Salmons' defense will be vital against Blazers

The circus road trip continues for the Bulls on Monday night in Portland and this game obviously figures to be a challenge.

The Blazers (10-5) made an interesting move over the weekend, scrapping the three-guard starting lineup featuring Andre Miller, Steve Blake and Brandon Roy, even though the team won games using that combination.

In Saturday’s win over Minnesota, Portland coach Nate McMillan sent Miller to the bench and started Martell Webster at small forward. Webster responded with 21 points and 13 rebounds.

“I want to give the team back to Brandon,” McMillan said in the Oregonian. “It's his team.”

Some might read this move as a sign that McMillan thought Miller was keeping the ball away from Roy and maybe he does. Roy’s scoring average is down slightly from last season.

Regardless, the Bulls will see plenty of Roy on the attack tonight, which makes this an important game for John Salmons. It’s no secret that Salmons has been in a shooting slump early this season, but he’s also a reason the Bulls’ defense has improved.

If Salmons can do a decent job guarding Roy, one of the league’s toughest covers, it would deliver a message about his value as the starting two guard.

Last year, the Bulls lost by 41 points in Portland, but had to play the second leg of a back-to-back after losing to the Lakers. Maybe this meeting can be different. The Blazers are 10-5, but have beaten eight teams with a losing record, including Minnesota three times.



(dailyherald.com)