Portland Trailblazers Preview

Hello Readers,

"Look at it this way. If a guy can dribble, I say he's better than me. I can't dribble that well. If a guy can shoot, I think he's better than me because I'm not a good shooter. I'm just a big body, so until I can do those things, I won't be the best player."- Greg Oden

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dcXWZuTWDM
PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS

Key Additions: Damian Lillard (rookie), Meyers Leonard (rookie), Jared Jeffries (trade), J.J. Hickson (FA), Sasha Pavlovic (FA), Joel Freeland (Great Britain), Adam Morrison.........

Key Losses: Raymond Felton (trade), Marcus Camby (FA), Greg Oden (I guess its not a loss if he never actually played), Jamal Crawford (FA)

Projected Starting Lineup:
PG: Lillard
SG: Wesley Matthews
SF: Nicolas Batum
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge
C: Leonard
Role Players: J.J. Hickson, Luke Babbitt Sasha Pavlovic, Freeland, Ronnie Price, Nolan Smith, Jeffries.

Comments: I know I don't hate this team as much as avid blog reader Nitai Deitel, but I think it is funny how much bad luck they have had recently. Brandon Roy was the rookie of the year on this team, a top 5 shooting guard in the league and all-star, and then he goes ahead and destroys both of his knees. But not to fear because there is Greg Oden to save the team, the once in a lifetime big man that can lead this team to the promise land. Oh wait, he has played in 82 games in 5 years due having knees of an 80 year old. His knees must have been fooled by his appearance and not how old he actually is. I have made the argument that Oden is the biggest draft bust in NBA history, and I think I will stick to that. People say Michael Olowokandi, or Kwame Brown are worse, but they have a combined 1085 games played between them, so at least they were able to get their fat asses of the bench, which is a hell of a lot more than Oden can say.
I also think it is funny how people think the Trailblazer training staff is just really bad. Or maybe their is just too much pressure because they are the only sports team in Oregon.

Anyway, on to the actual team. I don't know who Terry Stotts is, but he probably has the worst bench in NBA history to work with. I wish him the best of luck as a coach.

At PG, Damian Lillard was the talk of the Las Vegas summer league. He lit it up, and gave hope to Blazer fans that he was truly the best point guard in the draft. After Raymond Felton put on a few pounds (understatement), the Blazers need a point guard to pair with their stud Aldridge. Lillard will of course go through growing pains, but if Anthony Davis disappoints, he may be next in line for Rookie of the Year consideration. He has got a great shooting touch, and showed he can pass the rock as well. And he is from Weber State. Ronnie Price is what Lillard could become if he is a complete bust. The two are about the same size, but Price can't shoot or play defense, and can't be relied upon for significant minutes. Nolan Smith didn't make much of his opportunity last year with significant bench minutes, which led to Lillard getting drafted. I think he will see more of the backup minutes, but needs to improve on his decision making and aggresiveness.

At SG, Wesley Matthews is one of the more underrated players in the NBA. He is a solid defender, a better than solid shooter at times, and has a good work ethic. I would like to see him take more initiative in the offense, and look for his own shot. Since the Blazers will suck hard this year, he should have the opportunity to prove himself offensively. Sasha Pavlovic is a sorry excuse for a backup shooting guard. There is absolutely no scoring on this bench. Pavlovic is old and slow, which kind of works when you are on the Celtics, but won't work here. I can't believe that this guy once started alongside LeBron in Cleveland and held his own.

Nicolas Batum is kind of an enigma. He can light it up from 3, is really athletic and long which leads to good defense (especially in the blocks department). He just hasn't made that next step from being a role player. All I do know is that LA will always play well, but this team wins games when Batum is on. This is the definition of an X-factor. Batum was kind of weak for France this summer, and I don't know how he will handle a big contract, but Batum needs to take on more of a scoring load for this team to have any shot of the playoffs. Babbitt as the backup is always everyone claims needs to play more, but hasn't really done anything when given the playing time. If he doesn't improve, I honestly don't know what this team will do every night when Batum and Matthews need a rest.

LaMarcus Aldridge is an all-star player, and by far the Trailblazers best player. Which means it is only a matter of time before he blows out his knees. But really, Aldridge is a deadly mid range shooter, with turnarounds, spot ups, and hook shots to boot. He is also a solid rebounder cause he is so freaking long. But, he can't play defense. I remember clearly his matador defense when Nene would attack him in the paint. With Camby and Pryzbilla long gone, and Oden not walking through that door, Aldridge can't rely on his center to pick up his slack on defense. He needs to be a more physical player or he will remain as a border line all-star every year. Hickson willl always be the guy that was about to be the centerpiece in a Amare Stoudemire trade to Cleveland to appease LeBron. If Hickson was just slightly better, the whole shape of the NBA would be completely different. I don't even want to think about it. Anyways, Hickson is the best Blazers bench player, which is really bad. Jeffries is incapable of playing offense, so he will provide no use to a bench that will surely average the lowest number of points.

Meyers Leonard at center is another key for this team. They tried to get Roy Hibbert in the offseason, but when that didn't work, they were stuck with Leonard. He is a big dude, but like LA, he is weak inside with a pretty good shooting touch outside. He will have to get stronger or this team will get beat up inside. And with no bench to speak of, they need their players healthy. I do like Leonard though, and think he can develop a Pau Gasol like game. Joel Freeland to me, is that guy on Great Britain that seemingly knew how to play basketball, and his name wasn't Luol Deng. We will see if he can play with the big boys in the NBA, and not the wimpy international style.

The Trailblazer fans are going to have a rough year. They are one injury (to Aldridge, Batum, or Lillard), which will probably happen, away from having a really really rough year. I don't expect them to make the playoffs. They have a good core, but no depth whatsoever, and a few too many rookies to be serious this year. I am excited to see how Lillard plays in the NBA, could be better than anticipated.

Next up, Milwaukee Bucks