Guys! We were in the playoffs last year without GO and Brandon was hurt! Mathews scored 30 on memphis and many think he's the next coming of ron artest without the crazy dive in the bleachers part and beat up a stadoum. Batum is progressing, Andre is still doing great things and Joel will be back.... Roy in my opinion slows this offense way the hell down and our ball movement sucks.... So we lost GO, but we really never had him... so big deal! This team will unite because now more than ever they need to be a team! Why give up on what wasn't working, and what ya never had? Cho btw is going to look like a freakin genius if Mathews pans out and we don't lose a beat with scoring and our ball movement increases and our whole team gets involved because of it... ROY has not done that to date! The game I saw in Memphis was a hustling watching each others back outing that looked good for the future....
This is a good post, but I think where people are really upset is that they felt with Oden and Roy we could challenge the L*kers for the Western conference. Now we might be a decent team that challenges for the playoffs, but really that's nothing more than mediocrity
this team as is wont be top 8 inn the west. warriors, suns, and even maybe the grizz are better and they barely beat the grizz....
blazers are the hawks, bucks, bobcats of the west... possible playoffs every year but no chance in hell of advancing
I agree that the signing of Matthews now seems to be a great move, but sooner or later teams will figure out how to defend the Royless Blazers. I think we maybe take some teams by surprise, but I don't put a lot of faith in one game. It's hard to stomach the loss of Roy and Oden. I really felt like Oden could come back this year and put together a beast season, but now you just don't know if he will ever play a full season ever. Sure, Andre's a little more free playing now, Batum and Wes and even Rudy get some minutes to develop, but I think at this point a first round exit would be an accomplishment, not a disappointment.
Um.... just to go on the side of reality they knew how to defend the Roy lead Blazers as well! If we can attack at the wings, Mathews, Batum and block out Camby, Joel we can fast break with Andre and Johnson all day long..... I think the scary things for Blazer fans is they think we are going to continue Roy ball with this cast, memphis should have been a clue that we are going to attack and move now.... Andre is now the leader of the show and Nate can just sit there and looked lost as ever....
blazersedge... The bad news is that the Blazers were going slightly limp even before this. We saw fire in the two Oklahoma City games but when those turned into heartbreaking, close losses the spirit seemed to flee the team. Portland got walloped in L.A. and New Orleans in games that should have been every bit as much heated contests as those Thunder matchups. A single-point win against the Grizzlies was better than a loss but that wasn't a confidence-inspiring game either. That makes the next two games against ultra-rivals Denver and Utah pivotal signs, at least as far as the early season goes. With Roy wobbling and goals seemingly slipping farther from grasp the Blazers could well respond by going rogue, playing out the string, getting self-centered, making the environment toxic. If that's even a slight inclination the Nuggets and Jazz will happily push them over the cliff into the Desert of Despair. Without a track record of success and with the most stable players on the shortest-term deals, there might not be enough glue to hold the team together. On the other hand this team has always responded well when treading the ultimate edge. Just when you think they're finally going to give up they rally and surprise you. That's exactly how they won 50 and 54 games the past two years. It can be done. Do they have the will and desire to do it? In any case, we should get an indication tonight. Letting division-mate Denver romp over you on your home floor would not be a positive sign. A victory, no matter how achieved, would be. Oden or no Oden, strong or shaky Roy, there's a game to be played. That's probably the best medicine for the team at this juncture. Let's see how they take it. The future, whatever it may be, starts now.
To be fair! LA would have kicked a healthy Ptown of the freakin court in the best of 7 this year. LA is head and shoulders above the rest of the league and have a coach that is a legend! Don't get it twisted please!
Short term, we're fine since we didn't have G.O. to begin with and this team is still good enough to make the playoffs. Long term and our once NBA title hopes? It's nearly non-existent at this point.
This is true, but my point is that the new look of the Blazers will have some success early as they move the ball around, etc., but sooner or later teams will adjust and this team will look worse than it did last year. Hopefully I am wrong, but it just seems like the team's and fan's expectations have to be adjusted in light of the new Oden surgery and the less mobile and often hobbled Roy. I still think we should make the playoffs, but short of that, I don't think we can realistically hope for much more.
Hate to bring this up, know you don't like getting facts involved in anything, but we usually struggle to beat the Grizz in Memphis - but the fact remains that we always find a way to do it. A win is a win is a win.
