Blazers coach plays defense

KG-MVP21 · 08-06-2006, 11:16 PM

He says any rap on Telfair is unfair

There might be some Sebastian Telfair critics out there, but don't look for any parting shots from Nate McMillan, the coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. He had Telfair for one season and says he really likes the kid.

The decision to trade Telfair to the Celtics was based more on what style the Trail Blazers want to play rather than any perceived deficiencies in the point guard. That's McMillan's assessment of the deal, which brought Raef LaFrentz, Dan Dickau, and the No. 7 pick (which ended up being Brandon Roy after a deal) to Portland for Telfair and Theo Ratliff.

``We had to make a decision," said McMillan. ``In our minds, Sebastian was the future, but did the combination of Sebastian and Zach Randolph work? And do the players we have fit the style of play that Sebastian brings to the floor? They don't."

With all the teams that hope to run these days, the Trail Blazers are looking to go in the other direction. Because of Randolph, a monster in the low post, they have opted to slow it down and become more of a halfcourt team. (In truth, most teams that say they want to run end up being halfcourt teams, for a variety of reasons, from lack of rebounding to lack of commitment to the running game.)

``Sebastian is a Ferrari and Zach is an 18-wheeler," McMillan said. ``And that Ferrari is running while the 18-wheeler is saying, `Hold up.' Even though they were two young guys and the core of our group, it really wasn't working. We had to make a decision: build around Sebastian or build around Zach. And the decision was to build around Zach."
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What McMillan didn't say is that the decision also made economic sense because Randolph has a huge contract and, frankly, has shown some character issues that basically make him untradeable.

But what about the fact that, in the end, Telfair couldn't even supplant the since-traded (Milwaukee) Steve Blake? How could that not be construed as some kind of indictment of Telfair? Again, McMillan said, it was a combination of Telfair getting hurt, the coach experimenting with his young guards (Juan Dixon also was in the mix), and the decision to play a slower-paced style.

``It wasn't so much that Steve beat out Sebastian," McMillan said. ``Sebastian got hurt. We were experimenting. I like all three of them. I could have kept them all, but we couldn't do that. Don't look at it like [Blake beating out Telfair].

``Boston got a good player and a kid with a heart. He's fearless. He wants to take the big shots. Once he consistently learns to knock down his perimeter shot, it will be very difficult to defend him."

The Celtics want to play an up-tempo style, and in Telfair they have a player whose natural position is point guard and who is at his best when the game is more of a free-wheeling style.

``I think Sebastian will do extremely well in Boston," McMillan said. ``He can play with their wings. He'll be able to push the ball and have the wings play with him.

``We don't have great perimeter shooters. That took away from Sebastian's game, his ability to create and drive. I'll give him credit: He tried to play the way we wanted to play. But it tied him down. It didn't allow him the freedom to get up and down the court and create.

``So we had to make a decision: big or small. We felt like our bigs were the ones we were going to build around. Telfair and Zach, it just didn't mesh well. But I think it will work for him in Boston."

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08-06-2006, 11:16 PM	#1 (permalink)
KG-MVP21 All Star Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Catalonia Posts: 2,503	He says any rap on Telfair is unfair There might be some Sebastian Telfair critics out there, but don't look for any parting shots from Nate McMillan, the coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. He had Telfair for one season and says he really likes the kid. The decision to trade Telfair to the Celtics was based more on what style the Trail Blazers want to play rather than any perceived deficiencies in the point guard. That's McMillan's assessment of the deal, which brought Raef LaFrentz, Dan Dickau, and the No. 7 pick (which ended up being Brandon Roy after a deal) to Portland for Telfair and Theo Ratliff. ``We had to make a decision," said McMillan. ``In our minds, Sebastian was the future, but did the combination of Sebastian and Zach Randolph work? And do the players we have fit the style of play that Sebastian brings to the floor? They don't." With all the teams that hope to run these days, the Trail Blazers are looking to go in the other direction. Because of Randolph, a monster in the low post, they have opted to slow it down and become more of a halfcourt team. (In truth, most teams that say they want to run end up being halfcourt teams, for a variety of reasons, from lack of rebounding to lack of commitment to the running game.) ``Sebastian is a Ferrari and Zach is an 18-wheeler," McMillan said. ``And that Ferrari is running while the 18-wheeler is saying, `Hold up.' Even though they were two young guys and the core of our group, it really wasn't working. We had to make a decision: build around Sebastian or build around Zach. And the decision was to build around Zach." Pop-up The earning power of women What McMillan didn't say is that the decision also made economic sense because Randolph has a huge contract and, frankly, has shown some character issues that basically make him untradeable. But what about the fact that, in the end, Telfair couldn't even supplant the since-traded (Milwaukee) Steve Blake? How could that not be construed as some kind of indictment of Telfair? Again, McMillan said, it was a combination of Telfair getting hurt, the coach experimenting with his young guards (Juan Dixon also was in the mix), and the decision to play a slower-paced style. ``It wasn't so much that Steve beat out Sebastian," McMillan said. ``Sebastian got hurt. We were experimenting. I like all three of them. I could have kept them all, but we couldn't do that. Don't look at it like [Blake beating out Telfair]. ``Boston got a good player and a kid with a heart. He's fearless. He wants to take the big shots. Once he consistently learns to knock down his perimeter shot, it will be very difficult to defend him." The Celtics want to play an up-tempo style, and in Telfair they have a player whose natural position is point guard and who is at his best when the game is more of a free-wheeling style. ``I think Sebastian will do extremely well in Boston," McMillan said. ``He can play with their wings. He'll be able to push the ball and have the wings play with him. ``We don't have great perimeter shooters. That took away from Sebastian's game, his ability to create and drive. I'll give him credit: He tried to play the way we wanted to play. But it tied him down. It didn't allow him the freedom to get up and down the court and create. ``So we had to make a decision: big or small. We felt like our bigs were the ones we were going to build around. Telfair and Zach, it just didn't mesh well. But I think it will work for him in Boston."