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I think there's an individual battle going on in your head.
http://mikebarrettsblog.blogspot.com...les-begin.html
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 compe ions 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 compe ion, 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 in bent" 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 compe ion 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.
I think there's an individual battle going on in your head.
Worse still, I think TLong is losing that battle...
You're welcome!
No.......................
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Go here with the preseason Blazers training camp news, please...
http://www.clubblazers.com/
I'm sure Blazer fans there will appreciate your constant enthusiasm to find Blazer news.
i would be curious to know exactly what teams he thinks would trade their starting lineup for that oneThe "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).
7 threads on the 1st page by Tlong about the Blazers. Can't you just make one Blazers' News thread and the people who give a can go into it? There are what?, like 3 Blazers fans who post here?
Did you hear that Andre Miller was the only person that failed the fitness test? He has week long punishment.
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