Portland Trail Blazers: How Their Roster Looks Now and How It Could Change

The Portland Trail Blazers have one of the most well-rounded rotations in the NBA. But even they have some problems to address and some holes to fill.

Whether it's dealing with the Brandon Roy-amnesty clause situation or finding a suitable backup to LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland's still got to fix some problems with their team.

Here's how things may or may not pan out when the free agent market re-opens December 9th.

Current Roster

Starting Lineup:

PG: Raymond Felton
SG: Wesley Matthews
SF: Gerald Wallace
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge
C: Marcus Camby

Bench:

PG: Patty Mills
PG: Nolan Smith
SG: Brandon Roy
SG: Jon Diebler*
SF: Nicolas Batum
F: Earl Barron
C: Greg Oden
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G: Elliot Williams
F: Luke Babbitt
C: Chris Johnson
G: Armon Johnson
F: Tanguy Ngombo 

* According to BlazersEdge.com, Jon Diebler signed a one-year contract with Panionios of Greece, reportedly worth "well over" $100,000. However, there is no opt-out clause, so there are no guarantees that we will see Diebler in a Blazers' jersey come December.

1. Waiving Brandon Roy Via Proposed Amnesty Clause

There's no need to go in-depth about it anymore. Brandon Roy's knees are nearly gone, and his performance has suffered drastically from his inability to use them.

He's shown shades of greatness in the Playoffs, but most of the time, he's faded away into the darkness, leaving the rest of his teammates to fend for themselves.

His contract is set to absorb $70 million over the next four years—money Portland could easily use to sign other solid players to fill the roster.

The decision is tough, but it's one that must be made.

In ESPN's 5-on-5 discussion on the toughest amnesty clause calls, the five panelists unanimously decided that Roy must be cut. He's a crowd favorite, but unless he can prove that he's worth his salary, he's got to go.

2. The Addition of Jamal Crawford

If you follow Jamal Crawford on Twitter (@JCrossover), you know that he's flirted with the idea of joining forces with LaMarcus Aldridge and the Portland Trail Blazers when free agency re-opens.

In one of his many tweets, Crawford responded to one of his followers:

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"@MrFranklin32: @JCrossover how soon can you sign with a team? How about portland boss!?--i can Dec 9th!"

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This move can only be made, however, if Portland decides to cut Brandon Roy. With Roy, Wes Matthews and Raymond Felton, Crawford would be fighting with his teammates for minutes each night. Should they waive B-Roy, Crawford would bring instant offense, on a consistent basis, off of the bench for Portland.

3. Adding Carl Landry

Earlier in the year, August 18th to be exact, Carl Landry expressed interest to Slam Online in coming to Portland and playing behind LaMarcus Aldridge as the Trail Blazers' back up Power Forward.

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"I think I can fit in with Portland," Landry told SLAMonline. "They’re in need of a big post presence down low. I’m not taking anything away from (Greg) Oden and (Marcus) Camby. I just know what I can provide. The Blazers are a good team and I know I can help."

"I really like Portland," said Landry. "I’m good friends with Greg Oden, and Wes Matthews is from Wisconsin like me. There are a lot of ties there and I have no doubt that I would blend in fine."

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Alderidge then responded to Slam Online saying:

"That’s big of him to speak out and I'm glad he spoke out and said he wants to play with us...He's a good player and I definitely feel like he can help us immediately."

Aldridge was third in the NBA (second if you don't count Rudy Gay, who missed the latter half of the season with a shoulder injury) in minutes played at 39.6 per game, getting more burn than the likes of Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, LeBron James and Chris Paul.

Surely he would welcome someone to alleviate some of the burdens that come with that kind of playing time, right?

4. Losing Greg Oden

Contrary to popular belief, Greg Oden is still a free agent; he's not signed to Portland just yet. By offering him a $5.5 million qualifying offer, Portland retains the option to match any team's offer and keep him in a Blazers jersey for years to come.

But what if they decide not to match it?

Oden could easily end up in  Minnesota or Detroit if he's offered a price that Portland doesn't want to match.

We want to see the dominant big man in Portland, but nothing's set in stone until December 9th.

Projected Portland Trail Blazers 2011-2012 Roster

Starting Lineup:

PG: Raymond Felton
SG: Wesley Matthews
SF: Gerald Wallace
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge
C: Marcus Camby
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G: Jamal Crawford
F: Nicolas Batum
C: Greg Oden
F: Carl Landry
G: Patty Mills
G: Nolan Smith
F: Earl Barron

As much as Portland is going to hate waiving Brandon Roy, it's a move that must be made. By waiving him, the Blazers will be able to sign quality players in Jamal Crawford and Carl Landry, further solidifying the Trail Blazers' dominance in the Western Conference.

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Follow Kristian Winfield on Twitter, @KWSports