Individual Battles Begin
posted: 9/30/2009 at 2:53 PM
Any training camp on Nate McMillan's watch is always going to be intense. We all know that, and we've seen it in past years in Portland. Even if it's true that he has lightened up on the gas pedal, at least a bit, in the last two camps, this year things are off to a torrid start. And really, this isn't the case because of something McMillan has reverted back to, in terms of designing practices to be physically demanding (which he will do on occasion, hoping to provoke spirited battles). This one has come organically.
It's been said a lot lately that this will be McMillan's most challenging season as an NBA coach. You don't need me to explain why. You've done the math, and so have the players. An obscene amount of depth has created epic competitions for spots and minutes. Even though we're in the early stages of this camp, these battles are already being waged, and sparks (the good kind) are flying.
It's a very healthy competition, and Nate has already repeated something we've heard him say many times in the past- "it's up to the players to make my decisions for me." In other words, he's not going to decide how the minutes are divided up. The players will control that.
As expected, nothing has changed with the "black unit" so far. On Tuesday, when the media was allowed into the gym in Tualatin, no one was surprised at how the units were divided up. The black unit consisted of Steve Blake, Brandon Roy, Nicolas Batum, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Joel Przybilla (the starting lineup that went 27-11 last season). It's clear, already, these guys are going to have to lose these jobs if the starting lineup is going to change. McMillan always says nothing is given to anyone, and obviously, these spots were earned.
The "white unit" at the end of practice on Tuesday consisted of Andre Miller, Rudy Fernandez, Martell Webster, Travis Outlaw, and Greg Oden. Just writing out that group as a "second unit" makes me shake my head. I'd go to war with that as my starting group too (so would a lot of NBA teams).
Yes, that's an amazing luxury. It's also what has likely kept McMillan up late at night wondering how in the world he's going to find minutes for everyone. That's a 10-man "regular" rotation right there, and those are rare in the NBA. You could easily argue that everyone on that second unit deserves significant minutes. If your head is already spinning then keep in mind that I haven't even mentioned Jerryd Bayless, tested NBA vets Ime Udoka, Jerron Collins, Juwon Howard, and talented rookie Dante Cunningham, who's been very, very solid.
The three individual battles getting the most attention are the only three that seemingly could possibly change the starting lineup at some point. The Blake/Miller tilt promises to continue, even though it's clear that it's "advantage incumbent" at this point. Webster is fighting to get back what he had won at this time a year ago- the starting nod at the three. Like Blake, Batum won't go without a fight, and his improvement is very evident. And, Przybilla/Oden (maybe also the biggest asset, positionally speaking) is a prime-time showdown.
Again, you want players who want to start, and who are willing to fight to get, or keep, what they think they deserve. This atmosphere exists here because it was designed that way. The chemistry on this team is healthy enough that I don't realistically see someone going rogue and causing issues no matter what happens. Plus, when you're winning, even if you happen to have squeaky wheels, they don't get much of an audience with anyone, and this team will win.
The biggest benefit these battles are likely to produce will be a team that's sharp, hungry, and battle-tested going into the regular season. The success of McMillan-coached teams has often been their readiness out of the gate. That shouldn't be an issue this season.
As we were watching a full-speed possession at the very end of practice on Tuesday, Oden attempted a left-handed jump hook, something he's become very good at. It came up short, and we almost immediately said out loud, "yeah, but he had Przybilla (a long, great defender) right in his face." The next possession Przybilla rolled through the middle with his shoulder down and missed a shot off to the right. Our comment was something like "yeah, but Oden was right there. That's just good defense.."
You get the point. This is quality against quality. Przybilla isn't going to see many better defenders on a nightly basis during the season than Oden, and vice-versa. You can say this about all of these match ups. I'm not suggesting that practices will serve up better competition for these guys than games, because that's just arrogant.
What this situation will produce is players who are ready to roll against the best this league has to offer on any given night. After all, they see it everyday. You can't always say that about practice.
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When are we going to see some practice footage? We want to see a a few minutes of what the guys look like in motion.
Funny how people though Miller was so much better than Blake. Miller is in the worst condition on the team.
I'd start Blake and Oden to begin the pre season.
Ok ,Blake may be in better condition than Dre.Blah,Blah, Blah, We will talk at the end of camp.Steve may better be in shape ,cause he has a battle ahead of him. Interesting that Miller is in the worst shape of anybody.But nothing like practicing against the best every night to get you tough.
Careful, Mike. If you keep up this pace, we're bound to get spoiled...
As far as the battle at point, Blake is a warrior and should never be counted out completely. While I don't see him on the team for the long haul, that's not to say that I don't have tremendous respect for the man. He takes his licks and doesn't stop, even when blowhards like myself flap jaws about our doubts.
Really though, Blake is one of my favorite PGs in the game. If he played harder defense and had an inside game, I would love nothing more than to see him on the team for the next five years. His tenacity and unselfish play has done so much for this team, that when he does go, he will be missed(Sergio who?).
Miller's out of shape, huh? This is a guy who has only missed two games in his entire ten year career due to injury. That's about the most impressive stat I've ever seen. So I wouldn't worry about him being in shape, because when the times comes, he'll be there.
When it comes to the other battles, I'd be satisfied with last season's starters. The units outline in the blog look great. Having Bayless and Cunningham(two guys that could start on developing teams) as our third options at the 1 and 4 makes us pretty unstoppable.
I think the biggest battle is going to be Outlaw fighting for relevance. Last season he lost his shot at a starting spot to a younger, more intelligent player, and this season, he's going to have to fight from having his 2nd unit spot taken by a younger, more intelligent player. Dante is going to shake it up.
Unrelated to the struggles for minutes, I just gotta say, Jeff Pendergraph is hilarious. In the few interviews that I saw, he is a crackup! I think we have a new Channing Frye.
Go Blazers.
Mike:
Now it is me that can't keep up with you. Great to have you back.
I will not take sides in the upcoming battles for positions and time. I think all the players are great, and would not have the foggiest who should start and who should not. I sometimes think as the units are divided now that the second should be first at times and the first should be second. Somewhat like the Smother's brothers song.
I do have thoughts about who should play with who. I am not with the idea that the best players start if they don't play well with the rest of the team. Since BRoy and Andre plays the same style, it would be uncharacteristic to start them together for long periods of time. Each would be taking away from the other. We want increased production from everybody not less. Everybody is justifying that BRoy needs the ball less to take pressure off him. Did any of you ask BRoy if he wants to give up his role? He not only gets the ball by design, but he also relishes with the idea. You put the ball in BRoy's hands and he becomes a different person.
Same way with Andre, he needs the ball in his hands to be the quarterback to make everybody better. So why would you want to put them in the unit together and destroy one or the others game. Hell if the Andre lovers need Andre to start where they can sleep better at night, put him on the starting unit and put BRoy in the second. Back to my point, it is who plays best together.
Andre can make Rudy, Martell, Travis and Greg better players as well as he can make BRoy, Batuum, LMA, and Joel. But I am not sure Steve could play with the second unit as well as the first. Plus Andre would have Rudy, Martell and Travis for his outside shooters and Greg plugging up the middle.
Anyway I am like Andre; he is just here to play bb not to get into the political aspect of the game. He will fight Steve for the position and let the coach worry about the rest, me to.
hg
BRoyFTW:
Go to Trailblazers center court to view some slow motion videos of practice. It is great.
hg
u all r gonna be so sick of me throughout the season as i will continue to speak of the championship we WILL be playing for in this season's finals.
any of u who follow this team knows how good we are and how much we have improved in the course of the past couple of months through acquisitions and improved development.
no longer can we say we're young. we are a mature team. a top tier team is what we are. high expectations are in order and i'm not worried about this team buckling under the pressure because they aren't kids anymore, they're veterans, and they added veterans that will bring even more stability than we had last year.
i get chills reading about the competitive nature of practice. i play myself and when i hear that guys are playing physical, focusing on defense, and working on communication.... do the math. we're a good team. there is such a thing as over analyzing and i do it all the time but this year i'll keep it simpler than in the past. either we sucked or we played good.
no excuses. sometimes we play good and sometimes bad. it's a long season so we're gonna see a bit of everything but i predict it will be mostly good.
Go Blazers!
Denial:
I am the one everybody gets sick of, because I am not a BB whiz but I know people and tendencies well. So I have become a preacher of sort while learning the game inside the game of BB.
I promise you I will not get sick of your comments for I will learn from them.
On your comment of sometimes playing good and sometimes playing bad is true. Millertime made the comment that when we play bad he hopes the finger pointing and blaming is in the past, me too. I am like you also, I think there will be more good then bad, but if we learn from the bad will become good. The play-off series last year is a good example of that.
hg
I went to wells fargo and was unable to get tickets for the fan fest. They told me it was a customer appreciation thing.. I'm sorry I guess I'm confused I thought the fan fest was for the trail blazer fans not wells fargo customers who happen to like basketball. I am a diehard blazer fan and just wanted to take my 12 year old nephew to see the new team because he is probably a bigger fan than most people.. lol is this the comcast thing all over again or what.. can u help mb?
Well, there isn't much I can say anymore since I'm not in your shoes Mike, but it's damn good to hear this much from you! I can't wait to see the Blazers and spark my interest in basketball again. I love this sport so much and it's good to have it back. Hell's Kitchen isn't as entertaining as it use to be - especially since the people I wanted to win have been kicked off lol.
Just a few questions, I'm sure you've been asked these but with my schedule being so busy (even without a job) it's hard to find time to sit and read everyones blog.
Anyways, it'd be nice if you could post whether or not the Pre-season games will be televised. I know *some* were last pre-season, but others were not. Maybe this season could be different?
Second question - what is this thing Sunday night? My father told me he got tickets to like a family fun thing with the Blazers at the Rose Garden. I have no idea what it is, but I hope to be surprised as I am excited. Hopefully you and the crew are there, it's nice to see everyone that's involved with this team besides the team getting the fans pumped for the season - after all you did a great job "hosting" the Playoff Rally.
Go Blazers!
some of you long time posters on here may be sick of me crowing about this, but rudy and martell have to get pt together. i bring this up again because i just watched the video from center court. it is no coincidence that one of the better plays came on a give and go/alley-oop with martell finishing. there is some mojo there.
MB ...........You are on fire this week.Listened to Talkin Ball last night.Your Cohort- The Wild Onewas on.He said Outlaw looks better than anyone.Vids I saw of Martell were excellent .He looks Stout.I guess Nate likes BRoy and Rudy idea.I think that we can afford to use any combination at any time because if that combo isn't working on a particular night, we can switch to another combo that does work.The thing that really excites me is that unless Broy goes down ,we have a replacement or two at at every position.Security,baby!Rice was commenting on how DC does not make mistakesand he's chiseled .But the way trav is playin,DC may be talkin with JBay on the 3rd team.Right on for Travis and Martell.hg..........intersting misspell of daniels name.Oh, lucky most of us here are old enough to get a Smothers Brothers reference. I know I kid about your sense of humor, but you have cracked a couple of doozies lately.My apologies.I liked the 500 dogs- doggie doo one. BLAZERSROCK
Ryan,
I have no idea who you talked to at Wells Fargo, but that's totally incorrect. Tickets to the Fan Fest are free to anyone. Go back and try again. If they give you a hard time I'll call Rice and send him out there with you.
Herr,
Yes, we'll all be there Sunday. I'll get a chance to interview each of the players on the court before the scrimmage starts (like last year, if you were there). Give me a shout of you get close enough. I think I'm doing PA as well, but it'll be a great event, whatever the case.
MB
also great to see from the center court video, are the mechanics of greg's dunk. something that batum and others have mastered is protecting the ball with two hands. the motion is compact, with no back swing, and once the ball is over the rim, it goes down and through immediately. dunking this way gives less time to someone who is looking to block or foul intentionally, and almost ensures a block attempt will create a foul. i hope all those jerks (canzano and anyone else) who wrote about greg questioning his desire, are ready to write retractions and apologies to the young fella. he is going to be smashing on everyone soon.
the fan fest last year was very cool. i walked in to the branch nearest my apartment and they handed me a ticket (i am not a customer of theirs). maybe try another branch if they were mis-informed at the one you visited. go to the fan fest early with your kids or friends so that you can get good seats down near the court. i'll be out of town seeing family, and will miss it. the sacramento game i ma get to though ;)
IMO, of the two units, I would trade Martell and Batuum. Martell, if up to Parr will give more 3 pt capabilities then Batuum. I have read that Martell is still a little rusty on D and movement, but that should change soon. Batuum has increased his ability to play the 3 so I do not know which should play where. I just think Martell will play better with BRoy and Batuum would play better with Dre.
hg
Mike, this season is going to be a blast. This reminds me of our squad back in 2000 when we had a load of talent and they self-destructed. Luckily, these guys aren't anything like the guys from that team, so that encourages me. It should be fun. You're right, this will be a challenging season for Nate, but it's definitely a good problem to have. I'm sure he'd rather have this problem over any other problem. Take care.
vinnie whats going on with blake setting the record and miller not even passing. he'll come around but that is kinda funny not worried though.
well im going to stall as long as i can to get the nba pass but it looks as if comcast is going to let me down again and again.
Great! My family is a huge Blazer fan family, and they are all going. Some even read this blog but don't post sadly. See ya Sunday!
The Bald One is not popular with some, but I think John Canzanos' article about Paul Allen was right on. He very well may be the most important piece to the blazers' future improvement than anyone not setting foot on the bb court. Forget if you can that he can buy $1,000 hookers to whisper sweet nothings in his ear during timeouts. This man loves his team. He sets the tone for the squad with his passion and enthusiasm, and money can't buy that. Despite having a little Charles Mansony type thing going with the new beard, I love this guy. I say don't shave until the blazers lose two in a row. Hopefully he'll become the Rip Van Winkle of the NBA.
I've listen to this debate all week on the radio, on talkin ball, in the newspaper, and a couple of things are getting to me.
1. A starting role on the team doesn't guarantee that you'll get the bulk of the minutes, or be a fourth quarter guy. Very few people i've talked to on this debate seem to realize this fact.
Look at Batum/Outlaw last year. Batum started, but Outlaw got the bulk of the minutes after that. I think we'll see a lot more of that from other positions besides the 3 this year.
2. A lot of people are saying they care less about who starts than who plays in the 4th quarter. Which I agree, it is more important. But then those same people seem to be trying to say who we should have in there on a regular basis, and I just don't think it's that simple. Who we have in there in the 4th should depend on who we're playing against, what the score is, and who is having a good or bad night. I realize coach McMillan likes to have a pretty set rotation, and I think that's one of his weaknesses as a coach. You have to coach within the game (especially on close games), and make adjustments accordingly. Nate didn't seem to do much of that last season. I could understand it a little more then because we lacked depth in some positions, but that is no longer an issue.
All that said I realize that most fans have a favorite player that they would like to see get a majority of the minutes in their position. Personally I want Steve Blake to start, but am willing to accept that he may be a guy who starts, but Miller ends up getting the bulk of the minutes.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/10148804/Northwest-preview:-Blazers,-Nuggets-to-battle-again
interesting to read. although he's wrong about everything having to go right for us to get in the top 4. we did it last year, which was actually the year that everything had to go right to get the 4 seed. as i've mentioned before, i'm more worried about the jazz than the nuggs. losing both dahtay jones & kleiza will prove disasterous for denver. they should have tried to retain one of those two. the jazz have a better system.
Shawn,
Good comment. You're right. I think what it's about is what units work the best together. Batum was the right guy to start last season, even though he only played 18 minutes per game. What group comes out and sets the tone you want to establish? Nate coaches by design early, and by feel late. Just because of Blake's comfort level with Roy, I would guess that'll be the starting backcourt. But, as you said, that doesn't mean Steve will play more minutes than Miller. It's all about combinations, and that'll be a work in progress.
MB
wait, y'all talking bout *practice*?
Hi from Australia
Whats the go with Patty Mills???
Hi from Australia,
Whats the go with Patty Mills
Shawn:
I couldn't have said it any better myself. And, Mike, I also appreciate that you concur as well. Besides our talent, the most effective "weapon" will be teamwork and the drive to win games together rather than isolated players with giant egos and a ball hog mentality. I am glad that there is a preliminary, and ongoing, focus on defense and rebounding. This is where improvement was needed over our last season. A little (or possibly a lot) of foul shooting practice would be useful too as it often decides games.
Miller should not have reported out of shape. He needs to be a reliable source of endurance for the long haul.
Swans12,
the go is this:
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/10/trail_blazers_notes_patty_mill.html
all,
the following article has me so geeked that i bought a ticket for the first pre-season game.
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/10/mcmillan_wants_to_run_more_of.html
this team is going to be absolutely off the charts special. nobody wants to set the expectation too high, but this combination of talent, depth, youth, experience, character & cohesion is fantastically unique. beyond win totals, and playoff series wins, there is sort of a basketball nirvana. the state of bliss known as rip city. we are so fortunate to be some part of it.
GO BLAZERS
millertime..........my theory on Dre being out of shape is that he is an older player.Unlike the younger gym rats,he probably doesn't do anything but rest in the summer.He is the Brett Farve of the NBA.(Consecutive Games Played)I think he paces himself for the season.Just a theory mind you .Other than that it is a mystery to me.
shawn..........good post.We have had many spirited discussions here about who's starting or not .It is an incredible luxury to mix and match our line up like candy at Walgreens.We have at least 10 players that could start for anyone.On Talkin Ball this week ,Rice was on and the question came up about whether we actually had TOO MUCH talent.Rices answer was if someone other than Sarge were coaching,it would be a problem.Nates coaching ability will really come to the forefront this year.I do agree that his rotation process is a little stiff,I think he will have to grow as this team grows.I, obviously have my player faves ,but there are 10 guys or more that are pretty talented.And like you said sometimes in game adjustments have to be made.I do trust Sarge explicitly and that makes this all a little easier.But as I posted earlier This season is as exciting as it is gut wrenching.It seems like this season means so much more than it has in a while.
Vinnie: I am not sure how old you are, but when you get to Andre's age, you just take one or two days off and you lose so much of your conditioning that you feel like you have to start over. That is why when you get older it is hard to play sports. You have to work harder and harder each year just to keep what you had. Plus, you are right about conserving energy, but most of the time it is to no reward. Because, the problem with getting older is you are as strong as the young dude's but your strength leaves you so quick. Therefore, there is no energy to conserve over long periods of time; We just keep trying but it isn't there. Ain't that the pits?
hg
for so much seeming excitement for this years team, why so little daily updates?
hg...52 yrs young.But, I am Owner /operator of a full time landscape maint biz , so I know what you are saying .More than two or three days of off and I get soft,but these guys are conditioned athletes.I don't think he was doing NOTHING during the summer.I think being a 10 yr vet he has to pace himself and thats why he has the consecutive games streak. You might well know though your strength may leave you,Your smarts do not .Even though the younger player may beat you to the spot ,you may have out-thought him and beat him anyways.
Just to show what kind of guy I am,Heres a link I got from Blazers Tweet regarding Rudy handling the ball.http://bit.ly/2OZo1k #NBA #POR I'm a fan team player. BLAZERSROCK
Totally off the subject but right now on NBA.com they have a nice peice about how well Channing is fitting in over with the Suns. It sounds like he is going to be a big part of what they do going forward. Normally I wouldn't care but Channing was such a good guy and he really embraced Portland when he was here. So GO CHANNING! Execpt when you are plaing us!
Rock on,
James
Hey Mike- thanks for the blog,
Anyone who can sit side line in that gym must be thoroughly entertained. With starting spots on the line, roles, positions, and lineup combinations being found combined with hungry new comers and the return of healthy vets, truly this must be the show down of showdowns.
Martell Webster..my gosh it's been a long time. I hate to say it he was almost the forgotten one. I remember growing to really like him in his last healthy season. I remember he was really hitting his shot and grabbing rebounds and really just producing the way we needed our SF to do so. I am so excited to have him back . When we drafted him I was so glad we didn't get another point guard. I thought maybe we had another Clyde or Jerome on our hands but 18 is so young to play in the NBA, now he's ready to show what he can do. All I can say about Martell is I am totally ok with him surprising everyone this year and his attitude is great and I am so excited he'll be back in uniform and for him I am sure there is no feeling that compares.
At small forward I am not partial to a starter. Batum, Outlaw and Webster are obviously the candidates. I can't live without Nic and what he does. I have grown to love Travis and must say he surprises me sometimes, but I trust him a little more each year. I'd love to see Martell get into form and rotation and maybe some 2 minutes. I hope we all mesh together.
At the point I think it could go either way. I just want to say however that I love Steve Blake's game. He is a hell of a distributor and he controls the offense, even on the break, very well. He's a heck of a shooter and he's never say die. His attitude is what I aspire to have when I play in pickup games at the park blocks. You are rewarded with effort and dedication and surely this is why Coach McMillan has at least given possibility of keeping him in the starting group. I am tired of people talking trash about Blake, he may not be Chris Paul, Derrick Rose or Deron Williams but much like Joel Przybilla- Portland believed in him first or saw a spark in them so to speak and they have been rewarded so the Blazers must have great scouts...kudo. As for Miller, of course I like him too. He's definitely one of the players that used to really get me going when he played against us. He's smart, composed and smooth. He's clutch and knows how to win. He was great with Denver and Phili but I can't say I remember too much with Cleveland. So while I'll enjoy hearing who emerges victorious for fun, I am very confident in both our guys. And by the way I am really liking the growth of Bayless and I REALLY hope he get's more minutes ,somehow, this year. He's our future Derrick Rose or Devin Harris. Lightning quick and heavenly hops.
At center once again we are loaded. I know what Joel can do. I have seen it day in and day out. The one or two positive things the Patterson/Nash administration did was get Joel and he has saved our skin so many times before we had the talent we needed around him. Now we have it and nothing has changed with Przybilla. He's one of my favorites and he should never go under appreciated. While his defense and rebs are a given I ahve been so pleased as a fan to see him knock down fros and take it in for dunk or inside layup. That's the confidence hopefully all the Blazers have. And Greg Oden, seeing him mcome into camp all smiles is a great thing. I have seen flashes of greatness. This man needs not to wear any burden on his shoulders, all he needs to do is be Greg. Offensively he's a little more advanced than Joel, so there's no reason why he couldn't start and like B Roy say "Greg will only dominate as much as Greg wants to." Brandon's right. Either way with no Yao this year, there will be few teams that will be able to control the paint like us this season. So very exciting stuff indeed, I have been more proud as a fan
Lastly, I am hoping and praying that I wake up tomorrow and check my computer screen and click on NBA.com and see a headline: "Trailblazers agree to deal with LaMarcus Aldridge." That would be great. I don't want him to feel pressure or like he underachieved. I don't know what the team's expectations are for him but he has fulfilled mine. He's our new Rasheed without all the baggage, actually I think he's better. I hope we get it done sson, he really looks like he wants to stay in Portland and we would be foolish to let him slip away. I know, I know it won't happen right? Sign him but no worries, no hard feelings for LaMarcus, he's a man and he can take it...But if this was 4 or 5 years ago and we were signing Randolph and Miles I would have thought about it but with Aldridge there would have been no second guessing. Okay I'll stop acting like I understand all the things that go into a contract. I'll just say 'sign LA today! -it's a no brainer.'
Anyways I always enjoy reading your blog Mike. Keep us posted and thank you.
~ fathom
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