Breaking Up (a Backcourt) is Hard To Do

For the past God-knows-how-many seasons, Steve Blake and Juan Dixon have been running together. The backcourt combination of the duo has become a staple, if not a clothespin, of college and NBA ball. Where one goes, the other will follow. Blake is literally the White Shadow to Dixon's supreme court abilities.

And then, in one summer swoop, Blake ghets shipped out to Milwaukee in a trade for Jamaal Magloire. It looks like the pitiful Blazers are actually trying to compete for the 2006=07 season. Sacrifices needed to be made, which incuded the eventual breakup of this five plus year relationship.

Perhaps the most underplayd and most irrelevant storyline of the upcoming season will be when Portland travels to Milwaukee for the first time and the former teammates are squared up against one another. Oh, it's on now.

Dan