Portland has been on an upward climb over the last few years. Here are a number of Blazer previews in the Celticsblog circle of previews. The carousel makes multiple stops in Oregon country on this trip.
There are plenty of reasons to be bullish on the Blazers and it seems darn near every analyst is. They’re protected against injury better than almost every team, going at least two deep at every position. They’re built to execute well in the halfcourt but they can run a little bit when needed, thanks to Miller. They’ve got big guards and little guards, athletic wings and physical wings, long 4s and big 5s: thanks to this depth and versatility, they’re far more prone to creating mismatches than getting exploited by them. They’re coming off a 54 win season, didn’t lose a single major piece and are a year more experienced than they were last season.
But entering this season, things aren’t quite clicking yet.
And it seems like it could take some time.
Last season, Portland was one of, if not the most, efficient teams in the NBA. This season, they should be as efficient plus even more explosive. Andre Miller adds something the team has been lacking for years and that’s a point guard who is a match-up nightmare for the opposition. And with Oden showing mass improvements in preseason contests and a lack of proven centers in the west, the Blazers should find buckets coming even easier.
Coup: The Blazers used their heavily-watched summer money on Hedo Turkoglu, then Paul Millsap followed by a brief flirtation with David Lee before finally settling with Andre “I know all your plays” Miller. Through six preseason games, Miller has made it painfully obvious that he is the more dynamic and better playmaker than incumbent PG Steve Blake.
The worry at the time of Miller’s signing was his limited range, but he’s quelled much of those thoughts with his willingness to make risky passes that lead to easy buckets. Brandon Roy’s slow preseason has led to some questions about his ability to play off-the-ball with Miller —
Depth, it can be a blessing and a curse. As curses go though, it’s one that most coaches and GMs would kill to have. It’s one that the Blazers have.
After the signing of Miller, the Blazers have legitimate depth at every position. This brings roster battles which keep guys on their toes and ensure that a competitive team is on court at all times. Coach McMillan has so many options, he doesn’t even know (publicly) who his starting lineup will be as yet.
Obviously regular season goals are important, but this season, The Blazers need to advance in the playoffs. A good regular season goal is to win the Northwest division, win 50+ games and get a 2 or 3 seed in the playoffs.
Once Portland makes the playoffs, their goal has to be making the Western Conference finals. Last year, Portland had a 3 seed against a tough Rockets team and the outcome was less than favorable. That experience has matured this team and they will be looking for more this year. Winning in the first round of the playoffs would be great, but getting to the WCF is a reasonable and obtainable goal.
The most significant moves of the offseason for this team were the ones that didn’t happen. GM Kevin Pritchard made a huge splash early with his dogged pursuit of Hedo Turkoglu after an incredible performance in a losing effort against the Lakers. We were prepared to offer every Portland firstborn for a three point specialist who 35% last year. Luckily, Hedo’s wife intervened and determined that Portland wasn’t multicultural enough for their needs, so they departed to the Great White North. Mrs. Turkoglu is the franchise MVP until Brandon Roy’s next buzzer-beater.
