SEATTLE – A year ago, during the darkest days of the 2003-04 NBA season, Seattle SuperSonics center Jerome James had trouble finding friends. Around him was a sea of angry expressions, a chorus of harsh voices.

And those were his teammates.

It got so bad, James recalled Saturday, that at one point All-Star guard Ray Allen went to team management and urged that James be traded. Then, upon learning that James had a contract clause allowing him to opt out of his deal, Allen took him aside and suggested he do just that.

Seattle fans were just as severe. Booed almost every time he took the court at KeyArena, he was compared to Jim McIlvaine in a discussion of the biggest big-man busts in franchise history.

Even away from the team, there was little relief. If James turned on the radio, some talk-show host or caller was blaming him for the worst Sonics season in nearly two decades. Similar criticisms appeared in newspapers. And since it’s hard to hide when you’re 7 feet, 1 inch and close to 300 pounds, he could hardly take refuge in some quiet public place.

“There were a lot of things that contributed to my (poor) play last year,” James said, “and none was greater than the fact that I didn’t feel wanted here in Seattle. I was being talked about real bad in the papers. There were boos. I was having conflict with some of my teammates. And we were losing.

“Ray was very hard on me last year and I can understand why. I would have done the same thing if I was in his position. Because I want to win. And last season, I wasn’t helping the team win.”

What a difference a year makes.

On a Sonics team that is one of the NBA’s surprises in 2004-05, perhaps no one has been a bigger surprise than James. He has started every one of Seattle’s 57 games – something only he and Luke Ridnour have done – and has been an important part of the team’s remarkable climb from also-ran to championship contender.

Though his scoring and rebounding averages are down slightly from last season, he is shooting the ball better from both the field and the free-throw line. He has cut his turnovers significantly. And although he has had lackluster games, he has been solid in others.

In perhaps his best game of the season on Friday, James played 25 minutes against Detroit and delivered 16 points (going 8-for-10 from the field), seven rebounds and three blocked shots. He played so well, Sonics coach Nate McMillan had him on the court in the late minutes – something that would have almost been unheard a year ago.

This season, McMillan said, James has been “slowing down when he gets the ball, which is something we’ve been trying to get him to do. He’s taking his time and using his size and strength to his advantage. He’s always had a nice touch, but he would rush because he’d be so excited to get the ball that he’d end up making poor decisions.”

The irony is that James was expected to play sparingly this season. Vitaly Potapenko started 39 of Seattle’s last 41 games a year ago and seemed likely to have the job again, but suffered a broken hand in the preseason and missed the first six weeks of the regular season. James got the starting spot by default, and by the time Potapenko returned the Sonics were 17-4. No way was McMillan going to mess with a winning formula.

James says his improvement this season has to do with “maturity, just growing up.” That certainly is a factor, but another could be his contract status. James will be a free agent at the end of the season and that sometimes brings out the best in NBA players.

In fact, a courtside scout had a succinct response after James made an impressive play late in Friday’s game: “Contract year.”

Asked what he thinks, McMillan shrugged. “I’m hoping it’s not so much the contract year,” he said. “I’m hoping it’s just him growing up, being mature and understanding the game more.”

The Sonics have paid James just over $15 million for the past three seasons and his improved play – not to mention the team’s astonishing turnabout – bodes well for his future in Seattle. Though the Sonics almost certainly will not keep both James and Potapenko, they will probably try to keep one. And James, who is taller, younger and the incumbent, will likely be the first choice.

“I really don’t think about the future all that much,” James said. “I just live for the moment and that’s all I’m doing right now. This is the first time in my career I’ve been on a team of this caliber and been this much involved, and it really, really feels good. I can’t stop smiling. I keep thinking about what we can accomplish this year. I’m even taking a video camera on the road because I understand the importance and the magnitude of what we’re accomplishing. And when I’m old and fat and sitting around, I can tell my kids, ‘Hey, back in the 2004-05 season, Daddy did it!’

“I let the future take care of itself,” he continued. “I’m enjoying the wins, the success we’re having and the fact my teammates are actually depending on me. And I’m enjoying the fact that the coach has found some security with me on the court. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”