Kid takes tips from LMA on help defense

The Los Angeles Lakers announced their home preseason schedule for the 2012-2013 season in a press release on Tuesday. The Portland Trail Blazers will travel to California to face the Lakers at Ontario's Citizens Business Bank Arena on Oct. 10 at 7 PM. ------------------------------ Tickets for the game in Ontario can only be purchased by calling 1-888-9-AXS-TIX (1-888-929-7849) or atwww.cbbankarena.com------------------------------ The Blazers have not yet announced their home preseason schedule. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

Chris Eganof Seattle'sKING-5 TV reportsthat former Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy -- waived by the team using the amnesty clause back in December 2011 -- is still weighing a possible NBA comeback. --------------------------------- Brandon Roy says he's happily retired but is not ruling out a comeback, says he's been working out with Tony Wroten --------------------------------- Wroten, a Seattle native who just completed his freshman season at the University of Washington, is expected to be selected in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft. Egan alsotweeted this photoof Brandon Roy at an A+ Youth Foundation breakfast event in Seattle. Roy is wearing a nametag in case you didn't recognize him. Blazers guard Jamal Crawford was also in attendance.Hat tip: @Todd_Dybas-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

Apparently an unnamed candidate has received an interview with Paul Allen for the GM job. According to J Quick: ____________________ Miller would not divulge the name of the candidate, but he said the interview with Allen last week was with a former general manager who has a long history in the NBA. "I think it went pretty well,’’ Miller said. So far, Miller said he has interviewed three candidates: agent Noah Croom, former Phoenix general manager Steve Kerr and the unknown candidate who interviewed with Allen. Miller said he has more interviews lined up this week at out-of-town locations. _________________ Who is the mystery GM?

With the first pick of the 2018 draft the PTB select...Damon Harge.

Jason QuickofThe Oregonian reportsthat guard Wesley Matthews could wind up representing the Portland Trail Blazers at the 2012 NBA Draft Lottery drawing. --------------------------- Guard Wesley Matthews will likely represent Blazers at May 30 draft lottery. Team awaiting word whether his schedule allows him to make it. Blazers initially planned to send All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge to draft lottery, but his May 10 hip surgery complicated matters. --------------------------- -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

David AldridgeofNBA.com writesthat the Portland Trail Blazers should remove the "Acting" title on Chad Buchanan and make him the full-time GM. ------------------------------ Buchanan has been the acting GM since last summer, after owner Paul Allen fired Rich Cho. Portland has said it would consider Buchanan, but has been talking lately about wanting someone with more experience, with names like Mitch Kupchak and my TNT colleague, Steve Kerr, coming up as possibilities. The Blazers also have asked for permission to talk to Indiana's David Morway. The Blazers' collapse this season no doubt reflects poorly on Buchanan; Portland gambled and lost in trading Andre Miller for Ray Felton, and the team was rocked when Brandon Roy retired and Greg Oden suffered one last knee setback that led to his release. But those injuries weren't Buchanan's fault, and he was able to engineer the deal that got Portland a potential top-three pick in the 2012 Draft from New Jersey for Gerald Wallace. Nobody's a harder-working bird dog than Buchanan, and Portland is in need of front office stability, not another new face that has to prove himself to Allen and his people. ------------------------------ Aldridge also writes that the Washington Wizards should hire former Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

Tom ZillerofSBNation.comhasreleasedhis first 2012 NBA Mock Draft and has the Portland Trail Blazers selecting UNC big man John Henson and Connecticut guard Jeremy Lamb. --------------------------------------- 6. BLAZERS via NETS: John Henson, North Carolina John Henson will make all our dreams come true! An unselfish winner who, to our knowledge, has legs of identical length and two knees full of cartilage. 11. BLAZERS: Jeremy Lamb, UConn "Our turn again? Man, we really should have hired a GM sometime in the past 12 months!" --------------------------------------- -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

Chris HaynesofCSNNW.com reportssome reflections and observations from former Portland Trail Blazers Nate McMillan as he looks for his next job. --------------------------- "The plan in Portland, when I got there was to rebuild and we were lucky to draft some really good players. Injuries just put a damper on things. Coaching is coaching. It would be a new beginning for me. Young team or a veteran team....If you're saying, 'I'm just looking for a veteran team,' that's not true. ... "I see what they're (Trail Blazers) trying to do by looking to try and keep the organization from crippling. They lost a lot this year. When you lose Brandon (Roy) and a potential franchise player in Greg Oden, those are major losses that impact your team." --------------------------- -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter

Basketball needs more of this. I count one in-uniform Blazer and four who would eventually become Blazers.