I think in the end it will be a matter of making good out of bad. A silver lining so to speak. We’ll get some good things we wouldn’t otherwise have had, but also it delays our contending window.

This adversity is forcing him to adjust and grow as a coach. I’m hoping (expecting) him to make some distinctions and realizations about his coaching strategies pre-injurygate versus post-injurygate that will help catapult this team to “dynasty-level” ball.

I’ve not been a big McMillan supporter because he was too rigid and inflexible with his coaching of the team. I do, however, believe he deserves a shot at taking this team all the way. Perhaps these injuries will help expedite his growth as a coach and enable him to become the type of coach who can get a team with this much talent to the finish line.

Nate is being forced to play “free” and on instinct and I think that this will only benefit him and the team in the long term. I’d rather see this happen now, while the team is still relatively young than, say, next year or the year after.

It is forcing the players and the coaches to deal with deficiencies that may have been given less of a priority if everyone was healthy.

LMA – He has always had the “soft” label hanging over his head. However, with Joel and Greg ripping down 20+ rebounds per games collectively, it was less of a factor that he crash the boards. Now, when LMA doesn’t get rebounds, it’s pretty darn noticeable. He will either step up or the team will realize their franchise PF has no interior presence.

Rex – What dark, scary place would he be in mentally if he spent a year playing garbage time? Plus, many Blazer fans feel he is the answer. He will get his playing time, and fans can stop speculating what might be and actually evaluate his performance on the court. He looks pretty darn good so far.

Nate – It just seems like he is a better coach when the team is short-handed. Hopefully, he will let some of his current style carry over when the team is healthy.

Juwan – If a 36 year old man who once had a $105,000,000 contract is willing to play with passion and inspiration while making the veteran’s minimum, then nobody on the team has an excuse to give anything but their best. Plus, Juwan just looks like he is having the time of his life, and it makes me smile.

Pendy – He has taken on Tim Duncan and Carmello Anthony thus far in his extensive 3 game playing career. A guy who might not even have made the active roster if the team was healthy is now the poster boy for toughness. The rest of the team is hopefully taking notes.

Brandon – Leadership starts with game like he had on Christmas. It was beautiful. Brandon played hard for a full 48 minutes, he mentored his teammates on the court and he brought down Melo in the final quarter. Brandon took responsibility for the loss last Christmas and made sure the team would win this year. His extremely casual attitude at the start of the season is gone. He is now officially this team’s leader. I’m not sure he would have gotten there without the injuries.