Blazers' overhaul sets the bar

Even without No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden, the Trail Blazers have won 12 in a row.

By JERRY ZGODA, Star Tribune

Last update: December 29, 2007 - 12:05 AM

PORTLAND, ORE. -- The Portland Trail Blazers provided more than opposition for the Timberwolves on Friday night at Rose Garden. They provided inspiration, perhaps even a blueprint.

The Blazers have stockpiled 11 former first-round draft picks -- eight of them picked with the ninth selection or higher, four of them third or higher -- and last summer traded away talented but trouble-prone Zach Randolph.

In the process, they have gone from three consecutive losing seasons to a 17-12 record that includes a league-best 12-game winning streak after they defeated the Wolves 109-98.

"It's just a matter of patience, and they've been patient here," Wolves coach Randy Wittman said. "They took last year and looked at the pieces they had. They made the decision after last year that they want to go forward with that group of guys, they trade Randolph. And I guess you could say they were lucky enough to get the No. 1 pick [Ohio State's Greg Oden, out for the season following summer knee surgery]. Even though he hasn't played, that's another piece that people don't realize they have. "

Wittman compares the Trail Blazers' work a season ago to his team's situation this season.

"That's the process we're in," he said. "We've got to figure out who we're going to move forward with, decide what pieces we're going to keep and what pieces we're going to change and do that. They've done a good job. Give them a lot of credit."

On the road back

Wittman brought guards Marko Jaric and Rashad McCants off the bench for the second consecutive game; each player is recovering from the flu.

"Sitting in bed and not playing for eight days, that's hard on your body," Wittman said, referring to Jaric's three-game absence. "Heck, the All-Star break is hard on these guys when they go away for three days. Day after the All-Star break, you have to go all out and do a lot of running in practice because their bodies are used to doing something every day."

Portland, revisited

Wolves guard Sebastian Telfair returned Friday to play against the team that chose him straight out of Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., with the 13th overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft.

He played two seasons there before the Blazers traded him to Boston. He said the winning streak his former team is on doesn't surprise him in the least.

"It's the NBA, that's what teams do," Telfair said. "Some teams be down and they come back up, and there's going to be a time like that for us."

I beg your pardon ...

Looks like the Wolves are playing their final games at the Rose Garden this season. By next fall, they might arrive at Fred Meyer Forum or Nike Center or maybe Intel Arena.

The Blazers have started a naming-rights search for the arena, one of only six in the NBA not sponsored by a corporation. Charlotte, New Orleans, Milwaukee, New York and Detroit are the others. The team hopes to reach a deal in time for the 2008-09 season.

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