First I’d like to start this article by saying that the best development so far in this season has been the transition from being known nationally as the Jail Blazers to the Frail Blazers. This is a transition that I’m sure most Blazer fans are ecstatic about. Also I’d like to say that it was much easier to write this article following the Blazer’s dominant performance over the Sacramento Kings. Seriously fifteen point loss at home to the Kings? Might as well throw up the white flag if the Blazers make the playoffs. At least the Trail Blazers medical staff has finally figured out how to handle the knee issues plaguing the team.
Pre-Season Expectations
Coming off an injury-plagued season last year (thankfully that hasn’t happened again) that led to a first round playoff exit expectations were high in Portland. A top four seed in the West was the goal heading into the season and this goal certainly seemed achievable. The big key to this happening was the health of Brandon Roy and to a lesser degree Greg Oden. Offseason acquisition Wesley Mathews was supposed to be the first guard off the bench-providing defense and outside shooting. This was supposed to be the year the Blazers finally made it out of the first round and some national analysts were touting the Blazers as a legitimate contender in the Western Conference.
Player Grades
A+ LaMarcus Aldridge- Really elevated his game once he realized that he couldn’t play the part of a 6’10” shooting guard the whole game. I don’t know if I can speak for all Blazer fans but to me whoever told Aldridge that getting deep post position wouldn’t kill him deserves something akin to the Nobel Prize. Aldridge’s growth as a player is the only reason that the Blazers can say that they currently own the 8th best record in the West, easy first half MVP of the Blazers. Really it will be a shame if Aldridge doesn’t make it to the All-Star game but unfortunately I think Aldridge will get left off but still I’ll try my best #LA2LA.
A Wesley Mathews- I for one thought the contract that Mathews received was ridiculous but his play so far has turned me into a fan of his (regardless of the fact that he could have been signed at roughly half the price). If anyone says they expected Wesley to be averaging 16.2 points congratulations on being able to lie to yourself. I wouldn’t have been surprised if his season high was sixteen points but he has also provided what he was signed for; defense, toughness, and great character.
A Patty Mills tweets- If you don’t follow him on twitter you need to start immediately.
A- Marcus Camby- Although Camby has just checked out for his yearly fifteen game absence, Camby has anchored the defense, rebounded well, and has been thriving in his unofficial role of Aldridge alley-ooper. For the record I don’t know if I’ll ever get sick of this play. I feel bad for Camby because this last contract could very well be his last and if he sticks with the Blazers it doesn’t appear likely that he will win a ring.
A- Coach Nate- He’s done a great job getting this team to play through injury and if this team can make it into the playoffs this would surely be one of his finest seasons as coach.
B+ Andre Miller- About as steady as you can get in terms of production (13 ppg and 7 apg) but for some reason most Portland fans I know point to Andre once something goes wrong with the Blazers. Once Andre leaves (whenever that is) I think Blazer fans will miss him and understand what he brings to this team. Andre would be better suited to be on a running team like the one he left in Philadelphia but he still is an above-average point guard in this league. On another note don’t be shocked to see him leave for the NFL as I heard scouts loved his hit on Blake Griffin.
B Nicolas Batum- Has struggled at times with consistency but lately he has started to get more aggressive on offense, which bodes well for the Blazers in the second half of the season. He doesn’t impress you too much in terms of his stats but I agree with the Blazers stance of making him untouchable in trade talks.
B Patty Mills- Charles Barkley about summed up my views on Patty Mills earlier in the season when he said something similar to this “I don’t know his name but I love the energy that the little guy on Portland’s bench brings.” Of course I knew his name but besides that I had only seen him play against Oregon when he was at Saint Mary’s. Mills has been doing a great job recently in the backup point guard role and brings a different style and energy to the point than Andre Miller. Plus he receives high marks for bringing the “3 goggles” to the Rose Garden.
B- Rudy Fernandez- Wildly inconsistent from game to game but still Rudy has bounced back from his no-show last year. I’m not quite sure what his role on this team should be because it seems to me that he would struggle to guard Mike Rice on defense (need this to happen at some point) but when he brings his flair and creativity on offense to the court the Blazers offense is completely different.
B- Dante Cunningham- You know what your going to get on a game to game basis, couple midrange jump shots, above average on the boards, and decent defense. Nothing too flashy, besides the occasional slam, but still a solid contributor.
C+ Armon Johnson- Had a decent run as back up point guard earlier in the season but hasn’t moved from the bench since sometime in December. Good prospect if he can ever figure out a decent long-range stroke.
C Joel Pryzbilla’s imitator- You have to love the effort from the big guy but he’s playing on one leg and it’s painful to watch. Once known for patrolling the lane he is just a shell of who he once was although he still has the attitude that Blazer fans have come to love.
C- Luke Babbit- Tough to grade on only thirteen appearances but he just looks plain lost out there on the floor for the most part. Never something you want to say about the 16th overall pick in the draft but the good news is there’s plenty of time for him to figure it out. Fantastic news for him is that he has apparently clinched the whitest active NBA player award snaring it from Brian Scalabrine (no word on how he’s handling the loss). Luke Harangody looks to be Babbit’s competition for the near future.
F Blazers Injury Luck- Seriously does it get any worse than five knee surgeries in the first half? If it does I’m not sure how I’ll be able to handle it.
Somewhere below an F Sean Marks- Nothing against the guy but how the Blazers thought he could play actual minutes is beyond me. His plus minus on the year is said to be approaching minus one trillion.
Incomplete Greg Oden, Elliot Williams and Brandon Roy- I know Roy has played this year but he hasn’t been one hundred percent so its tough for me to give him a grade. I appreciate his efforts to come back but until he can handle a weeks worth of games there is no point for him to return. Also anyone else see Greg Oden wearing a part-time athlete full time player shirt earlier? Someone tell Oden that he actually has to play more than one fourth of his games to even be considered a part-time athlete. Thanks for the memories Greg (all I can remember is him in dress suits on the end of the bench) I’ll wish you well wherever you end up next year.
Thoughts on the 2nd Half-
To tell you the truth I have no idea what the right move for this team is (this is where you wonder why you are reading this). Do you blow it up or continue to try and get the sixth through eight seed for the next five years? With Roy and Oden’s injuries you’ve effectively knocked two of the three cornerstones out in other words not looking good for deep playoff runs but you never know. The rest of this team was assembled to be role players to fill a certain need on this team with all three cornerstones carrying most of the weight. An Aldridge, Mathews, Batum trio doesn’t scare anyone and if you think it does stop talking yourself into it. I might be in the minority but I think you have to look into blowing this team up and making another run at the title in four or five years. The sad part of this is that I’m not sure you can even blow this team up because of Roy’s injury and contract. This team due to Roy’s contract and the other roster members seems to be locked into a path of mediocrity even with the emergence of Aldridge. Aldridge is now a star but you can’t make it past the first round with at least one strong sidekick. Mathews and Batum aren’t at this level yet and if the front office has faith that they can make it there then the move would be to try and strengthen the team in someway. Strengthening this team is going to be hard to do because all of the Blazer’s most tradable assets are vital to this team making the playoff’s right now. Andre Miller and Marcus Camby would be the players that contenders would want to make a play for but neither of these guys would fetch that much in return and by trading either this team would not make the playoffs guaranteed. Joel Pryzbilla’s expiring contract is perhaps the one asset that provides the most hope and maybe Rick Cho will be able to swing a deal that brings back something that bolster’s the Blazer’s roster for a playoff run. The Blazer’s also possess two first round picks so maybe Cho tries to send one pick away for another big.
I don’t envy Rich Cho’s job at all right now and in the future, this team has some serious issues for now and in the future. Ever since it was announced that Roy won’t be the same player and will struggle to stay healthy during the season I have been going over what I would do if I were GM and to be honest I still don’t have a clue. Maybe Roy does come back and can contribute next year at around eighty percent but this is a big question mark. Maybe Aldridge, Mathews, and Batum continue to grow, maybe Elliot Williams returns from injury and plays well in a sixth man role or Luke Babbit play’s like someone worthy of the number sixteen pick. You just don’t know there are way too many questions right now surrounding the Blazers and not nearly enough answers.
As of now I can see the Blazers holding on the eight seed but I could also see them sliding in the second half, regardless this team barring a miracle isn’t making it past the first round. From now until the trade deadline will determine in which the direction Blazer’s head for the future. Do they start a rebuilding project by trading Andre or Camby or do they stand pat/attempt to add a player for a playoff run this year and next. If it was up to me I would gauge the interest for Camby and Andre and if you can gain a few picks or promising young players I would go for it. The Blazers aren’t going to be able to add an impact player through free agency due to their money being tied up in Roy and Aldridge so they are going to have to add an impact player through the draft or through trades. If there isn’t enough of a market hold the players and try again this summer. I may be in the minority but I definitely think the right path is to start trying to rebuild at the latest this summer.
Could I be overreacting? Sure, but everything I see points to the Blazers struggling to just reach the playoffs in the next few years and this is not a sustainable model for titles in the NBA. I’m just not seeing the Blazers making it out of the first round unless something drastic happens. This could come in the form of Roy becoming healthier or great growth in Batum or Mathews but these aren’t things you can bank on. If Roy is healthy and good to go this is a different conversation but you have to face the facts Roy’s health is too big a question mark going forward to honestly say the Blazer’s can contend for a title in the west this year and in the next couple of years. This team has some good pieces, a legitimate star, Aldridge, quality starters, Batum, Miller, and Mathews, and solid bench players Fernandez, Cunningham, and Mills. But besides that there’s too much mystery for a serious contender. Nate’s a good coach but is he going to be sticking around, does Rich Cho know what he’s doing, is Paul Allen going to put some money back into the payroll? I just don’t see the future holding a legitimate contender with the chips that Blazer’s have, maybe I’m completely misreading it but I’m not liking what I do see. How I got to here from expecting a top four seed in the West pre-season is almost entirely caused by the injuries which isn’t what you want to see happen but those are the cards that were dealt. How the Blazer’s play the rest of this season and off-season out will certainly be something I’m watching and I personally can’t wait to see what they do because I’m not sure what I would do if in charge.
Five predictions for the remainder of the season
1.Blazers will hold onto the eighth spot in the West and be swept in the first round. Get excited Portland!
2.#LA2LA will not come to fruition. No one besides Portland residents will notice and or care.
3.Andre, Camby, and Pryzbilla won’t be traded.
4.I will continue to wonder what if Roy’s knees were right.
5.Sean Marks will anger me upon his checking into games. I’m convinced that he is the most used example that is used when someone says if your tall you have a shot in the NBA (always a great honor to have).
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