tlongII
09-22-2009, 02:42 PM
http://portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=125358386416678500
http://portlandtribune.com/news_graphics/125358413204239100.jpg
Before we talk about the start of Trail Blazer training camp a week from today, let’s review what was an eventful summer for Nate McMillan.
McMillan celebrated his 45th birthday with a trip to The Bahamas with his wife, Michelle, and children Jamelle and Brittany.
“We put our toes in the water,” Nate says. “We’d been there before. We had a great time.”
McMillan took a five-day trip with Brittany – a senior at Seattle Prep – visiting colleges in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina and Washington, D.C.
“We just wanted to give her a feel for potential schools next year,” he says.
McMillan agreed to another three-year commitment with the U.S. national team. He had served on Mike Krzyzewski’s staff as an assistant coach from 2006-08 and was aboard as the team earned a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
McMillan was also given a one-year extension on his contract with the Blazers, taking him through the 2010-11 season.
I was surprised McMillan re-upped with the U.S. team through 2012. Did he want to spend three weeks in London that badly?
“There’s some unfinished business there,” McMillan says. “We need to win the (2010) world championships.”
The U.S. players settled for the bronze medal in the 2006 world championships at Japan, watching from the stands as Spain beat Greece for the title. When U.S. national team director Jerry Colangelo asked the entire coaching staff to give it another three years, everyone said yes.
“I talked with Mr. Colangelo and Coach K and the rest of the staff about coming back,” McMillan says. “One of the things we want to do is win the world championship, and it’s another opportunity for me to represent my country. It’s no different than a player doing it a second time.
“The first time, it was good for me to be able to work with great coaches and some of the best players in the world. To be asked to be a part of it again was an honor.”
NBA coaches put in long hours for eight months during a season – nine months if they get all the way to the NBA finals. The time off during the offseason is cherished and, frankly, necessary to refresh the coaches’ batteries.
McMillan didn’t have a good portion of that break for three straight years. He won’t have it for three more. But he wants everyone to know he has it good, and he knows it.
“A lot of people don’t have jobs in this country right now,” he says. “I’ll have some short offseasons, but I’ve done it before. It’s not an issue. I feel like the opportunity (to coach the national team) benefitted me before, and it will benefit me again.
“I never have a problem being fresh and ready for an NBA season. I don’t play golf. I enjoy working. I enjoy being around players and coaches. This summer, I’ve had the chance to spend some time on vacation with my family, but basketball is what I do. I will be prepared for my job, which is coaching the Blazers regardless of what I do in the offseason.”
McMillan could have had a longer contract extension than one year. Owner Paul Allen and General Manager Kevin Pritchard are happy with the work McMillan has done as he enters his fifth season at the helm. McMillan prefers to go at it one year at a time, in the same fashion as Walter Alston did with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I feel great about the extension, getting that extra year added on,” McMillan says. “But that hasn’t been an issue for me. My focus is this team and where we are and where we want to go.
“If my coaching staff and I do what we need to do to keep improving, the contract situation will take care of itself.”
Things have turned 180 degrees since McMillan took over a woebegone franchise in 2005 and finished a league-worst 21-61 the first season. The Blazers have progressed each season and enjoyed a 54-win season in 2008-09, sharing the Northwest Division title with Denver.
Expectations for next season may not be off the charts, but they’re near the top of them. The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers are the favorites to win it all, and the beefed-up San Antonio Spurs figure to make a strong run. Other than that, which team in the West would you rate ahead of the Blazers?
There’s plenty of pressure on McMillan as he prepares his still-young group for battle this season. And there are decisions to be made about how to use his deep nucleus of players – perhaps the deepest in the NBA.
Does Steve Blake start at point guard, or does Andre Miller take over? Does Rudy Fernandez take on a bigger role? Who starts at small forward – Nicolas Batum, Martell Webster or Travis Outlaw? Who is the backup power forward, Juwan Howard or Buck Williams? (Sorry, private joke.)
McMillan has never chosen to run with his previous Blazer teams, which have generally ranked last in the NBA in fastbreak points. He’ll need to look more to get into transition this season, if only to produce a few more easy points through the course of the game. He’ll also have to get his club to play better defense. Portland’s field-goal percentage against (.460) was third-worst among the 16 playoff teams a year ago.
It’s the life of an NBA coach. Summer is over. Headache time begins next Tuesday. McMillan can’t wait.
http://portlandtribune.com/news_graphics/125358413204239100.jpg
Before we talk about the start of Trail Blazer training camp a week from today, let’s review what was an eventful summer for Nate McMillan.
McMillan celebrated his 45th birthday with a trip to The Bahamas with his wife, Michelle, and children Jamelle and Brittany.
“We put our toes in the water,” Nate says. “We’d been there before. We had a great time.”
McMillan took a five-day trip with Brittany – a senior at Seattle Prep – visiting colleges in New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina and Washington, D.C.
“We just wanted to give her a feel for potential schools next year,” he says.
McMillan agreed to another three-year commitment with the U.S. national team. He had served on Mike Krzyzewski’s staff as an assistant coach from 2006-08 and was aboard as the team earned a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
McMillan was also given a one-year extension on his contract with the Blazers, taking him through the 2010-11 season.
I was surprised McMillan re-upped with the U.S. team through 2012. Did he want to spend three weeks in London that badly?
“There’s some unfinished business there,” McMillan says. “We need to win the (2010) world championships.”
The U.S. players settled for the bronze medal in the 2006 world championships at Japan, watching from the stands as Spain beat Greece for the title. When U.S. national team director Jerry Colangelo asked the entire coaching staff to give it another three years, everyone said yes.
“I talked with Mr. Colangelo and Coach K and the rest of the staff about coming back,” McMillan says. “One of the things we want to do is win the world championship, and it’s another opportunity for me to represent my country. It’s no different than a player doing it a second time.
“The first time, it was good for me to be able to work with great coaches and some of the best players in the world. To be asked to be a part of it again was an honor.”
NBA coaches put in long hours for eight months during a season – nine months if they get all the way to the NBA finals. The time off during the offseason is cherished and, frankly, necessary to refresh the coaches’ batteries.
McMillan didn’t have a good portion of that break for three straight years. He won’t have it for three more. But he wants everyone to know he has it good, and he knows it.
“A lot of people don’t have jobs in this country right now,” he says. “I’ll have some short offseasons, but I’ve done it before. It’s not an issue. I feel like the opportunity (to coach the national team) benefitted me before, and it will benefit me again.
“I never have a problem being fresh and ready for an NBA season. I don’t play golf. I enjoy working. I enjoy being around players and coaches. This summer, I’ve had the chance to spend some time on vacation with my family, but basketball is what I do. I will be prepared for my job, which is coaching the Blazers regardless of what I do in the offseason.”
McMillan could have had a longer contract extension than one year. Owner Paul Allen and General Manager Kevin Pritchard are happy with the work McMillan has done as he enters his fifth season at the helm. McMillan prefers to go at it one year at a time, in the same fashion as Walter Alston did with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I feel great about the extension, getting that extra year added on,” McMillan says. “But that hasn’t been an issue for me. My focus is this team and where we are and where we want to go.
“If my coaching staff and I do what we need to do to keep improving, the contract situation will take care of itself.”
Things have turned 180 degrees since McMillan took over a woebegone franchise in 2005 and finished a league-worst 21-61 the first season. The Blazers have progressed each season and enjoyed a 54-win season in 2008-09, sharing the Northwest Division title with Denver.
Expectations for next season may not be off the charts, but they’re near the top of them. The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers are the favorites to win it all, and the beefed-up San Antonio Spurs figure to make a strong run. Other than that, which team in the West would you rate ahead of the Blazers?
There’s plenty of pressure on McMillan as he prepares his still-young group for battle this season. And there are decisions to be made about how to use his deep nucleus of players – perhaps the deepest in the NBA.
Does Steve Blake start at point guard, or does Andre Miller take over? Does Rudy Fernandez take on a bigger role? Who starts at small forward – Nicolas Batum, Martell Webster or Travis Outlaw? Who is the backup power forward, Juwan Howard or Buck Williams? (Sorry, private joke.)
McMillan has never chosen to run with his previous Blazer teams, which have generally ranked last in the NBA in fastbreak points. He’ll need to look more to get into transition this season, if only to produce a few more easy points through the course of the game. He’ll also have to get his club to play better defense. Portland’s field-goal percentage against (.460) was third-worst among the 16 playoff teams a year ago.
It’s the life of an NBA coach. Summer is over. Headache time begins next Tuesday. McMillan can’t wait.