Blazers Starting Lineup 09-10 & Season Predictions

I think that too much is being made of who is going to start and who's going to come off the bench for the Trail Blazers. Other then the chemistry issues that it may cause, I don't think it will effect the play on the court or the win total. The Blazers will be good no matter who starts and who comes off the bench.

In my opinion though, I think you have to start Greg Oden at center because he's going to be one of your cornerstones for your franchise. You don't know how much longer Joel Pryzbilla is going to be on your team because he can and probably will opt out of his contract at the end of the year. Though I think the Blazers will re sign him, I don't think he should be the starter for the Blazers. Greg Oden is the future there and Greg Oden is going to be the one who will put you over the top and make you a championship contender.

As far as the point guard position I don't think it really matters. If the Trail Blazers start Andre Miller then it will present some early chemistry issues. But it will also be the same if Andre is coming off the bench. Though I think Miller is an upgrade at point guard, I'm not sure how well he would work with Brandon Roy. I think Miller will be good for Greg Oden and I think coach McMillan has to consider that when he's setting his starting lineup.

Now Steve Blake is a solid point guard but I think he's more of a backup point guard. Like what I mentioned earlier with the Oden and Pryzbilla, I think Miller will make you a contender and Blake will just help you make the playoffs. If Blake comes off the bench he can provide great shooting with that second unit along with Webster, Outlaw, and Fernandez.

As far as the small forward position, I think you have to start Nicolas Batum. He's going to be a very good player in this league for a long time. There have been comparisons to Scottie Pippen. Now I don't think he'll end up being Scottie Pippen, but I think he'll be more of a Shawn Marion type player. I don't think Martell will give you more then you already have. Webster gives you a very good outside shooter and a decent defender. He gives you more size then Nicolas gives you but I just think Batum is a much better defender and he'll be a very good outside shooter.

Though I don't think it matters who starts, it just matters how the minutes are managed and who finishes games. The only position I see it being a huge deal is at center. You have to start Greg Oden. But for the season I think the Blazers will win anywhere from 56 to 60 games and finish no lower then the 3rd seed in the west. They'll end up in the Western Conference Finals and they'll lose to either the Lakers or the Spurs in 7 games depending on the seeding and who gets the 1 and the 2 and the 3 seed.