The Oregonian McMINNVILLE -- As the Trail Blazers' first practice of the 2005-06 season neared its end, each of the 15 players in training camp went to the line and shot two free throws. For each miss, all of the Blazers had to sprint to the other end of the court and back. Zach Randolph started the session by making his two, but soon misses started slipping in, forcing players into sprints which, in turn, made subsequent free throws harder. At one point, veteran forward Ruben Patterson, who played for McMillan when McMillan was an assistant coach with the Seattle SuperSonics, yelled playfully, "I don't remember this in Seattle!" And no one could remember it in Portland, either. The Nate McMillan era began Tuesday, and the differences were many, starting with location. The Blazers are holding training camp away from their Tualatin practice facility for the first time since P.J. Carlesimo was coach. Instead, they are spending this week sequestered in McMinnville, where they are practicing at Linfield College's Ted Wilson Gymnasium. Guard Juan Dixon, who spent the previous three seasons playing for the Washington Wizards, mentioned that everyone he asked in Portland came up with the same nightclub recommendation. In D.C., he said, the choices were plentiful. In McMinnville, the choices are nonexistent, which is exactly the way McMillan wanted it. Source
Yes!!! It seems like Nate is finally gonna turn the JailBlazers back to the Trailblazers. Darius is my boy and I think he's finally gonna show more improvement than he did in his previous years, why? Nate's here, Darius doesnt seem like a headcase no more, and the teams young needing veteran leadership. Darius may be young but he's a veteran so he can bring that.
