I peruse a number of other fan sites from time to time, even thought I read this one the most. Mostly any news about the Blazers is what I seek. It's been a fun season so far. Better that expected or worse? Hard to tell for me. As far as the record goes, about what the realistic part of me expected.

I hoped Oden might come around a little more quickly and be more consistent, but I am not surprised about his development so far. We have seen the flashes and I believe there are more good things to come from him. I don't think I could stress enough the significance of coming off micro-fracture surgery, regardless of whether or not he were a rookie. But adding that to the surgery without a doubt would make for rough year for anyone. I feel pretty comfortable in expecting nothing but erratic growth from Greg, but growth none-the-less. I have seen the flashes of great play just enough to make me believe it will come. Hopefully he goes to Pete Newell's Big Man Camp next year.

Anyway, the team has hit the doldrums a bit. They have lost a few games we expected them to win. The bar got raised earlier in the season. Our expectations increased. Really though, are they off the pace you honestly predicted before the season started? They are still slightly ahead of mine. I was not one of those who made an 82-0 prediction. I conservatively predicted 48 wins, but thought in the low 50s was possible.

Some points to ponder. Brandon seems to be getting better. LMA is about the same, if slightly behind last year. He is gaining momentum though. Sergio, Travis, and Channing seem to be the rotating whipping boys. Joel is a rock and Greg is vey inconsistent. Rudy and Nic have become favorites and are contributing meaningfully, although not always consistently. The absense of Martell has been of the the bigger disappointments for me. The guy did the work and got injured. There is no justice. We get lifted high when they win, and plunge to the depths of despair and loathing when they lose a winable game.

It is important to dissect and analyze a game when we lose, but you do the same when you win as well. The point is to see what is and what is not working. As we know, the best laid plans don't always succeed. The woeful lamentations from those who decry Nate's coaching, Steve and Sergio's lack of defense, and Channing and LMA's softeness make me want to grind my teeth. The coach changes line-ups to often or not enough. He waits to long or does it to soon. Sergio is more productive, trade Blake. Bayless is the future, trade Blake and Sergio. It goes on and on. Gte rid of Travis now some say. Bench Oden, no start him.

The fervor with which these solutions are presented makes them gems of wisdom and knowledge right? Probably not. I will say that there are some great ideas from time to time. Let it be known though, that coaches often have to tinker more or less with players and line-ups before they find the best one. Bemoan the losses, toss out the ideas, but try to keep some patience and perspective. There are many different defensive and offensive schemes. One key is figuring out which works best for your collections of players. The Celtic lost 2 in a row, gasp! One loss was to the Warriors no less. Blow up the team! New Orleans and Utah have had some mild struggles early. They must be underachievers. No, I'd say not. New Orleans is finding their form again, and Utah has had several injuries. Panic when you have teams like the Warriors and Clippers, or the underachieving Raptors.

I for one think the Blazer's are having a nice season so far. I still expect around 48 wins, and hopefully more. I hate the losses. They really "bum me out," but I still think it is way to early to start calling for drastic changes, trades, firing, etc. Some of you might know as much as the coaching staff, but I know I certainly don't. I can barely coach my fantasy league team. I think the players have tuned me out.