As one would guess, I was concerned about one thing and one thing only heading into this game: Lakersblog icon Von Wafer.  How's he doing?  Will he play tonight?  Is he still looking to chuck like the fate of Western Civilization depends on it?  After listening to some reporters pepper Nate McMillan with some trivial inquiries about Brandon Roy's health (he won't play tonight), who's starting at the 3 for Portland (Travis Outlaw) and his take on the Lakers (he considers them one of the best passing teams in the league and a squad that's "hitting on all cylinders"), I finally broached the important subject.  Whether McMillan felt comfortable yet with Von on the floor, given how little practice he's time he's had since Thursday's trade deadline.  "We've gone through some sets with him, in a situation like that, a week of basketball with the team is not enough time.  So "no," to answer your question." 

I gotta say something, and maybe it's just me.  I'm not a coach.  Nor do I claim to be one.  Nor do I claim to know more about basketball than a dude who's coached steadily in the NBA since the 2000-2001 season.  But good lord, man!  How are you ever gonna learn what you have in this cat unless you throw him into the mix with the greenest of green lights?  Am I the only person who gets this?

MacMillan did say that Wafer's been through a few easy, fairly versatile sets with his new squad, so along those lines, so it could be possible to get him on the floor without being totally lost.  Which obviously provided me some hope.  I asked McMillan if he had any concerns about Wafer looking to light up his old team, which can sometimes happen when guys see their former employers and get a little too amped.  Not a concern, really.  "Well, we want amped guys," explained the Sonic great.  "That's fine.  I think we need to be there now, in the sense that it's that time of the year to be hyped and pumped up.  So we're looking for that."

Naturally, my ears perked up at hearing him say he wouldn't automatically yank Wafer after a few too many shots.  But my enthusiasm was quickly tempered upon talking to Von in the Blazer locker room.  I asked if he was excited at all at the notion of squaring off against a team that gave him walking papers (and by "squaring off," I mean "burying them via a barrage of non-stop and ill-advised threes from six feet behind the arc.".  Disappointingly, while he admitted that he might have relished this opportunity last year, by now, he simply sees the Lakers as another team.  Honestly, at this point, it's just about getting some burn no matter who the opponent is.  "I just really want a chance to get out there and play."  when I asked if he's calmed down a bit since his rookie season when it comes to shooting like there's no tomorrow and looks to pick his spots a little more, he said most definitely.   

I can't say I was thrilled to hear that answer, but it's probably for the best. 
   
By the way, he still talks with Andrew Bynum, his former purple and gold rook.

AK