Close your eyes, and you could be at any playground in the country. Except this isn?t the blacktop ? it?s the regulation NBA court at the Sonics training facility, The Furtado Center. And these aren?t neighborhood kids getting a run ? these are professional athletes, many of them with several years of NBA experience. This is definitely not your average pickup game.

Despite the fact that veterans still have ten days until they have to report on Sep. 29, virtually the entire Sonics roster is working out at The Furtado Center. Ten of the 13 players the Sonics have under contract for next season are on hand. Also present are forward Reggie Evans, a restricted free agent who is still working on a new contract with the Sonics, and many of the players expected to be invited to camp next week.

With so many players on hand, the games are intense. Witness Brent Barry, diving out of bounds to save a loose ball for his team, or the disagreement that arises when the teams ? on this day, the players are divided into three teams, playing to seven, loser out ? cannot agree on whether Barry has committed a backcourt violation or not.

Ray Allen clearly believes in the importance of these workouts. ?That?s probably one of the biggest keys to being successful early,? he said last week. ?To have everybody here, ready, and working on the same page already, I think we?d already be far ahead of 75% of the rest of the NBA teams already.? With his dedication, Allen has led his Sonics teammates by example.

Coach Nate McMillan agrees. ?It?s something I?ve been trying to do with this team, and we are seeing the direct result of the coaching staff really talking to our players about the importance of the off-season,? he says, concluding, ?I think it will pay off.?