Pelton: Blazers Project As 2014 Lottery Team

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SlyPokerDog

SlyPokerDog

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Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com takes an early look at the Western Conference for the 2013-14 season, concluding that the Minnesota Timberwolves will beat out the Portland Trail Blazers for the eighth and final spot in the playoffs.

8. Minnesota Timberwolves (2012-13 finish: 12th)
The biggest improvement the Timberwolves can make will be better health. After losing more games to injury than any team in the past four years, Minnesota should be at full strength. Rick Adelman also has more shooting at his disposal with the addition of Kevin Martin, though the defense could be weakened.
Assuming the Timberwolves lock up center Nikola Pekovic, a restricted free agent, they'll be at the top of the race to go from the lottery to the playoffs.


9. Portland Trail Blazers (2012-13 finish: 11th)
The Blazers are right on Minnesota's heels after a solid offseason that saw GM Neil Olshey rebuild their bench on the cheap. Only second-year center Meyers Leonard figures to remain in the rotation from last year's historically bad second unit, while Robin Lopez slides in for J.J. Hickson to solidify the starting five.
If rookie C.J. McCollum contributes immediately and Thomas Robinson plays like he did in Las Vegas Summer League -- where he was a terror on the glass -- Portland will return to the playoffs after a one-year absence.


http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9504710/early-look-western-conference


http://www.blazersedge.com/2013/7/24/4553590/pelton-blazers-project-as-2014-lottery-team

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kinda odd...we "project as a lottery team" only if CJ doesn't contribute immediately or Robinson doesn't play like in Summer League, or if we can't beat out the Timberwolves. I don't see any of those 3 not happening.
 
Kevin Martin, Love, Pek, that Twolves team will be far worse than us on defense. If all we have to do to make the playoffs is outplay them I love our chances.
 
How many years in a row now have the Timberpups been projected to make the playoffs? They're becoming the Dallas Cowboys of the nba.
 
The west is very good. Lakers, Clippers, Spurs, Rockets, Grizzlies, Thunder, Nuggets and Worriers are all better. If no injures happen I think Kevin Pelton could be pretty sport on.
 
BigGameDamian said:
The west is very good. Lakers, Clippers, Spurs, Rockets, Grizzlies, Thunder, Nuggets and Worriers are all better. If no injures happen I think Kevin Pelton could be pretty sport on.
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Good thing the Lakers have a significant injury then. I'm not sure about the Nuggets either.
 
santeesioux said:
What is the protection on our pick? Wouldn't it be something to be the 9th seed and lost our pick?
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Same as this year I thought. 12 and higher --> pick goes to CHA.

Ya there's no real way I see Minny being better than us.

santeesioux said:
Good thing the Lakers have a significant injury then. I'm not sure about the Nuggets either.
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Isn't Gallo out for a while too?
 
santeesioux said:
What is the protection on our pick? Wouldn't it be something to be the 9th seed and lost our pick?
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it's top 12 again. 30 teams, 16 make the playoffs, it's almost a lock that the 13th- and 14th-best records come from the West, so being the 9th or 10th seed would be the worst-case--no playoffs and no pick.
 
I really don't want to make the playoffs this upcoming year. We need more assets. I think if we wait a year, we can get someone good and then make our run.

I think there's a small part of Olshey that hates how quickly Lillard adjusted to the NBA game. I don't think his rapid development was part of the plan.
 
I think it's a toss up on who is a better team this year between the Wolves and the Blazers. Many different "expert" opinions out there, but most I have seen have the Wolves and Blazers pretty close. As more predictions come out I think you will see a trend of Minny and Blazers being predicted to finish somewhere between 7-12
 
I think Stotts needs to grab this article and post it in every player's locker. Post all the negative comments about how this team is mediocre around the practice facility. Make all our players play with a chip on their shoulder and shove there words down their throats.
 
magnifier661 said:
I think Stotts needs to grab this article and post it in every player's locker. Post all the negative comments about how this team is mediocre around the practice facility. Make all our players play with a chip on their shoulder and shove there words down their throats.
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I concur. Repp'd.
 
maxiep said:
I really don't want to make the playoffs this upcoming year. We need more assets. I think if we wait a year, we can get someone good and then make our run.
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If we don't make the playoffs this year, that means (IMO) that Lillard isn't the budding superstar we need him to be in order to be title contenders. This isn't like when the Thunder were terrible for two years after drafting Durant; they had nobody else. We have an all-star PF, a potentially all-star SF (if healthy), and a SG that many appear to believe is top-10 in the league for his position. If Lillard is title-caliber big-3 worthy, he needs to be good enough to get us to the playoffs this year.
 
If this team is an 8 seed THIS year, the year of a great draft where barely making the playoffs doesn't just mean we have a lower pick - it means we don't have fucking pick at all:

I WILL BE FUCKING PISSED!!!!

9th or 10th is even worse.
 
PtldPlatypus said:
If we don't make the playoffs this year, that means (IMO) that Lillard isn't the budding superstar we need him to be in order to be title contenders. This isn't like when the Thunder were terrible for two years after drafting Durant; they had nobody else. We have an all-star PF, a potentially all-star SF (if healthy), and a SG that many appear to believe is top-10 in the league for his position. If Lillard is title-caliber big-3 worthy, he needs to be good enough to get us to the playoffs this year.
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agreed that lillard needs to take the next step but if anyone should take us to the playoffs it better be lamarcus. with all that crap about him wanting out...if we put him into a position for him to get us to the second round(which with lillard it could be) he better flippin get it done
 
Masbee said:
If this team is an 8 seed THIS year, the year of a great draft where barely making the playoffs doesn't just mean we have a lower pick - it means we don't have fucking pick at all:

I WILL BE FUCKING PISSED!!!!

9th or 10th is even worse.
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Not gonna happen. The additional bench alone will put us in a position to out of a pick. Only way we get a draft pick is trading Aldridge and Batum for picks and young inexperienced players.
 
If we are below .500 we blow the team up before the trade deadline, trade LaMarcus for the most value, tank and keep our pick. If we are well above .500 we trade away a future pick or some youth and grab a quality vet to help us for an immediate playoff run. We will then easily make the playoffs.

Neil has done a superb job of constructing this team so it is both one big move away from a long term rebuild or one big move away from competing right now. After a third of the season we will have a far better idea of what this team can accomplish in the next year and a half; and the buyer or seller on the other end of a trade will likewise know their direction. Trading partners will be more willing to give up future picks to win now and other teams will be looking to trade their veterans for longer term assets.
 
maxiep said:
I really don't want to make the playoffs this upcoming year. We need more assets. I think if we wait a year, we can get someone good and then make our run.

I think there's a small part of Olshey that hates how quickly Lillard adjusted to the NBA game. I don't think his rapid development was part of the plan.
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That's sort of how I feel. I guess it mostly depends on how desperate Aldridge is to move on. I'm guessing that if they're dicking around in the 9th or 10th spot around the trade deadline things are going to come to a head with LMA and Olshey will start shifting gears towards keeping his 1st round pick.
 
magnifier661 said:
I think Stotts needs to grab this article and post it in every player's locker. Post all the negative comments about how this team is mediocre around the practice facility. Make all our players play with a chip on their shoulder and shove there words down their throats.
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That shit works on high-school kids and college players. This kind of thing might (at best) motivate them for a game or two, but wouldn't amount to a fart in the wind over an 82 game season.
 
Nikolokolus said:
That shit works on high-school kids and college players. This kind of thing might (at best) motivate them for a game or two, but wouldn't amount to a fart in the wind over an 82 game season.
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I disagree. The motivation of being snubbed the season before Aldridge made the all star game motivated him.
 
magnifier661 said:
I disagree. The motivation of being snubbed the season before Aldridge made the all star game motivated him.
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Being snubbed or "disrespected" by your peers is another matter entirely. Plenty of sports writers have spilled bad ink about players and it doesn't seem to make much difference in the grand scheme.
 
PtldPlatypus said:
If we don't make the playoffs this year, that means (IMO) that Lillard isn't the budding superstar we need him to be in order to be title contenders. This isn't like when the Thunder were terrible for two years after drafting Durant; they had nobody else. We have an all-star PF, a potentially all-star SF (if healthy), and a SG that many appear to believe is top-10 in the league for his position. If Lillard is title-caliber big-3 worthy, he needs to be good enough to get us to the playoffs this year.
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I am assuming #12 will not be on the roster on opening night.
 
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