Dickau Nearing Full Strength
posted: 9/12/2006 at 9:35 PM
It was another lively day of pick-up games at the Trail Blazers' practice facility in Tualatin, as the players continue to arrive to get set for training camp. Once again today, there were Blazer players, and others taking part, including Luke Jackson, Stephen Graham, Mike Wilks, Steve Blake, Desmond Mason, and Fred Jones, among others.
The Blazers involved included, Brandon Roy, Travis Outlaw, Dan Dickau, Sergio Rodriguez, Martell Webster, Raef LaFrentz, Zach Randolph, and Jarrett Jack. LaMarcus Aldridge was on hand, but due to his recent shoulder surgery, didn't take part in the pick-up games, but instead just worked on his conditioning and lower body with traininer Jay Jensen, and stength coach Bobby Medina.
Every day it seems someone else stands out, and today, in my opinion, Dickau had a great performance. We talked yesterday about Sergio, and how well he looked on his first day, and he indeed looked good again. But, today I tried to focus a little more on Dickau.
Honestly, I really wasn't watching him closely until I spent a few minutes with Blake, who was taking a game off to talk about the play with me. We were just talking about a few of the players, and Steve said to me, "don't automatically think the starting point guard job has been won," referring to all the compliments handed out about Jarrett as of late. I gave Steve a long look, hoping he would continue, and he did. "Dan looks terrific," Blake said, referring to Dickau, of course. Right on cue, Dickau received a nice pass and drilled a three pointer from the corner. Blake said, "Dan can really play. He has suprised me, maybe more than anyone." Now,
I can give you my opinion during these workouts, but it obviously means more coming from someone who's actually in the games. And, being Steve is no longer a member of the Trail Blazers, his opinion is pretty unbiased.
Dickau missed most of last season after he ruptured his Achilles tendon and had to have surgery. He was then involved in the draft-day trade that sent Sebastian Telfair and Theo Ratliff to Boston, for Dickau, LaFrentz, and the seventh pick in the draft. Dan has done everything perfectly, as expected, since the trade. He was thrilled to return home, and has been making the most of the opportunity. He made a trip to the summer league in Las Vegas, has been at the facility just about every day working out, and has been an absolute gem for the organization in the community. He was involved with Antonio Harvey's recent trip to the Gulf Coast to raise awareness and provide hurricane relief.
When we spoke to Dan in Vegas, he told us he was coming along nicely following Achilles surgery, which is major, and requires a big-time rehab effort. He said then he was hoping to be nearing full strength by training camp, and if this week's workouts are any indication, he's ahead of schedule. I've talked to others in the organization who have told me not to be suprised if Dickau gets major minutes at the point early in the season. Again, in Blake's opinion, Dickau is good enough to perhaps even handle a starting role.
Speaking of that position, I have to again comment on Jarrett Jack, and tell you how good he has looked. We've talked about this a lot, but Jack is now playing on two legs, as opposed to last season when his ankle was far from healthy. The most impressive thing about Jarrett so far has been his outside shot. He has consistently drilled the 15-18 footer, and is much quicker than the player you saw last season. He's also bulked up, while actually losing weight. He attributes this to being able to push the surgically-repaired ankle harder in workouts.
I talked to Raef LaFrentz for a moment today while he was in the weight room before the games got underway. We were basically talking about his new home in Tualatin, and how he was settling into the area. I couldn't help noticing how ripped up his upper body seems to be. I asked him about his work on the weights, and he smiled, perhaps taking a little pride in his new and improved pipes.
One quick story about Jarrett, and I'm out. A good friend of mine, was on a flight with Jarrett from Atlanta a little over a week ago. My friend flew down for the Cal-Tenneesee football game (the Bears got completely waxed, but I didn't go there with him), and Jarrett had just watched the Georgia Tech-Notre Dame game. My friend told me Jarrett brought a basketball on the plane, and, like a responsible traveler, put it in the overhead bin during take off. But I was suprised to hear that during the flight Jarrett actually took the ball out of storage, and began dribbling it, while seated,
during the flight. Jack then would occasionally lean forward in his seat and, with his legs out, would go back and forth, dribbling between his legs. In first class you can do just about whatever you want, of course, and apparently no one cared about the constant "thud, thud, thud, thud," from the ball being pounded in the aisle (nice that he had an aisle seat, by the way. I'm not sure what would have happened if he had been in the window seat). When the flight arrived in Portland, Jarrett dribbled the ball off the flight, up the jetway, and all the way to baggage claim. While waiting for his bags, Jarrett found a spot where he had some room, and was actually practicing his crossover. I know you're thinking I made this up, but my buddy swears it's true. I just heard this story over dinner, and you can bet I'm asking Jarrett about it on Wednesday. I'll let you know what he says about it. Jack has told me in the past that he slept with a ball when he was young, and his mother backs up that story. This is taking even that to a whole new level.
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jarret jack, dan dickau , sergio rodriguez.. is this the order to play this year? starting line for jarret, dickau from the bench? and sergio with the rubbish minutes? what do you expect Nate will do?
thanks a lot for your blog! it´s the best way to know step by step the team from spain.
Hey MB,
It's so great to be able to come here and read articles on the Blazers! Has the Blazers thought of getting more writers to do this? I'm a big Cowboy fan and they have a writer that replies to questions from fans once a week. Have you thought about doing something like that?
Thanks again!
Dan Dickua has great potential, and his love of Portland is obvious. The coaching staff should be able to use these facts to push Dan to acheive greatness, for the team, and the state of Oregon.
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