Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard

(Photo by Jamie Francis/The Oregonian)

Rounding up the latest

news, notes and stories from around the web:

•

on Nicolas Batum's trip to Cameroon during the offseason and the perspective it provided:

• Following the Blazers' win over the Bulls Sunday, Chicago head coach Tom Thibodeau had high praise for rookie Damian Lillard,

• Also heaping praise on Lillard was Atlanta Hawks assistant coach and former Oregon State point guard Lester Conner,

•

that as good as Lillard is, the Blazers need to refocus offensively on LaMarcus Aldridge in the post:

•

focuses on a meaningful Veteran's Day and the first few weeks of his NBA career: