e teams. But at least for this year, there's also a price to pay for that type of attention.

This schedule will make the Blazers quest for the playoffs a tough one. The start of the regular season will be rough, with seven of their first nine games against teams that made the playoffs last season, including contenders L.A., San Antonio, Phoenix, Utah, Orlando and New Orleans. In addition, 16 of the first 24 games are on the road, which will give the still-young Blazers a rough test in their quest for the playoffs. And once  again the April schedule is brutal, with five of their eight games on the road

Here's the full schedule for your perusal.

October
Oct. 28	at L.A. Lakers	7:30 p.m.	TNT
Oct. 31	San Antonio	7:30 p.m.	ESPN
November
Nov. 1	at Phoenix	7:00 p.m.
Nov. 5	at Utah	6:00 p.m.
Nov. 6	Houston	7:30 p.m.	TNT
Nov. 8	Minnesota	7:00 p.m.
Nov. 10	at Orlando	4:00 p.m.
Nov. 12	at Miami	4:30 p.m.
Nov. 14	at New Orleans	5:00 p.m.
Nov. 15	at Minnesota	5:00 p.m.
Nov. 18	at Golden State	7:30 p.m.
Nov. 19	Chicago	7:30 p.m.	ESPN
Nov. 21	at Sacramento	7:00 p.m.
Nov. 22	at Phoenix	6:00 p.m.
Nov. 24	Sacramento	7:00 p.m.
Nov. 26	Miami	7:00 p.m.
Nov. 28	New Orleans	7:00 p.m.
Nov. 30	at Detroit	12:00 p.m.
December
Dec. 2	at New York	4:30 p.m.
Dec. 3	at Washington	4:00 p.m.
Dec. 5	at Boston	5:00 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 7	at Toronto	10:00 a.m.
Dec. 9	Orlando	7:00 p.m.
Dec. 11	at Utah	7:30 p.m.	TNT
Dec. 12	L.A. Clippers	7:00 p.m.
Dec. 16	Sacramento	7:00 p.m.
Dec. 18	Phoenix	7:30 p.m.	TNT
Dec. 22	at Denver	6:00 p.m.
Dec. 23	Denver	7:00 p.m.
Dec. 25	Dallas	7:30 p.m.	TNT
Dec. 27	Toronto	7:00 p.m.
Dec. 30	Boston	7:00 p.m.
January
Jan. 2	New Orleans	7:00 p.m.
Jan. 4	at L.A. Lakers	6:30 p.m.
Jan. 7	Detroit	7:00 p.m.
Jan. 10	Golden State	7:00 p.m.
Jan. 12	at Chicago	5:30 p.m.
Jan. 14	at Philadelphia	4:00 p.m.
Jan. 15	at New Jersey	4:30 p.m.
Jan. 17	at Charlotte	4:00 p.m.
Jan. 19	Milwaukee	7:00 p.m.
Jan. 21	Cleveland	7:00 p.m.
Jan. 24	Washington	7:00 p.m.
Jan. 26	at L.A. Clippers	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 28	Charlotte	7:00 p.m.
Jan. 31	Utah	7:00 p.m.
February
Feb. 2	at New Orleans	5:00 p.m.
Feb. 4	at Dallas	5:30 p.m.
Feb. 6	at Oklahoma City	5:00 p.m.
Feb. 8	New York	3:00 p.m.
Feb. 11	Oklahoma City	7:00 p.m.
Feb. 12	at Golden State	7:30 p.m.
Feb. 18	Memphis	7:00 p.m.
Feb. 20	Atlanta	7:00 p.m.
Feb. 22	L.A. Clippers	3:00 p.m.
Feb. 24	at Houston	5:30 p.m.
Feb. 25	at San Antonio	5:30 p.m.
Feb. 27	at Minnesota	5:00 p.m.
March
March 1	San Antonio	5:00 p.m.	ESPN
March 4	Indiana	7:00 p.m.
March 5	at Denver	7:30 p.m.	TNT
March 7	Minnesota	7:00 p.m.
March 9	L.A. Lakers	7:00 p.m.
March 11	Dallas	7:00 p.m.
March 13	New Jersey	7:00 p.m.
March 15	at Atlanta	10:00 a.m.
March 16	at Memphis	5:00 p.m.
March 18	at Indiana	4:00 p.m.
March 19	at Cleveland	5:00 p.m.	TNT
March 21	at Milwaukee	5:30 p.m.
March 23	Philadelphia	7:00 p.m.
March 26	Phoenix	7:30 p.m.	TNT
March 28	Memphis	7:00 p.m.
March 31	Utah	7:00 p.m.
April
April 3	at Oklahoma City	5:00 p.m.
April 5	at Houston	4:00 p.m.
April 7	at Memphis	5:00 p.m.
April 8	at San Antonio	5:30 p.m.
April 10	L.A. Lakers	7:00 p.m.
April 11	at L.A. Clippers	7:30 p.m.
April 13	Oklahoma City	7:00 p.m.
April 15	Denver	7:30 p.m.	ESPN

rs won't be back in the Rose Garden until the regular season starts (that schedule usually comes out in early-to-mid August), and opportunities to see the Blazers will be scarce then. The Blazers announced that fewer than 150 full season tickets remain, so if you don't have them then you might want to plan on getting to one of these games.

Date	Opponent	Location	Time
Tue., Oct. 7	Sacramento	Rose Garden	7 p.m.
Wed., Oct. 8	Golden State	Rose Garden	7 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 10	Atlanta	Sprint Center, Kansas City, Mo.	7 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 12	Utah	Rose Garden	3 p.m.
Mon., Oct. 20	Sacramento	ARCO Arena, Sacramento, Calif.	7 p.m.
Wed., Oct. 22	L.A. Clippers	Staples Center, Los Angeles	7:30 p.m.
Thur., Oct. 23	Utah	Energy Solutions Arena, Salt Lake City	7 p.m.

ays it could work to the Blazers' advantage to sit on the  decision. It was apparent during summer league that Koponen still needs to develop in several areas before he will be NBA ready, and the biggest question facing the Blazers is whether Koponen would benefit more from working out with the team in practices and possibly stints in the NBADL, or if he would benefit from playing.

The most likely answer depends on where Koponen would be playing overseas. Both Koponen and the Blazers feel it's time for him to leave Finland and play in one of the better European leagues. And if he has a chance to play in a top-flight league in Spain or Italy, then it would probably be best for him to take that route since he will play regularly. But if those opportunities don't arise and it becomes apparent that Koponen would end up in a less-competitive league, then his best opportunity may be with the Blazers. Most European teams make their significant signings by the middle of  August, and as you can see by some notable NBA players leaving for Europe, and others who are considering offers, those teams are just now starting to get active. So leaving their options open during their vacations could allow the Blazers to sit back and see what offers Koponen receives before deciding what action they'll take.

So stay tuned, but don't spend too much time looking for Koponen news. It could be a bit of a wait.

length and a high level of athleticism — that are enticing. Yet just like Outlaw once was, Batum's skill set is still very raw and his strength needs to develop.

“They’re definitely in the same ballpark,” Pritchard said. “But they also have some of the same physical tools. Great length. Hard workers. And obviously, Travis has grown up to be a great piece to what we’re doing. It took a while, but he’s definitely a good comparison to what we have in Batum.”

So why the heck did the Blazers sign Batum now, rather than leave him in Europe to develop for another season, or even two?

It partly came down to the team's need to balance its roster and add a wing defender now that James Jones has signed as a free agent with Miami. With Jones gone, Outlaw and Martell Webster were the only returning small forwards, which could have put the Blazers in a bind if either player got injured.

That doesn't guarantee that Batum will see action during an injury situation, or in any situation for that matter. But having him available gives the Blazers extra options in the rotation and — with his long wingspan and athleticism — on defense.

“I don’t know if he’ll get on the court this year,” said Pritchard, who is still in Las Vegas watching LaMarcus Aldridge and rookie Jerryd Bayless practice with the U.S. Select Team. “We know he’s a little bit of a project. He’s got to work on his body and (jump) shot. But he’s just got some physical tools that you can put him in a game and he can defend somebody.”

Batum's defense made an impression on Pritchard during the Las Vegas Summer League more than the other aspects of his game, which often looked every bit like the raw project that he was expected to be. He shot just 34 percent in the five summer league games, averaging 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds while committing 3.4 turnovers per game — second only to Bayless’ 3.8.

Still, Pritchard held off on specifically stating that he doesn't think Batum will be ready to play next season — though it appears unlikely. With the small forward position set with established players, and with the team also holding other options at the position, with Brandon Roy and possibly Rudy Fernandez capable of spending some time there, Batum may have a difficult time just getting onto the active roster, let alone into a game. Most of his action will almost certainly come in practices, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him spend a large portion of the season in the NBADL.

But Pritchard said he didn't want to speak too soon.

“I just don’t want to put any preconceived notions,” he said. “One thing you want to do is you want to see how players improve. I don’t want to presume that the kid’s not ready, or we’re definitely not going to do this, until we get him into training camp.”


NO DECISION ON KOPONEN
The Blazers still have one roster spot available after signing Batum. But Pritchard said he has not made any decision on Petteri Koponen's future with the team.

The 6-foot-4 point guard — a first-round draft pick a year ago — averaged 13.2 points and a team-leading 3.4 assists per game while making five summer-league starts. But he still appears to be a year or two away from being NBA ready. So the question facing Pritchard is whether Koponen would benefit more from joining the team this year, when his work — like Batum — would likely be limited to practices and NBADL action, or whether he would be better off joining one of the better leagues in Europe, where he would play regularly.

Pritchard said he has not had an opportunity to review the film from Koponen's summer league performances while he has been in Las Vegas, and said he will wait to make a decision until after he has returned to Portland and has had a chance to review those tapes.


SELECT TEAM EXCITES PRITCHARD
Additionally, Pritchard was almost cooing when I asked him how he felt about the opportunity Bayless is getting with the U.S. Select Team.

"It's been a great experience for both of them," Pritchard said of Aldridge and Bayless. "He's (Bayless) going against Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Jason Kidd every day."

That, of course, comes on the heels of a summer league performance that has gone a long way to establishing Bayless as possibly the greatest steal of last month's NBA Draft. Sure, he was already highly regarded, and many people were surprised to see Bayless fall to the 11th pick. But going from a position where his draft position fell to one in which he averaged 29.8 points in four summer league games has certainly sent his stock shooting upwards once again, and given Pritchard even more reason to feel good about his acquisition.

"More than anything, I think he's a hyper-competitive kid," Pritchard said. "He's fearless at the basket. He's got to work on some things, but I think we've gotten a really good player. And I don't want to get too excited about summer league, but I do think that when he walks on the floor in training camp, he's going to get after it."

liams coaches the Blazers' team in the Las Vegas Summer League, he understands what guys like Blazers General Manager Kevin Pritchard were seeing when they acquired the first-round draft pick last month.

Williams rolls off a list of things he likes about Batum's game: His long arms -- they stretch more than 7-feet, Williams was told -- and athletic build; exceptional balance that allows him to pull up from a sprint to take a pull-up jumper with little effort; the ability to guard, and potentially shut down, smaller players because of his length; and speed that matches up with the Blazers' quickest players.

In fact, Batum worked out this week with Martell Webster -- the top performer in the team's training camp conditioning drills last summer -- and left a strong impression after running sprints against the fourth-year swingman.

"Martell, Travis are our fastest guys, by far," Williams said. "And he hung with Martell the other day, and he just, kinda like, his expression didn’t even change."

Still, Batum's skills are raw, particularly on the offensive end. And if the Blazers decide to invite him to training camp this fall, it may be more for Batum's defense. So Williams said he plans to test those skills in training camp by putting Batum on the ball in crucial situations and matching him up with smaller players.

If Batum isn't invited to training camp this year,  though, Williams is convinced he will be ready within a couple years. Batum already possesses many of the skills he needs to be an effective NBA player. The next step will be to get stronger. At 190 pounds, he is 10 pounds lighter than Blazers rookie Jerryd Bayless — in a frame that stretches five inches taller.

"That’s going to be key for him," said Williams, who said Batum would likely make the roster if he had already had a couple years of weight training behind him. "It wouldn’t even be close. If he can get that  kind of grown-man strength in the next two or three years, he could have an impact. But that’s going to be big for him. It’s easy for us to assess this. But when you think in your mind, ‘OK, against Carmelo (Anthony), that’s not going to work. Against Ron Artest, or Rashard Lewis ...'”

ng really well, the team is playing well, we're getting better every day, and things are going pretty good.

On what he is getting out of his summer league experience:
We'll, just getting better. Playing basketball, every day you've got to get better at it. And it takes time for me to improve as a player, and for us to see as a team what moves we're going to make and the direction we're going to go in the future. So, you know, we're trying to get better as a team every day. And I think it's going to help us in the long run.

On the competition with Petteri Koponen:
He's a good player. He's definitely a good player. And every day we're going to come in here and work hard and try to get better as a group. So he's going to help me, and I'm going to help him. And hopefully it'll help us in the long run.

On how he feels about playing both point and shooting guard in Las Vegas:
That's fine. I've said it before, too — whatever the coach wants me to do, I'm gonna do. What I feel, I've told you guys before, I feel most comfortable at point. And Petteri's been here a little bit longer than me, and if they want to start him out at (point), that's fine. I'm gonna play the two (shooting guard), I'm gonna get a couple more shots playing the two. So whatever they want me to do, I'm gonna do.

On whether it is a relief to start playing team basketball again after a month of workouts:
Definitely. It's kind of tough right now because you're trying to get back in a rhythm. And once you get in a rhythm, a lot more shots start falling and things like that start happening. You know,  when you're just going through cones and doing little drills like that, you're not really in the same rhythm as a game rhythm. So everybody's trying to get back their rhythm, and once that comes it's going to be pretty good basketball.

On whether he sees it as a to balance his scoring ability with his point guard skills:
I think it's just making the right play at the right time. And I know I can do that, making the right play, whenever someone's open, getting them the ball, and when I have an open shot, taking that shot. So whatever the situation calls to be, I know I can do it.

On his reputation for being a gym rat:
I've always been like that. I know what it takes to get good, and I want to continue to do that and just keep on getting better on a daily basis.

On whether his first few days as an NBA player have felt different:
Not really. It's just still playing basketball. And I'm really excited about this opportunity. You get to travel a lot more, obviously, and you get to play against the best competition in the world. So I'm really excited of the opportunity, and I'm going to take advantage of it.