A question of leadership
Oregonlive.com
09/30/03
JIM BESEDA
With Scottie Pippen now in Chicago, one objective of the Blazers as training
camp opens today is to find a guiding light
TUALATIN -- For four seasons, Scottie Pippen was the Trail Blazers' leader.
On and off the court.
When turmoil arose -- and it arose often -- Pippen's steadying hand helped guide
the franchise through difficult stretches.
He was the voice of veteran leadership, a coach on the court and a mentor for
younger players. His six NBA championship rings added to his credibility.
But with Pippen now in Chicago, the Blazers confront a key concern as they
prepare to open training camp today: Who does Portland turn to for leadership
now?
"That's a great question," Blazers general manager John Nash said. "I don't
know."
Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks isn't sure, either.
"You look at our roster now, nobody on this team really has been a leader,"
Cheeks said. "That's why the question comes about. So until that leadership
role is filled, the question will persist."
Rasheed Wallace or Bonzi Wells might emerge as leaders, or perhaps Jeff
McInnis or Zach Randolph or Damon Stoudamire. And although there are reasons
each of those players would be good, there also are reasons each is wrong for
the job.
The well-documented problems can't be swept aside and immediately forgotten.
But it's also possible that maturation could transform some past troublemakers
into leaders. Or the same character issues that have plagued the Blazers and
turned off local fans in recent seasons could prove problematic again this
season.
"We're going to need a lot of guys to pull together," Nash said. "Where do I
see it coming from, I don't know because I don't know these guys personally
yet. And whether a Damon Stoudamire coming back from his early summer woes
can muster enough to be a good player and a leader, or whether Jeff McInnis
can do that . . . I don't know. And that's a void right now."
Nash acknowledged that the Blazers eventually might kick themselves for not
doing more to persuade Pippen to stay, but what's done is done. It's time to
move forward.
Said Nash: "In fairness to Scottie, he certainly was a mentor and a solid guy
and able to provide leadership, but his presence and the minutes that he
played also created some unrest -- through no fault of his own. He was just
being a good player. But I think the fact that Jeff McInnis is going to play
more minutes this year is going to make him a happier camper."
Cheeks is keeping an open mind as he prepares for his third training camp
with the Blazers.
"You never know where your leaders are going to come from," Cheeks said. "
Certainly, you would like an older guy to step up, but why does it have it
to be an older guy? It doesn't. It can be anybody that's willing to step up
and take that leadership role."
On most teams, the point guard is the designated leader because he typically
is the one pushing the ball up the court, setting the offense in motion and
directing traffic on defense -- all the things Pippen did last season.
"Ideally, you would like your point guard to lead, but it doesn't have to
come from there," Cheeks said. "I guarantee you, Tim Duncan is a leader on
his team, and he doesn't have the ball in his hands to start."
And just because Pippen is gone doesn't mean other players won't carry on his
ideals.
"Personally, I learned a lot from Scottie," said McInnis, who will vie with
Stoudamire for the starting point guard job. "He's a future Hall of Famer
and I took a lot from his game. He showed me how to be a better leader. If
I get the chance to lead this team, I'll do what I can."
Mark Warkentien, the Blazers' assistant general manager the past five seasons
and now the team's player personnel director, said Stoudamire's and McInnis'
leadership abilities often are understated.
Said Warkentien: "Damon previously quarterbacked Arizona to the Final Four
as a collegian, was the point guard for Blazers teams that appeared in the
Western Conference finals in 1999 and 2000, and since arriving in Portland
(in 1998) has been in the playoffs every year. How many point guards in the
NBA can state such?"
Warkentien also pointed out that McInnis led North Carolina to a Final Four
appearance and helped the Quad City Thunder to a Continental Basketball
Association championship before becoming a two-year starter for the Los
Angeles Clippers.
"The Clippers felt they would be a better team last season with Andre Miller
at the helm, but I believe they had a superior record (12 more victories) in
2001-02 when Jeff was running the show for them," Warkentien said.
Cheeks said he looks for courage and discipline in a leader.
"And he has to be consistent," Cheeks said. "He not only has to have the
courage to tell another player, 'You're not doing this,' or 'You're not
doing that,' but he has to be doing it himself, too.
"A leader has to be out on the floor doing these things night in and night
out. And while the other players are looking at him, they know when he comes
to the game those things are going to get done."
Other questions also might need to be answered before the leadership question
is resolved. Who will be the regular starters? What type of rotation will
Cheeks use?
At the same time, Cheeks doesn't want to wait until 10 games into the regular
season for a leader to emerge.
"He's got to emerge during camp," Cheeks said. "This is the time when your
leader has to be able to look at himself, do the right things and do them
from the beginning."
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