Wednesday, July 13, 2005

With my esteemed colleague Mike Barrett leaving us in Vegas to return to Portland to reconnect with his wife Shelly and their newborn son, Jack, this daily diary now becomes my responsibility for the rest of summer league.

After canceling their scheduled practice on Monday, the Blazers did workout on Tuesday, another off-day from game competition. Sebastian Telfair did practice, even with the sore right wrist he hurt in the Dallas game on Sunday. Forward Ira Clark, who strained a hamstring in the first summer league game, also worked out and should be available for the Cleveland game tonight. Nate McMillian was very involved at Tuesday's practice and it's easy to see that he's already starting to wield his influence.

Speaking of Cleveland, I went over to Cox Pavilion to watch the Cavs play Boston. Cleveland won again and so they'll be 4-0 when they meet the Blazers this evening. Former Duck Luke Jackson is leading the Cavs in scoring in the summer league at 10.5 PPG, though he's shooting just 32% from the field.

Saw LeBron James at the Cavs-Celtics game on Tuesday. He sat away from the majority of fans that recognized him pretty quickly. Sebastian walked into the arena shortly thereafter and joined LeBron for some meaningful conversation. Now THAT would have been a good photo opportunity. I've noticed Sebastian always looks comfortable in settings like that one, settings that would make most young players uneasy.

Well, we'll see if the Blazers can bounce back from their first loss here in Vegas on Sunday. Mike Rice, Jay Allen, and I will have the broadcast on our flagship radio station, NewsRadio 750 KXL-AM beginning with the pre-game show tonight at 10:00 PM. Hope you can join us, and I'll have another report after the game right here on Blazers.com! Have a great Wednesday!

Summer League Central

Day 2 Photo Gallery