Portland Trailblazers (09-10 Season) Team Preview

The Blazers come into the 2009-2010 season as one of the most highly potential driven teams in the western conference as they look to return as a top seed come playoff time. The Blazers return Head Coach Nate McMillan and will look to again be a run and gun team while equally focusing on defense. Andre Miller is the Blazers lone free agent pickup but is a strong one as he will look to take over the PG spot with his savvy passing and leadership abilities. Brandon Roy is coming off a All Star season including a 52 point game, in addition they return a healthy Martell Webster and 6^th man Rudy Fernandez who both should provide scoring off the bench in bunches. LaMarcus Aldridge returns in the front court and will look to make his first All-Star game this season and the Blazers also return a healthy Greg Oden who will look to live up to his much herald hype when drafted 1^st overall in 2007. The Blazers will have question marks regarding whether the team can stay healthy for the season, and if not being able to secure Hedo Turkoglu and Paul Millsap during free agency will come back to haunt them? Another question will be if there are enough minutes to go around as Fernandez, Webster and Outlaw all will be looking for big minutes off the bench, also they need to implement Jerryd Bayless the best they can as he won’t be able to sit for long and they don’t want to risk losing his potential to free agency.The Blazers will have high hopes this season and look to cash in on a big playoff run and look to be a top 3-4 team in the west and if they can put it all together early, they will be hard to stop for seasons to come.

Starting Lineup:

PG – Andre Miller – Andre was a key free agent pickup who will be counted on to penetrate often in order to get teammates involved and keep the offense running. Andre is a pass first guard ( 6.5 assists per game last season) who also brings intensity to the defensive side of the ball ( 1.3 steals per game last season) and will look to be a vocal leader on the floor and in the locker room.

SG – Brandon Roy – Brandon is key to the Blazers success as he made the all star team last season and was the Blazers leader in points per game ( 22.6) Assists per game ( 5.1) and also posted career highs in field goal percentage (48 %) and three point percentage (38%). Brandon will look to score more this season as he will get to play more off of the ball with the addition of Miller at PG and is a lock for his second straight all star game appearance is also is geared up to take this young team deep into the playoff hunt.

SF – Nicolas Batum – Batum won the SF job last season, as he displayed very good shooting skills (  37 percent from three) and athleticism. Batum’s strongest asset to the team is his defensive hustle as he always has a nose for the ball and often displayed strong toughness for guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter player. Batum has had a very good offseason playing for the French National team and will look for a bigger role this season as he competes for the starting job against Webster and Outlaw in training camp.

PF – LaMarcus Aldridge – LaMarcus is a very versatile PF who has excellent range on his jump shot and has improved his scoring every year (18.1 points per game last season) and played in a career high 81 games last season. Aldridge is also a very much improved rebounder (7.5 rebounds per game last season) and above average passer for a player his size (1.9 assists per game last season). Aldridge will look to make his first all star team this season and will be a solid second option on offense.

C – Greg Oden – Oden is entering his third season in the NBA (2^nd playing due to injury in 2007) and will look to finally remain healthy after missing   games last season. Oden posted a respectable 9 points per game with 7 rebounds in 23 minutes mainly off the bench last season. Oden will provide more defense than offense as he will be looked for rebounding along with blocks while staying out of foul trouble in order to stay on the floor. Oden has been said to been using this offseason to get in better conditioning and also having added a few post moves in order to  contribute more on offense if needed.

Bench:

G – Steve Blake –  Last Season’s starter at PG, will look to keep his spot this season with the addition of Andre Miller as they will battle during training camp. Blake is a excellent 3pt shooter (43 %) who also is a very capable passer (5.0 assists per game last season ) and will look to use his experience in the system to gain the starting job and play substantial minutes.

G – Rudy Fernandez – Rudy had a very good rookie season last year averaging 10.8 points per game, and will look for a expanded role this season and he displayed very good outside shooting ( 40% from three) and solid athleticism as he was a fan vote for the slam dunk contest. Rudy will battle Martell Webster and Travis Outlaw for minutes at SF and will play on the floor a lot at SF when the Blazers decide to go to a small lineup.

G – Jerryd Bayless – Jerryd is a flashy quick guard who will look to gain minutes this season, Jerryd does a great job of creating for his self but must learn the role of PG in order to be successful. Jerryd displayed his scoring potential last season with a high of 23 points, and despite playing well during summer league, although he looks to be more of a undersized SG than one who fits the role of future PG.

C – Joel Przybilla – Joel played a career high 82 games last season, shooting a career high 62 percent from the field and also averaged a career high 8.7 rebounds per game. Joel is not much of a offensive force but brings a full array of intangibles on defense as he has averaged 1.5 blocks per game for his career and does so while playing under 27 minutes per game his entire career.

F – Martell Webster – Martell return to the mix after missing 81 games last season due to a left foot injury. Martell is said to be very impressive in workouts over the summer. He will be a rotation player constantly challenging for minutes at SF and SG as he is an excellent shooter (37% from three for his career) and ever improving defensive player. Martell will switch to number 23 this season.

F – Travis Outlaw – A freakishly athletic combo forward, who will look to back up both forward spots this season but will play majority at PF and is line for a reduction in minutes. Travis is a solid shooter and really brings energy off the bench and will look for a big year as his contract is expiring and the Blazers are expected to let him walk.

F – Dante Cunningham – Dante is a second round pick out of Villanova who will see limited minutes at the PF position off the bench. Dante played well during the summer league averaging 18 points per game and will look to the D-league for seasoning.

F (UDP) – Jeff Pendergraph –  Jeff is looking to sign with the club as he was drafted in the second round by Sacramento then traded to Portland, he is a rugged inside player who is consistent on defense but must improve his offensive game and will also be subjected to the D-league if he makes the team during camp.

Projected Finish: 57-25 and 3rd in the Western Conference