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http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1191209120275820.xml&coll=7
Which Blazers where?
Forward, center, driving Oden to rehab? Almost every job on Portland's '
07-08 roster is up for grabs
Monday, October 01, 2007
JASON QUICK
The Oregonian Staff
Every season, it seems, a Trail Blazer creates a distraction over his
displeasure with his role.
Steve Smith divided the locker room when Bonzi Wells took his starting
job. Jeff McInnis pouted after he felt he didn't get a fair shake in
his attempt to beat out Damon Stoudamire. Darius Miles literally threw
a fit when Shareef Abdur-Rahim was given the starting small forward job.
Derek Anderson, Jamaal Magloire, Ruben Patterson . . . the list goes
on and on with Blazers who have struggled to accept a lesser, or different,
role.
The potential for unsettled egos exists with any professional sports
team. The question that confronts the coach is whether the inevitable
disappointment of some players will disrupt team chemistry.
It could be a key question at this season's Trail Blazers training camp,
which opens Tuesday. This will be perhaps the most competitive camp in
years -- with fierce battles expected at four of the five positions
(Brandon Roy is the clear-cut shooting guard).
Jarrett Jack and Steve Blake will compete to start at point guard.
James Jones, Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster at small forward.
LaMarcus Aldridge and Channing Frye at power forward. And Aldridge
and Joel Przybilla at center. The only certainty is that Aldridge will
start somewhere, depending on who has a better camp, Frye or Przybilla.
So, will there be drama?
The players, right now at least, are saying no. To a large degree, that
is believable. These Blazers are a different collection of personalities
than in recent years, as character and work ethic reign. Also, this is
a young group, with players who have yet to develop a sense of entitlement.
"I don't think there is one guy, who if he doesn't start, is going
to be mad, or not go hard," Aldridge said. "And I think that is going
to create less animosity and less drama. It shows we are all about
winning. If we get caught up in starting, or being mad, then we aren't
focused on winning. And really, what does it matter if you start? If
you want to be good, get in the game at the end, when it matters."
Coach Nate McMillan, who says he wants to use a nine-man rotation this
season, agrees that this team is devoid of ego, but he disagrees that
there won't be hurt feelings.
"I think there will be a bark, but it will be a small one," McMillan
said.
McMillan's biggest concern about dissention is at point guard, where
Jack, who started 79 games last season, will be pushed by Blake, whom
the Blazers signed to a free agent contract this summer.
"Oh yeah. Jarrett would definitely be mad, oh yeah, because he started
all season last year," McMillan said. "But I would be concerned if
he wasn't. I want that fire. I told him last year that he wasn't the
starting guard this year, that he had to earn that position. And he
has worked hard this summer. He knows he has to come in and earn that
position, and with the signing of Steve he realizes, more so, that we
were serious about improving that position."
Jack is one of the most liked guys on the team, but he is also one of
the most emotionally fragile, a trait that McMillan has tried to
strengthen with several in-season meetings about his confidence. So,
when the team signed Blake this summer, one of the first questions
for other players was how Jack would handle the news.
"When we brought Steve in, you look and wonder if that is OK, or if
Jarrett is going to be upset about it," Roy said. "But I talked to
Jarrett about it, and he was like 'Nah, it's just going to make us
a better team.' When he said that I was like (Roy pumps his fist)
'Cool. Great. He's taking it like that.'
"So if Jarrett sees it that way, I don't see a problem," Roy said.
"And at the same time, Jarrett is a competitor, the type of guy where
if he is upset about it, he's going to play well and try and put
pressure on Steve. Same way with Steve. Their competitiveness is
going to unfold in more of a healthy relationship than in a negative
way."
Jack did not return phone calls this week, but earlier in the summer,
he said the Blake signing was an indication to him that he better
be ready to compete this fall. And Blake said he looks at the battle
as he and Jack trying to beat the opponent, not each other.
McMillan said one of his primary preseason goals is to convince his
team that starting is not the be-all, end-all goal.
"The best five are not necessarily the starters," McMillan said.
"But with a lot of guys, it's about status. The bottom line for me
is to come up with a group that starts and a complimentary second
unit, because the second unit is just as important, if not more, than
the first unit."
Coming up with those units figures to be McMillan's toughest job since
taking over the Blazers in 2005. As of right now, he appears set that
his top nine players will be Jack and Blake at point guard, Roy and
Webster at shooting guard, Jones, Outlaw, Aldridge and Frye at forwards
and Przybilla at center.
That leaves Sergio Rodriguez, Raef LaFrentz, and rookies Josh McRoberts
and Taurean Green needing impressive preseasons to gain significant
playing time.
Who starts and who comes off the bench is something McMillan has yet
to determine, despite his attempts to play with potential lineups in
his head. In an hour conversation last week, McMillan rattled off at
least five different combinations of first and second units.
"Really, I'm not going to have to make those decisions, the players
are," McMillan said. "If I give you that shot to finish the game, you
better take advantage of it. If I give you that shot, and you blow it,
you miss it or you turn it over, then we are going to somebody else.
And with this team, we are able to do that. So, it's the players who
are going to decide who gets the chances."
以往開拓者因為各個位置上能人堆積引發關於上場時間矛盾的事情不勝枚舉﹐這個
賽季先發陣容中除了Roy確定先發SG﹐Aldridge先發C或者PF之外﹐其他位置的主力
都還不明確﹐而且McMillan教練計劃的輪換陣容之外還有Sergio、LaFrentz、Green
和McRoberts需要為爭取多一點的時間而戰﹐隊內會不會因此引發不和諧事件呢﹖
最有可能爆發矛盾的應該是PG位置上Jack和Blake的競爭﹐目前這兩個人對外表現的
心態還是比較積極的﹐都鬥志滿滿想好好表現﹐合力對外﹐而不是把矛頭指向隊友。
McMillan教練還希望他們之間多一點競爭意識﹐競爭上崗﹐能提高球隊這個位置的
水準。Aldridge和Roy對於未來的更衣室氣氛也都保持樂觀態度。
不過我覺得實際情況要等比賽打起來了才知道﹐最危險的時候是球隊出於低潮出現
幾連敗的階段－－這個肯定無法避免的﹐這時候就看關鍵人物怎麼調整心態﹐教練
和球隊領袖怎麼協調了。總之希望相互指責互相怨恨的事情不要再發生了。
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