I was calling us the 1999 team and people laughed. So far, we are at it's pace. Who's laughing now bitches?!?!
I was somewhat skeptical of that comparison, and I'm not sure it entirely fits now, either. But now I feel that way because the current team as it's constructed, has more potential than the '99 team.
Let me start by saying the '99 team, and the one that followed with Pippen and Steve Smith, were two of my all-time favorite teams, and they're probably the reason I'm a die-hard Blazer fan now.
There are some similarities. On offense - the ball movement, the matchup problems, the potential for "big" and "small" lineups, the "chip on their shoulder" mindset from the shooting guard position...
But that '99 team was not built to last the way the current squad could be.
Players like Jimmy Jackson, Jermaine O'Neal, Bonzi Wells, and Brian Grant were not getting the playing time they either wanted or needed to develop. Damon Stoudamire's defensive liabilities - it was obvious then - were not going away, and had to be compensated for. It was really hard to depend on temperamental players like Rasheed Wallace, and JR Rider (Bonzi's similarities to them weren't obvious until later, as I recall).
Contrast that with this season: guys like Dorrell Wright, Mo Williams, and Thomas Robinson seem to like their roles off the bench. There aren't any loose cannons around - even after the "scrum" at Golden State, I came away convinced that what happened there was players coming to each other's defense, not a melee that resulted from some kind of mental meltdown. And sure, Damian Lillard needs to work on his defense - but I feel like his potential to improve is far greater than it was for Damon Stoudamire.
Context is important: The lockout-shortened season that year made it possible for a really deep team to overwhelm teams that weren't built or conditioned for a long sprint, like that year was. That's what helped them reach the Western Conference Finals.
2013-14 is a much more "normal" year, and for that reason, I don't know that this Blazers' team's strong depth will make as much of a difference. I don't see a WCF appearance. The West is so strong, and so many teams have playoff experience, that I'm not sure the Blazers are likely to survive the 1st round. But, I think they've got a great chance at being a very good team for longer - because Olshey doesn't have to make blockbuster trades like Trader Bob pulled off...
