The Columbian's Matt Calkins talks to players, Nate, and the NBA's VP of basketball operations about the Blazers' grueling schedule and the difficulties of traveling so much. The NBA denies that it's a vast conspiracy: --------------------- But Stu Jackson, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations, insists there is no conspiracy. He said that in terms of total miles traveled, the Blazers aren’t nearly the highest in the league. Plus, two years ago, Portland’s 16 back-to-backs were among the NBA’s fewest. "It varies year to year, team to team," Jackson said. "Having coached, I understand Nate’s mindset. But it may be a venue issue. The way the NBA calendar unfolded, there may have been two or three dates that made the back-to-backs impossible to avoid." ---------------------