Rolling on without roles

Beneath the glitz and glamour, mounds of money and stylishly souped-up rides of the Portland Trail Blazers, there is a much less desirable reality.

Life for Zach Randolph, Brandon Roy and company may seem like a worriless walk in the park, but the recent wave of stern coaching tactics by head coach Nate McMillan has transformed this dream into a blurred nightmare.

Imagine strolling into work each day without having any direction from your boss on how to contribute or any notion of whether your services are even needed. You are clueless, not sure if you will lift a finger all day or when you might be thrown into the mix to make something happen.

Welcome to the life of a Portland Trail Blazer.

In the past couple of weeks, McMillan and the Blazers have lost any semblance of a rotation. On any given night, eight to 11 players can be assured that at some point the warm-ups are coming off and they are going to play. Night in and night out, it’s a guessing game as to which players will play considerable minutes, start the second half or be on the floor for the waning moments of the fourth quarter.

And this so-called guessing game doesn’t end at the wooden double-doors of Portland’s locker room. No, inside those symbolic barriers to the public rest 14 millionaire players who are just as confused as those on the outside. These players never know when it’s going to be their night to shine or simply get the dreaded cramps from sitting on the pine all night.

There are two pieces of this sudden rotation-guessing fiasco that make me wonder if players aren’t really picking straws for playing time before the opening tip.

First of all, this isn’t the least bit normal for professional athletes. Sure, Portland is the second youngest team in the NBA, but each of these players deserves to be treated like a professional, and not some 12-year-old fighting for minutes on his YMCA squad. Secondly-breaking news, Nate-the weather is chilly and it isn’t July any longer. Your team is in the middle of the NBA season, not summer-league action. By this point, McMillan should have a feel for which personnel to have on the floor.

Take the pre-game debacle in Friday night’s 95-87 win over Sacramento. Starting point guard Jarrett Jack was injured in a car accident earlier in the day, so obviously he wouldn’t be starting. The question then became, who will start in his place? Once again the answer seemed obvious, none other than his backup Sergio Rodriguez. Wrong.

In a curve ball with more of a hook than anything Barry Zito has ever dealt, McMillan went with Dan Dickau, the same guy who had been inactive for an eight-game stretch this season. If that doesn’t say, “There is no insurance on this roster,” I am not sure what does. In McMillan’s defense, the Blazers won and Dickau was in double figures. However, it was Juan Dixon and not Dickau that won that game.

It is widely known that McMillan prefers larger, more physical guards, which is why 6-foot-3, 164-pound Dixon has taken a severely reduced role this season. In Jack’s absence, Dixon was given more minutes to prove his worth. In nearly 26 minutes, he scored 21 points on key buckets and added a pair of assists. Randolph may have trumped him with an ordinary 23-point outing, but the entire buzz was about Dixon making a mark when given the opportunity.

“The difference was the opportunity. I got some looks today,” Dixon said. “I want to be a big contributor. I want to contribute big time. But, there are times when it isn’t there. Yeah, it’s extremely hard for each guy in this locker room to play without a role. Some guys don’t know if they are going to play or not. I just want to know how many minutes I’m getting each night.”

In Portland’s next game, a 109-93 loss to Denver on Sunday night, once again McMillan’s roster was turned on its head. Only two starters, Randolph and Roy, played more minutes than five bench players.

Starters Dickau, Ime Udoka and Joel Przybilla played less than 15 minutes apiece, showing another recent trend in McMillan’s lack of tolerance for mediocre play. If you don’t perform spectacularly, look for a quick exit. Although this time, McMillan went too far. He reduced the starters’ playing time so significantly that the 20 points Portland’s starting five mustered up was the third fewest by a home team since 1976.

This is supposed to be the point in the season where there should be more answers than questions, making for what should be some interesting upcoming weeks at One Center Court, where some answers may finally come.