For this year's Blazers, it's a brand-new game
At this point, team's identity is anyone's guess, even theirs
By KERRY EGGERS Issue date: Fri, Oct 17, 2003
The Tribune
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Don't be too disheartened, Trail Blazer fan, by the 110-91
exhibition pummeling of your team by the Seattle SuperSonics
in Redmond on Tuesday.
The teams meet again Saturday night in Spokane, and the
outcome might just swing 180 degrees.
（結果是維持在零度沒變！-_-）
Ask Ray Allen, Seattle's All-Star shooting guard.
"It is too early to make any judgments," Allen says. "They
just beat Houston by 20 last week. I don't worry about what
teams do in the preseason. Minutes are spread around. Some
guys aren't playing. Everybody is trying to get comfortable
with what their team is doing.
When the two teams meet in Seattle on Nov. 7 in a regular
season game, "It could be a totally different story," he says.
Allen is impressed by Portland's core group, led by Rasheed
Wallace, Bonzi Wells, Dale Davis, Zach Randolph, Derek Anderson
and Damon Stoudamire. But the loss of Scottie Pippen, Allen
suggests, could be costly.
"Not having Scottie eats away at their infrastructure a
little bit," Allen says. "He was a veteran who made sure
everybody was on the same page. But this isn't last year's
team. They will carve their own identity."
What will be the identity of the 2003-04 Blazers? Even
they aren't quite sure.
Coach Maurice Cheeks thinks this will be a quicker, younger
unit that can play a little more up-tempo. There is plenty of
flexibility in potential lineups, and Cheeks is in no hurry
to determine anything. He can go big with Davis, Wallace and
Randolph on the front line and Wells in the backcourt. He can
go small with Wells at small forward and Anderson at shooting
guard.
The rotation will include Davis, Wallace, Randolph, Wells,
Stoudamire, Anderson, Ruben Patterson, Jeff McInnis and Qyntel
Woods. Rookie Travis Outlaw could start the season on the
injured list. Ruben Boumtje Boumtje has a slight edge over
Mamadou N'Diaye for the backup center spot. That leaves a
spot for a shooting small forward -- either Tracy Murray or
Scott Padgett -- and a fifth guard.
Murray, the 32-year-old veteran cast away by the L.A. Lakers
after a dismal 2002-03 season, has made 12 of 23 shots, including
4 of 10 from 3-point range, and scored 30 points in 48 minutes
of the preseason. Padgett, a free agent let go by Utah, has made
5 of 9 shots, including 1 of 2 from 3-point range, and scored
13 points in 36 minutes. Advantage Tracy.
"I am just trying to play the way I know I can play," Murray
says. "I am not going to try to put too much pressure on myself
over what is at stake, because then you play thinking about
it. I can't do that."
Veteran Robert Pack would seem to have a lock on the final
guard's berth, but he has played poorly -- 0 for 7 from the
field, 2 for 4 from the line, with one assist and five turnovers
in 31 minutes. Pack looked nervous in Redmond, throwing up
one shot from the foul line that caught no iron.
"I have to get into a rhythm of going out and just playing
instead of worrying about running the show," Pack says. "I
know what I am capable of doing."
http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=20915
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這篇文章有點早了，所以有些內容會和前面PO的文章（時間比這
篇晚的）有所衝突，儘量以最新的文章為主。
--
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