With regards to the two cuts coach Don Nelson said the team plans to make by Friday, I’ve got to think that Dion Dowell is one of them. He’s a swingman on a team already dominated by swingmen, and once Monta Ellis gets back, the crunch for minutes there will be even worse.

The other is a tough call. If you were basing your choice only on performances in summer-league play and training camp, it probably would be Richard Hendrix, who has been troubled by a lingering issue with his left thigh.

“I can only judge on what I see, and I haven’t seen that much of him,” Nelson said. “He’s got this thigh injury of some sort. He’s had it all summer. I don’t know how to equate an injury to where a guy is. . . . He’s another guy that I just can’t wait on. He’s going to have to show me something here pretty soon.”

Dumping Hendrix, however, would require the sacrifice of $442,114 in guaranteed money, and I’m not sure the team is willing to do that after one preseason game in which Hendrix — who practiced Tuesday and should be available tonight in Portland — did not play.

My pick, despite Nelson’s compliments earlier this week, is Rob Kurz. I just can’t see giving minutes at power forward to an energy guy instead of to the two players — Anthony Randolph and Brandan Wright — who could be centerpieces of the team in two years.

[EDIT: Alert readers pointed out that there is a report Justin Williams is drawing interest from Maccabi Tel Aviv. So Mr. Kurz's chances just got a little brighter.]

– Geoff