There was a small dab of news, a healthy dose of optimism and a long list of cliches. There was talk about future playoff ambitions and a rehash of recent playoff failures. There was praise for new pieces and excitement about roster continuity.

The Portland Trail Blazers unofficially opened the 2018-19 NBA season on Monday, when they gathered for their annual media day at the Moda Center, and the bonanza of interviews with players, coaches and executives played out in expected fashion.

It's impossible to encapsulate everything said during the three-hour blitz, but here are a few of the highlights:

HARKLESS TO BE LIMITED IN TRAINING CAMP

Perhaps the only surprising revelation Monday involved the availability -- or lack thereof -- of Moe Harkless. The Blazers' starting small forward said he will be limited when training camp opens on Tuesday as he continues a slow recovery from arthroscopic left knee surgery.

The procedure, performed May 28 to remove a loose body from his knee, forced Harkless to miss the final nine games of the regular season and all but two games of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

"I'll be involved in practice," Harkless said. "I don't think I'll be 100 percent in practice."

Harkless said he spent the first six weeks of the offseason rehabilitating his knee and, after running into unexpected pain early in the summer, he remained limited throughout the offseason. He has participated in 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 basketball workouts, but has not been cleared to play in 5-on-5, full-court games.

He said he and the team have a loose timeline for his full return, but refused to elaborate.

"We have a goal in mind, but it's kind of a feel-it-out-thing," Harkless said. "We've got to just keep pushing it -- and we have been lately -- just trying to see how far we can go without pain. And how much we can tolerate. So I've just got to continue to do that. I've played some 2-on-2, 3-on-3. I haven't even played 5-on-5 with the guys yet. We're close. But I just have to be a lot more careful. Because early in the summer, I had -- I wouldn't call it set-backs -- but I had moments that I realized, 'OK, you have to kind of slow down with this. You can possibly make this thing worse.' So I just had to take my time and be patient. It's hard, just being a competitor, wanting to play. That's when you have to just listen to your body."

Harkless was an integral part of the Blazers' late-season surge to the third seed in the West and any prolonged absence would hinder a team that has sputtered out of the gates in each of the last three seasons.

NEW ROLE FOR MCCOLLUM?

Terry Stotts said he plans to eliminate some of his more well-used offensive sets, tinker with player rotations and perhaps even use more switching and ball pressure on defense as he makes subtle on-court adjustments in the wake of the Blazers' recent playoff failures.

Another change on the horizon? A slightly refined role for CJ McCollum.

Stotts has used McCollum as his primary back-up ball-handler, playing him at point guard when All-Star Damian Lillard sits. But while McCollum will still initiate the offense in spurts, it sounds like he will play more off the ball and spend even more time navigating around screens.

"I think with the makeup of the roster now, with the players that we've added, I don't see him having that same amount of responsibility," Stotts said. "He'll still be put in those positions. The ball will still be in his hands. He'll come off screens. He'll come off ball screens. But he won't have the responsibility of initiating the offense quite as much."

Look for some combination of Seth Curry, Wade Baldwin and Evan Turner to spend more time running and initiating the offense on the second unit.

PRAISE FOR STOTTS

Lillard has supported him countless times over the years. McCollum and the departed Ed Davis have had his back. Really, virtually every player who has rolled through Portland in recent seasons has given Stotts a vote of confidence.

But after presiding over last season's painful first-round playoff sweep -- and overseeing 12 consecutive playoff defeats -- rumors had placed Stotts on the proverbial hot seat. Well, President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey tossed cold water on that seat Monday, praising the success and teaching acumen of the coach he brought to Portland in 2012.

"I think Terry's record speaks for itself," Olshey said. "Every year, our players play to their maximum potential. We compete at a higher level and Terry, first and foremost, is a teacher. And teacher's constantly educate themselves and look for new teaching techniques ... Terry's incredibly bright, has a great feel, he knows our roster."

Stotts is the fourth-longest tenured coach in the NBA and has been widely successful in Portland, steering five of his six teams to the playoffs and accumulating the third-most wins (272) in franchise history behind only Jack Ramsay (453) and Rick Adelman (291).

"We're one of five teams in the NBA to make the playoffs five straight years," Olshey said. "And that's always the first bar."

SUMMER STANDOUTS: LEONARD, LAYMAN

Every year, media day brings tales of offseason growth, weight gains (and loss) and the promise that a young or underused player will pop. Monday was no exception.

When asked to name someone who has excelled behind the scenes during offseason workouts and pick-up games, Olshey and Stotts uttered the same name: Jake Layman.

"He's been terrific," Olshey said of the third-year forward. "He had a great June working out with our guys. We all saw how well he played in summer league. He shot the ball at a high level. He stayed the entire summer. He's stronger. He's more confident with the ball. He's had a great September playing with our guys. I can tell you everyone in my front office breathes a sigh of relief watching him every day that we didn't let him go ... he's really gifted and it's starting to click for him."

Another player generating buzz is Meyers Leonard, Blazers fans favorite punching bag. Lillard said Leonard has boasted a different energy and look during voluntary pick-up games and workouts this month.

"Meyers looked really good the past few weeks," Lillard said. "Every time he comes back, I say he looks good every time. It's like, he's playing with more confidence and all that. But this time, it was a little bit different. And I told him that. He was challenging shots at the rim, he wasn't the loud Meyers drawing attention to himself. He was just doing his job, playing hard, making shots. He just had a different look about him, a different energy with him. I was just impressed with what I saw with him last week."

OLSHEY EXPLAINS OFFSEASON

Olshey has been widely criticized for a quiet offseason in which he drafted two teenagers and signed two off-the-radar free agents. After entering the summer pledging to add an impact veteran with playoff experience, he failed to deliver.

So, what happened? The Blazers' top decision-maker added a little clarity Monday, saying, essentially, that the Blazers swung and missed. They were outbid in the free agent market -- six times -- and couldn't find a trade partner looking to dump salary through their $13 million trade exception.

"We were looking for an impact veteran," Olshey said. "We got outbid. We had six guys on our target list. We got outbid for each one of them on the taxpayer midlevel. The appetite for teams to put players -- impact-level players -- into trade exceptions to save money or get under the tax wasn't there in this market."

NEW UNIFORM IN NOVEMBER

There will be at least one new Blazers uniform unveiled this season as part of Nike's revolving door of NBA jerseys.

The popular "Rip City" black alternate uniforms, which featured plaid in a nod to legendary coach Ramsay, will be receiving a facelift. One of two alternate uniforms, dubbed the "City" edition by Nike, will change every year as the company and the league look to add variety -- and revenue -- to their brands. The new iteration is expected to be unveiled in November.

"I need a grid up here for every jersey that we continue to redesign and relaunch every year," Blazers President Chris McGowan said. "It gets a little bit crazy because we're doing so many of them."

Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman