playing only 11 minutes in the Sonics second game, but scored double-figures in each of the last four games as the Sonics won three of the four. Cleaves averaged 11.2 points and 4.3 assists (third amongst all players) and shot 52.6% from the field and a league-best 57.1% from 3-point range.
Amongst the free agents the Sonics brought to Utah, the most impressive was former Oregon guard Alex Scales. A star in China and training-camp cut by the Houston Rockets and New Jersey Nets, amongst other things, since finishing his U of O career in 2000, Scales led the summer Sonics in scoring at 12.6 points per game while shooting an even 50% from the field. His 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game both ranked in the RMR top ten, and Scales impressed the Sonics with his ability to play the point.
"I thought he had a really solid week," Sikma told Hoopsworld.com.
Joining Cleaves, Scales and Swift in the usual Sonics starting five were forwards Andre Brown and Kaniel Dickens. Brown, a DePaul product, tied Cleaves as the most accurate shooter on the roster at 52.6%. At 4.3 rebounds per game, Daniels was second to Swift on the Sonics roster, and his nine 3-pointers led all RMR players.
Playing primarily as reserves, forwards Jermaine Blackburn and Noel Felix were both solid. Blackburn shot 50% from the field while averaging 19.4 points per 48 minutes, while Felix averaged 21.0 points and 10.3 rebounds per 48 minutes. Backup guards Larry O'Bannon and Ezra Williams both topped 20 points per 40 minutes, with O'Bannon shooting 7-for-16 from 3-point range.
Point guard Aaron Miles was something of a disappointment. Miles shot just 7-for-24 from the field, and while he handed out 2.2 assists per game, he also averaged 2.5 turnovers, too high a mark.
