Creating the Perfect Offseason Plan for the Portland Trail Blazers
Although they’re all at home watching the NBA Playoffs from the comfort of their living rooms, it isn’t all bad for the Portland Trail Blazers.
With an aspiring star at point guard and a few other solid pieces on their roster, the Blazers are already very close to being fringe playoff team. With a few tweaks here and there, there’s no question we’ll be looking at yet another youthful upstart squad in the Western Conference a la the Golden State Warriors.
Draft Acquisitions
Free agency is great in the short term, but nothing beats adding prospects you can build around for the future. Portland will have three picks to work with, and while no one would confuse this collection of talent with the 2003 NBA draft, the guys available in the first round aren’t exactly scrubs.
The NBA draft lottery has yet to occur, but there are already whispers about the Blazers, wherever they may end up in the draft order, having their eyes set on UCLA prospect Shabazz Muhammad. After striking gold with Damian Lillard last year, the Blazers would love to have yet another impact rookie in their backcourt.
In terms of scoring, Portland needs help. Adding an offensive weapon like Shabazz, who averaged 18 points per game in his one season at UCLA, could improve their mediocre production. The hope for the Blazers is that Muhammad would develop a chemistry with Lillard and the two would be the foundation for a solid future.
As far as their remaining picks? Some draft analysts have them targeting Nate Wolters and Alex Abrines—two guards who would further bolster their backcourt down the road but will more than likely spend their rookie seasons in the D-League.
All in all, Portland’s primary impact from this draft will hinge on how patient they are with Muhammad. He has all the talent in the world, but it largely depends on how he fits in with the likes of LaMarcus Aldridge, Damian Lillard and others.
Contracts and Free Agency
In addition to the team’s emphasis on getting younger, the Blazers have a handful of contracts that need sorting out. With numerous expired contracts, trimming some fat would provide a bit of much-needed cap flexibility.
As far as their expired contracts, J.J. Hickson absolutely needs to be a priority as far as re-signing.
Hickson was the team’s leading rebounder, mostly because of his incredibly high motor. Portland cannot afford to lose Hickson, so again, inking him to another deal is priority number one.
On the other hand, guys like Elliot Williams, Sasha Pavlovic (team option) and Nolan Smith will most likely not be retained. It would also make sense for the Blazers to make a qualifying offer to Eric Maynor, who’s a solid reserve player and a nice complement to Lillard. Other than Maynor and Hickson, most of these empty contracts are for players making questionable contributions to the team.
The Blazers would be better off going out and trying to acquire a Jarrett Jack or Nate Robinson with the freed up cap space. Yes, you’ll have fewer bodies in the rotation, but Portland could really use a gunner like a Jack or Robinson coming off the bench—guards or wings capable of playing isolation offense. This team really lacked a punch when the first unit sat down, but an electrifying reserve scorer who knows his role would be a nice pick-up. However, that might mean you’d have to forget about matching Maynor‘s contract.
It’s still a little too early to project how the upcoming offseason will play out, but Portland’s primary objectives should be letting some of those lesser contracts walk and signing a key reserve.
Coaching and a Goal for the New Season
Most people would look at a bad record, and they’d be quick to blame the head coach for the team’s failures.
Yes, they had down season, but head coach Terry Stotts, who just finished his first year at the helm, did a good job considering the pieces with which he had to work.
Names like Stan Van Gundy, Brian Shaw and Phil Jackson are likely being mentioned in just about every front office in need of a coach, but this franchise isn’t one of them. Stotts should be given a little more time to work with this squad, as it seemed to respond to his easy-going, teacher-like approach. The Blazers are young, and they still need to be chiseled into form.
Unlike a team with established veterans, this unit isn’t in need of a Zen Master to mentally manipulate them into contenders overnight; this is a team that just needs a teacher like Stotts, who can correct their errors and build these young players for the future.
Would the playoffs be a realistic goal for this team? Yes, absolutely. The Western Conference—especially the seventh and eighth seeds—is completely wide open. Anything can happen in the NBA, and although it’s possible, this team shouldn’t be too hung up on missing or making the postseason at this point and time.
Stotts should have this team shooting for a .500 record—or at least a significant improvement on last year’s record. For Stotts, being a teacher means being patient.
He needs to teach his team to crawl, walk and then run.
Right now, they’re somewhere between the crawling and walking phase, but when Lillard and the rest of these young guns eventually get more NBA experience and confidence under their belts, you can rest assured they will be ready to run way past the expectations that people will have set for them.
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Dalai Lama wears Trail Blazers jersey
On a recent visit to Portland for an Environmental Summit, His Holiness the Dalai Lama was presented with a variety of Trailblazers apparel by Blazers executive Neil Olshey and Chris McGowan. With a cheek-to-cheek smile on his face, the Dalai Lama accepted these gifts and fully rocked the threads to the delight of Blazers fans everywhere. This said, check out some of the photos above and below that captured this awesome exchange.. What a guy. (Courtesy of Blazer’s Edge)
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Portland Trail Blazers: What Brandon Roy Meant to the Blazers and Their Fanbase
For five seasons, Brandon Roy dazzled and awed Portland Trail Blazers fans with his late-game heroics that turned him into a bona fide NBA superstar.
Now it looks like one of the once-promising rising stars will see his career come to an unfortunate end.
On Friday, the Minnesota Timberwolves waived Roy after one season. The former three-time All-Star played just five games for the Timberwolves, missing significant time due to severe knee injuries that forced the Blazers to amnesty him before the 2011-12 season.
Roy may not have helped the Blazers to a playoff series victory. You won’t see his name among the all-time statistical leaders in franchise history. But the memories he provided fans have become legendary for those who witnessed his time in Portland.
Roy, who was the 2007 Rookie of the Year, meant much more to Blazers fans than simply as a player.
He represented the transition from the forgettable Jail Blazer era during the mid-2000s to a revival of Rip City. Roy’s clutch plays to finish ballgames became a norm at the Rose Garden. With the ball in his hands, you were confident in his ability to do the right thing and will the Blazers to victory.
In 2009, the Blazers at last made the playoffs in Roy’s third season for the first time since 2003.
Roy had the best season of his career, finishing ninth in the NBA MVP voting, was voted an NBA All-Star for the second time and was named to the All-NBA second team—the first Blazer to make an All-NBA team since Clyde Drexler in 1992.
With a core of Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and former No. 1 pick Greg Oden, the question was not if Portland was going to win an NBA championship, but when and how many?
The Blazers went 54-28 in 2008-09 with Roy, Aldridge and Oden in their early 20s. They were considered the future of the NBA—what the Oklahoma City Thunder have become today.
While Oden received much of the fanfare as a potential once-in-a-generation center, the Blazers were unquestionably Roy’s team. He was their go-to guy down the stretch.
He provided highlight after highlight, including a miracle three-pointer from deep to down the Houston Rockets on Nov. 6, 2008.
Roy holds the Rose Garden record for most points in a game with 52 on Dec. 18, 2008 in a nationally televised game against the Phoenix Suns.
Fans were ready to hoist Roy’s No. 7 jersey up in the rafters. He was on his way to displacing Drexler and Bill Walton as the best player to ever wear a Blazer uniform.
Entering the 2010-11 season, however, it was apparent after countless knee surgeries that Roy was not going to be the same player. His degenerative knees that had no cartilage had a huge impact on his game, which suddenly lost any type of explosiveness and athleticism.
He started the final game of his career in a Blazer uniform on Dec. 15, 2010 where he totaled four points, two rebounds and five assists in a 103-98 loss to Dallas.
He did not return to the lineup until Feb. 23, 2011, where he became a permanent reserve. His final lasting memory among Blazers fans was a truly remarkable performance in Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks.
He helped engineer a 23-point second-half rally by scoring a game-high 24 points in one of the greatest comebacks in NBA history. The Blazers won, 84-82.
Portland eventually lost the series 4-2 to the Mavs, who went on to win the NBA title. But that Game 4 was etched into the minds of Blazers fans as one of the most memorable in franchise history.
Portland decided to amnesty Roy in the ensuing offseason just one year into a five-year, $82 million contract, which led to his unexpected retirement (h/t Joe Freeman of The Oregonian). It was a big blow to not only Portland, but around the NBA as players reacted on Twitter at the time.
Then-Blazers coach Nate McMillan said it was a tough time to release a player who had been the face of the franchise’s turnaround (via Jason Quick of The Oregonian):
The Closer has closed. He was a guy who in the last few years was one of the best closers in the league. When Brandon had the ball in his hands late in ball games, I was really comfortable. You knew something good was going to happen. He was either going to create a shot for himself, or a shot for his teammate. He had some big moments in a short career.
Roy had two opportunities to make his comeback to the RG this past season as a member of the Wolves, but his knees forced him to sit both times. He addressed his return to Portland in March when Minnesota visited and said, “It would have been special for me to come back and play here in this building.”
His nickname was “The Natural,” given to him by radio play-by-play announcer Brian Wheeler. No nickname fit him better. Blazers fans who witnessed Roy from 2006 to 2011 will no doubt look back on his career and say, “I was privileged to be there when Brandon Roy played.”
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How Far Away Are Portland Trail Blazers from Being Playoff Regulars Again?
With a solid offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers will be back to being playoff regulars starting next year. The Blazers have missed the playoffs the last two seasons after making it three straight times.
The Blazers aren’t far away from being consistent contenders in the Western Conference.
The core of Damian Lillard, Nicolas Batum and LaMarcus Aldridge will only get better having now played together for a full calendar year. The challenge this summer will be to put talent around that group at a low cost.
Portland wasn’t that far away from the playoffs this season. Yes, they finished 12 games back of the eighth seed, but this team was more competitive than their 33-49 mark indicates.
For much of the year, the Blazers played good basketball and even took down some of the top teams in the league. They manhandled the Spurs 136-106 in San Antonio and went on to win the season series, 2-1.
During the regular season, the Blazers beat 12 of the 16 playoff teams at least once, including the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference.
This was supposed to be a fairly significant rebuilding year for the franchise, but Lillard threw those plans out the window with his incredible play. His immediate impact has this team thinking they can compete among the best in the league next season.
In order to do so, the Blazers need a strong summer.
While the Portland will look to bring in new talent this summer, they also have heavy decisions upcoming on point guard Eric Maynor and power forward/center J.J. Hickson. How they spend their money will go a long way in determining the fate of this basketball team.
While Aldridge has been the leader since Brandon Roy’s career crumbled with knee injuries, the team has to shift toward Lillard being the captain. Aldridge is still a perennial All-Star, but the Blazers will only go as far as their rising point guard will take them.
The Blazers need to use their offseason to bring in some depth in order to solidify their bench. This team has enough talent to make a run at the playoffs in 2013-14 with just a few additions, but it will take one more significant offseason in the summer of 2014 to cement their status as an annual playoff team.
Portland is at a very fragile tipping point for the franchise. This offseason, next year and the following offseason will determine where the franchise is truly headed.
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Portland Trail Blazers: Should the Blazers Gamble on Jermaine O’Neal?
Thirteen years later, Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen could have a chance to finally right one of his many regrets.
Former Blazer Jermaine O’Neal openly expressed his desire to sign with Portland in an interview with Comcast SportsNet’s Chris Haynes.
“I’m very open to Portland. They’re definitely a team I’m looking forward to having talks with this summer,” O’Neal, an unrestricted free agent come July 1, told CSNNW.com. “LaMarcus [Aldridge] and Damian [Lillard] along with [Nicolas] Batum are some great pieces to build around. All they need to do is shore up the bench and add a paint presence on defense and they’ll be right there. It’s hard to put that type of stress on your starting five and I know I can help ease some of that stress.”
O’Neal was originally drafted by the Blazers with the 17th pick in the 1996 draft. As a 17-year-old, he struggled to find playing time throughout his career in Rip City sitting behind the likes of Rasheed Wallace, Brian Grant, Arvydas Sabonis, Clifford Robinson, Gary Trent and Kelvin Cato.
During the offseason following the Blazers’ infamous Game 7 collapse to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, then-GM Bob Whitsitt dealt an unhappy O’Neal to the Indiana Pacers for veteran Dale Davis. The trade eventually haunted Portland as O’Neal became a six-time All-Star. The Blazers haven’t won a playoff series ever since.
That trade has become a nightmare for Allen, who has been reluctant to sign off on dealing young prospects to prevent a repeat of trading away another potential All-Star.
But is O’Neal the right fit for the Blazers at this time?
Now 34 years old, he will enter his 18th NBA season with a ton of mileage on his body. O’Neal has also been injury-prone but still averaged 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last season with the Phoenix Suns—his best numbers since the 2009-10 season with the Miami Heat.
The Blazers need depth behind LaMarcus Aldridge and Meyers Leonard, as the team is reportedly preparing not to re-sign J.J. Hickson, according to Jason Quick of The Oregonian. O’Neal would be a solid backup to Aldridge for 10-15 minutes per game and has the ability to start from time to time. Aldridge was ninth in the NBA in minutes per game (37.7)—an area that needs to be reduced.
O’Neal may not be a long-term answer, but he would provide a key veteran presence on a team with an average age of 24.2 years old. He can be had cheaply after he signed a one-year, $1.35 million deal last summer with the Suns (via the Arizona Republic).
The Blazers’ bench was the team’s biggest weakness this season with their backup bigs including an untested Joel Freeland, a rookie in Leonard and journeyman Jared Jeffries.
O’Neal is far removed from his prime, but as a cheap veteran backup big, he would be a solid signing to fortify the weakest bench in the NBA.
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Portland Trail Blazers: Curious Case of Luke Babbitt’s 6th Man of the Year Vote
When the NBA‘s Sixth Man of the Year voting came out on Monday, there wasn’t too much of a surprise that the New York Knicks‘ J.R. Smith came out the winner.
Scroll down the voting list, however, and one player earned some national recognition—not for the fact that he didn’t receive enough votes, but that he got a vote at all. Portland Trail Blazers forward Luke Babbitt shockingly earned one third-place vote for Sixth Man of the Year.
According to NBA.com, the other players who earned one third-place vote included Utah‘s Gordon Hayward, Dallas‘ Vince Carter and Milwaukee‘s J.J. Redick—all of whom are clearly better players than Babbitt.
Babbitt, the 16h overall pick of the 2010 draft, averaged mediocre numbers of 3.9 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game this season in 62 games. He accumulated several DNP-CDs, falling in and out of the rotation under coach Terry Stotts.
The third-year player out of Nevada has become known as a one-dimensional player. With his feet set, Babbitt was one of the team’s best long-range shooters. However, his struggles to create his own shot and defend made him a liability most of the time.
On the Blazers, he ranked ninth in scoring, ninth in rebounding, 13th in assists, 12th in minutes and 12th in field-goal percentage. He was, however, fourth on the Blazers in 3-pointers made (62) behind Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum.
Twitter immediately reacted to find out who the one voter was.
The first culprit was Blazers TV color analyst Mike Rice, whose eccentric personality would fit this situation. However, he denied it on Twitter, claiming he voted for Jarrett Jack, Smith, Ryan Anderson and Jamal Crawford.
Next up to ask was The Oregonian beat writer Joe Freeman, who also denied it since he didn’t even have a vote.
Could it be another beat writer, possibly CSNNW’s Chris Haynes? Apparently not after he revealed his NBA awards ballot on CSNNW.com that included the Clippers‘ Jamal Crawford first, followed Smith and the Warriors‘ Carl Landry.
So was it a mistake? Blazers Edge blogger Ben Golliver got a response from a league spokesman.
Twitter reactions continued from various media outlets with a heavy dose of sarcasm, along with downright astonishment.
With it seemingly unlikely that the voter will come forward, what’s now next for Babbitt?
Babbitt will be an unrestricted free agent this summer after the Blazers declined to pick up his $2.9 million team option (via Mike Tokito of The Oregonian). Portland also declined team options for next season to Nolan Smith and Elliot Williams to help create between $11.8 to $13 million in cap space.
Babbitt will likely not be re-signed by the Blazers, but at least he didn’t go out quietly.
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Curry sets 3s mark; Warriors beat Blazers 99-88 (Yahoo! Sports)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Stephen Curry couldn’t wait to get his record out of the way.
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Clippers rout Trail Blazers 93-77 (Yahoo! Sports)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chauncey Billups is back in the starting lineup for the Los Angeles Clippers, just in time to begin what they hope is an extended run in the playoffs.
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Surprises and Disappointments from Portland Trail Blazers’ 2012-13 Season
The Portland Trail Blazers season has been filled with many positive surprises as well as many disappointments as the team deliver up-and-down performances. While the playoffs were once a possibility, the Blazers will end the year about 10 games back of the eighth spot in the Western Conference.
This team wasn’t initially expected to compete this season, but it proved throughout the year that it was better than the preseason rankings. While the end of the year has been disappointing, the Blazers have a bright future.
Here are the biggest surprises and disappointments from Portland’s 2012-13 season.
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Portland Trail Blazers vs. LA Clippers: Live Updates, Highlights and Analysis
The Los Angeles Clippers will look to take one more step toward hosting their opening-round playoff series when they welcome the stumbling Portland Trail Blazers to the Staples Center on Tuesday night.
Vinny Del Negro’s team controls its own destiny, thanks in large part to Saturday’s 91-87 road win over the fifth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies. The Clippers need only to win their final two games to secure home-court advantage in the first round and could even threaten the Denver Nuggets for the third seed.
It’s been a record-setting season for L.A.’s “other team,” as the Clippers secured their first Pacific Division crown in franchise history as well as set a franchise-best for wins in the regular season (54 and counting).
As for their opponent in Tuesday night’s nationally televised contest (10:30 p.m. ET on TNT), it’s been a year to forget.
Portland enters the game losers of 11 straight and will need to find a win in either of its final two games to avoid tying a franchise-worst 13-game losing streak set in the 1971-72 season.
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