Hence the handle.

Before you guys flame me, let me begin by saying that I always stick by my team whether or not I'm a believer.  They're the only team for which I consider myself a true fan.  I caught every televised game and listened to them the other ones on the radio when Sebastian Telfair and Serge Monia were starting.  I usually just find another team to root for as a secondary option, whether it's because I like the city or the style and roster, in addition to the Blazers because I like watching good NBA basketball.

I'm not a believer at this point.  Right now, a couple games in, the Blazers have been exposed as a bona fide bad team.   

It starts with defense and the lack of an inside presence.  Their perimeter players can't stop penetration consistently, with the exception of Roy when he's not overburdened on offense.  (Losing Batum took a lot away from their effectiveness).  This gets Pryz and Oden in foul trouble, keeping two stellar defensive players off the floor for significant stretches.  For his part, Oden doesn't do himself any favors by challenging shots he should let go and setting moving picks.  The refs do their part by calling ticky-tack nonsense like incidental contact struggling for loose balls and BS push-offs.  Their team defense is bad because they miss rotations entirely too often.

Getting deep position and taking it to his man in the post just isn't in LMA's constitution.  He's often catching the ball 15+ feet from the basket; that doesn't really count as posting up in my book.  He can hit jumpshots form 20 feet out and in and run the floor (under-utilized with current personnel), but those are his only true offensive strengths.  He can't rebound. 

Oden can be a factor offensively through his rebounding and picks, but that entails staying on the floor.  Though BEdgers have been calling for Oden to get more touches, it does no good if he's just going to get nipped, travel, brick a hook shot, or commit an offensive foul the majority of the time.  He's too prone to bobbling the ball to be catch the ball in the paint on the pick and roll.

Lacking big men who can take it inside consistently, they are basically left with one player who can score in the paint.  Andre Miller may be able to do so when he gets his sea legs, but no option is reliable with the exception of Roy.  Miller presents other problems in that he can't spread the floor, creating a cluster____ in the middle.  Martell also has the potential to get into the paint moving off the ball, but he doesn't have the handles to be trusted dribbling in traffic.  Travis Outlaw has been trying to get to the cup more; it's not working.  If he passes up the usual hotly-contested jump shot and gets a step, he ends up taking a shot that is arguably more difficult.  He'll get to the paint, try to shoot over defenders while off-balance or fading, and get no call because he's not initiating contact and putting the onus on the refs.  Aside from catching the occasional lob on the baseline, Rudy basically shoots floaters when he's less than ten feet from the hoop. 

The rest of the roster is chock full of jumpshooters.  Good ones, but jumpshooters nonetheless.  If that's what you're going to get offensively from perimeter players, you might as well have someone like Raja Bell, a guy who will get in his man's grill and frustrate him defensively.

If they choose to trade LMA for a legit post-up threat, I can't see who it would be.  Maybe someone like David West or Elton Brand, provided his game is up to par after his injuries.  Other than that, who else would be desirable and/or feasible to obtain?  The same goes for SFs. 

PGs?  Chris Paul ain't gonna happen.  For those who think otherwise:  how much money you got?

As much as I've defended Nate in the past, I'm starting to question his substitution patterns.  Not that it matters, however.  You can only play with the hand that you're dealt.

Unfortunately, I see this team getting a 6th seed at best and getting the quick hook in the first round, even if they improve significantly.  Again, I'll still stick with them and catch every game, but the Blazers won't have a serious shot at the trophy for the foreseeable future.  We'll be listening to guys like Marv Albert giving the Lakers, Celtics, Cavs, or Spurs the proverbial reach-around this year. 

The draft appears to be the only way to build upon the roster.  This off-season was definitely forgettable in that regard.  They picked up two tweeners, a guy they'll have to stash for a couple years, and another who may never see a minute of floor time in the NBA. 

What a letdown.  I've been haunted by Game 7 for almost 10 years and I so badly want my team to be good.  Hopefully, I'll wake up a month or two from now and realize how FOS I was.  Barring that, additional mood stabilizers may be necessary.