The Portland Trail Blazers are the youngest team in the league and will soon be NBA champions.
They have only one player over the age of 30 (Raef Lafrentz). Though he will probably be gone next season, he isn't even a key component to there team.
Lead by last year’s rookie of the year and 2008 All-Star Brandon Roy, along with most improved player candidate LaMarcus Aldridge, they are the most promising team in the league.
I mean, how can't they be? Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Jarret Jack, Channing Frye, Martell Webster, Josh McRoberts, Sergio Rodriguez, and Travis Outlaw are all 26 or younger!
Brandon Roy is obviously the leader and offensive catalyst for this team, averaging almost 20 points and six assists per game (both career highs) while averaging under two turnovers a game. He's not bad on defense, either, making just over one steal a game. He has also showed maturity and and leadership over this young team, and for a player to do so and such a young age is quite an asset. He has yet to show the ability to grind it out in the clutch and pull out tough wins, but I'm sure he will gain that skill and mental toughness as he gets older. If he continues to grow as a leader and as a player, he will be the star, and hopefully lead his team to a championship.
LaMarcus Aldridge is a beast on offense and defense, giving the Blazers a career high 18 points and almost 8 boards a game. On the defensive end, he is a big body who swats down 1.23 blocks a game. Not to mention 0.75 steals a game. Not to bad for a center.
Now we move to athletic sixth man Travis Outlaw. He delivers career highs in points with 13.3 per game and 4.4 boards per game. Not great, but definitely not a bad third option, considering he has been improving every year. I would expect that improvement to continue because he is only 24!
Time for offensive option number four, Martell Webster. Martell had a good season this year, starting a career high 70 times. Along with scoring a career high 10.7 points per game, Webster also pitches in almost 4 boards per game.
The Blazers also have a decent point guard combination in Steve Blake and Jarrett Jack. Blake, who starts most games, gives the Blazers 8.5 points and 5 assists per game, while Jarret Jack gives almost 10 points and 4 assists per game. Quite a one-two punch, now isn't it.
I didn't even mention big men Channing Frye (6.5 ppg) and Joel Pryzbilla (5 ppg and 1.2 bpg). Also, former Duke Blue Devils' star Josh McRoberts is a key prospect who mostly played in the NBA D-League this season.
Last season, the Trail Blazers were 32-50. 18 games below five hundred, and the western conference was a lot weaker then this season. This season, they are 40-40 and currently sit 10th place in a very difficulty Western Conference. That is an 18 game upward climb from last season as the West got even tougher.
The Portland Trail Blazers recently signed Europe's best prospect in Rudy Fernandez. He should be a huge piece to their puzzle in the coming years.
After trades and everything, in this draft, the Blazers picked up Nicolas Batum and Brandon Rush. Two good basketball players who should do well this season, if they are Trail Blazers come the season. Recent rumours say there is trade talk between the Pacers and the Blazers which would send Josh McRoberts, Jarrett Jack and Brandon Rush over to the Pacers for Jerryd Bayless and Ike Diogu. I think this trade would definitely benefit the Blazers because that would give them another true point guard in Bayless and Diogu would be another big man to add to their arsenal.
There is no question that the Portland Trail Blazers will sweep the NBA Western Conference in years to come.
Hmm..yet, it seems as though I'm forgetting something, what player am I missing, maybe, a future all star that hasn't played all year? Oh Ya! Greg Oden!
This team almost made the playoffs this season without there No. 1 pick and could have been All-Star Greg Oden.
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3 months ago
Great Article, I agree.
3 months ago
How long have you been writing? Just because these guys are young, doesn't mean they are potential champions. All NBA players, with few exceptions, were winners at previous or current levels at one time or another. All losers were once young! What makes this group so special? I know the answer - but I'm not sure you do - you didn't mention it. Not only that, but you failed to mention the talent these guys have and you certainly didn't mention the most key ingredient to this potential. Greg Oden.
This group shows promise, I agree. But to see they'll win the NBA championship soon shows a little bit of naiveness on your part.
Be a good writer, and get off the band wagon!
3 months ago
K first of all, im not even a portland fan, its that these guys are so young, and skilled! Roy was already an all star and aldridge could have been. And wow...i do not know how i forgot Oden.
3 months ago
How do you talk about the future of Trailblazers without mentioning #1 overall pick, Greg Oden?! I agree that they are set up to win a championship within the next 5 years but no mention of Oden nor Rudy Fernandez who may or may not join the team next year. I doubt he will so maybe the Blazers should try to find a PG perhaps.
3 months ago
For some reason the last paragraph didnt fit in before...but i fixed it
3 months ago
Josh McRoberts is as much of a key prospect as Christian Laettner, and he's not even as good as Laettner was. He is a stiff.
3 months ago
They are a suprising team and with Greg Oden, they should be really good.
3 months ago
While I agree with some of the premise of this article (Portland Trailblazers are a good young team that will contenders in the future), the content of the article leaves a lot to be desired. It nearly entirely consists of lists of stats that you can get from looking at the Portland Trailblazer team stats page on any sports website. I can get that on my own thank you very much.
Where is the in-depth analysis? Where do we get the sense that you understand the game of basketball enough to comment on it? Have you played the game of basketball at any competitive level?
A more preferable argument would be stacking up the Portland Trailblazers on how they match up against the projected development of the other Western Conference teams.
Other analysis might include:
- How do they perform functionally as a unit on offense?
- Do they have a go to guy that will win the game in the clutch?
- Do they have the mental toughness to rise to the next level?
- Championships are often won with defense, do the Trailblazers have what it takes?
3 months ago
I agree that you need to get beyond the stats.
Also, I think you've fallen into the national media's version of the Blazers, in this respect:
Every national commentator looks at this team and says, "they'll be great once they get a real point guard." Okay, that's one opinion. It's understandable that the media wants to have five names they can fill into the five spaces they have on their crib notes.
I think those of us who watch the Blazers regularly might see it differently. Almost every player on this team has made themselves available for more than one position, and that's helped the Blazers put the best 5 guys on the court as much as possible.
So regarding your comment about Blake and Jack being the two point guards, I'd disagree. They've both played really well this year, but Jack has played almost no point --and incidentally has grown into a great clutch 2. In a typical game Blake will play point for most of the first half but Roy will take over in the second. Sometimes Blake will stay there for most of the game. Sometimes they'll give Sergio Rodriguez some minutes there. This is the scheme that gave them their winning streak, and Roy's ability to play either guard spot is going to be one of the best parts of his game.
Others (Frye, Outlaw) have played more than one spot, and it's part of the "team first" approach that will get them that national championship.
JJ
3 months ago
I agree w/ the article 100&. The Blazers are young and up and coming. Personally, I am a Sonics fan and I am struggling w/ their potential departure to Oklahoma City. Anyway, with a healthy Oden, Roy and Aldridge leading the way, I feel the sky is the limit. Also, they appear to have solid characters on the team. If Rudy Fernandez is as good as advertised they will be unbelievable. I do think they could use a quality point guard. I like Blake's game, but I think it is better suited for coming off of the bench. The future will be interesting.
3 months ago
The real key is not necessarily their numbers...it is how they fit together. Przybilla is never going to pack the scoring column. His value lies in a lot of places that are much harder to see in the stat column; check out what he did to Shaq 3 of the 4 times they faced (though to be fair, the 4th time Shaq rolled him up big time). He has done that all year...taken the opposing big man out of the game, rebounded, and set picks.
As for Roy not showing the clutch ability...in every close game this year Portland put the ball in his hands and did so because he came up big almost every time. Sure, he had some times he did not deliver. But so has King James, for my money the best finisher in the league this year. But more often than not, Roy delivered. At one point the TNT guys were talking about how league scouts told them no team wanted to play Portland in the 4th quarter if the game was 7 points or less at the 7 minute mark. That wasn't because they were afraid of the offense of Webster, Jack, Przybilla, or even Aldridge or Outlaw. It was because Roy would take over. Close games were his baby.
There are still holes that could prevent Portland from the anticipated glory years...it will be fun to see what happens.
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