The downside with Gary Payton -- and the reason the feisty Seattle SuperSonics point guard was shopped around last offseason to teams that included the Timberwolves -- always had been his temper, his impatience and a burning desire to do most things, most of the time, his way only.

That Payton has been largely absent from the Sonics' scene this season, which explains his unavailability despite occasional trade rumors. At age 33, Payton has become the consummate leader and team player. For the past couple of months, anyway.

"There has been a change in Gary," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said Tuesday after a morning shootaround. "He puts so much on his shoulders, wanting to win and trying to do whatever it takes, that it wasn't working. Talking to him over the summer, he understood it was time to do something different."