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Portland Trail Blazers
Pelton: When the Blazers lost four starters, including All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, they were written off by most observers as playing for lottery positioning. Thanks in part to a relatively weak playoff race in the West, Portland instead finds itself just a game and a half out of the eighth seed.
Because the Blazers owe their first-round pick to Denver from the Arron Afflalo trade if they make the playoffs, they're probably better off in the long run finishing ninth or 10th. Still, their surprisingly competitive play -- Portland has a better point differential (minus-1.6) than the Grizzlies (minus-2.5) is a testament to the talent on hand.
Third-year shooting guard C.J. McCollum has teamed with Damian Lillard to form one of the NBA's best young backcourts. Free agents Al-Farouq Aminu and Ed Davis look like bargains on contracts that will descend in impact as the cap goes up. And center Mason Plumlee has been freed by head coach Terry Stotts to expand his game, becoming a facilitator from the high post.
As a result, the Blazers' rebuilding process appears ahead of schedule.
Pelton's grade: B+ | Panel's grade: B
http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/14592342/western-conference-midseason-grades-nba
Pelton: When the Blazers lost four starters, including All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge, they were written off by most observers as playing for lottery positioning. Thanks in part to a relatively weak playoff race in the West, Portland instead finds itself just a game and a half out of the eighth seed.
Because the Blazers owe their first-round pick to Denver from the Arron Afflalo trade if they make the playoffs, they're probably better off in the long run finishing ninth or 10th. Still, their surprisingly competitive play -- Portland has a better point differential (minus-1.6) than the Grizzlies (minus-2.5) is a testament to the talent on hand.
Third-year shooting guard C.J. McCollum has teamed with Damian Lillard to form one of the NBA's best young backcourts. Free agents Al-Farouq Aminu and Ed Davis look like bargains on contracts that will descend in impact as the cap goes up. And center Mason Plumlee has been freed by head coach Terry Stotts to expand his game, becoming a facilitator from the high post.
As a result, the Blazers' rebuilding process appears ahead of schedule.
Pelton's grade: B+ | Panel's grade: B
http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/14592342/western-conference-midseason-grades-nba
