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SEATTLE -- The protective boots are gone from his feet, but
Ray Allen's textbook jump shot is still on hold. In its place, he
sits in a chair and flicks balls toward the basket.  Allen The Seattle SuperSonics guard said Thursday he remains on
schedule as he rehabs from surgery in April on both of his ankles.
The seven-time All-Star is working in a pool and riding a
stationary bike, but has not started putting impact on his ankles. That means no running. And, no shooting. "I'm not able to do anything. I've slowed down a lot ...
especially in the summertime when you want to do so much," Allen
said. "But my body is feeling great." Allen called it a season in late March, unable to tolerate the
pain in his left ankle as a result of inflammation from bone spurs.
Statistically, it was Allen's finest season scoring, averaging 26.4
points per game, including a career-best 54-point performance
against Utah in January. But the ankle and an early season foot
injury limited Allen to just 55 games. It was just one of a number of debilitating injuries for the
Sonics, who finished 31-51. Allen underwent surgery on April 7, and chose to have both of
his ankles operated on. Dr. Richard Ferkel, who operated on Allen's
ankle in 2003, successfully removed bone spurs from both ankles. If
the surgery had taken place during the season, Allen admits he
would probably already be back on the floor, pushing the limits of
the recovery time. With it being the offseason, about the only drawback is to
Allen's golf game, which he described as "terrible." "I have so much time not to do anything, that bodes well,"
Allen said. "If the season was on, I would probably be playing
already, but I haven't even ran." Meanwhile, Seattle center Robert Swift said he is nearing the
end of his rehabilitation from major knee surgery. Swift tore the
ACL in his right knee last October during Seattle's next-to-last
preseason game. Allen had yet to meet with the Sonics' new general manager
announced Thursday: Sam Presti, who at 30 years old is younger than
his starting shooting guard. Allen said he was pleased to see the
franchise filling one of its major voids. Seattle still has not
found a replacement for fired coach Bob Hill. "It's time to get moving forward," Allen said. "That's the
foundation of your organization -- you can't move forward without a
GM or a coach."
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