For the second straight season, the Portland Trail Blazers find themselves heading home for Game 3 of their first round playoff matchup, down 2 games to none courtesy of two lopsided losses on their opponents home floor. In fact, the scenarios between this year and last are so similar, that I briefly considered doing a copy/paste of the article I wrote last year at this same point in the season, just hitting Ctrl-H to substitute “Los Angeles” for “Memphis”, and “Clippers” for “Grizzlies”.
And, sure, the cast of characters on the Blazers side has almost entirely changed from this time a year ago, but, the sentiment is still the same. Barring some unforeseen cataclysmic event, the Blazers are going to fail to advance past the opening round of the Playoffs for the second consecutive year, and there isn’t likely much they can do about it. They’re simply matched up against an opponent that is bigger, stronger and more battle tested, and nothing Terry Stotts and crew can do in the next few days is going to change that simple fact.
That being said, it isn’t all doom and gloom in Rip City. In fact, quite the contrary. While last year’s team was a veteran squad sputtering to a disappointing finish after suffering a rash of injuries that all but ended any hopes they had for a deep playoff run, this year’s team is a young, up and coming bunch that no one expected to even compete for the playoffs, let alone, make them, and is the definition of a team “playing with house money” at this point in the season.
So, while I loved that Terry Stotts was able to dust off Chris Kaman to provide a little veteran muscle and moxie in Game 2, I hope it was the last time we see him on the floor in a Blazer uniform. Sorry, Caveman, but, like your Neanderthal brethren, your time has passed. Once again, it’s time to give the kids a shot.
Last year, I called for more minutes for CJ McCollum, Meyers Leonard and Allen Crabbe, with the hopes that those young players would be able to build off legitimate playoff minutes and begin to develop that sorely needed bench behind what was a pretty dominant starting 5.
Well, Stotts listened to me (I mean, it’s not like he could have possibly come up with that idea on his own, right?), giving McCollum and Leonard their first meaningful playoff run over those final three games. Sure, the Blazers didn’t win the series, but, they did get some truly excellent performances out of their two young guns. And, while Meyers struggled to carry that late season momentum over to this season, McCollum was able to do just that.
After breaking out for 25.6 ppg over the final 3 games of that Memphis series (including a career-high 33 in Game 5), McCollum skipped nary a beat after the 4-month offseason, netting another career-high of 37 on opening night. It didn’t stop there, either, as he would go on to have a huge year, more than tripling is offensive output from the season before en route to a soon-to-be-announced NBA Most Improved Player award.
It could be argued that McCollum’s talent was always there and he just needed the extra minutes to unleash his potential, which is likely at least partially true. Yet, at the same time, you can’t tell me that getting 30+ minutes of run per night against one of the best defensive teams (Memphis) and players (Tony Allen) the league has seen over the past decade, and finding some success to boot, didn’t play a part. That kind of run can’t help but instill a healthy dose of confidence in a young player who is still trying to figure out if he really belongs in the league.
And that is precisely why it’s time for Stotts to, once again, bite the bullet and start looking to the future when setting his rotation for the next two games (and, beyond?). Get players on the floor who you know are likely going to be around next year, and start getting them battle-tested in the ways of the NBA playoffs right now.
We all know that Kaman won’t be back next year, so, give Noah Vonleh a chance to do some on the job training against two of the most dominant big men in the game. Maybe he surprises you and is able to provide a spark with his youth and athleticism. Or, more likely, he gets used and abused by the Clippers front line, and gets to see first-hand just how much work he needs to put in to get to the level he (and the team) wants him to be at.
Gerald Henderson is also unlikely to return next season, so, why not run some 3-guard sets with Allen Crabbe on the floor. Run him off some screens so he can get open looks, and even give him some tough defensive assignments to see if he answers the bell. Same goes for Moe Harkless at not only the stretch four he’s been playing most often over the past few weeks, but also on the wing. Really try to explore what these guys can do against a hard-nosed, veteran team trying their damnedest to close them out and move on to the next round.
Both Crabbe and Harkless are free agents heading into the offseason, but, both are expected to get long looks from GM Neil Olshey to possibly get brought back into the fold under a long-term deal this offseason. If you’re a developing team looking to ink a player to 3- or 4-year deal, you want to know how he performs on the game’s biggest stage. Now is the perfect time to see if these young guys wilt under the pressure or find that extra gear.
It would be a shame to see this young, promising team make such an unexpected run to the playoffs, and not maximize experience for the players who need it most: those that have never been before and are likely to be back on the roster next season.
Even the greatest players in league history spent year’s learning how to navigate the rigors of the NBA Playoffs, losing time and again to more experienced and playoff-savvy opponents before finally being ready to step up and claim victory for themselves. Likewise, there are many more playoff lumps to be had for this young Blazer team, so they might as well take as many of them they can now, while the chip stack is still high, and the expectations are still low.
So, young Blazers, go out there, give it your best, and get your learn on. Because, you better believe that the Rip City faithful won’t be nearly as content just making the playoffs the next time around.
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