I agree it was a great season by the Blazers. I'm very much looking forward to keeping abreast of off-season developments and then the start of a new campaign!
I really enjoyed this season. Since I am not a Portland born Blazer fan who waxes nostalgic on the Drexler years - this, for me, was the best year as a Blazers fan. I liked the Sabas/Pip team - but this team has consumed me like none-before - and it all starts with Roy and trickles down. Great year and a fantastic way to look forward. Interesting to see what happens next year. We clearly need some upgrading - some of it will come from inside - I still think that GO is going to be a monster in years to come - he will improve next year - but his big jump will probably come a year after that. I expect Nicolas to get better - he was just stuck in one of the only series that did not play to his strength - Artest was too strong for him and Battier was too experienced and smart for him on the other side of the court. The real interesting place is still the PG spot. I wonder if KP is going to separate the Rudy/Sergio pair - it can only be good for Rudy I suspect - and Bayless needs minutes in the backup spot - the real question is if he is going to get it behind Blake or if there will be a trade for someone else - like Sessions or Capt. Kirk. It is also interesting to see what kind of stuff will be done with the SF/backup PF - and to find out if Travis or Webster are gone. Interesting summer is ahead of us again.
Can't wait until the draft. Make it happen, KP! What a great season. Our little baby Blazers are becoming all grown up.
I agree. Fantastic season all around, and while I'm of course disappointed in the loss last night, I still think this was a great season. The Playoffs showed me one thing that made me excited for the future. Roy and Aldridge are true building blocks. I was already fairly sure of this, but they both showed up in the playoffs and kept this team afloat themselves. This is a great sign for the future, as I believe that most success directly relates back to the top 2-3 players on the team. Unfortunately, none of the role players did with any consistency (well, maybe Joel, who did a great job on Yao after the first game). Some of that is just youth, but some of it is concerning. It'll be interesting to see how KP addresses it in the offseason.
Re: GOOD JOB KP You think Joel against Yao (the refs will never fing call a foul on) Ming is a test of playoff mettle? I don't. Which is why I doubt Joel is shopped this summer. Blake is Blake. I thought, overall, he did what you could expect out of him. Expecting more is unlikely to have been on management's mind. Outlaw was a HUGE disappointment. I think even Brandon Roy will accept that Outlaw failed the team in the playoffs and doesn't have a future here.
