Drawing Lines

A championship caliber squad.

It's worth noting that our stars might not be stars elsewhere. Obviously we'll develop them and use them in the way that serves the unique mix on our roster and the KP/Nate style of play and culture.

Meaning Brandon and Martell are only as good as they are because of where they are.

Assuming these players had a chance to develop behind veterans, as they usually would on a 'normal' NBA team, here's my best guess at an unbiased ranking...

STARS:
LaMarcus - I think he's the only one who legitimately belongs on this list. When the talent around him matures, and a few other pieces are added, he has the potential to be scary on a Kevin Garnett level... The only thing remaining to be seen is if he has the competitive fire to take him there. He's often far too passive on the court.
Roy - I'm putting him here because I think he's a savvy player who will find his way through this early season difficulty. He's far too smooth and too intelligent to remain average. He'll never be a leading scorer, but his ability to elevate his game when needed, and to make those around him better, can not be underestimated.
Oden - Assuming he comes back at 85% of his former self or better (and unless the Blazers are sugar-coating the situation, that seems likely), Oden has the potential to be a Shaq-like monster. With an insane ability to defend, plenty of upside offensively and the kind of personality that advertising agencies drool over, Oden is poised to dominate this town for years to come... That's assuming the lingering cloud of medical doubt ever clears up long enough.

STARTERS: (This is the tough one)
Pryzbilla - Though he's often not the starter on our team, and certainly won't be when Oden gets back, I think he'd be a shoe-in on most other teams... especially in the east. With a dearth of decent centers across the league, Joel would fit the bill for a lot of teams... and I think his offensive game still has room to improve.
Webster - I'll give Martell the nod here not so much based on his past performance as his future potential. Should he continue to improve at the rate he did last year to this, and should the coaches ever trust him to do more than simply hoist open(ish) jumpers, he would be a welcome addition to any front line. Especially on teams with a dominant inside game (which we will hopefully have next year), someone like Martell is a welcome addition. He's no Rashard Lewis, and he'll never be, but he's been the steadiest player on the Blazers this year.

SUBS:
Jack - 2nd string PG/SG. Versatile and talented, but frequently crumbles under pressure. Still, he's a good change-of-pace guard to keep other teams honest. If he keeps up the pace this year he'd have to be at least a candidate for sixth man of the year (good luck though, with Jason Terry in the mix).
Frye - Just barely. Still, his athletisicm and shooting touch make him difficult to pass up. Here's hoping his recent slump really is due simply to an adjustment period and getting back into shape... I doubt it though. Frye simply lacks the competitive fire to be effective for long stretches.
Jones - Hard to say for sure, but with Phoenix he showed enough ability to make himself useful in small stretches. Until we see more out of him, we'll have to assume he's a good 12-15 minute sub. Besides, when was decent outside shooting NOT enough to keep an NBA player collecting a check?
Blake - He's one of those guys you always want to count out, but you just can't. He's almost never flashy, almost always consistent. Until recently he's been near the top of the league in assist-to-turnover ratio. He's struggled recently, but overall I think he's the kind of steady influence a young team needs. If he could win the starting job in Denver playing alongside Allen Iverson and do well, he could win it anywhere... well, assuming the first string QB goes down.

SCRUBS: (The rest of the rest)
Green - Too green to know. Could be a solid backup, most likely will be a complete bust. His college experience could lead to a leadership ability, but there's a reason he fell as low as he did in the draft.
Rodriguez - Oh how I wish this weren't true, but I've seen enough of Sergio to believe he's just not a complete enough player to become anything more than a third-string PG in this league. I keep hoping his shortcomings lie in his difficulty with the language, but that shouldn't be the case anymore. I think Portland will continue to give him chances, but if they saw a chance to get something of value for him in a trade they would jump at it.
Outlaw - Oh Travis, Travis, Travis... Unbridaled athletic talent... can jump over almost anyone in the gym, shows flashes of brilliance... but he just doesn't get the fundamentals of the game (emphasis on the mentals). I'm not saying Travis is dumb, he simply doesn't work hard enough to overcome his deficiencies. I had the same issue with Darius Miles. Great talent, but far too little ball-handling ability. Sometimes it looks like he's still growing into his body, but five years into his career you'd love to see more skill... if nothing else you'd like to see him covering those mistakes with better hustle.
Miles - Speaking of Darius... the less said the better. If the Blazers were worried about the weight gain Oden had after his surgery they ought to be despondent about what happened to Darius. The fact we've heard little to none in the way of updates since the season started doesn't bode well either.
LaFrentz - Too old. Too slow. LaFrentz just doesn't have it in him anymore. Given a proper chance he might produce something helpful, but that's just not going to happen. Sorry Raef... But thanks for the salary cap relief in a couple of years!
McRoberts - I think of all the new Blazers, outside of Oden, McRob intrigues me the most. During Summer league he showed some great passing, better than expected athletisicm and a decent jumper. I'll include him as a scrub until he's had a year to mature, but he could be the passing, banging, shooting big man we need off the bench. I'd say his odds are 80% bust, 20% stud. Portland's beaten worse odds than that, so there's always hope.

Missing the one guy with a killer instinct.

Stars:
LMA  (Needs a stronger post-up game)
ODEN (will be anyway)
Roy  (Pippen type guy)

Starters:
Pryz   (Needs more playing time on this team this year - little bias)
Blake  (Classic pass first and solid pg.)

Subs:
Jack
Martell
Jones
Sergio (Would be better in places like Suns, Dallas, GS)

Scrubs:
TO (I like the guy but still; Could be a great sub on a team like Suns, Dallas, GS)
Frye  (Have no faith in this guy, but still a good trade)
Raef
Darius (Could be a starter if he played to his potential)

Not Sure:
Green - Sub
McRoberts - Sub

STAR
Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Alridge and next year Oden
This one is a no brainer, the reason they are struggling so much is because of star treatment, They just have to learn how to play through it.
STARTER
Webster, Blake, Pryzbilla
give Webster some time he's still learning.. from his mistakes and from his teammates.
SUB
Jack
Sergio
Taurean
James Jones
McRoberts
They all are pretty solid, I believe Taurean could be a starter.
SCRUB
Channing Frye
Travis Outlaw
Raef
Darius
I seriously think Channing and Travis have to start playing better, because so far they should of been traded or waived

About last game.. What kind of defense was that? I could only get to watch the highlights and they were trying to trap Hedo, but he just split it and layed it in? too many wide open shots and I do not know what was goin through Roy's head taking those ugly shots.

Starters:
Pryz     - Some Teams. Should be Blazers starter Until Oden can claim it.
Blake    - Some Teams

Subs:
Jack     - Thrives off bench
Martell  - may move up to starter with a little more experience.
Outlaw   - is running out of time in my opinion.
Sergio   - May move up or down.
Channing - ??
Raef     - past his prime
Josh     - I am anxious to see what he can do.
Taurean  - Too many point guards and too small.
Darius   - could be in any category with an attitude adjustment and a good work ethic.
Scrubs:
There are none. Any player that can make an NBA roster is not a scrub.

James

On an average team Roy, Aldridge and maybe Przybilla would start.  Blake would give the point guard a run for his money, but probably wouldn't start.

Frye, Jack, Webster, Jones and Outlaw would get some minutes off the bench, but all as specialists.  On a playoff team in a game that mattered each would be lucky to get five minutes.

Rodriguez and Green would only ever get garbage minutes, they are both projects, with Rodriguez much further along than Green.  An average team would be looking at where Rodriguez might be in three years, probably giving him a ton of time in summer league and maybe the NBDL to get him some burn.  McRoberts also would be a project version of a scrub.

Raef is probably a scrub.

Now, in three years I expect that Oden, Aldridge and Roy to be stars, Webster to be a starter, Rodriguez possibly a starter, certainly a bench player, and Blake, Jack, Outlaw, Frye, and Przybilla all to be solid bench players.  That's a solid playoff team, possibly a 50 win team.

On an average team? None of these guys are stars today. On a mythical better team they would all play smaller roles.

Starters: LMA, Roy. Maybe Blake (see Denver) maybe not (see Milwaukee).

Subs: Webster, Jack, Pryz, Jones (only because he's been a sub on other teams).

Scrubs: and the rest here on Pritchard's Island.

Sergio is the 3rd pg on a below ave. team, Outlaw's inconsistency dooms him. Frye is the doorman for the buffet, allowing the opposition all they can eat.

But these players are not set in concrete. Webster is proof enough that players can improve. I have every expectation that he will become a quality starter in the league. Sergio as well. LMA a star and probably Roy. I don't think Outlaw has the brain power to ever be more than a sub but that'd be better than a scrub and teams need subs.

But the bottom line is anything can happen in the future, good and bad. The question is today and today this team is made up of inexperienced jr. NBA'ers.

Stars:
LMA - athletic big who can shoot - would be 2nd leading scorer on average teams such as the Lak*rs
Oden hopefully

Starters:
B-Roy - probaly won't have a chance at an All Star game unless Portland is an elite team...even then it will be tough

Bench:
Jack
Pryzbilla - would be starter on team with a lot of offensive fire power around him
Martell - on his way to starter status
Blake
Sergio - has potential
Outlaw - dunk contest star if ever gets invited
Frye - closing in on scrub fast
Green
J. Jones

Scrubs:
LaFrentz

Starters - L.A., Roy, Priz

Subs - Martell (almost starter quality), Jack, Blake, Outlaw, Frye (barely making this category), Jones (almost forgot about him), Sergio

Scrubs - Raef, Green, McRob

Oden, Rudy, and what's his name (oh yeah Darius) don't count this year

Reading through some of the comments here, I was struck by just how nebulous the term "star" really is. Judging by the fact that most of the posters here do not regard the team's two best players - Roy and Aldridge - as "stars" leads me to believe that for many people, a star is fundamentally a player who can create shots on their own, in almost any circumstance. LeBron, Kobe, Wade, TMac all possess this ability and - not surprisingly - all are regarded as the game's brightest stars.

No argument there, of course. But it also begs the question of whether that constitutes a too narrow definition of the term. I remember a few years back, when Amare was having his monster breakout season (before his microfracture), there was a two week or so period when Nash was out with an injury and Amare's production took a significant dip. Now most people, if asked, would readily acknowledge that Amare is a star. Yet one wonders, if Amare did not have Nash or some other top-flite PG steadily feeding him in the low post, would that perception still hold?  

Applying this thinking to Portland, there is absolutely no doubt in my non-Blazer-biased mind that in the right situation, Roy and Aldridge would already be considered stars (one only need look at what Roy was able to do last season with Zach drawing attention down in the low block.) However, the shortcomings of this year's supporting cast, when coupled with their relative limitations in creating shots on their own, feeds the perception that Roy and Aldridge are not "star quality" talent.

Believe me, I understand your frustration Blazerfan (I am Knickfan. Hear me roar.) I know how gut wrenching it is to watch Brandon blow layup after layup while 2-3 defenders dog his every step.  So I certainly don't begrudge you your kvetching which is, after all, our god-given right as fans.

But, as many of the sage ones on this site have repeatedly counselled, a little perspective caint hurt neither. So, in that spirit, let's turn the situation around and attempt to view things from a reverse perspective. Try and imagine how some of the other NBA shooting guards or power forwards that are widely regarded as star calibre would fare on this team in lieu of Brandon of LaMarcus.  How do you think, say, Ginobili would do? Or Bosh (who Lamarcus greatly reminds me of, BTW)? Boozer? Kevin Martin?

Gotta run - time to stick some more pins into my James Dolan voodoo doll...