The Seattle Blazer: How Far Can Portland Really Go?

More big wins, more big performances for this young Portland Trail Blazers team.

I think it's time to consider Brandon Roy as a legitimate MVP contender. He's averaging over 20 points and five assists a game, and is the leader of the Blazers. Right now, Portland is in four-way tie for second in the West. 

Realistically, no, Roy probably won't win the MVP this year, but this only his third season in the league, and he's playing like he's been doing this for a long time. Hell, Roy's never even played in the post-season.

Last year it was a shock that the Blazers won 41 games, and the players were probably a little shocked by it too. This year, Portland knew there would be some success at the Rose Garden, and so this has been another growing year. But a growing year that Portland can actually compete in.

Undefeated at home, the Blazers have shown their teeth all season. The only game that Portland has really been out of was the season opener against the Lakers (who are 12-1). As a Blazer fan, I'm pretty optimistic that if not this year, or next year, but sometime in the near future, the Blazers could be advancing in the playoffs and seriously contending for a championship.

I feel that all of the pieces are in place for McMillan & co. to make a run after the team has time to mesh. As I mentioned earlier, Roy is the leader of this team and it's going to be that way for years hopefully. Right now, I think Aldridge is the second best player for Portland. He had 27 points against Detroit on Sunday night, while Greg Oden pulled in 13 boards.

Now I think Oden needs more time in the league before I can really say that he's capable of playing the way Aldridge has been. Both players were fantastic at the college level, but Oden has tons to prove this season while he makes up for missed time last season. 

This Blazers team has a solid, solid bench, with guys like Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Rodriguez at the guard positions, and Travis Outlaw, Channing Frye at forward. I think any of these players could be starting right now and would do just fine. And don't forget about Joel "The Thrilla" Przybilla at center. He's gotten a good amount of playing time and some starts this year.

The fact that players 6-10 on the Blazers' roster could all be legitimate starters adds another aspect to the team. When you look at teams that make the playoffs, they always have good depth.

Now let's get to analyzing the past two Blazer wins. Friday night was a grudge match in a home game against the Hornets. As Trail Blazers' commentator Mike Rice said, both the Hornets and Blazers rely heavily on perimeter shooting. And surprisingly, the Hornets were 8-16, while the Blazers shot 8-23 from three-point land. Regardless of this, Portland blew New Orleans out.

It was a disappointing game for Oden, who started and scored just one point with eight boards in 24 minutes. When Shaquille O'Neal first came into the league in 1992, he immediately started averaging about 23 ppg, and averaged 14 rpg. I'm starting to question whether Oden will ever come close to these figures. While Oden can probably average 10 or 12 rebounds a game, I'm hoping that he can start scoring more. I mean, one point in 24 minutes? That's just unacceptable from a number one overall pick.

The hero of the game was B-Roy, who put up 25 points and had 10 assists. Again, I think these are MVP numbers. And Roy continued his fantastic play in a road win over the Pistons. 

Portland came on strong in this game, and never let up. Rip Hamilton was the only Piston who really played okay. This is surprising, because ever since Allen Iverson was acquired, Hamilton has really struggled to find his groove. 

As I mentioned earlier, Aldridge had another really solid performance for the Trail Blazers. Coming back to Oden, it looks like though he's been a little disappointing thus far, he had a double-double against Detroit. That is the least that I expect him to give this team every night. It should be more around 15-15 a night. 

At 12-6, the Blazers now stand alone in first place in the Northwest division. Now headed to the East coast, the Blazers will play the hot Knicks, the Raptors, Wizards, and Celtics. I look for at least a .500 trip for a team that currently seems to be headed in the right direction, and hopefully the playoffs.