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The Team




So our offseason is basically done. I dont see us making another move outside of probably waiving terell harris. This has caused an extreme amount of excitement towards this upcoming season. I see this team as a 7 or 8 seed in the playoffs. Our starting five is still one of the best in the league, and now that we have an actual bench we should be able to compete for 48 minutes each night.

After reading everything this summer, I have come to some realizations that I am sure others on BlazersEdge would agree with, and if not would lead to a great discussion.

1) Terry Stotts is the right coach for our team next year. He is humble and doesnt have the fire that many of the great head coaches have, but in terms of player development he really knows what he's doing and I think he will work wonders with our new roster.

2) I love Thomas Robinson. I see him as a JJ Hickson player for us. He has an incredible motor, is willing to grab every rebound in sight, and can elevate to block shots, which is what was really lacking from Hickson's game. I wouldnt be surprised to see him as our most important bench player this next season.

3) Everybody can shoot it from deep! A starting lineup of Damian Lillard, Wes Matthews, and Nic Batum will be deadly from behind the arc, and hopefully they can improve their percentages from last year. On the bench, CJ McCollum, Allen Crabbe, and Dorell Wright can shoot lights out as well, and Meyers Leonard has also stated he feels comfortable from the NBA three line. As cool as that may be (true or not) lets keep him within 18 feet and improve that first. Looking back at the guards/forwards, we need a 40% shooter from deep to really have success. Last year our numbers were: Wes-39.8% Batum 37.2% Lillard- 36.8% Wright 37.4% and in college McCollum- 51.6% on 33/64 before he got hurt and Crabbe- 34.8% but as a volume shooter.

Getting three of these six players to shooting 40% would be ideal, and although potentially unrealistic, its not a major stretch for this to happen. With this improvement we are a playoff team.

4) This is a team to look out for. Remember the Golden State Warriors led by Baron Davis? I see this team having that kind of swagger and could be a potential giant killer come playoffs. Now dont confuse this for thinking we'll win it all this year....(though we always have hope for that)....but a second round playoff appearance isnt out of the question. The spurs have shown how deadly shooters at nearly every position can be is...we have that potential this year.

5) The 2013/14 NBA season needs to come. Summer league is cool to see some of our new players in action, but It doesn't come close to the punch of the regular season. And most exciting of all, this team is going to play in more than 82 games this year which is really exciting, especially for all us diehard fans on BlazersEdge!

Lets Go RipCity!!