Portland Trail Blazers: 5 Reasons to Pay Attention Next Season

Some things in sports are easy to predict.  We already know that, whenever the NBA season finally begins, teams like the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers will grab most of the media attention. 

We also already know some of the biggest story lines of the next NBA season—even if we have no idea when the season will start.  

Will Miami be able to break through and win a title?  Do the Lakers and Celtics have anything left?  Which up and coming team, Chicago or Oklahoma City, has a better shot at a title?  Can the Mavs repeat?

The Blazers haven't really been a team that has spent much time in the national spotlight in recent years.  They've managed to become a perennial playoff team, but haven't been able to take the next step.  Because of that, they haven't merited much national media attention, either.

So why should that change now?  

Because this team is one that, depending on a few different factors, could go in a lot of different directions.  For the first time in a long while, there is no clear favorite to win the west next year, which means that at least one or two teams are bound to surprise.  

And the Blazers are going to be one of them.

Here are five reasons why you should pay attention to this team during the 2011-12 NBA season.

1. The Return of Greg Oden and Brandon Roy

I know, we Blazers fans been waiting on this one for years now.  The year when OUR big three—Aldridge, Roy and Oden—are all healthy and able to gel together for a full season and a playoff series.

In one sense, it's a dream that will never be realized.  Roy and Oden are both suffering from conditions that will likely keep them from ever reaching 100 percent full health.

Even so, the presence of a Roy at 50 percent and an Oden at 50 percent would give the Blazers a better seven man rotation than that of most NBA teams.  A few promising rookies could fight for the leftover minutes and hopefully provide a spark off the bench.

Although the lockout is likely to help Roy and Oden in terms of their physical health, it will hurt their ability to gel effectively with the team over the course of the season—with however many games end up being crammed into the schedule.

The media and fans (supporters and doubters alike), should finally get to see if it's been worth hanging on to these two, particularly Oden, for this long.  

This next year will probably be the last chance to see if they can return the court as contributing players—or whether they have already seen the last of their good days as part of the Blazers franchise.

2. The All-Star Potential of LaMarcus Aldridge Finally Being Reached

We saw last year that Aldridge is more than ready to lead the Blazers in the absence of former All-Star Brandon Roy. This should finally be the season in which he receives the national recognition that he deserves.  

Aldridge is both the MVP of the Blazers and a perennial All-Star candidate, which he earned for his play on both ends of the floor (for a team that should win close to 50 games yet again this year).

Last season he averaged 21.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, while becoming the clear go-to guy for his team in the fourth quarters of tight games—particularly when Roy was not playing much.  

Aldridge deserves recognition for his ability to keep the Blazers a playoff team when there are so many injuries and other players who produce inconsistent results.

In the Western Conference power forward is still a deep position—both Dirk Nowitzki and Blake Griffin are likely to earn the nod ahead of Aldridge.  

However, Aldridge will probably get more recognition this year than Kevin Love, whose stats are not likely to be quite as impressive as they were last season.  

It seems safe to assume that Griffin will win the fan vote and be next season's starter, but that there will be room for Aldridge as a reserve.

3. The Emergence of Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews

This is probably the single most exciting thing that I'm hoping for out of the Blazers next season.  

The 2011-12 NBA season will be the fourth of Batum's career, and the third for Matthews.  Both players came into the league without a lot of fanfare, particularly Matthews, who wasn't even drafted.

Both have something to prove this year.  

Ever since he came in to the league, Blazers' management has viewed Batum as close to untouchable in most trade talks because of his defensive abilities and his All-Star potential.  

Matthews has had to prove himself from day one just to earn a roster spot on an NBA team.  Now he needs to continue to prove that he is not just a starter by default—with Roy's injuries being the primary factor—but that he can be one of the top shooting guards in the league.

Matthews and Batum averaged career highs in minutes, points, rebounds and assists per game last year, and I expect that trend to continue in 2011-12.  

Depending on who starts and who comes off the bench, one or other should generate some All-Star buzz this year, as well as garnering a few votes for the NBA All-Defense teams.  The other could get some consideration as the league's top player off the bench.

No matter what happens, this needs to be a season where Batum and Matthews are featured more prominently in the offense.  

Matthews is the Blazers' best three point shooter, and Batum has shown in Euroleague play this year that he can be a very efficient and exciting offensive player when put in the right situation.  It's time to see this happen on a more consistent basis for him in the NBA as well.

Here's a link to some highlights for Matthews.

4. At Least One Young Player Is Going to Step Up

As has been the case for the past few seasons, most of the Blazers' rookie and second-year players are not likely to get a lot of minutes—thanks to the overall talent level in the rest of the rotation.  

I think that this year there will be room for at least one player to gain a permanent spot in the rotation, though, especially if the team loses someone else as a result of the proposed amnesty clause.

Potential candidates on the current roster include: rookies Nolan Smith and Jon Diebler, as well as second-year players Elliot Williams, Armon Johnson, Luke Babbitt and Chris Johnson.  Patty Mills is also a possibility here.  

Johnson seems like the most likely candidate.  He's a young, athletic, big man who is able to provide quality minutes off the bench.  He came in as an undrafted rookie and is not polished offensively, but could end up being a good backup center for the Blazers.  

Babbitt was really bad last season.  But he's a shooter—and shooters don't usually just forget how to shoot—so there's hope he might return to form and not be a complete bust.  

Diebler is a similar player in terms of being a good shooter in college.  He could end up finding a place on the team if he can start to perform in limited action.

Smith is intriguing.  He played well in college, but wasn't a highly sought after NBA prospect. It will be interesting to see if his skills can translate into a solid NBA career.  

Williams was super athletic coming out of school, but missed all of last year due to injuries.  He could also step in as a quality backup guard if he is healthy enough.

Not all of these players will step up, but at least one needs to make an impact for the team this year.

5. They Will Compete for a Western Conference Championship

This is a bold prediction, but it's also a realistic one.  

Looking at the Western Conference for next season (if there is, in fact, a next season), we have no clear front-runner.  That gives the Blazers as good a shot as they've had since they went to the conference finals in 2000.  

San Antonio had the best record last season, but was ousted in the first round, and looks to be made up of more older and unstable players than at any time in Tim Duncan's career.  

The Lakers still have stars, but there is not a lot of talent around those stars.  The Lakers really don't look to be in a position to match what they did last season, much less surpass that.

Dallas will still be good, but Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, Jason Terry and all the other veterans will start showing signs of age at some point.  Also, J. J. Barea, a key component of their championship squad from last year, will likely be leaving as a free agent, with Tyson Chandler possibly doing the same.

Oklahoma City and Memphis are two up and coming squads that will offer the toughest competition, especially the Thunder.  It remains to be seen if they are still improving as a team or if they have reached their ceiling.  

The Grizzlies may lose Marc Gasol as a free agent, and would have a hard time repeating last season's dream run if so.

This year looks to be a good one for a team like Portland to sneak in and fight—for a top seed, for home court advantage in the playoffs and for a Western Conference Championship.

If they are able to put everything together that I mentioned in these slides, it will happen.