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When the distraction surrounding Greg Oden's long-anticipated return subsides, when Brandon Roy plays in a preseason game, one intriguing subplot will continue to enliven the Trail Blazers' training camp:
Who is the starting small forward on this playoff-hopeful team?
Even though coach Nate McMillan is downplaying its relevance and even though both candidates -- incumbent and favorite Martell Webster and challenger Travis Outlaw -- insist they will be happy either way, the fact remains that small forward is the only unsettled position in the Blazers' starting lineup.
"(Webster) knows I'm going to go at him; just like he wants the spot, I want the spot," Outlaw said. "But it's all good. I'm not going to try and kill him on a fast break. I may trip him up (laughs). But, nah, we're both just trying to make each other better. I'm willing to do what's best for the team and if that's me coming off the bench, trust me, I'll come off the bench."
Ultimately, McMillan's decision will hinge on who best fits into the first and second units, not who seems to be the best player. The Blazers need a starting small forward who is capable of playing lockdown defense, who can blend best with Oden, Roy and Aldridge, and perhaps more than anything, who can consistently drain long-range shots to spread the floor on offense.
Outlaw shot a career-best 40 percent from three-point range last season. Webster, who may have the prettiest shot on the team, shot 39 percent and drained a team-leading 123 three-pointers -- more than three times as many as Outlaw. Each, it seems, has an argument that they fit best as starter.
"I think it's good for the team that we have the two guys that can play that position," said McMillan, who added that Webster enters camp as the favorite. "I've spoken to them about the role of the small forward and I don't want them to get caught up in who's starting and who's coming off the bench. I want them to give us what we need at that position, which is defending, shooting, and rebounding. We'll figure out how to use them and we'll take advantage of what they do."
Outlaw blossomed into one of the NBA's best sixth men and developed into a deadly late-game force, sinking two game-winning shots and earning the nickname Mr. Fourth Quarter. He ranked third on the team in scoring (13.3 points per game) and McMillan labeled Outlaw's sixth-man presence one of the biggest developments of last season's resurgence.
But the wiry 6-foot-9 forward flourished, in part, because he was the offensive focal point of the second unit, a role that provided freedom and ample shot attempts (964) -- third-most on the team, in fact, some nearly 300 more than Webster (656). If Outlaw can blend as effortlessly with newcomers Rudy Fernandez and Jerryd Bayless, and other second-teamers such Sergio Rodriguez and Channing Frye, he may again fit best as a backup.
"I think he's good in that (sixth-man) role, because he can kind of come in with that unit and take his shots and be as aggressive as he wants," Roy said. "But if he's in there with me and LaMarcus, it may slow him down a little bit and he may have to think a little more instead of just going out there and playing. In the long run, it's about who's best for the team. We're trying to put the best team out there more than the best five individuals."
But, Webster has revealed his own deficiencies as a starter, which opens the door for debate. Webster made strides last season, when he started 70 games and logged the best statistics of his career, finishing with career-highs of 10.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. But, as he pointed out this week, he's mostly been "consistently inconsistent" during his three-year career.
To attain that ever-elusive trait, Webster overhauled his mental focus and day-to-day preparation this offseason, creating and following a monotonous daily routine that he plans to employ throughout the season. He would not reveal the details of his new routine, but he did note that part of it is working overtime at practice -- arriving an hour early and staying late to work on various aspects of his game with assistant coach Monty Williams.
"I've just been working on it every day, day in and day out, to the point where it's become boring," Webster said of his new routine. "That's how you keep consistent.
"I'm going to come in here mentally knowing that it's a war. Not only in practice, but in games, as well. Simply put. So I'm not going to let anything distract from that routine and I'm just going to keep doing it."
McMillan says Webster's mental transformation is a positive step of a larger journey toward NBA maturation. During the Blazers media day on Monday, multiple teammates -- including Outlaw -- said Webster was the most impressive performer during team pickup games leading into training camp. He seems more confident and prepared for this season than ever.
"It comes as you get experience in this league, when you get more confident in your ability," McMillan said. "You see what you need to work on. You know where your opportunities are coming from. You know the league and you're more comfortable with the league. He's settled. He can focus more on the game. That's what experience does for you."
Webster won the starting job last season with a strong training camp. It might take another strong preseason showing to wrestle the job away from Outlaw.
"I think a lot of it will come down to ... how can we best take advantage of what they do?" McMillan said. "How do they fit with the first unit and the second unit? That's pretty much what happened last year and I thought Martell had a better camp than any small forward we had last year and he earned the right to start...
"We're not making a big deal out of (who starts). Mainly it was talked about with Martell to put that bug in your ear to keep working, get better; we need you to get better. And (the starting spot is) not yours yet. So keep working. And Travis, go for it. We want that competition."
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