The first defensive assignment hasn't even been blown yet, the first jump shot hasn't gone awry and already Kevin O'Neill is well-versed in one major aspect of Toronto Raptor history.

Alvin Williams is going to be banged up. And he's still going to desperately want to play.

A day before O'Neill was allowed to work officially with youngsters and three days before he can even get his mitts on the whole team, the new Raptor coach was already scheming to devise ways to get his starting point guard some all-important rest.

And it's conjured up the image of a sign posted outside the team's practice facility that's a red circle with Williams' face in the middle and a big red line right through it.

"One of the keys for Alvin is we have to take some time off," O'Neill said yesterday on the eve of training camp for Raptors with less than four years of NBA experience. "If you play a back-to-back, he's going to have to be off the next day. You may have to lock him out (of the gym) but he's going to have to be off to get some rest."