The Portland Trail Blazers begin their 2013 Las Vegas Summer League tonight at 5:30 PM against the Phoenix Suns at Thomas & Mack. You can watch live by purchasing Summer League Pass or wait for the tape-delayed broadcast at 10 PM on NBA TV.
Some notes from this morning's shootaround ...
-- Portland assistant coaches David Vanterpool and Nate Tibbetts will take turns acting as the team's head coach during Summer League, with Vanterpool drawing tonight's opener against the Suns. And you can tell he's ready for the task, as he was already in midseason form when it comes to being coy about the starting lineup.
"We kind of reserve the right to decide at game time," said Vanterpool, "so we're keeping that close. I've got some ideas in my head."
It's to assume that CJ McCollum, Victor Claver and Meyers Leonard will start at the point, small forward and center, respectively. But it's not clear if Will Barton or Allen Crabbe will start at shooting guard, no is it a guarantee that Thomas Robinson will start at power forward over Joel Freeland. I'd give an edge to Barton and Robinson getting the nod.
It's only natural for Vanterpool to decline comment on the starting lineup seeing as how his boss, head coach Terry Stotts, typically does the same. And there's one other factor that makes Vanterpool's reticence unsurprising.
"I was in Oklahoma City before this," said Vanterpool, a reference to the Thunders' notoriously tight-lipped stance when it comes to media. "I can't help it."
One thing Vanterpool did make clear is Damian Lillard, despite being on the roster, will not play tonight against the Suns. Everyone else under contract will see significant time.
Said Vanterpool: "We're here to win, we want to win, so our guys are definitely going to play so you'll get a chance to see the guys who were here last year as well as the draft picks. They'll definitely play a lot of minutes."
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