Blazers get homework

On the NBA • Nate McMillan has some ideas for players’ summer vacation

By kerry eggers

The Portland Tribune, Apr 18, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (5 Reader comments)

Blazer coach Nate McMillan held exit interviews this week with his players, giving them each a few assignments for the offseason.

Sam Forencich / Getty Images

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On Thursday, Trail Blazer coach Nate McMillan and General Manager Kevin Pritchard held a team meeting, then went through individual exit interviews with each of the 13 players.

Each conversation – from 15 to 30 minutes long – included a review of the season, McMillan’s offseason assignments for the player and expectations for next season. It was a chance for each player to ask questions and express concerns about his future with the organization, if any.

McMillan enjoys a good relationship with all of his players and never expects any adversarial discussions, but you never know.

“I’ve had guys in the past who didn’t even show up,” he says. “That sends you a message right there.”

In general, McMillan tells every player the same thing in regard to the offseason – stay in shape, get stronger and quicker, do a lot of shooting. The Blazers were vastly improved from a year ago in 3-point percentage (.378 after .346 in 2006-07) but slid from second in the NBA in that category to seventh over the last two months.

Portland finished virtually the same as last season in three other major categories – scoring (95.4 after 94.1 the previous season), field-goal percentage (.449 versus .450) and free-throw percentage (.768 to .769). Offense remains an issue, “and shooting is something each player can focus on during the offseason,” McMillan says.

“You don’t want these guys doing a lot of scrimmaging over the summer,” he adds. “They play such a long season, and they need the rest.”

There will be one overriding message: The next step is the playoffs.

“We’ll tell all the guys to strengthen their bodies and be ready to play 82-plus games next season,” McMillan says. “Not 82 – 82-plus.”

• For the next couple of weeks, Brandon Roy will return with his family to their recently bought home in Renton, Wash., and rest. The All-Star guard needs to allow his body to recover from a long season and the effects of physical defense and double-teams designed to slow down the Blazers’ best player.

Then Roy will begin preparing for next season.

“I want Brandon to work on the 3-point shot and on his free throws,” McMillan says, “but mainly I want him to build his core strength. He takes a pounding during the season, and that will help him weather it next season.”

Roy has his plan mapped out.

“I’ll do some strength and conditioning stuff,” he says. “I don’t want to put weight on, but I’ll try to strengthen my body. I’ll do a lot of shooting – midrange shooting, too, because I take a lot of bangs going to the hoop. I’ll work on adjusting a little bit and do some more pull-up (jump shots) to help ease the pounding on my body.”

Roy will do that during scrimmage sessions at the University of Washington’s Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

“I’ll be smart with it, but I’ll definitely scrimmage,” Roy says. “I like the one-on-one part of it.”

As a rookie, Roy shot free throws at an .838 clip. This season, he dipped to .755 from the line, sometimes missing during key stretches of games. He got plenty of advice and believes his ensuing experimentation proved costly.

“I started off kind of slow and had a lot of people tell me, ‘Do this, do that,’ ” Roy says. “I changed my routine a little, and that kind of messed me up. Next year, I’ll work on one strategy and stick with it rather than trying three or four.”

• Greg Oden has two major missions – renew pursuit of a degree at Ohio State and continue with rehabilitation of the knee that underwent microfracture surgery last September.

“I’m going to take some summer-school classes and live in Columbus,” says the 7-foot center, who has dropped his finance major and now is undecided. “I just want my degree. I got about three-fourths of a year in but had to drop out (spring term of 2007). Might as well start now.”

Oden says he will work out with Dave Richardson, Ohio State’s strength and conditioning coach.

“I’m just trying to get the knee back – that’s all I’m really worried about,” Oden says. “Want to get back out there on the floor.”

Oden is likely to return to Portland for a training camp prior to summer league in Las Vegas, but he won’t be playing any of the games. Nor does he expect to scrimmage until the Blazers open training camp in October.

The knee feels “all right now, but it’s not 100 percent,” he says. “By training camp, I’m hoping for 90 to 95 percent.”

• LaMarcus Aldridge won over his coach with a second season that thrusts him into the conversation for the league’s most improved player award.

“LaMarcus has shown the potential to become a dominant player in this league,” McMillan says. “Very few players can dominate both ends of the floor. He has shown he can score. His defense has been average, but he has great potential there. I think he’ll be able to do it defensively as well as offensively.

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