PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Don't look now, but the former Jail Blazers are the new 'it' team of the NBA.

For the Portland Trail Blazers, who used to make national headlines for off-the-court troubles, that's quite a change. Portland had its 13-game winning streak stopped in Utah on New Year's Eve, but the Blazers have hit the radar screen again -- this time as a model of team play and young talent.

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There has been lots of chatter about the Blazers among the national media and others.

The Blazers came up fifth in the NBA.com power rankings this week, and an ESPN.com analyst ranked Portland seventh, calling the team a playoff contender.

Over on CBSSports.com, one writer said Blazers were the NBA story of the month, and named Brandon Roy as the player of the month for December.

Minnesota coach Randy Wittman lauded Portland's success after the 4-27 Timberwolves fell to the Blazers Wednesday night.

"They're changing the face of the team and that's kind of what we're doing," Wittman said.

Telling a Chicago Tribune columnist that he had in part modeled the Blazers' rebuilding effort after that of the Bulls and general manager John Paxson, Portland GM Kevin Pritchard credited the emphasis on character when putting together the team.

"We play the right way -- we're unselfish," he said. "I thought we had the right culture this season: guys who care about playing the right way, playing hard, playing to win. You never know if it translates into the playoffs, but it bodes well for the future."

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McMILLAN EARNS HONORS: Portland Trail Blazer coach Nate McMillan was named Western Conference coach of the month for December, becoming the first Blazer coach to win the award since Mike Dunleavy in 1999.

It is the first time in McMillan's eight-year coaching career that he has won the award. He guided Portland to a 13-2 record, including a 13-game winning streak, second-best in franchise history.

Dunleavy won coach of the month honors twice in Portland, in March and November 1999. Rick Adelman (three times), Mike Schuler (once) and Jack Ramsay (once) are the other Portland coaches to get the honor.

New Orleans point guard Chris Paul beat out Portland's Brandon Roy for Western Conference player of the month honors. Roy, who won back-to-back player of the week early in the month, averaged 21.1 points and 6.4 assists in December. Paul had 24.5 points, 10.4 assists and a league-high 3.0 steals.

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BENCH COMING THROUGH: Just about every Blazer has shined since its early December reawakening, but Portland's bench -- particularly Sergio Rodriguez, James Jones, Travis Outlaw and Channing Frye -- has been especially impressive.

The bench was a big key to Portland's Wednesday road win over Minnesota. Rodriguez had eight assists in a six-minute stretch and Frye grabbed seven rebounds in 24 minutes.

In addition, Outlaw has emerged as Portland's fourth-quarter scoring threat, and Jones, who had 18 points against the Timberwolves, is leading the NBA in 3-point percentage at 55.4 percent.