The Trailblazers experimented with lineups for a while after acquiring Gerald Wallace from the Bobcats. But, they finally got smart and put him in the starting lineup along with Nicolas Batum and LaMarcus Aldridge along the front line. The Blazers are now one of the smaller teams on the court but they make up for that with speed and defense. Wallace has played in 14 games (6 starts) for the Blazers since coming over from Charlotte and he is averaging 33.3 minutes, 13.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Wallace has brought energy to both ends of the court for the Blazers who are a better team than they were at the trade deadline.

22-year old small forward Nicolas Batum is getting hot for the Portland Trailblazers right now. In his last five games, Batum is averaging 38.8 minutes, 14.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He has nailed 11 of 23 (47.8%) three point shots in those give games! Batum has now played in 51 games (42 starts) for the Blazers so far this year and he is averaging 31.4 minutes, 12.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Batum is a young player on the rise for the Blazers but he’s still the 4th option on offense right now behind LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews and Andre Miller. Still, he has to make the most of the shots he does get to help the offense purr.

34-year old point guard Andre Miller keeps rolling along for the Portland Trailblazers. He has played in 46 games (all starts) for the Blazers so far this year and he is averaging 32.2 minutes, 13.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Miller has quietly put quite a career in the NBA together. He is #16 in NBA history in assists with 6,791 and he is #55 in league history in steals with 1,290. Look for Miller to continue to move up those lists with the Blazers as he still has it.

25-year old power forward LaMarcus Aldridge is taking his name to a whole new level so far in January. Aldridge has played in 11 games so far in January and he is averaging 39.6 minutes, 27.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steal per game on 52.9% shooting from the floor. He has now played in 44 games (all starts) for the Blazers and he is averaging 38.8 minutes, 21.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.2 blocked shots per game. The Trailblazers need Aldridge to keep up the good work to help cover for all of the injuries they have suffered recently.

36-year old center Marcus Camby doesn’t worry about scoring points. He helps the Blazers by focusing on playing defense and rebounding which he is excellent at. Camby has played in 36 games (all starts) for the Blazers so far this year and he is averaging 29.0 minutes, 6.1 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game. The Blazers don’t care how many points Camby scores as long as he owns the paint and hustles on D.