It's been a long time since a Trail Blazers player was pulled from the postgame locker room because ESPN wanted to do a live interview for "SportsCenter," but that was the scene Friday in Minneapolis after

.

It's been that kind of season for Matthews, who continues to defy conventional wisdom with his unique and infectious style of play.

An undrafted guard out of Marquette, Matthews had a stellar rookie season for Utah, prompting

, which carried a front-loaded $9.2 million first-year salary. It made him the highest paid second-year player in NBA history.

Matthews is more than living up to his salary, becoming everything the Blazers have searched for in a wing in the last decade. He has the competitiveness and savvy of Scottie Pippen, the defensive tenacity of Ruben Patterson and the long-range shooting touch of Derek Anderson, all wrapped up in a humble and hardworking package.

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"And he's a good guy," teammate LaMarcus Aldridge said. "He fits the mold of what we have -- a bunch of good guys who want to win and who want to work hard."

As the season's halfway point nears, Matthews is a strong contender for the league's Most Improved Player Award. After averaging 9.4 points last season for Utah, Matthews this season is averaging 16.0 points and leads the team with 66 three-pointers, tops among NBA sophomores.

After a slow start, Matthews' season began to surge when

. In 24 starts, Matthews is averaging 19.1 points.

After he returned to the locker room from his "SportsCenter" interview Friday night, Matthews was his normal low-key, matter-of-fact self. His game might be blowing up, but his ego is not.

"I'm just appreciative every day," Matthews said. "This is a blessing. Everybody in this league is blessed to be living out our dreams and be playing the game we love. So I'm going to just keep working and stay humble at the same time."

Center of the future?

Last week, Blazers coach Nate McMillan was asked about Aldridge's chances at being chosen an All-Star reserve this season at power forward when he revealed some interesting insight into the organization's vision.

"I think the conversation for him is, is he a center?" McMillan asked. "Do you move him to center or do you keep him at power forward?"

McMillan's point is that most opponents are having their centers guard the 6-foot-11 Aldridge, especially now that he is playing more inside than on the perimeter as in years past. Plus, McMillan argued the NBA has trended toward a more agile and sleek center.

That line of thinking perhaps explains

in the free agent market. The Jazz matched the Blazers' offer, which some theorized was merely an attempt by the Blazers to force Utah to pay more.

The Blazers have

for two years. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if Portland pursues another power forward or tries to land another center.

Either way, when it comes to All-Star consideration, Aldridge might as well be considered a center.

"Centers are guarding him, and the times he has played center for us when Camby is hurt, that's really when he has done a lot of work," McMillan said.

"

. So when you look at it, that's when he's really getting a lot of his blocks, rebounds and scoring, when he's at center. And the chances are, if he were listed as a center, he would have a good chance of getting in that All-Star Game."

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