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The Blazers Report

Welcome to the October 20, 2003 edition of The Blazers Report. It has been a stirring weekend that saw a birthday party for yours truly at my house get ugly with a beer bong being brought out. Old guys just do not have stamina for a beer bong. Additionally, the Huskies broke out of their funk beating up the Beavers, which have the best fans in the Pac-10 for a visiting game. The Beavers are constantly welcoming with a proper amount of smack talk and sportsmanship.

In Blazers news, the constant search for a starting lineup and roster space continues with the real preseason, in terms of gearing up for the start of the season begins tonight with a game against the Nuggets. I will be there as usual waving to the fans and seeing the star that Carmelo Anthony will become. LeBron is the big money but Carmelo is the real deal folks.

Blazers Point Guard

As was pointed out in the Oregonian this weekend, the starting point guard is still uncertain, but my sources tell me that Damon Stoudamire has all but won the competition and all that he needs is a solid next couple of games to solidify his hold. His work against Dallas gives him a huge move forward and had he not carried the marijuana through the airport security he would be the clear starter. McInnis has played well but he lacks the leadership ability and without the jump shot he is a solid but unspectacular point guard.

Derek Anderson has not played the position much in practice and has not been enthusiastic about doing so. To his credit, throughout his career he has resisted this move attempting to stay at the shooting guard position with all his stops. The Clippers attempted this experiment a few years ago and Anderson did not enjoy it then either. It will be interesting to see whether Anderson changes his tune when and if Zach replaces him in the starting lineup.

Robert Pack has leveled off a bit and now is in a bit of danger to make the squad. The Blazers would like to carry 5 guards, which gives Pack an edge, but the team also believes that Qyntel can play the 2 or even the 1 in a pinch making the need for Pack much less. Now Pack does have a chance to make the team due to the team continually trying to move Damon Stoudamire. There are renewed rumblings out of New York that if its efforts for Van Exel fail that the Knicks may have some interest in moving Charlie Ward and Kurt Thomas for Damon. Toronto fans are still screaming for Antonio Davis for Damon but such a move seems very unlikely for the Raptors who need the big man.

Shooting Guard

The Blazers are looking like Derek Anderson will start the season at shooting guard but will move quickly to a lineup featuring Bonzi at this position for the majority of the season. The Blazers need Anderson’s shooting ability in the lineup to avoid a featured zone with a man on Rasheed and a zone for everyone else.

Small Forward

The team has looked extensively at Rasheed Wallace at the small forward during the preseason, but concerns over Dale Davis’ groin and ability to hold up as well as the desire to test that theory in the early season are seeing Rasheed log minutes at the center position and opening back up the small forward position. The Blazers had hoped that Qyntel Woods would take a step up this season, but such a move is unexpected until later in the season. Qyntel is an extremely talented player but he suffers from extreme confidence problems when he is out on the floor with Rasheed and Bonzi in particular. This moves Qyntel to the clear second unit on the team. Ruben Patterson is still smarting from his late season fight with Zach Randolph and his demotion below Woods on the depth chart. He wants a flight out of town in the worst way and is unlikely to receive such a gift. So far nobody wants to enjoy Ruben’s mix of volatile personality and extreme hustle. Plus if Kobe takes the season off to deal with his legal issues, Ruben will have nothing to talk about making him even less valuable. All of this adds up to Bonzi Wells starting at the small forward for the early season while Davis gets himself together, Ruben works through his issues and Qyntel improves his confidence.

As for the roster spots, Scott Padgett and Tracy Murray are still fighting out the roster in camp. Cheeks is said to love Padgett’s hustle and mix of ability to play many positions and the need for a backup power forward gives Padgett a huge edge on this team. Tracy Murray has shot very well in camp and the Blazers really need a guy off the bench who can shoot the ball in key situations. As of now, I think both make the team.

Power Forward

This has been Rasheed’s position and is becoming Zach’s spot. It appears that the Blazers will go with Zach off the bench in the early season with Rasheed starting at the power forward position but expect Zach to take the starting role no later than December. The Blazers want Zach in the starting lineup and it appears to be Davis’ health that is keeping Zach on the bench.

Center

The position of most concern for Portland. Dale Davis is back and playing but is clearly not 100% and not willing to test out being 100%. The hope is to bring Dale along at around 25-30 minutes per game in the early season and let him work back to strength and confidence in the groin. This leaves a big void of almost 20 minutes at this position and right now Rasheed Wallace will take up most of those minutes against non-Shaq or Duncan teams. Both Boumtje Boumtje and N’Diaye have been less than impressive in camp. I still believe the Blazers keep both centers on the roster because neither is outplaying each other to earn the spot and Dale’s health is a concern. The Blazers may decide to try to wait out the issue until 10 day contracts begin and this will likely see N’Diaye hit the curb.

News and Notes

Rasheed Wallace did not gain any friends in management on the resign Rasheed bandwagon when he missed the Paul Allen sponsor event on Allen’s yacht. I don’t know if Rasheed understands he is in line for a contract worth as much as $150 million, but he is costing himself down to $80 million and maybe lower with his continued inability to be a franchise player who makes the team money. I know personally that Rasheed does not really care about any of that and its enough money for him and his family, but wow, leaving that scratch on the table is quite amazing. Ruben missed the event to buy a house as it was clearly explained to him that the odds of him being traded this year are next to zero because of that trade kicker in his contract.

The Blazers continue to sniff around Nazr Mohammed of the Hawks but the home team has very little to offer in exchange for Nazr making such a trade nearly impossible. The Blazers have made inquiries around Yogi Stewart with the Cavs.

The Mavericks pick up of Antoine Walker from the Celtics is baffling. A Blazers source told me that the league may simply set up a 3-2 or 4-1 zone with a strong shotblocker for the Mavericks who have virtually no inside players after moving Raef and a starting lineup of Nowitzki, Jamison, Walker, Finley and Nash, none of which may play inside. 4 3s and a 1 will be an interesting lineup, but no better coach than Don Nelson to arrange a team concept around these guys. The trade from the Celtics end looks troubling but building around Raef and Pierce in the east is not a bad combination and may win a lot of games. The key is to come up with a scorer and they think Kedrick Perkins is that guy.

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