Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com writes that Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan does not deserve a pass. ----------------------------- McMillan is probably more perplexed by personnel issues and rotations than any coach I've seen. But maybe, deep down, he really knows who should be playing and he just can't bring himself to shed his sympathy for the guys he most identifies with and appropriately dish out minutes. ... I think McMillan, too, has grown increasingly hard to play for. He's made some bewildering decisions this season that impact the way his players feel about him. ... This guy has thrown his own players under the bus countless times, accusing them of not "wanting it as much" as the other team, of not playing hard, etc. Look, in many cases he may have been correct in his assessments but that didn't matter. When you're calling out your players constantly, you're separating yourself from them. ----------------------------- Jaynes goes on to recall at length a memorable Oct. 2009 conversation in which McMillan compared the tension brought in by Andre Miller's arrival in Portland to Gary Payton's rookie year for the Seattle SuperSonics. Here's that post. Probably worth a re-read if you're interested. -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter