tlongII
10-05-2009, 11:31 PM
http://portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=125479193642118000
The trouble with the NBA’s preseason is the games don’t count in the standings.
Don’t tell that to the Trail Blazers, who are thrilled for the opportunity to face somebody other than themselves.
Portland plays host to Sacramento at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Rose Garden in the preseason opener for both teams. It couldn’t come soon enough for the Blazers.
“We certainly think we’re ready,” said point guard Steve Blake, the most valuable player in the Sunday intrasquad scrimmage that was watched by nearly 17,000 fans. “We’ve worked hard and everyone is excited to play against another team.”
“We’re ready for a real game,” center Greg Oden said. “It’s going to be fun to play against somebody different.”
It may be that Portland has the deepest roster in the league. Coach Nate McMillan will explore his possibilities through the preseason, but he’ll begin against the Kings with the starting five he has used since the opening day of camp.
That means Joel Przybilla, LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum will start on the front line, with Blake and Brandon Roy in the backcourt.
“Those guys will start (Tuesday), and we’ll go from there,” McMillan said.
The Blazers’ second unit – Greg Oden, Travis Outlaw, Martell Webster, Rudy Fernandez and Andre Miller – will also see plenty of action.
“I’ll play two lineups and rotate 10 to 12 guys in,” McMillan said. “The key is to go out and play hard and try to execute what we talked about in training camp, so we can see where we are.”
The coach was talking not only about Tuesday’s game but for Portland’s eight-game run in the preseason.
“From game to game, we’ll change the starting lineup as well as the rotation just to look at different combinations,” McMillan said.
McMillan indicated he is likely to limit the minutes of Roy and Aldridge through the preseason.
“We want to get them some minutes, but really, it’s listening to the players,” the Blazer coach said. “Some guys want to play to get some conditioning and find a rhythm. But some guys, because they play a lot of minutes, we’ll watch how much they play.”
Miller, the 11-year veteran acquired as a free agent in the offseason, was impressed with the crispness of McMillan’s camp.
“We came in with a game plan of what we were going to do each day,” the veteran point guard said. “There was very little wasted energy. We got into our drills. No playing around. Guys came to work.”
Asked how he feels he fits in with the Blazers, Miller said, “I fit in fine. I like the group. No big egos. Everybody shares the ball and plays together, from what I’ve seen. That makes my job easier.”
Added Miller, “This might be the most talented team I’ve been on. It’s probably the best-shooting team, too. We have guys at every position you have to be aware of on the court.”
McMillan is encouraged by what he has seen since practice began on Sept. 29.
“We had a good camp,” the Blazer coach said. “The guys have worked hard. (Sunday’s scrimmage) wasn’t a sloppy game. They went out and executed on offense and got after it on defense. But we need a game to see where we are.”
The trouble with the NBA’s preseason is the games don’t count in the standings.
Don’t tell that to the Trail Blazers, who are thrilled for the opportunity to face somebody other than themselves.
Portland plays host to Sacramento at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Rose Garden in the preseason opener for both teams. It couldn’t come soon enough for the Blazers.
“We certainly think we’re ready,” said point guard Steve Blake, the most valuable player in the Sunday intrasquad scrimmage that was watched by nearly 17,000 fans. “We’ve worked hard and everyone is excited to play against another team.”
“We’re ready for a real game,” center Greg Oden said. “It’s going to be fun to play against somebody different.”
It may be that Portland has the deepest roster in the league. Coach Nate McMillan will explore his possibilities through the preseason, but he’ll begin against the Kings with the starting five he has used since the opening day of camp.
That means Joel Przybilla, LaMarcus Aldridge and Nicolas Batum will start on the front line, with Blake and Brandon Roy in the backcourt.
“Those guys will start (Tuesday), and we’ll go from there,” McMillan said.
The Blazers’ second unit – Greg Oden, Travis Outlaw, Martell Webster, Rudy Fernandez and Andre Miller – will also see plenty of action.
“I’ll play two lineups and rotate 10 to 12 guys in,” McMillan said. “The key is to go out and play hard and try to execute what we talked about in training camp, so we can see where we are.”
The coach was talking not only about Tuesday’s game but for Portland’s eight-game run in the preseason.
“From game to game, we’ll change the starting lineup as well as the rotation just to look at different combinations,” McMillan said.
McMillan indicated he is likely to limit the minutes of Roy and Aldridge through the preseason.
“We want to get them some minutes, but really, it’s listening to the players,” the Blazer coach said. “Some guys want to play to get some conditioning and find a rhythm. But some guys, because they play a lot of minutes, we’ll watch how much they play.”
Miller, the 11-year veteran acquired as a free agent in the offseason, was impressed with the crispness of McMillan’s camp.
“We came in with a game plan of what we were going to do each day,” the veteran point guard said. “There was very little wasted energy. We got into our drills. No playing around. Guys came to work.”
Asked how he feels he fits in with the Blazers, Miller said, “I fit in fine. I like the group. No big egos. Everybody shares the ball and plays together, from what I’ve seen. That makes my job easier.”
Added Miller, “This might be the most talented team I’ve been on. It’s probably the best-shooting team, too. We have guys at every position you have to be aware of on the court.”
McMillan is encouraged by what he has seen since practice began on Sept. 29.
“We had a good camp,” the Blazer coach said. “The guys have worked hard. (Sunday’s scrimmage) wasn’t a sloppy game. They went out and executed on offense and got after it on defense. But we need a game to see where we are.”