Steve Blake turning heads....

[THE HCP]

Can you imagine what it must be like for a rookie on the opening night in the NBA? I know Greg has played on the "big stage" before, so I'm sure he'll be OK. But man. Staples Center, Kobe, TNT. That's a lot of pressure. The idea of Blake with the 2nd unit kinda' makes sense. You might see him there by mid-season.

 

[BlazersBlood]

Considering Blake's hyper-competitive nature I wouldn't be surprised if the acquisition of these other guards only drove him harder; there's two ways to react as an athlete: elevate your game and rise to the challenge, or roll over and pout about it. From the sounds of things Blake chose the latter route versus the former ... which is great for him and great for the team. Now we wait and see if this translates to success on the court.

Great point and that only adds to the depth of the Blazers. But I believe Blake's limitations will keep him from seeing the court as much as he likes. We stuggled last year with getting easy buckets because Roy & Jack were the only players that could/would take it to the rack. KP saw this and got Bayless, and Rudy is fearless, so there goes some of Blake's minutes.

If he could shoot aroun 45% from three, then he could hold down his spot in the rotation to keep the floor spread.

 

[The_Lillard_King]

The Columbian: Blake: 'I feel really comfortable'

As you may have read in my column last week, the player who has been cited for being the most impressive during the preseason has been point guard Steve Blake.

And when Monday's media day rolled around, that opinion held firm. Several players cited Blake, including Channing Frye, the only Blazer other than Blake who lives in Portland during the offseason. The two worked out together regularly this summer, and spoke glowingly about Blake's progress, and agreed with the assessment Kevin Pritchard gave me last week when he said Blake is treating pickup games like they're the NBA Finals.


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Blake, as usual, dismissed the glowing reviews of his pick-up play. But he acknowledged that the consistency he has gained in Portland has helped him take his game to a new level. This year will be the first time since his rookie and sophomore years (in Washington) that Blake has been with the same team for consecutive years. And it will also be the first time in his career that he will enter training camp as the clear favorite to be the starting point guard.


"All the other teams, going into training camps, what are you going to have to learn about the offense?" Blake said. "What kind of new things are you going to have to figure out. I mean, I may be playing with some new guys, but I know the system. I know what coach Nate wants. So I'll just be able to improve that much faster from day one."


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"I feel really comfortable right now," Blake said. "Not as much pressure. So I'm a lot more relaxed. I just feel good about the situation I'm in, no matter what it is."


So does he feel he has taken his game to a new level?


"I feel like I have," he said. "But like I said, I haven't taken it there until I do it in a game. But I just physically feel like I'm in the best shape of my life. Just been working on everything trying to become a better player. And I think I have become a better player."