Football
Associated Press 19y

Youth movement appeals to Blazers' new picks

TUALATIN, Ore. -- The Portland Trail Blazers are young,
inexperienced and likely to be a few years from competing for a
playoff spot.

But Martell Webster is happy to be here.

The well-spoken and polite Seattle high school star was
introduced to media members and a handful of fans along with fellow
draft pick Jarrett Jack at the Blazers' practice facility on
Thursday.

"Fortunately, I get to stay close to my grandmother, my uncle
and my cousins," Webster said. "My uncle is going to come down
here and live with me, be kind of a parent type and make sure I
keep my head on track. The Pacific Northwest is home and I am glad
to be here."

The Blazers chose Webster in Tuesday's NBA draft with the sixth
selection, which was acquired in a trade with the Utah Jazz.

Jack, a 6-3 guard from Georgia Tech, is being brought in to
compete with Sebastian Telfair, the New York prep guard the Blazers
took with the 13th overall selection a year ago.

Originally the 22nd overall pick of the Denver Nuggets, Jack was
acquired in a draft-night deal with Denver for Missouri forward
Linas Kleiza, the 27th pick, and high-school forward Ricky Sanchez,
a second-rounder.

"I think me and Martell are coming in to do the same thing, add
some more of that young energy and get the program back in a
winning direction," he said.

Drafting Webster and Jack is part of a larger youth movement the
team instituted after firing coach Maurice Cheeks during last
season.

Veterans Damon Stoudamire, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Nick Van Exel
aren't likely to return. Telfair and 20-year-old Travis Outlaw took
on larger roles toward the end of the season.

Webster shrugged off questions about whether he likes the
"Trail Babies" nickname the team has been tagged with in recent
days.

"Starting off young together, we can build team chemistry that
can't be broken as we go toward the limelight," he said.

Webster, at 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds, averaged 27.7 points and 10
rebounds at Seattle Prep last year. He had signed a letter of
intent with the University of Washington but later changed his
mind.

Nash said Webster won him over during a visit to Portland where
he held his own in a workout with North Carolina's Rashad McCants
and Washington's Nate Robinson.

"As the youngest guy, you'd think about maybe he'd take a back
seat. He did not," Nash said. "He competed, he was very, very
impressive."

The Blazers finished 27-55 last season, missing the playoffs for
the second straight year.

Nash wouldn't confirm that the Blazers are interested in
Seattle's Nate McMillan to fill their coaching vacancy. McMillan,
whose contract with the SuperSonics ran out Thursday, is rumored to
be owner Paul Allen's top choice.

Other names that have surfaced include Terry Porter, the
longtime Blazers guard who was fired as coach of the Milwaukee
Bucks last week, and Marc Iavaroni, an assistant with the Phoenix
Suns.

Nash also denied a trade was in the works with Utah involving
Ruben Patterson and Gordan Giricek and said published reports that
Portland would consider releasing Theo Ratliff were untrue.

Webster, the cousin of Dallas' Jason Terry, worked out for nine
teams.

Jack averaged 12.5 points and 5.3 assists per game in three
years as a starter at Georgia Tech, and scored 15.5 points per game
last season to help the Yellow Jackets reach the ACC title game.

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