Brandon Roy might be back in the starting lineup, but Wesley Matthews is going to make him earn his spot.

Get ready for controversy. Not really. This afternoon Wesley Matthews addressed the local media at the Blazers’ practice facility, and he said, wait for it, he wants to be a starter. Here’s the problem, Nate McMillan has already said that Brandon Roy may be able to be back in the starting lineup at the two spot, meaning that what Wesley wants, Wesley can’t get. Uh oh. This could be trouble.

Like I said, not really. In fact, trouble is the exact opposite of what this could be. Get in your time machines and go back to Fan Fest 2010. If your memory is good you might recall that that evening Wesley and Brandon were on opposite teams, and both put on a show going at each other all night.

My first thought when I saw that? Man having Wesley on Brandon’s heels every day is going to be great for Brandon because he’ll get to play against one of the best young players at his position in the league. My second thought? Wesley benefits from this relationship nearly as much, if not more, because he has someone to chase all season.

We all know what happened last year, so I won’t get into it, but at the start of this season we find ourselves in very much the same place we were a year ago (well more than a year since Fan Fest 2010 happened October 1st). Except for a few minor changes. Wesley started for almost an entire season, and Brandon is on the verge of not being on the team anymore.

So maybe those changes aren’t so minor. I do think, though, that however minor or major the changes a year made actually are, Brandon and Wesley fighting for playing time can only make them better, and by extension can only help the team.

Of course there’s no real drama here. Both Brandon and Wesley have said all they want to do is win games; whatever role they take in those wins they’re comfortable with as long as the team wins. It’s the standard answer, but Brandon and Wesley are honest dudes. They really do want to win.

There are other factors at play here too. For instance, a jam packed schedule means that everybody on the bench will play at one point or another. Wesley may not be in the starting five every night of the week, but I seriously doubt his minutes per game or total minutes take a hit. Then there’s Brandon’s contract. Having Brandon as a sixth man might be cool, he’s a capable scorer, and the Blazers’ offense is already built with him at the core. But he makes WAY more than sixth man money. If he’s going to play, the thinking goes, he has to start. Nate McMillan isn’t going to put Brandon out there just to do it, but getting Brandon into the starting lineup, and getting every last drop of the max money deal onto the court, has to be task number one at the top of somebody’s check list (by somebody obviously I mean Paul Allen).

Here’s something else to consider: The Blazers’ bench with Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum leading the way. I’ve said it before, but I think it’s worth repeating. Wesley and Nic as the anchor of the bench allows Portland to run, they’re two of the fastest and fittest guys on the team and both can finish every time on the break, gives them two hard-nosed stoppers on the wings, and allows Portland to spread the floor because they can both flat out shoot the ball. That’s not bad. Throw in Greg Oden, and that’s not a bad second unit. Like I said, I’ve mentioned all that before, but still, think about. Wesley coming off the bench is not a bad thing.

My point is this, I guess, Wesley is a competitor, so is Brandon, you can’t expect either of these guys to not want to be part of the top team. Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com summed it up the best with this tweet. What it means for us as fans is that we get to see two guys with something to prove play their hearts out. What it means for the team is that two of their leaders have already stepped up and said they’re ready to push each other to make the team as good as it can be. There’s really nothing wrong with that.

Check out Matt Calkins’ take on the “situation” from the Columbian, or Joel Odom’s from the Oregonian, or Ben’s from Blazersedge.

email me: mike.acker1@gmail.com

Twitter: @mikeacker | @ripcityproject

The Oregonian‘s Joe Freeman dropped the tidbit of information in the middle of the day that Nicolas Batum would be removed from the starting lineup for Tuesday’s match-up in Philly against the 76ers in favor of Wesley Matthews. Freeman followed that up with some knowledgeable tweets explaining the thinking behind the switch. This tweet combined with this tweet probably give the most obvious reasons Batum has been bumped. To paraphrase: Nic has had some poor outings in his last few, basically since his outstanding defensive performance against the Nuggets in the Blazers last win, and Wesley has played much better as a starter. Following Freeman’s tweet, Twitter blew up with opinions on the lineup switch.

Two of these players are invovled in a mini rotation dustup. One is Armon Johnson.

Here’s my opinion: this is a positive switch, and it has a lot less to do with the way these two guys are playing. Wesley and Nic have both been bright spots in the Blazers pretty dark November, but neither guy has been able to establish a rhythm. Swapping one for the other in the starting five might not have that much of an effect on their play, but it will give them both a different role in the offense. Nicolas needs to become a featured offensive player. In the second unit he might be able to get the requisite number of touches to get his shooting stroke going. Wesley seems to play better with the ball in his hands in the games he’s started, but more than that he looks good with Brandon Roy on the floor.

But like I said, this in my mind is about more than just how two players are faring on the court. This is about the Blazers making a change. Portland is a talented team, shortened a little by their lack of healthy big men, and for the most part their failures on the court have been mental and confidence based, not really basketball related. Coach Nate McMillan needs to do something to show his guys that he isn’t giving up on the team. Making a lineup swap might not seem like a big deal, but those that know Sarge’s tendencies would say different. Remember a season ago, the Steve Blake/Andre Miller, who’s your point guard debate? Nate respects his roster choices, and is reluctant to make changes. Bringing in Matthews for Batum rewards Wes for his good play, and punishes Nic for his lackluster showings of course, but more than that it says that Nate is going to fight against this team hitting the skids for real.

Following Sunday’s loss, the Blazers held a fabled “players only” meeting. Another NBA team, located in South Beach, did the same thing recently. This move is an indication that things have gone too far. Like their coach, it seems that Portland wants to stop the bleeding before 2010-11 goes critical. The next group that needs to follow that trend is the fans.

Not getting specific, I’ve seen a lot of things in the last few days that distress me a little to say the least. It’s a little early in the season to say that Portland is barely a playoff team, or is doomed to languish in mediocrity, or that maybe Brandon Roy is what’s bringing this team down.

To say Portland is barely a playoff team is pretty extreme. Sitting as they are at 8-8, the Blazers are the number eight team in the West. Look at the teams that are behind Portland: Phoenix, Golden State, Memphis, Houston, Sacramento, Minnesota, and the LA Clippers. Sure the Blazers aren’t among the elite teams in the league, but I’m pretty sure they’re a better team than every one that I just named. And to be honest, how many elite teams are there really? One? Two at the most.

Benching Brandon Roy or saying that he is the Blazer’s current problem also doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. Brandon is Portland’s best player, the team’s offense is built around things that he can do. I’m not just talking about isolation and step-back jump shots. In one of the better moments in Sunday’s loss, Brandon drove by his defender into the key, the New Jersey defense collapsed on Brandon who found Wesley wide open for an easy three.  Portland has struggled  when the ball stops moving, and the jump shots either aren’t open or are not falling. Brandon helps get shooters open, takes pressure off of LaMarcus Aldridge, and is easily the only go-to guy Portland has. Putting him on the bench takes the teeth right out of Portland’s offense. Brandon also needs to get reps and get minutes so he can get a feel for what his body can do. I understand the thinking that Brandon needs time to heal, but the doctors have said that there is not a whole lot more that can happen to his knees. If he had a rehab schedule than the Blazers should stick to that, as of right now its about assessment, watching minutes, and being careful how much work Brandon puts on his body. If Brandon is able to play, he should be on the court, if he is on the court he needs to be in the starting lineup. He’s the best player on the roster, it’s that simple.

Tuesday is going to be yet another test for the Blazers. It’s a chance to make-up for a poor showing in New Jersey and to end November on a high note. Portland needs to show that they understand how far they have fallen in just a few weeks, and they need to show that they are going to do something to make a difference. Nicolas Batum is still going to get his minutes, and Wesley Matthews isn’t going to score 40. What the Blazers are going to get is a new look, a new rotation, and hopefully a new, and positive outlook on what this season can still be.

Twitter: @mikeacker | @ripcityproject

Roy will start Game 6 vs. Suns.

If Roy is going to be more effective than he has been, this is a good thing, and the “limit the adjustments he and the team has to make” argument carries some weight. You just hope Jerryd Bayless comes out just as aggressive as he’s be playing in a bench role.