The Bright Side

Tonight, I'm in Copenhagen, Denmark. It's 10:30 pm, and I'm so excited for the Blazers game tonight, it will be impossible to sleep. Instead of studying for finance exams like I should be, I've been considering the impact of Nic's extended absence, and the potential that Rudy will be severely limited to start the season. I know this sounds crazy, but as bad as I feel for those guys, I'm actually kind of excited for the windows that are now opening. Consider:

1. Free J-Bay! For all those crowing about the need to give Bayless some minutes to open the season, now is our chance to find out. Prior to the injuries, we knew that J-Bay would be stewing on the pine with his aggressive J-Bay face. The guy wouldn't have been happy in that situation, period. Ben knew it. We knew it. Everybody knew it. Now, he might be the primary back-up to Roy, and a secondary back up to Blake. Lets see what this guy can do. We saw shades of improvement last year. Lets see if he can build a jump shot and become a truly effective perimeter defender given how much athletic talent he has

2. Firm Rotation: As a result of these injuries, the pressure on Nate to balance minutes is now minimized. He has a solid 9-man rotation he can turn to. Blake-Roy-Webster-Aldridge-Oden, followed by Bayless-Miller-Trout-Howard-Pryz... These guys will each get effective minutes, and I wouldn't be surprised if Juwan played a very limited, but solid role in the back up power forward spot. These guys now have a much better idea of what will be expected of them right off the bat. And that brings me to my third point

3. Improved Chemistry: The absences of Nic and Rudy mean that fewer guys will be playing more minutes. That part is obvious, but that also means that Andre will get more floor time, and he'll have an opportunity to prove that he can get out and run an effective transition game. The Blazers have been lacking that for years now, and the thought of Miller getting out and running with Bayless, Aldridge and Trout... Well, let's just say it's an exciting thought

4. Improved Trade Chips at the Deadline: Now that Bayless and Trout will get an opportunity to play consistently, if one of them blows up, it could drastically impact their trade value. I know it hurts to think about, but Bayless in particular could help bring the missing piece to Portland for a serious play-off run. If Nic can make it back by March or so (and I know that's a huge if), this could also be a positive impact for the team.

Look, we all know losing Nic hurts. We'll miss his perimeter defense throughout the regular season. But he will be back for the play-offs and will hopefully be an important contributor for a playoff run. In the meantime, lets look at the bright side of things before we go out and watch Greg, Brandon, LMA and the gang bust Houston in the mouth tonight. Go Blazers!!!