espn power rankings out... not very flattering

[MIXUM]

http://espn.go.com/nba/powerrankings

 

[Wheels]

lol the Bucks scare me sooooooo bad

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

Milwaukie is actually a pretty good team. Bogut and Jennings is going to be a good combo. With Gooden, Salmons, Delfino, and Maggette they could be good. Not as good as us no, but I still think they should be top 5 in the east.

 

[hasoos]

The Bucks are a good team man. It's a good idea to actually watch other teams every once in a while. It gives you a better idea of where your favorite team is at.

 

[Natebishop3]

Yeah, I think they have a pretty bright future with Jennings, and Salmons was a solid pickup for them last year.

 

[THE HCP]

Interesting he didn't mention Rudy leading the NBA in 3's, LA's good play and Matthews playing well.

 

[craigehlo]

The Thunder are still the most overrated team in the NBA. #5??? I know Durant is the darling of the NBA, but this is just silly for a team that's only big move was to add rookie Cole Aldrich.

I've got no problem with the Blazers at 11 right now.

 

[THE HCP]

I love watching Jennings play!

 

[andalusian]

Bogut is probably not going to be 100% for the entire season.

I like the Bucks, but if he is not coming back strong - their prospects are much lower this year.

 

[Wheels]

I like how people assume I havent seen them play. I'm not saying they are a bad team. But against Portland they dont scare me one bit.

 

[Wheels]

It's a good idea to actually watch other teams every once in a while. It gives you a better idea of where your favorite team is at.

Duely noted. I will start watching other NBA teams play, not just my favorite team. Because I have so much access to my favorite team there is no way that I watch other teams play

 

[hasoos]

I like how people assume I havent seen them play. I'm not saying they are a bad team. But against Portland they dont scare me one bit.

Well last year they gave us all we could handle. If I remember right at least one game went to overtime. One guy that is seriously under rated on that team is Ilyasova. That guy flies under the radar all the time.

 

[craigehlo]

I like the Bucks, but if he is not coming back strong - their prospects are much lower this year.

Bogut is one of the few player on the Bucks that's a legit defender. They added more offense this summer, but I can't really say they improved defensively. I rank them the same as the Atlanta Hawks. Teams that should be the 5 and 6 seeds in the East.

 

[THE HCP]

Well last year they gave us all we could handle. If I remember right at least one game went to overtime. One guy that is seriously under rated on that team is Ilyasova. That guy flies under the radar all the time.

I would love to see how many players we had out that night. This may have nothing to do with us playing the Bucks, but there was a 3 game stretch where we had only 1 of our top 9 leading scorers from the year before available to play.

 

[hasoos]

I would love to see how many players we had out that night. This may have nothing to do with us playing the Bucks, but there was a 3 game stretch where we had only 1 of our top 9 leading scorers from the year before available to play.

In general I have found that when players are out, most of the time other guys step up their level of play a lot, and a lot of that depends on their coach. We have had a good history of Nate getting his guys ready when players are down. Some other teams, not so much.

 

[Further]

I think the Blazers are hard to pin down in a ranking like this because there are so many questions. I think 11th is about right with taking into account that there are so many unknowns. But the Blazers have much more potential to leapfrog into the top 3 if health and chemistry pan out somehow, then any other team close in rankings.

 

[andalusian]

Skiles has a history of getting good results from teams until they start tuning him out. That's another thing to look for when looking at the Bucks, but, overall, if they continue to advance and Bogut does not suffer too much from his injury - they would be a very good team.

 

[Todd]

I think the Blazers are hard to pin down in a ranking like this because there are so many questions. I think 11th is about right with taking into account that there are so many unknowns. But the Blazers have much more potential to leapfrog into the top 3 if health andn chemistry pan out somehow, then any other team close in rankings.

Top 3? Sorry man that's a huge stretch. This team firing on all cylinders maybe top ten, but top 5 would take an act of God and a new coach.

 

[Wheels]

This team firing on all cylinders maybe top ten

really? They were close to top 10 last year while almost having no cylinders. I'm not saying top 3... but "Maybe top ten" ???

 

[Masbee]

Milwaukie is actually a pretty good team. Bogut and Jennings is going to be a good combo. With Gooden, Salmons, Delfino, and Maggette they could be good. Not as good as us no, but I still think they should be top 5 in the east.

Bogut is hurt. He is the anchor for the team on both ends. Without him at 100% they won't be dangerous.

Also, Jennings is going to have to deal with the sophmore hump. He will be scouted this year and unless he improves a lot, he could regress.

 

[BlazerBeav]

The Bucks are a solid team, but to peg them higher than the Blazers is just silly. Even with our reduced roster last year we were a good deal better than them.

 

[Natebishop3]

The Blazers are the new whipping boy. Nobody respects what we did last year, and it seems like everyone on the east coast expects us to fail.

 

[HailBlazers]

who cares... we'll let our Game speak for itself

 

[Further]

Top 3? Sorry man that's a huge stretch. This team firing on all cylinders maybe top ten, but top 5 would take an act of God and a new coach.

Then you and I totally disagree. IF, and that is a huge if, but if the Blazers including Oden get healthy and stay healthy, and there is good chemistry and players playing up to their abilities, I think this team could be an absolute monster. The front line would be difficult to score against as any in the league, with Oden, Camby, Aldridge and Przybilla locking down the inside. Batum, Wes and Rudy providing some great distance shooting to open up the floor on offense for Roy, Batum, Wes, Oden and Aldridge to take advantage of. An extremely efficient offense with an excellent D could finish top 3 in the league. The postseason is something else, but I would not rule a well oiled and healthy Blazer team out against any team in the playoffs either.

Sure I am being very optimistic, but that is the crux of how I framed my argument. IF, IF, IF. On the other hand, if Oden and others are injured a lot, then the team will quickly slide back down to the 10-15 range, especially if chemistry is low, or if certain players either take a step back(ie Roy), or don't take an expected step forward (ie. Batum)

 

[XXPrimusXX]

who cares... we'll let our Game speak for itself

This.

 

[maybeso]

Several of the SI analysts predict that either the Blazers or the Spurs will lose to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/basketball/nba/10/25/2010-11-preseason-crystal-ball/index.html

1. Conference finals

THOMSEN: East -- Heat over Celtics. West -- Lakers over Spurs.

JENKINS: East -- Celtics over Heat. West -- Lakers over Trail Blazers.

LOWE: East -- Heat over Magic. West -- Lakers over Spurs.

ROBSON: East -- Heat over Magic. West -- Lakers over Trail Blazers.

MANNIX: East -- Celtics over Heat. West -- Thunder over Lakers.

FORRESTER: East -- Celtics over Heat. West -- Lakers over Spurs.


Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...eseason-crystal-ball/index.html#ixzz13OoaGnTo

 

[Nikolokolus]

11 sounds about right to me given our tenuous position at center and all of the angst that seemed to hover over the team during the off-season and even into training camp.

 

[Ed O]

Top 3? Sorry man that's a huge stretch. This team firing on all cylinders maybe top ten, but top 5 would take an act of God and a new coach.

Top 10 while "firing on all cylinders"? Really?

Haha. OK.

Ed O.

 

[andalusian]

I would probably put this team at 9 at this point, ahead of the Bucks and the Bulls. Both of these teams have injury issues as well (Bogut/Boozer) - and this team with all the other issues was better than them both last year. 9th makes sense to me with the injury of Oden/Pryzbilla, but if this team is fully healthy, top-5 is where they belong.

 

[e_blazer]

NBA.com's power rankings are a bit kinder to the Blazers:

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/powerrankings/10/25/preseason/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt1

I'd say the Blazers, in their current condition, are somewhere in the range between the two rankings. As others have said, ultimately who gives a rip? Let's see what happens on the court. Can't wait.