Williams hasn’t played a regular-season game yet but is getting close. Odds are, though, he won’t be in the lineup tonight when the Jazz and Blazers meet in Salt Lake City.

This is one of those barometer games for the Trail Blazers. Generally, to beat Utah you have to really take care of business — you have to be physical, you have to defend the basket area, you have to play transition defense, you have to execute your offense . . . uh, I guess you pretty much always have to play well to beat the Jazz — particularly on their home floor, which the Blazers did last season.

I like Utah games. Jerry Sloan has his teams ready just about every night and that means not only mentally but physically. And it was obvious, from the peeks at practice we got this week, Nate McMillan believes his team needs to get a little more physical. Tonight will be an excellent test, to see if the Blazers will respond to that challenge. My guess is that it will get a little rough and tumble tonight.

It will also be fun to see if Nic (yeah, why not drop the “Nicolas” by now? He’s family) Batum responds to being a starter and how well Travis Outlaw plays off the bench. I would expect the bench and starting units to be a little more fluid.

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Sam Smith, who has retired from the Chicago Tribune, is now writing a column for the Website of the team he covered for many years, the Chicago Bulls. In this installment (way down at the end), Sam’s reporting that the Trail Blazers have offered Travis Outlaw for Memphis point guard (and old Greg Oden teammate) Mike Conley. Sam seems to think that’s not enough to get Conley but I’d say it’s more than enough.

Conley hasn’t played a minute during the fourth quarters of his team’s last two games. The coaching staff in Memphis seems to favor Kyle Lowry at crunch time. And Memphis won’t take Travis Outlaw — a guy who beat the Grizzlies in Memphis at the buzzer last season – for a point guard the coaches won’t use in the fourth quarter?

By the way, maybe this is why Travis was pushed into the starting lineup at the last minute ahead of Nicolas Batum. Was it showcase time?

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Some random opening-night observations from a packed, and VERY loud Rose Garden:

• It’s almost always better to be lucky than good. The Blazers were pretty good Friday night, but they were lucky, too. You know, a great shooter like Michael Finley isn’t very often going to miss that easy little shot from the right side with the game on the line. And the Spurs aren’t going to shoot 55.9 percent from the floor, 56.3 percent from 3-point range and 93.3 percent from the line and lose very often, either.
• On the other hand, when you win the rebound battle 37-31 and have just six turnovers, you won’t lose often, either — and that’s what the Blazers did.
• Earth Wind and Fire played ONE song prior to the game and that was it. Granted, that group isn’t as hot as it was a couple of decades ago but still — that must have been a very expensive song. But, of course, there’s no salary cap on pre-game entertainment. Just think — if this team ever gets really good, it might just bring the Rolling Stones in for one song on opening night.
• On a night when you’re going to try to have a “red out” — all the fans wearing red shirts — it would be a good idea to hand out red T-shirts at the door. Let somebody put an ad on the back or something to pay for them, but it would redden things up a bit because a lot of people just didn’t get the message Friday night.
• Nicholas Batum HAS to play. He’s one of the best defenders on the team as a 19-year-old and has a real knack at the offensive end of making the proper decisions. You have to play him just to see how good he can be. I’m thinking now, he could be REAL good.
• Tony Parker cannot be stopped. But he needs to stop crying to the referees. He’s too good to act like such a baby.
• As the Blazers mature as a team, they’re doing a great job of not getting involved in any of that junk with referees. It’s going to get them a few calls along the way somewhere.
• Joel Przybilla on the floor for Portland’s final offensive possession? What was that about? If he even touches the ball, they’re going to foul him — and it looks, at least for the time being, he’s reverting back to previous free-throw troubles.
• Brandon Roy was Brandon Roy again. He fills up the stat sheet and at times, completely controls the game. He’s a maestro when it comes to tempo.
• I had no idea this guy Roger Mason is so good. Maybe he isn’t. But he was sensational Friday night.
• Mark this down. Fast break points: Spurs 2, Trail Blazers 14. You will not see the Blazers have seven times as many fast-break points as their opponents for the rest of your time on the planet.

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Jason Quick is all over it. Nicolas Batum is out, Travis Outlaw is in.

Three questions:

Wonder what Brandon Roy thinks about this? Batum was his choice.

Can Travis fit with the starting unit? Meaning, will he move the ball unselfishly and not go off on his own with one-on-one stuff?

After all those days of talking about how right putting Batum in the starting lineup was, what happened at the last minute to change all that?

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Wendell Maxey is based in Portland and does a great job of covering the NBA for Hoopsworld. In this story he talks about the tragic death of Nicolas Batum’s father, Henry – at the free-throw line during a game.

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After watching Nicolas Batum for a couple of weeks, I’m more impressed than ever. For 19 years old, he’s been amazing during the exhibition season.

I’m going to say who he reminds me of but please, don’t take it to mean I think he’s as good as the player I mention. It’s just that the way he carries himself, his body build and his demeanor remind me an awful lot of a very good player. Guy by the name of Grant Hill. Again, don’t go nuts on me — I’m not saying he’s as good as Hill was when he came out of Duke University.

But what I’m saying is, Batum has that same sort of stoic calm about him. Same kind of body build, too. He’s well-rounded at both ends of the floor and the sort of player who looks like, someday, he’ll be a very solid player. And I think it’s going to be pretty hard to beat him out for the starting small forward position while Martell Webster is on the injured list.

Batum will defend his position, take sensible shots when he’s open and move the ball. He won’t get in anyone’s way. There is plenty of high-powered offense in the starting unit, anyway. He doesn’t need to score. In that respect, he fits better with the starters than he does with the second unit. I just don’t see Travis Outlaw as anything but a scorer — and that works better for this team coming off the bench.

It’s hard to predict how well Batum will do as a starter. After all, who would have predicted he’d play this well in the preseason? He’s an unknown. There must be a pretty good coach somewhere in France, though, who spent a lot of time with him. This kid knows how to play and how to fit into a team — and I don’t think he was born that way. What comes naturally to him, though, is his cool, calm demeanor. It will serve him well as he steps into what can be a real pressure cooker for someone 19 years old.

It will be interesting to see if he continues to hit his shots. That’s always difficult for rookies in the NBA. Once the season starts the scouting gets better and so does the defense. But Batum’s own defense should be good enough to help him survive the rough spots and keep him in the lineup. Because of the talent of the other Portland starters, who will require double teams, he ought to get some open shots.

It will be fun to watch how it all plays out.

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A few random observations after Sunday afternoon’s Blazer-Jazz game:

Greg Oden: This was one game when it appeared the opponents had scouted him a little bit. Early in the exhibition season that doesn’t happen much, but it will now. And still, it’s nothing like a regular-season game, in terms of preparation by an opponent. The Jazz swarmed him every time he touched the ball and pushed him off the block all night. Nothing came easy to him and Utah was absolutely not going to let him just back someone down and dunk. That left him with a couple of wild jump hooks and not much else. But he’ll be OK eventually. There’s just a learning period that he’s got to go through. He sometimes has a problem finding the rhythm of the game, either rushing himself or going too slow.

Plus, he’ll certainly get more room to operate at the post when he’s playing with LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy, rather than Shavlik Randolph and Luke Jackson.

“He’s got a tremendous upside,” Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. “He’s big, good around the basket and he looks like he’s going to shoot his free throws well. He’s still trying to find himself . . .” and then with a smile, Sloan added, “I like his chances.”

Also from Sloan: “It is hard for us to get excited about that game,” he said. “Their best team was sitting on the bench.”

Don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but I love Jerry Sloan.

Nicolas Batum: The kid’s still 19 and plays with the poise of a veteran player. I don’t recall ever seeing a guy that young with such a great feel for NBA defense. He’s really been the surprise of camp. He’s always blocking something or deflecting something. When you think about it, with Martell Webster out for a couple of month, Batum’s skillset makes him a legitimate candidate for a starting job. He already defends better than Travis Outlaw and seems to be satisfied with whatever shots come his way (although, to his credit considering his age, he’s not at all afraid to shoot). And he not only can pass, he’s willing to pass — one other category where he surpasses Outlaw.

Ike Diogu: So far, I’m not seeing much from him. I think I’d shop him around and see if I could get something for him – which could open the door to keeping Shavlik Randolph and Steven Hill. Plus, he’s in the final year of his contract and ought to be with a team where he can get playing time. That’s not this team.

Sergio Rodriguez: He’s better. Slowly but surely, he’s getting better. Playing time will do that for you.

Jerryd Bayless: Still pounds the ball too much. In time, he’ll learn. Less is more when it comes to dribbling around in the halfcourt. No question he’s got some tools, though.

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