I’m back!
It is hard to imagine that another NBA season is almost upon us. It seems like yesterday that the San Antonio Spurs completely dismantled the Miami Heat. For Trail Blazer fans, it seems like yesterday that Portland was shown what it was like to be a champion. Finally, it seems like yesterday that the five Trail Blazers starters lined up on the sidelines as the Spurs had their victory sealed and provided a fitting and symbolic end to a fantastic 2013-14 season.
Well, enough looking at the past, a new season has arrived and with it new expectations, storylines, and attitudes for the Portland Trail Blazers. Let’s start with the basics. 13 players from last season’s roster are returning with a couple of new players to fill it out. All five starters from last season are returning, while the additions of Steve Blake and Chris Kaman, the return of Dorell Wright and the continued maturation and improvement of Thomas Robinson, Will Barton, Meyers Leonard, Joel Freeland, and C.J. McCollum should provide much needed stability to what was a shaky bench last season.
I want to talk about C.J. McCollum for a second because I think he is the most fascinating mystery out of all of these players. People know he can score the basketball and he showed flashes of that last season. However, because McCollum had to sit out half of his rookie season because of injury and because Portland was in a winning mode, McCollum never really found a spot. Furthermore, with Mo Williams being more of a scoring backup point guard last season, McCollum just had a hard time finding his way into the rotation. This season, with the departure of Mo Williams and the arrival of a more pass-first point guard in Steve Blake, McCollum has a chance to really shine. He’ll still have to compete to get significant and consistent time, but I think he is going to be the one who takes a leap. Think about it, we really did not see what he could do last season. Whenever he got time, his shots may not have fallen as much as he would have liked, but fans and analysts alike could see that McCollum has talent and lots of it, especially on the offensive end. With McCollum getting a chance to play a full season and having a chance to showcase his talent, I think Portland fans are going to see what McCollum can really do.
The two new additions to the squad should make a Portland fan giddy. The return of Steve Blake to Portland should make anyone excited, but with the countless times where Mo Williams would make the stadium groan, Blake will make the Moda Center breathe a sigh of relief. Blake is the definition of dependability and stability, while also looking to pass more than dribble into the key and take a mid-range jumper with 21 second remaining on the shot clock (Sorry, Mo). I think Damian Lillard is going to thrive with Blake and I think fans will see that the rest of the players will just get better. I also have small prediction. I predict that there will at least be three games where teams forget about Blake in the corner. How many times did NBA fans see Blake somehow get wide open in the corner and hit a three-pointer that would change the momentum? Regardless, Blake is the backup point guard this team needs. It does not need another point guard looking to get points.
Chris Kaman, the caveman. Portland certainly wins the award for weirdest frontcourt in the NBA. With Robin Lopez’s ridiculous hair and Chris Kaman’s frightening beard, the Portland big men are going for a new strategy to discourage opposing players from going to the rim. Like I said in a previous blog post, Portland fans, initially, did not like the signing. Everybody wanted Spencer Hawes. While it is certainly the case that Kaman has been injury-prone slightly over the past couple of seasons, that does not mean he is a bad player. Over the past three seasons, Kaman has been on three different teams, each with their own issues and challenges. However, Portland feels like the perfect situation for him. He will be used instead of benched, unlike what happened with the Lakers. He looks to be healthy and he will fill a role that is very much needed for Portland. Now, Portland will always have a 7-footer playing with All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge. Now, Portland has some options in terms of offensive sets and plays with the bench. People sometimes forget that Kaman is a wizard under the basket. Just watch any of the games that he played against Portland. While he did only play 39 games last season, he did average more points than anyone on the Portland bench last season with 10.4 per game. I think Kaman will surprise people in just how effective he is. It is just a question of him staying healthy and actually being used properly.
The starters speak for themselves. Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews and Robin Lopez are all returning and will all be improved. There has been some question as to whether the unbelievable chemistry from last season will be hard to achieve this season. Several players, including Wesley Matthews and LaMarcus Aldridge are in contract years. While LA has said that he wants to stay and I believe him, there is still that fear that the thought of a bigger contract may start some selfish play. Personally, I do not think that will happen. These five players are so unselfish by nature that I think it would be hard for any of them to really want to pad stats for a bigger contract.
So, are the Blazers better this season? Or, with the continued improvement of other Western Conference teams like Dallas, Phoenix, New Orleans and the Clippers, will the Blazer just end up being in the same position they were in last year? While it is certainly the case that the West is still absolutely brutal and that teams that were not a factor last season are definitely a factor now, there are still some teams that have plateaued or have gotten slightly worse. I am looking at two teams specifically in the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets. While the additions of Shaun Livingston and Leandro Barbosa for the Warriors are nice pickups, is it enough? And, with the Houston Rockets completely striking out in their off-season by not getting Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James or Kevin Love and losing Chandler Parsons, Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin to various teams, it is hard to argue that they got better as well. So, while there are certainly teams that are going to be a lot better (New Orleans), I think there are other teams that may have gotten worse. So, I predict that the Blazers will land the fourth seed. I just think you cannot underestimate experience for a team like the Blazers. And, since they were so close last year, I think this is the time that Portland secures home-court advantage at least for the first round.
The first pre-season game is right around the corner against the Utah Jazz on October 7th. Let the crazy ride that is the NBA season begin.