Portland Trailblazers
2008-09 Record: 54-28
Anticipated Starting Five
PG- Andre Miller
SG- Brandon Roy
SF- Nicholas Batum
PF- LaMarcus Aldridge
C- Greg Oden
Key Reserves: Rudy Fernandez, Travis Outlaw, Steve Blake, Martell Webster, Joel Pryzbilla
Biggest Strength: Offense
I was shocked when I looked at Portland’s offensive performance last season.
- 1st in offensive rating
- 1st in offensive rebounding rate
- 4th in three point shooting
- 6th in offensive turnover %
- 8th in FG% and eFG%
That’s damn good. And all at a snail’s pace
This team just flat out gets it done in the half court which is great for playoff basketball. They put the ball in Roy’s hands and he makes good decisions along with all their other young players for the most part. Toss a veteran heady point guard in the mix and they will only get better.
Biggest Weakness: Inexperience
Tons of talent but little experience. Even adding Andre Miller doesn’t help much since he has little successful playoff experience himself. The question is will it show this upcoming season?
Last year it clearly showed in their road record (20-21). And it again showed in the playoffs. They fell in the first game of the series at home and couldn’t win one road game to regain home court advantage.
Will that change this season? I don’t know.
Key Player: Andre Miller
I was back and forth on this. Oden or Miller? I choose Miller because he is the new guy. He is coming into a leadership position on the floor at the point and was only brought to Portland to contribute greatly to them getting to the next level both in terms of regular season wins and playoff success.
The obvious question is does he fit? One thing from Portland’s team last year jump out at me that suggests he will fit well…
Pace. Portland was the slowest team in terms of pace in the NBA last year. Meaning they are a straight up half court team. That is kind of odd considering they have some good athletes and tons of youth that could easily get up and down the floor. But Nate McMillian is smart. He has a young team playing slower and that in turn limits the mistakes that come with a frantic pace lead by young players. On top of that they are extremely efficient offensively playing that style as the ranked 1st in offensive rating last year.
Andre Miller is a floor general who will only improve their offense in the half court AND on the break with his rock solid decision making. The biggest question with his is of course can he defend. But also who will his poor perimeter shooting impact Portland’s floor spacing in the half court. With Blake you had to worry about him making threes and that bought Aldridge and Roy a extra split second before double teams came.
That is the thing to watch for this season.
Biggest Question: Is Greg Oden any good?
Over the past couple decades, there have only been a couple guys who were hyped as much and for as long as Greg Oden. Tim Duncan. Shaquille O’Neal. LeBron James. All three of those guys were dominant from the start. Greg Oden after 2 seasons? 61 games played, 8.9 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.1 bpg.
So what are reasonable expectations for him from here on out? Some people think his body can’t take the toll of the NBA and he will spend the rest of his career injured. Some think he can still bust out and be the dominant, Dwight Howard-type Center everyone thought he would be. The answer to that question might mean the difference between the Blazers being a perrenial 3-seed and being a perrienial title contender.
Best Individual Season of All-Time: Clyde Drexler, 1991-92
25.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 6.7 apg, 1.8 spg
A well rounded season usually reserved for the likes of Bird and Jordan. Drexler scored, passed, boarded and stole with the best of them in 1991-92. His game led the Blazers to the finals, where they lost 4-2 to the Bulls. Drexler turned it on on the big stage, going for 26.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg and 7.0 apg.
Pete’s 2010 Outlook: 1st place, Northwest division / 3rd place, Western conference / 6th place, NBA
The Blazers are a fun team and I really wish I could see them play more. Roy has exceeded expectations and could be a Paul Pierce type player in this league for years to come. I have them this high because they don’t have any holes in their line-up, they have a deep bench and they are composed of a bunch of young players who still have room to improve. If Oden steps it up and stays healthy, certainly a darkhorse title contender.
Dannie’s 2010 Outlook: 2nd place, Northwest division / 4th place, Western conference / 7th place, NBA
This team is really good. They are above or at least average is most statistical categories. They have a plethora of good young talent and a very good coach to lead them.
I feel like they could challenge the Lakers and the Spurs or lose in the first round again. It will depend on how the young core matures, Oden’s health and development and Andre Miller’s impact.
I don’t have them finishing the season as high as some people may have them because I still don’t think they are ready to take a big step up. I think they will have a slightly better regular season record as they did last year and end up facing an improved, veteran Mavericks team in the first round who could beat them.
What will take them to the next level is on the defensive end. They are not bad at all now (14th in the league) but they can be a bit inconsistent when it comes to getting stops. If Oden can stay healthy and be the player everyone things he can be defensive that may be the difference.
See all 2010 NBA team previews
i still don’t see them making it out of the 1st round until one of their big men, aldridge or oden, becomes a top 5 player at his respective position. and honestly i’m not sure that will ever happen with either of those guys. aldridge certainly has the talent, but has never developed the toughness or low-post game required to become an all-star PF.
Greatest strength(s):
-Maturity for a young team
-Nate McMillian (Give Mr.Sonic some credit)
-Rose Garden(the energy, fans, Paul Allen, ”Rip City” is back)
-Athletic & deep
-Greg Oden (when healthy– a fundamental center)
-Andre Miller (strengths, plus a fastbreak opportunity)
Weakness(es):
-Need more professional/productive veterans
-Road woes
-HEALTH is the key!!
-Cannot let youth get too exposed
-Andre Miller (weaknesseses)
-frontcourt depth (Oden is a ??)
I think the Blazers will be 2nd in the Northwest Division, 4th in the West!!
The Blazers are like a stock with a potential, which means great return and less risk. I cannot really point out the weaknesses properly, but they have so much potential.
With that said, the Blazers can quietly creep up on people and perhaps go higher in the standings
(On a side note, the Sixers will split the season with the Blazers (1-1) with each team winning on their respective home courts).
it is really a suprising move by Portland.Howard is at his 36 and hasn’t play much recently. maybe his experience make him stand out. Good luck anyway.