Scout's Take

On the up-and-down play of the Trail Blazers:

"Talent is their strength and their weakness. They were put together with no regard for how the pieces fit, making a tough job for their coaching staff. There are so many players who are so versatile that it's hard for their roles to be defined. That's why their poorest possessions are those 'in-between ones,' when they don't get a quick basket in transition but they're not yet into their sets. Now [coach] Mike Dunleavy is back to calling a lot of the plays and trying to get them to play with more structure. The biggest question is, which point guard are they going to settle on: Damon Stoudamire or Rod Strickland. If you asked me which one I would rather not play against, I would say—you're not going to believe this—Strickland."