Portland Trail Blazers

Mejia's Offseason Grade The Blazers scored a major coup in prying Nate McMillan from Seattle, and thus, their rebuilding project has some direction. Clearly, it will be a long process they plan on being patient with, as they handed McMillan major security and brought another prep star on board in highly touted shooter Martell Webster. Veterans Nick Van Exel and Derek Anderson were cut, while Damon Stoudamire was allowed to walk, leaving the point guard duties to Sebastian Telfair, who has small window of opportunity in front Jarrett Jack and Steve Blake. Grade: B-.   Key Players Zach Randolph: Randolph needs to show that he can be that player with 20-10 ability following major knee surgery last March. Sebastian Telfair: The starting point-guard job is Telfair's to lose, as Jarrett Jack and Steve Blake will be waiting in the wings.   Role Playing Viktor Khryapa, Forward Instant defense: The 23-year-old Russian should endear himself to new coach Nate McMillan through his defense, having learned from one of the best, countryman Andrei Kirilenko, all summer. He's got a condor-like wing span, great instincts and bangs the boards hard, so don't be surprised if he starts stealing minutes from Darius Miles or makes Ruben Patterson expendable. Martell Webster, Guard The future: As long as he works hard and shows signs of development, the 18-year-old's rookie season will be considered a success. Expecting him to deliver instantly would be unfair, even though he'll be given the same opportunity as veterans Juan Dixon and Charles Smith to win the starting job at shooting guard in training camp. Expect McMillan to find the right balance between treating him with kid gloves and thrusting him into the fire. Theo Ratliff, Center Veteran toughness: The 32-year-old is the elder statesman on the squad, and although he's not exactly spry anymore, he's still a gifted shot-blocker who will likely see lots of action behind Zach Randolph and Joel Przybilla if he doesn't start himself. Last year's shoulder trouble is behind him, so he'll have an opportunity to recapture his status as one of the better defensive big men in the game.   Burning Question Can Zach bounce back? Knee problems limited Randolph to 46 painful games last season, and as 2005-06 begins, he's fighting hard to get back to his previous level following April's microfracture surgery. His trainer is encouraged by his progress and he'll likely ramp up his activity this training camp in order to be fully ready for the regular season. If he makes it back, the 24-year-old power forward would speed Portland's rebuilding project exponentially. If he lacks the strength and explosiveness around the basket that we've come to expect from him, the Blazers are in serious trouble. As October begins, there's cautious optimism.

Nate McMillan is leaning towards starting Sebastian Telfair, who has to prove he's ready to lead the team. (Getty Images)     Team Projections Projected finish: 5th, NW division Projected win total: 18-25 Team MVP: Zach Randolph Leading scorer: Randolph Leading rebounder: Randolph Leading assists: Sebastian Telfair Top defender: Joel Przybilla   Stat Rankings Stat Rank Total Pts Scored 27 92.3 Pts Against 17 97.0 Rebounds 21 41.1 FG% 15t 44.7   PROJECTED STARTERS PG Sebastian Telfair The Blazers are his team to run, but McMillan wants to ensure he's ready to be handed the reins. SG Juan Dixon The undersized shooter should finally get a chance to show what he can do given starter's minutes. SF Darius Miles Is McMillan the coach that finally gets through to him? Thus far, he's put together four seasons of consistent inconsistency. PF Zach Randolph When healthy, he's one of the best forwards out West. C Joel Pyzybilla Out to prove last season's late charge - where he became a boarding and blocking machine - wasn't a fluke. Team Depth Chart   Player Movement Movement Player Pos. Key loss Shareef Abdur-Rahim SF/PF Key gain Juan Dixon SG Player Movement Chart