CelticsBlog picks Blazers as 8th seed in West + Western Conference Preview

by zotsi on Oct 26, 2008 1:00 PM PDT

8. Portland Trail Blazers

What's good: This has to be considered the best stable of young talent in the game at this point, right? The 2006-07 Rookie of the Year (Brandon Roy) enters his third season and his second as a captain after another steady sophomore campaign. The league's most heralded young big man of the last decade (Greg Oden) finally makes his professional debut. The Blazers have a lengthy power forward who only figures to keep getting better in LaMarcus Aldridge, a rookie combo guard waiting in the wings (Jerryd Bayless) and one of the world's best international players in swingman Rudy Fernandez.

Nate McMillan had these guys playing way over their heads last year without the big fella from Ohio State, and even if Oden isn't dominant right away, he will almost assuredly be a presence from the get-go. The guy is going to be a force at the defensive end for as long as he can stay on the court (conditioning and fouls will be issues), and the offense will come. Roy and Aldridge are already young veterans, and this group will play hard team basketball on a night to night basis.

What's bad: Questions remain at small forward. Martell Webster will be out until December with a foot injury, and the team isn't sure how to address that. There was talk of moving Fernandez to the three, using sixth man Travis Outlaw as a starter, or possibly starting draft night acquisition Nicolas Batum. Fernandez is really a two, Outlaw is best used as instant offense off the bench, and Batum's ability is relatively unknown. The good news here is that Webster wasn't any world-beater either, so perhaps they won't be much worse off than they would be if he were healthy. But the position is still an issue either way. My Blazer fan pal Acks spends most of his days envisioning a run at Danny Granger next summer. As for now, I heard Darius Miles was available.

What happens: Oden will have his ups and downs, and like many young teams, the Blazers will run hot and cold throughout the year. But McMillan's steady hand and the fact that this team is filled with legitimately hard-working players focused on the task at hand will help the Blazers sneak in to the playoffs.

Here's the rest of the west.

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Comments

Crow will be eaten about that webster comment.

or I’ll eat a squid. (I hate ocean food, cept for shrimp and salmon)

The faith (and I'm a guy) perverts. :)

by faith on Oct 26, 2008 1:14 PM PDT reply actions

Very knowledgeable preview, I like it.

I’m sad that Martell is going to be out til 09. He really had worked to get himself into shape and it’s a bummer that the injury happened… He will average 45% from three when he does get back. Oden’s interior presence will make shooting much easier.

by Cablinasian on Oct 26, 2008 1:14 PM PDT reply actions

Uh, Martell Webster definitely won't average 45% from beyond the arc.

Unless Webster somehow developes a pure shooting stroke like Jason Kapono, 40% is a more realistic expectation of his three-point shooting efficiency. Your prediction of 45% is, well, complete absurdity.

by AK1984 on Oct 26, 2008 4:58 PM PDT up reply actions

Webster's stroke is pretty good

He just needs to improve his consistency.

45% is very possibly in his future, but not very likely it happens this year. I was expecting 40-42% before the injury, not sure how it will impact his percentage.

The most amazing thing about my amazing ego is I have amazingly little about which to be egotistical.
The pick and roll this year will emphasize "roll" followed by "dunk", followed by the wailings and lamentations of your women.

by jscot on Oct 27, 2008 12:43 AM PDT up reply actions

Absurd? Come on. Not super likely, but totally within the realm of possibility.

And not absurd in the least. The word doesn’t even make sense in that sentence.

I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich

by hobobob on Oct 27, 2008 9:17 AM PDT up reply actions

Nope, it's absurd homerism to think that Martell Webster will shoot 45% from beyond the arc.

by AK1984 on Oct 28, 2008 8:59 AM PDT up reply actions

Great review.

I like the comment about D Miles too. We should just pick him up for the year and bench him :)

If you're paddling upstream in a canoe and a wheel falls off, how many pancakes fit in a doghouse? None! Ice cream has no bones!

by Arby on Oct 26, 2008 1:30 PM PDT reply actions

That's a great strategy. I'm not sure it's allowed, though

I'm a really really ridiculously good looking orange mocha frappaccino drinking manhammer sandwich

by hobobob on Oct 27, 2008 9:18 AM PDT up reply actions

Very fair

but I take umbrage at the “playing way over their heads” remark. “Far exceeding expectations” would be more accurate. I don’t remember too many crazy pulling shots out of their backsides kind of wins last year, just solid basketball. I suspect they could take that same team this year and still produce as many wins.

Almost universally I find these preview folks not mentioning LMA and I’m fine with that. I think he’ll be the surprise of the season around the NBA writers as he proves to be the Blazers most statistically productive player.

Spanish Main: The point of departure for enormous wealth in the form of gold, silver, gems, spices, hardwoods, hides, alley-oops, assists and three pointers.

by LaughingJon on Oct 26, 2008 2:25 PM PDT reply actions

a few of those last minute shots and

if you looked a Joel two seasons ago, then last he was greatly improved, Blake was more consistent than a lot of people expected and of course James Jones contributed which something I don’t think anyone knew whether to expect or not. In my opinion though the Blazers were a 500 team. They played well below there level to begin last season, then well above there level during the 13 game streak and even out to go about 500 the rest of the season.

remember, remember the fifth of November

by Zaron5551 on Oct 26, 2008 6:32 PM PDT up reply actions