After this pre season nightmare... what are your expectations for Nov?

[LittleAlex]

I haven't the slightest idea what to expect from the team after this off season.

That is slightly troubling but not overly so.

I an hoping to see some that new commitment to defense I have heard so much about.

Record after the first 16 games? I would say 9 and 7 with a couple of losses early while the actual starting lineup gels. Whoever that might be.

 

[alex42083]

I didn't view it as a total nightmare or disaster. It probably didn't go exactly how Nate wanted it to go, but there were some good things that we saw, particularly the play of Greg, which was probably the most important thing we wanted to see. I don't think expectations should be lowered just based on six meaningless games. This team will still be a top-four team in the West.

 

[hasoos]

While I have been dissapointed in the pre season with the results so far, it is mostly from an aspect of role players on the team not growing, not so much worrying about the big gunz that carry the team from night to night. For the most part, the Blazers have only had 1 or 2 at the most, of their top tier players playing each night of the pre season. I think the team might start off slowly because those top tier players have not been playing together much in the pre season and will show some rust, but then should pick it up as they play together more.

 

[BlazerWookee]

13-6 at the worst by the end of Nov.

This

 

[PapaG]

I didn't view it as a total nightmare or disaster. It probably didn't go exactly how Nate wanted it to go, but there were some good things that we saw, particularly the play of Greg, which was probably the most important thing we wanted to see. I don't think expectations should be lowered just based on six meaningless games. This team will still be a top-four team in the West.

I sure hope so, but that could actually be a regression from last year, at least in terms of overall record.

 

[mook]

My only real concern about the preseason has been Rudy's health and Roy's poor start. Roy will play himself into shape, though, and Oden has looked better than I'd hoped. Miller has already demonstrated he's the best PG on this team, which is nice to get established early.

Webster and Outlaw were about as good as I expected. Aldridge hasn't been dominating much, but what do you expect in preseason with a guy negotiating a big contract. Przybilla is Przybilla. Blake is hitting threes, but seems off. Rudy and Batum, predictably, seem worn out from the summer Euro games. Bayless seems ok when allowed to play SG.

Overall, this has the look of a team that's out of joint a little. But it's also easy to see how it'll come together.

 

[Blazer_Hippie]

I think Nov will be a little rocky. But how the Blazers do in November is only slightly more important than how they did in preseason. I think by April they'll be rolling!!

10-8

 

[alex42083]

I sure hope so, but that could actually be a regression from last year, at least in terms of overall record.

It could be, and the bottom feeders of the West got a lot better except Sacramento so it could make it harder to reach 54 again. But the only way I see this team regressing is if we failed to get HCA for the first round, and not win a playoff series this year. And by March and April, I expect this team to be playing its best ball. Either that or just being an experiment gone wrong.

 

[rocketeer]

i expect portland's record to be between 13-6 and 16-3 at the end of november. during that stretch portland has 4 road games i would consider difficult(at new orleans, at charlotte 2nd night of a back to back 4th game of the road trip, at atlanta, at utah on the 2nd night of a back to back) and 3 home games that i would consider difficult(denver, atlanta, san antonio though the spurs have a game the night before and the blazers have a couple days of rest).

for just the november record, i'll go with 12-4(and i would predict 15-4 overall at that point).

if portland really only has an approximately .500 record after november, that's not a good thing because the schedule gets pretty tough from december through february before getting easier again at the end.

 

[MIXUM]

i say 11-8 at best

 

[oldmangrouch]

I have been saying all along that a slow start was a possibility.

When you integrate new players into the rotation, you are trading short-term disruption for long-term improvement. Personally, I am willing to trade a few defeats in November for more success in the play-offs.

 

[MIXUM]

food for thought....

perhaps the karma from our awful summer has carried over into the season?

should this year turn out to be a disaster... we will know the turning point. fucking hedo rejected us and everything fell apart.

 

[andalusian]

food for thought....

perhaps the karma from our awful summer has carried over into the season?

should this year turn out to be a disaster... we will know the turning point. fucking hedo rejected us and everything fell apart.

I do not think you understand how karma works. If the team sulked, talked trash about others - karma would invoke. If anything, and if the summer was really so awful (which I do not think it was, we basically screwed Utah and Toronto screwed themselves and saved us, 3 years from now, from ourselves) - the gods of statistics are bound to throw a bone our way.

 

[KingSpeed]

And I think that's fine. The Spurs have had plenty of slow starts that ended in Championships.

Name one.

 

[tlongII]

I think we'll be fine. Maybe we'll start a little slower than I originally envisioned, but we'll be fine. This team has far too much talent to have too many problems.

 

[RoyIsClutch07]

Name one.

98-99. Lockout shortened season. started out 6-8 before the clicked.

 

[BrianFromWA]

I think we've had some turmoil, so the question's legit.

I think most of that turmoil (who's the FA pickup? Are Roy and LMA getting extended? How do we incorporate Miller and Oden?) is relatively resolved, since it looks like Oden will start and be productive and the extensions got worked out. That said, I'd like to think we'd be 15-4, but I have a hunch we still won't get over the "good teams on the road" hump yet and go 13-6.

 

[RoyIsClutch07]

Their play tonight is prob more indicative of what we will see early on.

 

[Nikolokolus]

food for thought....

perhaps the karma from our awful summer has carried over into the season?

should this year turn out to be a disaster... we will know the turning point. fucking hedo rejected us and everything fell apart.

Actually I think some good karma got rubbed off on us and not being tied down with Hedo for five years at an exorbitant rate for what will likely be three unproductive years out of the entire term.

Personally I think fate intervened and gave us the guy we should have been going after from the jump in Miller.

 

[KingSpeed]

98-99. Lockout shortened season. started out 6-8 before the clicked.

I know I asked for just one but were there "plenty," as you said?

 

[anonymous gambler]

I see something like 13-6 as a start to the season. I would rather have Miller start than Blake, but even with Blake we are stronger than anyone but LA and San Antonio in the west. Our big three is looking pretty good. Perimeter defense will be weak, but Oden, Pryzbilla and Aldridge should be pretty good in the middle. Rebounding will be good as will our offense.

 

[Blazer_Hippie]

i say 11-8 at best

You ended up close. What's irritating is the way we've ended up at our record. Rough patch, gimmick win streak, rough patch... I'm not a panic type, but I do hope to see some fairly substantial moves to try and shake things up if the weak play continues past a couple more games.