OK, I cannot remember the last time I have been this excited for the NBA seasons to start. Probably the last time I have been this excited was in the early 1990s, when the Blazers made a couple of appearances in the NBA Finals.
How can a Blazer fan not be excited? First, these guys are good guys. Not just good basketball players, but fine citizens. They represent the franchise and the city of Portland well. Second, they are good players: young stars like Brandon Roy and LeMarcus Aldridge are exciting to watch and deliver on the floor. Third, the obvious: Greg Oden's debut tonight against the Lakers. Finally, the guy Blazermaniacs have waited a year-and-a-half to get on the court and shore up the middle with finally get that chance. Let's hope he stays healthy and provides an imposing presence in the middle.
The only thing that sucks about this season is the fact that the Blazers play in the Western Conference. The Western Conference is easily the best conference in the NBA, which will make it even more difficult for the Blazers to get themselves into the playoffs. According to Sports Illustrated, the Blazers will pick up 9 games in the win column over last year's result - that would mean the Blazers would reach the magical 50-win plateau.
I think the Blazers will win 83 games. Yes, 83 games. I know there is only 82 games in a season, but the Blazers will get credit for another win based upon style points......
Ok, I am just being silly. But I do expect this team to be much better than last year, and equally exciting. The one thing about the off-season that no one is focusing on is the addition of Rudy Fernandez to the roster. In the preseason, Rudy has looked great and every bit as good as advertised.
There are two questions that remain unanswered going into the season. First, what kind of defense is this team going to play? Coach Nate is an excellent teacher of team defense, and to be sure, the team's defense picked up last year (which is reflected in the team's 10-game improvement from the year before). But the defense last year wasn't where it needed to be. I am sure that in the future Oden is going to be a defensive force to be reckoned with, but as a rookie, I am not so sure. I will certainly be focusing on the defensive performance of the Blazers in the first few games.
The other question that needs to be answered is the Blazers shooting. If you ask me (which you haven't), offensively the Blazers' biggest hole has been outside shooting. Not so much three-pointers, but those 15 to 20 foot jump shots that a team needs to hit in order to open things up on the inside, where Oden could then do most of his damage. Good shooting means more Oden, which means more wins.
I fully expect the Blazers to win 50 games. Once again, Kevin Pritchard has done a materful job not just putting this team together, but keeping this team together (Channing Frye, anyone?). You know the old saying, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Go Blazers!
Comments