Portland loathes expectations. Expected to compete for the West title? Down
in a burning wreckage of knee bones and perimeter shooting. Unable to hold on
to the playoffs? Say hi to a massive winning streak to glide into the
playoffs. They are never predictable, that's for certain. As we continue our
Preseason Primers , we take a look at the noble hope of the Northwest, and
if this is finally the season when things don't go wrong for the Blazers.
Portland Trailblazers
Training camp site: Portland, OR
Training camp starts: Sept. 28
Key additions: Wesley Matthews (free agent)
Key subtractions: Juwan Howard (free agent), Martell Webster (trade), Luke
Babbitt, Armon Johnson (free agent)
Likely starting lineup: Andre Miller, PG; Brandon Roy, SG; Nicolas Batum, SF,
LaMarcus Aldridge, PF, Marcus Camby, C
Player to watch: Greg Oden. Guy's gotta get healthy sometime, right? Oden
has been and remains the missing piece of the puzzle for the Blazers, even
with the addition of Marcus Camby. If Oden can reach a significant portion of
his massive untapped potential, he could be a difference maker for the
Blazers, completing the team that's been constructed over the past five
years. It's unknown if Oden will even be available for camp, or how much
he'll be participating. But even that says something. Oden's got to bounce
back hard, and get back to where he showed flashes last year prior to the
injury. That's the only way the Blazers can make the jump they need to this
year.
Chemistry quiz: Who's the ticking time bomb? That's the question, and it's
multiple choice, with several "A and B and C" type choices. Last year, Andre
Miller and Nat McMillan blew up at one another during a low point. The two
reconciled things and seem to be on better ground, but there's been
consistent trade chatter involving Miller since he was signed as a marquee
free agent in 2009. And that's just the start! Travis Outlaw and Steve Blake,
two longtime Blazers were traded last year, along with Martell Webster before
this year's draft. And, oh, yeah, Rudy Fernandez is involved in a messy,
gross situation where he's demanding a trade and talking about sitting out
the next season , even after rejecting a trade to New Orleans. This is all
before we get into LaMarcus Aldridge's longterm problems with the club, and
the attention showered on Greg Oden constantly. That said, McMillan has done
a tremendous job keeping the team together and helped lead them to the
playoffs last year. If he can keep them together this year, it'll be another
award-worthy performance.
Injury watch: Ha. Ha ha ha. Hahahahahaha. Sorry. That's mean.
Well, let's see. Brandon Roy struggled with an ankle towards the end of last
year, but that should be fine. Greg Oden is recovering from a broken patella,
slowly. Joel Przybilla also broke his patella and tore ligaments, then
reinjued it in the shower. Marcus Camby is no spring chicken. This team is
one bad turn, a helicopter and a few tents from becoming a M*A*S*H* unit. If
any team is worthy of karmic bonuses resulting in a clean bill of health this
year, it's Portland.
Camp battles: Center's going to be a big one throughout the year, but with
Oden not near 100% by any stretch of the imagination, Camby has it on
lockdown. Nicolas Batum continues to be one of the better developing small
forwards in the league, and his overall play should keep him locked in above
the rookie Babbitt. An interesting one? Point guard. Miller was terrific at
points last year for the Blazers, but when he wasn't, Jerryd Bayless was
increasingly better. Bayless is a fierce competitor. If he were to make a
significant jump, that one could get ugly really quick.
Biggest strength: Depth and Brandon Roy. That's the formula, which is why
the injuries const them so much last year. Additionally, Brandon Roy's going
to have to climb back out of the pool and onto the pavement of great players
after a downturn last season. The Blazers absolutely must have Roy as a top
ten player in the league if they're going to compete for the Western
Conference Finals, along with all the other things they need to happen. But
Roy has shown he can do it, and they still have considerable depth, arguably
more, with Matthews to give Roy a breather, and young talent mixed in with
the vets.
Glaring weakness: You mean, besides spending more times on their backs than
Luke Walton? (You thought I was going for a sex joke there, didn't you?) The
team's gotta stay healthy, which isn't something they can avoid, outside of
moving to Phoenix and hiring their training staff. On the floor, the offense
can stagnate considerably when Roy's not on the floor outside of the handful
of nights where Miller goes nova. The other players need to develop into
go-to scorers, at least a few. LaMarcus Aldridge in particular has had low
expectations which he's exceeded yet not received credit for the last few
years, but now he's going to have to be a big-time power forward for the
Blazers. If he doesn't show he can get to the next level, he may find himself
on the block as the Blazers look for the missing piece.
http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22748484/24721302
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