Season Preview: Portland Trail Blazers

I realized that I don't use enough (any) pictures in my blog, so I'm adding more (some) now. On to the good stuff.

Portland Trail Blazers

Starting 5:
PG- Jerryd Bayless
SG- Brandon Roy
SF- Martell Webster
PF- LaMarcus Aldridge
C- Greg Oden

Off the Bench
Guards: Steve Blake, Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Rodriguez
Forwards: Travis Outlaw, Luke Jackson, Ike Diogu
Centers: Joel Przybilla, Channing Frye, Raef Lafrenz

Four words for you; this team is stacked. Seriously, if there is any young team to look for to watch as an upstart it's the Blazers. Maybe I'm just rooting for the Northwest because Clay Bennett stole the Sonics, but seriously, this team is stacked. They were expected to be somewhat disappointing last season after finding out 1st overall pick Greg Oden would be sidelined for the entire season due to knee surgery. However, three important things happened to give Blazers fans hope, and to help them secure a respectable .500 season (something that would've guarnateed them a playoff spot in the East).

First, Brandon Roy emerged as a leader. After winning Rookie of the Year honors, Roy went on to get his first All-Star berth (some would argue stolen from Baron Davis), and has shown himself to be the primary ball handler and scorer for the team. He's shown to be crucial in the clutch with scoring, distributing and most importantly leading the team. He's got stellar averages (19.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 5.8 apg, 1.1 spg), ones that easily merit him stardom and he's shown us all why he ought to be the face of the franchise. Additionally, he's only 24, which means what? He'll only get better, scary. As he gains more experience in the league and learns the ins and outs of NBA play and be able to lead his team even better. His transition has been smoother than most other young players of recent years. He's real refreshing to watch, one of the few 4-year NCAA bred talents in a league that's drafting younger and rawer players. I suppose I might have a bias since he's also from my alma mater.

The second thing to really make a big difference was the emergence of LaMarcus Aldridge as a significant post threat. Easily becoming the no 2 scoring option behind Roy, fellow rookie-classmate Aldridge really emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the paint. He averaged 17.8 pts, 7.6 rbds, 1.6 assts, and 1.2 blocks per game last season, both he and Roy had shown hints of greatness the season before, prompting Kevin Pritchard to promptly dump the unpleasant lockerroom presence of Zach Randolph. From the summer workout reports thusfar, Aldridge apparently has built more mass and strength in his upper body and has flashed some moves in practices that have really impressed people, including some impressive handles and a solid jumper. I can't wait.

Finally, I think one of the biggest things was the breakout year and emergence of 6th man Travis Outlaw last season. He averaged 13.3 pts, 4.6 rbds, 1.3 assts, 0.7 stls, and 0.8 blocks per game on 43% shooting. I don't know about you, but I think those are some pretty impressive stats for a guy coming off the bench. His most impressive line coming off of the final game of the season with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and a steal while shooting 42% from the field. He's dynamite, and on any other team, he'd probably be starting. His value is a lot higher than what I think his averages would indicate, as he split time coming off the bench with James Jones, depending on whether or not the Blazers needed the 3pt lift. Now I know that Outlaw has expressed that he wants to be a starter, something that he doesn't really have the skill sets (three point shooting) for right now. It's not that he's not good, it's just that his game doesn't suit the players on the floor if he started. That being said, he's one of the primary scoring options on the floor off the bench, as Rudy Fernandez accomodates himself to the league.

The biggest questions I think will be the contributions of the rookies; Bayless, Fernandez, and Oden (yes, since he didn't play last year he's technically a rookie this year). Bayless and Fernandez are proven scorers from their own respective leagues (NCAA and Spanish league respectively) and just need to adjust to the next level that is the NBA. Bayless is fast and can penetrate, a very good scorer, someone I can see becoming like Allen Iverson or Monta Ellis. The reason he works at the point is because Roy is such a good distributor for a 2 guard. Blake can do most of the ball handling for the reserves. I didn't see much of Rudy in the Olympics but his explosiveness and overall aggressiveness on the floor really impressed me, he and Outlaw I think will be the major sparkplugs off the bench. While Diogu, Przybilla, and Frye (when he's cleared to play after he recovers from surgery) aren't the most impressive reserves in the frontcourt, you could really do a lot worse. For the most part they're serviceable, and get the job done, and they're young, lots of upside, with the exception of maybe Przybilla, who is the oldest member that cracks the rotation, I don't mind lines of 6 pts, 12 rbds, and a block from my backup center though. What makes this team scary in theory is Oden, he could be the missing piece, what's already scary about this team is that Oden really doesn't have to be that good for the Blazers to be successful. I predict something like a 13 pt, 11 rbd, 2 blck average coming out of Oden as he starts to play, but I can see the Oden/Aldridge frontcourt perhaps being the next Robinson/Duncan (that's right, I went there). Oden is big, and if the reports are anywhere near accurate, he spent the entire season last year building muscle, the man was reported to be 235 lbs of muscle, that's 10lbs of extra weight on Dwight Howard. I would love to see that matchup. Regardless, if he can really pull his game together, this team can really become elite. There are rumors of the Blazers also possibly signing Shaun Livingston, who, if he proves to be able to return from his freak injury two years ago, and is able to bring back everything everyone saw in him, will add even more depth to an incredibly deep and talented team.

I see a 50+ win season, I'd say around maybe 56 wins, playoff berths, and possibly surprising us by getting to the second round.