5 Ways the Trail Blazers Can Rebound Next Season

The Portland Trail Blazers have disappointed this season.

With all the buzz surrounding the team’s blazing hot start to the season, fans and media alike created greater expectations than they should have.

But falling short of the playoffs—which seems increasingly likely Portland will do—wasn’t expected by even the harshest critics.

This team was too talented—wasn’t it?

Next year looks like a different story. With only five players guaranteed roster spots in 2012-13, change is inevitable.

By following these guidelines, that change will be positive and Portland will rebound from an incredibly disappointing season.

Rebound

The Trail Blazers rank 25th in the NBA in rebounding. They need to improve.

By trading away Marcus Camby, Portland parted with its best glass cleaner. Somebody needs to fill his void.

Portland has one of the best rebounders of all time on its bench. During the offseason, Buck Williams—No. 14 on the NBA’s all-time rebounding list—should be tasked with improving the Blazer bigs’ rebounding technique and tenacity.

Win the Draft

Draft days are boom or bust in Portland. Too often for the Blazers, it's been bust.

Not since selecting Zach Randolph 19th overall in 2001 have the Blazers used one of their own picks on someone who became an impact player in Portland.

If the front office is afraid of suffering the same sad fate through the draft that has become the norm in Portland, the Blazers must flip their potentially two first-round picks for a quality player or two.

Get Lucky

Some of Portland’s problems with the draft have not come from the draft itself. Greg Oden is a shining example of making what was the right pick at the time, only to see dysfunctional knees derail a career.

Winning the draft needs to coincide with keeping the players acquired through the draft healthy.

Additionally, with LaMarcus Aldridge recently going under the knife to have his hip operated on, Portland must hope he makes a full recovery and does not become yet another victim of what seems to be turning into the Rip City Curse.

Stabilize the Front Office

Portland’s general manager position has been vacant for almost a year.

Think about that.

Imagine your boss gets the ax. Eleven months later, the position is still filled by someone with “interim” in front of his title. That is not an effective way to run a company, no less a sports team that desperately needs to prepare a potent draft strategy within the next 60 days.

Portland owner Paul Allen has to pick someone to become the next permanent GM. Then he needs to allow that person the freedom to operate the team as his own without Allen's pesky meddling.

This needs to happen before free agency and the draft arrive.

Settle on a Coach

Once the general manager situation is sorted out, the Trail Blazers need to decide on a long-term solution at head coach.

Kaleb Canales is doing admirably after being thrust into the spot. Because of his rapid ascent from unpaid intern to head coach, he has drawn comparisons to Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

Canales has inspired the team and turned up the intensity level.

If Paul Allen and the rest of Portland’s front office believe the comparisons to Spoelstra are accurate, they need to remove the interim title from Canales’ name. They must do this concurrently with the hiring of a GM. That way the two can work together to build for the future.

Conversely, if Portland picks a different coach, he must be seated before the draft so he can have a say in the team’s selections.