Not just a pretty shooter: a fresh start with Seattle has given Ray Allen the chance to show off the depth to his game.(NBA)(Seattle SuperSonics)

The guard with the silver-screen credits and the golden shooting touch was sitting beside his new coach. Ray Allen had just been traded last February, and Sonics coach Nate McMillan wanted to come up with a new script for the All-Star guard.

Did Allen like the pick-and-roll? Would he prefer to shoot after curling around a screen? Would he work well on isolation plays? It was the kind of small talk to be expected on the NBA equivalent of a first date.

"I wanted to get a feel for what he likes to do," McMillan says.

Allen so much as shrugged and said it didn't matter.

"Whatever situation he wanted to put me in, I was ready to adapt to ...