Basically, his bottom-line was.....this is definitely a championship-caliber team in two to three years...BUT....it almost entirely hinges upon Oden becoming a "dominant" Center in the league.....and Quick still isn't quite sure he'll become one. Therefore, it's a wait-see situation for him. At this point, Quick's top two "issues" going into the season are: 1) Oden's development (and staying out of foul trouble) 2) Who will emerge as the top SF Nothing real earth-shattering there............................
I don't believe Oden nees to be dominant for us to be a contender. If he becomes dominant then the League is ours for years to come. If he is just solid (respect him on offense and game changer on defense) then we still a contender. Even where we are right now we are a contender. Lakers when healthy are the only team that I would say we would not have a chance against in a seven game series right now.
I think Oden needs to become a dominate rebounder and interior defender for Portland to be a contender. Offense would be gravy.
Lakers won last year with Bynum contributing little. We could still win one without him becoming a beast. To be a dynasty, we need him to deliver.
Two teams in the past decade (Heat, Lakers) have won championships while winning fewer regular season games than we did last year. We already have top 10 players at 4 of our 5 positions (PG, SG, PF, C), and a top 10 guy league-wide (Roy). Plus maybe the best bench in the league. We should be a championship contender every year as currently constructed. The difference between a 58-60 win contender and a 65 win favorite is dependent on a few of our guys making major strides to their next respective levels Roy (top 4-5 player), Oden (all-star), Aldridge (all-star) or Batum (elite defender).
