highly unlikely bro... 2s and 3s are loaded... webster/outlaw/batum/roy/fernandez
1s are blake and miller.. with a backup for bayless and mills..
bayless and mills would get a maximum 6-8 minutes per game among themselves if they're lucky.. blake can play 30m/gm and miller can do that as well.. roy sometimes plays the 1 and might play with webster and fernandez on occasion if they want to go small
Udoka released, disappointed
The Trail Blazers informed Ime Udoka yesterday that he will be waived on Thursday in favor of injured rookie point guard Patrick Mills. The journeyman was disappointed because he tought he had made the team.
"I've been through a lot in my career, and after all I've been through, I kind of thought these times were behind me," Udoka told The Oregonian. "But I'm not going to sit around and be depressed. I've worked this hard and put in the work, and I have to be ready for the next opportunity. All I can do is hope one comes up."
"I was a little surprised and disappointed," Udoka said. "But it's something I have been thinking about since they signed Mills. That was definitely a twist. All of the sudden, it wasn't about me and Jarron Collins."
Great News for Mills today. Blazers are keeping him on the roster and waiving Udoka instead. Again, surely the Blazers have to move a point guard as they are stacked and the only job Mills will have is to high five teammates on the sideline.
The ALDRIDGE signing of an extension capped a busy day for the Blazers. Earlier, they waived forward Ime Udoka and center Jarron Collins, bringing their roster to 15 players for the start of the season next week.
Both Udoka and Collins were vying for the 15th spot, which went to draft pick Patty Mills, who is out with a broken foot.
Udoka has played five seasons in the NBA, including a previous stint in Portland. He averaged 6.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 18.8 minutes in five preseason games.
Collins, who played eight years with the Utah Jazz, played in four preseason games with an average of 3.5 points, two rebounds and 14 minutes.
Mills fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during practice in the offseason. It is not clear when he will return.
After starring for Australia in the Beijing Olympics and for Saint Mary's in college, Mills was selected by the Blazers with the 55th overall pick in the NBA draft.
The 6-foot, 175-pound Mills averaged career highs of 18.7 points, 4.0 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 steals during his sophomore season with the Gaels before deciding to turn pro.
Mills inks 2 year deal with Blazers
23.10.09
Australian point guard Patty Mills has beaten out two NBA veterans to secure the fifteenth and final spot on the Portland Trailblazers roster for the 2009/10 NBA season.
Signed by Portland last Saturday to a one-year non-guaranteed contract for the rookie minimum, Mills remained in a three-way battle for the final roster spot and could still have been waived by the franchise prior to the start of the season on October 27.
Despite being unable to take the court as the rehab on his broken foot continues, Mills won the battle when he was chosen ahead of veterans Ime Udoka and Jarron Collins.
The Blazers’ front office today announced that they had signed the Canberra native to a two-year guaranteed contract and while the terms of the contract were not disclosed it is estimated that he will earn just under $US1 million by June 2011.
''This is amazing, it's such a good feeling,'' a relieved Mills said.
''It feels like I finally got the gorilla off my back.
''It was a massive gorilla and there were times when I thought I wasn't going to make it, but finally I've got rid of it and now I just want to be part of the team.''
Mills still has a lot of work to do before he makes his debut in the world’s premier basketball league.
He will most likely spend time in the NBA’s Development League, or D-League, with Portland’s feeder club Idaho Stampede to get back to match fitness.
If all goes well and he joins the Blazers in the regular season as expected there are three highly rated point guards on the roster that will demand court time ahead of the untested rookie.
But if Mills’ performances in big games are anything to go by, he will shine when the spotlight focuses on him.
It was two such big game performances – Mills’ equal team high 13 points in a pre-Olympic exhibition match for the Boomers against the US in Shanghai on August 5th last year and Mills’ team high 20 points against the US at the Olympic Games – that probably secured him the Portland deal.
TrailBlazers Head Coach Nate McMillan is an Assistant Coach with Team USA and saw both performances first hand from courtside.
Four Australians – former number one draft pick Andrew Bogut (Milwaukee), power forward David Andersen (Houston), indigenous pioneer Nathan Jawai (Minnesota) and Mills – will compete in the NBA this season.
The NBA regular season opens on October 28, Australian time.
By Bill Baxter for Basketball Australia
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