SLAM DUNKS: F Zach Randolph (18.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg), outside of all the drama he brings off the court, is a very strong low post threat who demands double-teams on occasion and has a nice touch around the rim despite not being much of a leaper. Portland is willing to give him another chance at success. ... G Juan Dixon increased his scoring to 12.3 points from 8.0 the year before. With the departure of Blake, he now becomes the team's best 3-point shooter. ... Cs Magloire (9.2, 9.5) and Joel Przybilla (6.1, 7.0) give the club a two-headed monster at the pivot. Magloire adds a secondary post scorer while Przybilla contributes shotblocking and interior defense.

AIRBALLS: F Darius Miles (14.0) is a negative and may be able to succeed only on a strong veteran team who would put him in his place when he acts up. It's a shame, because he has worlds of talent. ... G Jarrett Jack (6.7 ppg, 2.8 apg) started at point guard in the preseason and may be an upgrade leadership-wise over Telfair. But neither he nor any of the other guards on this team are experienced enough to be floor generals right now. GUESSWORK: Aldridge, the second pick in the draft, and Roy, the sixth pick, were outstanding collegiate players. However, will they translate right away into good pros? Roy was as good as advertised in the Las Vegas Summer League, averaging 19.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting nearly 65 percent from the field. He should work his way into the regular rotation. Aldridge will have to get a lot stronger before he is ready to be a legitimate post threat, and his progress already has been stunted by a bad shoulder.

THINKING CAP: If ever a team could re-think signing a potential franchise player, the Trail Blazers would never have put such a huge contract extension in front of Randolph, who has had the dreaded microfracture surgery. The club still owes him over $73 million in the next five years, and in most people's eyes he will never be worth that amount. This franchise has the fifth-highest payroll in the NBA and could quite possibly be the worst team in the league. Besides Randolph, Miles is on the books for $34 million over the next four years and appears untradeable. By the way, Raef LaFrentz is owed $35 million through the 2008-09 season. Ouch!

D-LEAGUE CANDIDATE: Rodriguez

THE COACH SAYS: "We must show improvement on and off the court. We won 21 games last year and had to deal with on- and off-the-court issues. It's time for us to make the change and the only way for us to make the change is to change it. We won't wait, we can't afford it. That's our focus."