As the season draws near, the Blazers coach still is unsure how he will use his veteran shooting guard 10/12/03 JIM BESEDA Trail Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks isn't sure how he wants to use veteran shooting guard Derek Anderson this season. One option is for Anderson to be a starter, the role he has played for most of the past two seasons. Cheeks also might try bringing him off the bench. Or maybe he will start Anderson against some teams, but not others, depending on the matchups. "Derek is a big part of our team," Cheeks said. "There's no question that he's one of our best outside shooters, and one of the best at driving to the rim and getting fouls." With the regular season less than three weeks away, Cheeks is trying to decide whether to stick with a starting lineup featuring Rasheed Wallace at power forward, Bonzi Wells at small forward and Anderson at shooting guard. Again, he has alternatives. He could continue the experiment that started in last season's first-round playoff series against Dallas and start Zach Randolph at power forward, bumping Wallace to small forward, Wells to shooting guard and Anderson to the bench. Anderson isn't thrilled about coming off the bench. "I just know I've got to play hard," he said. "I don't know if the coaches want to change the lineup. But whatever they want to do, I've just got to work hard. "If I earn my spot, I deserve it. If I don't, then somebody else will get it. Right now, I don't worry about it, because it hasn't happened yet." Wells has been guaranteed a starting spot and would prefer to play shooting guard. But he also understands that if he and Anderson are on the court at the same time, he will have to slide down to small forward. "It's almost a no-brainer," Wells said. "But like I told Coach, I have an advantage at shooting guard sometimes, because a lot of those guards are smaller than I am. I can create some double teams or just take advantage of them one-on-one, so why take my advantage away?" Against certain teams, though, the Blazers could be at a disadvantage with Wells at shooting guard. Take Sacramento. Assuming the Kings are at full strength, and given that Wallace probably will be matched against Chris Webber, the Blazers might be better off with Anderson matched against Doug Christie and Wells taking Peja Stojakovic than they would be if Wells plays Christie and Randolph plays Stojakovic. In that case, the question has little to do with Wells. It's more about Randolph's ability to play defense against smaller, quicker players who like to shoot from the outside. "Stojakovich can't guard Rasheed or Zach down low, either, so it can go either way," Cheeks said. "Now, defensively for us, who can guard Stojakovich out on the perimeter? Stojakovich is a pretty clever offensive player. He's shaken some of the best small forwards around. If you have guys who aren't used to playing small forward, trying to guard him can be a nightmare." "I don't know exactly which way I'm going to start." Anderson started each of the 76 games in which he played last season, when he led the Blazers in three-pointers (116), free throws (231) and assists (325). He was third on the team in scoring behind Wallace and Wells. "For a guy that can score, he's not a selfish player," Cheeks said. "So he can get shots, and at the same time he can get other people shots as well." Cheeks said Anderson is underrated as a defensive player, and that he is considering using Anderson occasionally at point guard. "I took for granted his ability to guard some point guards," Cheeks said. "But he showed me he could guard them, particularly guys like (Dallas') Steve Nash. "I don't know if he could play point on a regular basis. In a lineup of D.A. (Anderson), Bonzi, Rasheed, Zach and Dale (Davis), who's going to play the point? I don't know. It might be something to explore, but it would be tough because the real point guards would harass him bringing the ball up the floor." Said Anderson: "If I have to play the point, I'll do it, but I still want to shoot it." Anderson, beginning his seventh NBA season and third with the Blazers, had surgery in April to repair a torn meniscus suffered in Game 2 of last season's playoff series against Dallas. He said it was a month after the surgery before he could start working out. "I just wanted to rest, anyway, from the long season, so I gave my leg and body time to heal," Anderson said. "But I played the whole summer, so that was a good thing." He said he is a couple pounds heavier and a little bit stronger, although it's hard to see much of a difference in Anderson's 6-foot-5, 195-pound frame. And the knee, he says, is fine. "You see I don't wear a knee brace," said Anderson, who played much of the second half of last season with pain in his left knee. "It was one of those things, I let it go too long. I just didn't want to stop playing, so . . . it's the price you pay." Notes: Cheeks said Saturday that he probably will wait until after tonight's Fan Fest scrimmage at the Rose Garden to make further roster cuts. The Blazers are carrying 19 players. . . . Through three exhibition games, Randolph is averaging 15.3 points and 9.3 rebounds -- both team highs -- and shooting 62.5 percent (20 of 32) from the field. Jeff McInnis is averaging a team- high 3.7 assists. The Blazers (2-1) have been outrebounded 120-105, but they have the edge in assists (56-49), steals (33-30), blocked shots (11-6) and turnovers (58-72). http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/ 1065959735287290.xml --

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