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Trail Blazers at a Glance Coach: Maurice Cheeks Last Year: 49-33 (Stats) Key Additions: SG Antonio Daniels, C Amal McCaskill, PG Jeff McInnis, C Arvydas Sabonis, SG Charles Smith, SF Qyntel Woods Key Losses: PG Erick Barkley, PF Shawn Kemp, SG Steve Kerr Projected Starters PG Jeff McInnis SG Bonzi Wells SF Scottie Pippen PF Rasheed Wallace C Dale Davis Key Subs PG Damon Stoudamire SG Derek Anderson SF Ruben Patterson C Arvydas Sabonis

By John Hollinger, CNNSI.com

Portland finished the season strongly a year ago, and after their annual roster reshuffle, the Blazers once again look like one of the better teams in the Western Conference. Bob Whitsitt's offseason deal-making brought in Jeff McInnis and Antonio Daniels to challenge for a point guard spot that was a weakness a year ago. Arvydas Sabonis apparently will rejoin the fray, and youngsters Zach Randolph and Qyntel Woods also may be ready to contribute.

Bench strength has been par far the course for the Blazers over the past decade, and this year will be no exception. Ruben Patterson and Derek Anderson are both Sixth Man candidates, and the bench roster of those two plus Sabonis, Randolph, Woods, Daniels, Charles Smith and Damon Stoudamire could win 25 or 30 games on their own.

Unfortunately, the Blazers lack the star power of some of the other teams in the conference, and the de rigeur whining over minutes as the season progresses is an annual consequence of their depth.

Rasheed Wallace, F -- Except for one person, everyone on the Blazers agrees that Rasheed Wallace should get the rock nearly every time down on the floor. Unfortunately, that one person is Wallace.

The game's most reluctant star, Wallace constantly drifts out to the perimeter and waves off plays designed for him. In spite of that, he is still easily the Blazers' best player. His combination of length, agility and shooting prowess makes him virtually unguardable when he is demanding the ball. He has added range on his shot every year, although as an unfortunate consequence, it gives him more incentive to wander around the 3-point line.

Defensively, his long arms and quickness make him one of the game's best power forwards. Blazer fans just have to hope Wallace will be as aggressive toward offense as he is toward the referees, because otherwise he will continue to fall short of his considerable potential.

Scottie Pippen, SF -- He's one of the game's 50 greatest players, but that may be part of the problem for Portland this season. Pippen is still an adequate player, especially handling the ball, but his superstar reputation makes it hard for the Blazers to justify reducing his role on the team.

Clearly, however, that is what they must do. At this point in their respective careers, Ruben Patterson is a far better player, and leaving him on the pine so Pippen can get 30 minutes a night doesn't make any sense. Essentially, Pippen's reputation is keeping a superior player out of Portland's lineup.

Making matters worse is that Pippen doesn't have a reputation as Mr. Congeniality, and would likely take a demotion kicking and screaming. But the case for Patterson is overwhelming. He shot 52 percent last year and outscored Pippen in 10 fewer minutes a night, and is a tough defender as well. A key test for Maurice Cheeks this season is whether he succumbs to Pippen's reputation (and moodiness) or pulls the trigger on a move that puts the team's five best players on the floor.

Will the circus ever end?

Is there a Blazer who doesn't have a rap sheet? Leading the way is Wallace -- most famous for setting the technical-fouls record, treating Sabonis as if he were a 7-foot-3 cabaña boy, and nearly going Sprewell on Mike Dunleavy two years ago -- but he's not alone. Ruben Patterson, Bonzi Wells, Damon Stoudamire, Scottie Pippen, Dale Davis and even youngsters Zach Randolph and Qyntel Woods have had their moments in the sun. Adding to the fun, newcomers Daniels and McInnis were both considered locker-room cancers in their last stops.

The best thing for the Blazers this year would be a nice, quiet season, without words like "alleged," "assailant" and "grams" showing up in stories about their players. Cheeks will have his hands full keeping everyone on the same page, because the Blazers once again have more quality players than roster spots. In addition to a potential imbroglio with Pippen, the Damon Stoudamire situation bears watching, and Derek Anderson may not be a happy camper, either.

Good, but not great

Fast Facts • Portland's 890 offensive rebounds last year were the fewest in the NBA. • Scottie Pippen's 5.9 assists per game last year was the highest mark among NBA forwards.

Portland's depth is once again outstanding. The Blazers have three decent options at every position on the floor, which is something few teams in the NBA can claim. The difference between them and a team like Sacramento is the talent level of the key players. Wallace is excellent, but less than what he could be, while the other spots are manned by players who are decent but hardly All-Stars.

The outstanding depth should get this team close to 50 wins once again, but it's hard to imagine the Blazers doing much in the Western Conference playoffs when their star talent is so far beneath that of the other contenders.