Know Thy Enemy: Portland Trail Blazers (LA Times - Lakers Blog)

[ABM]

From: LA Times -- Lakers Blog

During our most recent 710 ESPN PodKast, BK and I analyzed the Western Conference with ESPN The Magazine's Chris Palmer, and arrived at the same conclusion. Of all the teams gunning to take out the Lakers, the best equipped, at least on paper, would be the Portland Trail Blazers. No team has as much length to counter the Lakers' length. No team has as much depth to match the Lakers' depth. Had Kobe Bryant been traded to Chicago back in '07, Brandon Roy (one of my biggest NBA man crushes) would be the Western Conference's best shooting guard, hands down. Throw in an arena that continually brings out the worst in the Lakers and Portland's fearless attitude while dueling the formidable champs, and you have a team theoretically ready to take a serious stand. (For that matter, when it comes to being built to compete now and down the road, the Blazers also match up very well against the Lakers. This could shape into quite the rivalry over the impending decade.)

Having said that, like most things in life, there are uncertainties. The Blazers just wrapped up a middling preseason and Andre Miller, their "splash" acquisition of the summer, isn't immediately gelling with Roy and may be cool with a role off the bench, but he doesn't seem to like it. And collectively, the squad is playing D that's making Coach Nate McMillan rather perturbed. The only downside to big expectations is having to meet them. Could the bar have been set too high? The question is so daunting, it required not just a second but a third opinion, co-courtesy of co-writers/co-editors Steve Jones and Couper Moorhead of Rip City Project. Check out the discussion below.................

 

[SheedSoNasty]

Congrats on the new granddaughter, ABM.

As for the Lakers, they'll have to find a way to win in Portland if we meet them in the playoffs. Of course, the same should be said of the Blazers.

I know that Miller hasn't been electric this pre-season, but the regular season is so long that I don't have a doubt that everything will work itself out and we'll see some major success down the road. Oh, and I'd go so far as to say that our bench is better than LA's.

 

[ABM]

Congrats on the new granddaughter, ABM.

Thank you, sir.