2010-11 NBA Predictions: 10 Reasons Why Portland Will Win the West’s 2nd Seed
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The Portland Trail Blazer virtually disappeared from the National scene after a promising season was moderately disrupted due to injuries.
I say moderately disrupted because Portland was still able to win 50 games and make the playoffs despite a season of disappointments. Now that they are healthy, there is no doubt in my mind that Portland is the odds on favorite to give the Lakers a run for their money for the number on spot in the Western Conference.
and here are Ten Reasons that I feel make them the favorite for the Number Two seed next season.
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Lightning Doesn't Strike Twice
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I've never heard of a team losing every one of their centers, their best player, the starting small forward, and an array of Substitutes for a large portion of the season, but yet they were still able to make the playoffs.
Never heard of any team being able to overcome that sort of adversity and yet, still accomplish something that many teams were not able to do.
So when I say lightning doesn't strike twice, I feel fairly certain that the damage caused by injuries last season cannot and will not carry over to the 2010-2011 NBA season.
Well it could, but what are the chances of that?
The Portland Trail Blazers should be entirely healthy next season and if they are, they will be a formidable foe.
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If It Does...
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If lightning does actually strike twice, then the Blazers have the depth to handle it.
If Brandon Roy goes down with an injury, Portland has Wesley Matthews to fill in.
If LaMarcus Aldridge goes down after the first month of the season, the Blazers have Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla waiting on the bench.
They also have Luke Babbitt, Armon Johnson, and Elliott Williams waiting to be plugged into the lineup when needed.
The Blazers have one of the deepest rosters in the NBA with legitimate talent behind each starter. If Lightning does end up hitting the Blazers, the there are plenty of players that can keep the Blazers afloat while they nurse their wounds.
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All-Star Talent Is Primed For a Breakout Season
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Brandon Roy wasn't healthy consistently last season. He played well, but he never played spectacular for more than five or ten games.
He really wasn't himself last season.
Brandon says that last season he took the "Andre Miller approach" to the offseason, he relaxed, let his mind rest, but spend most of his time the the weight room working on getting bigger.
What he found out is that bigger isn't always better and when you don't play very much basketball in the offseason, that lack of touch ends up spilling over into the regular season.
This offseason was completely different. Instead of bulking up, he slimmed down. He is still strong because of his work with the weight trainers, using his own body weight to work out instead of using weights to bulk up.
These kind of exercises focus on the rapid twitch muscle fibers rather than the long distance or power fibers.
So in the offseason Brandon used a lot of rubber bands instead of barbells, he used balance balls instead if weight machines, he used weighted vests out on the basketball floor instead of just doing standing squats or power lifts to increase his jumping ability and strengthen his legs.
I feel that Brandon has taken the right approach to the offseason and It appears that was after watching him play in the preseason and training camp.
Brandon will be a good player no matter what he does in the offseason, but he may be ready to break onto the National scene with the work he put in before this season.
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Offseason Acquisitions Bulster The Lineup
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Wesley Matthews, Luke Babbitt, Armon Johnson, and Elliott Williams all joined the Portland Trial Blazers in the offseason.
Sure, that doesn't sound like a power packed offseason, but I feel that each signing has something that they can give to this franchise.
First off, Wesley Matthews.
When the Portland Trial Blazers fired a $32.5 million dollar contract at a second year guard that went undrafted out of Marquette, everyone had their speculations.
And when I say everyone, I really do mean everyone.
First reactions were often negative, maybe followed with negative optimism ('The Blazers have really done well in the past, but I hope they didn't screw this one up'.)
Yeah, it was quite a shocker everyone.
For a second year player, he is years ahead of where he should be at in terms of defensive and offensive awareness, intangibles, and just about everything you can think of on the basketball court.
Wesley Matthews is a stud and now that I have gotten the chance to watch him play, I'd feel fine in paying him another $5 million.
The dude is just that good.
Sure, the only moments we have been able to see him play were in scrimmages and preseason games. But even then, you can just tell that he is the type of player that never says never.
To put things in perspective, after this season (When Andre Millers contract expires), I would feel very comfortable with this starting lineup:
PG Matthews/ Roy
SG Roy/ Matthews
SF Nic Batum
PF LaMarcus Aldridge
C Greg Oden
Matthews can play point guard. Yeah, that's not a typo.
And so can Roy for that matter, making them both viable options at point guard for the future.
The guy has added so much to his game: off the dribble shooting, quickness, better shooting touch, a consistent midrange jumper, better ball handling, he seems to be a more vocal leader on the floor, and the trust of his new coach within the first three weeks of practice.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Matthews in a very prominent role come October or December and an even greater one come June (If the Blazers are able to make it there).
Matthews is the kind of guy that can bring together a championship team, he is the kind of talent that cooks the pie, finishes the puzzle, solves the riddle.
Wesley may have been a rookie last season, but you wouldn't be able to tell if you didn't already know.
Luke Babbitt was a guy that the Portland Trail Blazers obviously wanted pretty badly considering they traded away one of the fan favorites and important bench players in Martell Webster for a guy they would end up cutting and a draft pick from the Timberwolves.
So yeah, the Portland Trail Blazers clearly had all their attention on Luke Babbitt prior to the draft. Sure, he is just a shooter. But the Portland Trail Blazers don't just draft players because they are good at one thing, they do so because they feel they can be something better than decent.
and that is clearly what they believe Luke Babbitt can become.
The same goes for Armon Johnson and Elliott Williams, the Blazers management believes that those two players have the chance to contribute in the long run, whether they end up doing so is still up in the air.
But clearly the Blazers had a plan heading into the offseason and that can only make them a stronger team heading into next season.
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The Three Headed Monster Of Centers
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So... Well, I understand that two of those three centers are sitting on their couch watching the preseason games from home, nursing bad knee injuries back to health while working their hardest to come back as soon as possible.
They aren't going to be ready for the season opener either.
So, yeah, life has been rough for the Portland Trail Blazers.
But (adding a hint of optimism and whole lot of reality), the NBA really isn't that talented at the center position. In other words, not many teams have a center that is a game changer. Factually, the Blazers will only face three opponents in the first month of the season that have big men that contribute at a high level.
Those three are Andrew Bynum, Andrew Bogut, and Brook Lopez. And if I may add, two (Bynum and Bogut) are recovering from serious injuries themselves and may not even be ready for those games.
The biggest and most effective reason to have a game-changing center who can throw people around down low and snag almost any rebound in the area is to succeed in the playoffs.
The Blazers have a really easy schedule early in the season which should give the Blazers bigs time to heal before they start to face the elite level teams around December and January.
This could also be a way of making sure Joel and Greg are around for when it really matters, the Playoffs.
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The Second Pillar Is Ready
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We already talked about Brandon Roy being entirely ready to take on a bigger role within the team, but one player that could end up being just as important to the future and current success is the Portland Trail Blazers second best player, LaMarcus Aldridge.
After an offseason in which LaMarcus took his failure to bang in the post and his inability to post up and drive to the rim against bigger defenders to the gym, Aldridge is showing that he has what it takes mentally and physically to become a great player.
That offseason, a time in which LaMarcus spent much of his time with Portland Trail Blazers coaches, working on his left handed hook shot. Something that really hampered him last season when teams doubled him on the baseline and forced him to throw up an awkward left.
Not only has Aldridge added a left hand to his game, he has also added 20 pounds of muscle. Those 20 pounds put him in the same weight category as Carlos Boozer, Duncan, A'mare...
Next season could end up being a huge eye opener for the National fans, they could look at the Portland Trail Blazers and finally see a true power forward playing alongside Greg Oden (knock on wood).
I see an All-Star appearance in LaMarcus' future, i'm just not sure how soon that time will come.
But next season should be a showcase of how good LaMarcus Aldridge can be.
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An Easy Schedule Early On
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As I eluded to earlier on, the Portland Trail Blazers don't really have any competition through the first month, month and a half of the season.
Sure, they play a few playoff teams here and there, but they are mostly on nights in which they have had two days to rest or they have played only a game or two that week.
So really, the Trail Blazers should have to worry about having success early on.
But why is that so important? Well, as last season showed us that early chemistry building is key to a successful season.
The Blazers had a very rocky start to last season and it no coincidence that they Blazers played a difficult opening month schedule littered with road games.
The chemistry of Wesley Matthews, Brandon Roy, and Andre Miller will be key and that will be sped up with a cake schedule.
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Better Chemistry and A More Prepared Andre Miller
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One of the bigger revelations of the 2010 offseason was the work put in by Andre Miller in the offseason. He came in looking like he had put a concerted effort into being in playing shape come training camp.
and by experiences learned by last seasons blunders, I think it is fair to say that a prepared Andre Miller can only help the Portland Trail Blazers in the long run.
If Andre Miller can come into the regular season playing like he was ending the season, the Portland Trail Blazers could very well have the best backcourt in the Western Conference.
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A Weaker Western Conference
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This offseason seemed like a blessing for those that are considered elite teams in the Western Conference.
First A'mare left Phoenix, leaving the Suns at risk of becoming a lottery pick, then Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver left Utah, leaving them weaker than in recent years, and of course the Denver Nuggets have had drama of their own that puts the entire franchise at risk.
In the end, the Western Conference is weaker than it was a year ago and that helps the Blazers cause.
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A Weaker Conference, But A Much Better Blazers Squad
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To sum it all up, the Portland Trail Blazers are a much better team than they were last season. The should not only be healthy, they have added talent that can only help nudge them towards a Championship appearance within the next five years.
If healthy, the Blazers should be the odds-on favorites to challenge the Lakers for the Western conference. Not only could they challenge the Lakers for the Western Conference crown, I think that they have the talent on paper to eventually overcome LA as the best team in the Western Conference.
That day is probably further away that next season, but earning the second seed next season is the first step.
and that is something that is entirely possible with the talent the Blazers have on paper.
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Thanks For Reading
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