Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Ron Leyba, the lead editor of FantasyBasketballMoneyLeagues.Com – good source offantasy basketball news and rumors. You can follow @NBAFantasyInfo via Twitter or via Facebook for more updates.
When people talk about the Portland Trail Blazers, they think of them as the dynamic duo of Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge. More often than not, people tend to forget the Blazers boast one of the top 10 small forwards in the league in Nicolas Batum. Last year, on the shoulders of Batum, Lillard and Aldridge, the team made the second round of the playoffs. This year, they didn’t make flashy moves, but the team hopes that internal improvement is what can take them to the next level. The Blazers basically swapped Mo Williams for Steve Blake, and added Chris Kaman to bolster the frontcourt rotation. How far they can go this season? That depends on their main guys, but on supporting cast as well.
A division title?
The Blazers are currently first in the Northwest division with a 4-3 record. The next team in line is Utah, and their most serious opponent, the Thunder, are playing without its two main players for one more month at least. If the Blazers win the division title, they are guaranteed a home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The growth of Damian Lillard
Year three is usually the year when perimeter players make the biggest leap. Lillard has improved each of the previous seasons. After winning the Rookie of the Year Award in his first season in the league, the point guard further established himself as one of the premium players, making it all the way to the All-Star Game. In the playoffs, Damian had his finest moments last year, including the iconic “The Shot” to seal the deal versus the Houston Rockets. This summer, he worked out with the guys from the Team USA, but got snubbed. He responded that he will use that as a motivation. Through the first five games, he is still searching for his shot, as his percentage for both FG and 3P is down. If he manages to improve his 3P percentage, he will be scary. He managed to lower his turnovers last year to 2.4 per game, and this year he looks to go below 2 per game.
LaMarcus Aldridge and the trade that wasn’t
Two years ago, the talk around the NBA was that LaMarcus might and should get traded. The skilled power forward had to go through all the injuries of Brandon Roy and Greg Oden. That was supposed to be Blazers Big Three, but he was the only consistent player of the three. He stayed, the Blazers got Lillard, and the team is now perennial playoff contender. Last year, he increased both his scoring and rebounding averages. This is a contract year for LaMarcus, and he should be able to deliver even more. Coach is using him similar to the way Dallas uses Dirk, and Aldridge is comfortable shooting mid-range jumpers. That is his comfort zone and with the addition of Robin Lopez, he was not asked to guard heavyweights in the post.
How far can they go?
Blazers main problems last year were bench production and lack of interior scoring. While they continue to shoot lots of jumpers and 3s, they’ve addressed their bench with the signing of Kaman. Steve Blake is the better fit for the second unit than Mo Williams, and they should see improvement from young players like Thomas Robinson and C.J. McCollum. The West is more open this year than previous. After the San Antonio Spurs, the Blazers are the team that carries the most players from last year. If continuity is a factor, they might scare someone.
Nicolas Batum and the injury scare
In Sunday’s game versus the Denver Nuggets, Batum injured his leg with one minute left in regulation. The Blazers already had the win in the pocket, but an injury to their small forward could have long term effects. Luckily, the MRI revealed that the injury is not serious, and Batum should be back in the lineup in a week or two. The results showed a right knee contusion, which he got when going for a rebound and collided with Timofey Mozgov and Robin Lopez.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
