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4. Portland Trail Blazers
I have been an admitted Blazers doubter for two years. I didn’t believe they could build a decent defense last season. I picked the Rockets to beat them in five games in the first round. I picked them to make the playoffs this season, but also argued they were the incumbent postseason team most in danger of suffering some regression.
And so I’m here today asking for forgiveness. You know what this team is? It is businesslike. It is vicious. It is mean. It is completely comfortable in its own skin, and it knows exactly how it wants to attack every opponent. It will pick at a weak spot until it bursts open and blood pours all over the court.
Most important: It plays defense and has just enough of a bench, stitching up the weakness that undid Portland over the last two seasons. The Blazers rank third in points allowed per possession, and though they have managed that against a weaker-than-average schedule, it’s clear they feel at home now in the ultraconservative scheme Terry Stotts implemented last season.
They don’t have a deep bench, but Stotts is smart about keeping at least one starter on the floor, and the Blazers have been slaughtering teams when both Steve Blake and Kaman are on the court. Those guys mesh well with the starters, and Kaman especially is smart about sneaking through all the space Aldridge creates to snag offensive boards and easy buckets.
Aldridge is playing hard on defense, and he’s just quick enough to chase around stretch power forwards some opponents will throw at him. Watch him help down on these Brow rolls and still scurry back out to run Anderson off the 3-point arc:
[video=youtube;FVqQtPF9Ht8]
[video=youtube;SeY2GNgXPeE]
There is no lineup type that can fluster Portland. That’s a powerful thing. We know what this team is on offense — a well-coached machine of ball movement and shooting, humming right along in the top 10 despite a meandering start from Batum. Aldridge can demand the ball in the post when the Blazers get frazzled, and his combination of height and midrange shooting can force uncomfortable contortions upon opposing defenses.
They could use a third reliable bench guy, preferably a wing player, and you can bank on Neil Olshey, the team’s deal-making GM, to work every corner of the trade market; they own all of their first-round picks, plus two movable midsize contracts in Thomas Robinson and Meyers Leonard. Those guys are seeing more time with mascot-abuser Robin Lopez out, but Lopez will be back, and Portland really needs only one of them.
Portland might not be contenders on the level of some of these other teams yet, but they’re better than lots of us thought. Do not sleep on Portland.
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-nbas-western-conference-power-rankings/
I have been an admitted Blazers doubter for two years. I didn’t believe they could build a decent defense last season. I picked the Rockets to beat them in five games in the first round. I picked them to make the playoffs this season, but also argued they were the incumbent postseason team most in danger of suffering some regression.
And so I’m here today asking for forgiveness. You know what this team is? It is businesslike. It is vicious. It is mean. It is completely comfortable in its own skin, and it knows exactly how it wants to attack every opponent. It will pick at a weak spot until it bursts open and blood pours all over the court.
Most important: It plays defense and has just enough of a bench, stitching up the weakness that undid Portland over the last two seasons. The Blazers rank third in points allowed per possession, and though they have managed that against a weaker-than-average schedule, it’s clear they feel at home now in the ultraconservative scheme Terry Stotts implemented last season.
They don’t have a deep bench, but Stotts is smart about keeping at least one starter on the floor, and the Blazers have been slaughtering teams when both Steve Blake and Kaman are on the court. Those guys mesh well with the starters, and Kaman especially is smart about sneaking through all the space Aldridge creates to snag offensive boards and easy buckets.
Aldridge is playing hard on defense, and he’s just quick enough to chase around stretch power forwards some opponents will throw at him. Watch him help down on these Brow rolls and still scurry back out to run Anderson off the 3-point arc:
[video=youtube;FVqQtPF9Ht8]
[video=youtube;SeY2GNgXPeE]
There is no lineup type that can fluster Portland. That’s a powerful thing. We know what this team is on offense — a well-coached machine of ball movement and shooting, humming right along in the top 10 despite a meandering start from Batum. Aldridge can demand the ball in the post when the Blazers get frazzled, and his combination of height and midrange shooting can force uncomfortable contortions upon opposing defenses.
They could use a third reliable bench guy, preferably a wing player, and you can bank on Neil Olshey, the team’s deal-making GM, to work every corner of the trade market; they own all of their first-round picks, plus two movable midsize contracts in Thomas Robinson and Meyers Leonard. Those guys are seeing more time with mascot-abuser Robin Lopez out, but Lopez will be back, and Portland really needs only one of them.
Portland might not be contenders on the level of some of these other teams yet, but they’re better than lots of us thought. Do not sleep on Portland.
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-nbas-western-conference-power-rankings/
