I swear, the kid never stops.  This time, it was sideline to sideline while his teammates were shooting around in pregame warmups.  Wouldn't shock me if he ran the marathon this morning, too.  Anyway... As is customary on days with an early tip, there really isn't much to report.  The locker room was basically empty (guys tend to come in slightly later, and spend less time hanging around before afternoon games), and even PJ kept it short, since he still had to do media for ABC when done with us.  But what we have, we bring to you.

• No Vlad today, but he'll make the trip to Sacramento.  He's getting better, but still isn't able to make quick, sharp moves and cuts without some pain in his injured calf. 
• Not surprisingly, PJ was asked a lot about Kidd, and noted that from an offensive standpoint the sets Dallas runs and how they operate is still the same.  They'll push the ball more, though, because Kidd is so strong on the break. 
• I asked him about Avery Johnson's request that Kidd look for shots and scoring opportunities, and how that changes their dynamic.  "It will create matchup situations in which Jason's going to have advantages in time out there.  He's going into the post, and using the post for isolations," Jackson said.  When Kidd looks more for his own shot opportunities, "It adds another dimension."
• Obviously, pick and roll defense was lacking in Portland on Friday night, and was the subject of film study on Saturday.  The Blazers picked a great deal on Pau Gasol, with good results.  It's not surprising that P 'n' R D is a problem, especially with Gasol, since it requires communication and cohesion, two things the reconfigured lineup is working to establish.  Breakdowns will happen.

AUDIO:

• Phil Jackson:  Download phil_jackson_3.2 preDAL.mp3 

BK