I see us winning 30-35 games this year max. No way win nearly a third of that in the first month alone.
There are a lot of tough games, but we have some winnable games this 1st 20 too. Sacramento (2x), Washington, Charlotte, Detroit, Atlanta w/o Joe Johnson, Houston (2x) they look to potentially be a good team but as of right now it looks like they may be playing a lot of rookies. I think they win at least 7.
Seven home games for a very young team with a new head coach and question marks at center? I really think 7-13 is your answer. Teams like ours (young, inexperienced, emotionally driven) tend to play well at home but terrible on the road. With a couple of exceptions (losing to the Lakers at home but beating Charlotte or Cleveland on the road), we might be perfect at home and totally striking out on the road. 7-13 is my answer.
Without looking at the teams but noticing the brutal 7-game road trip 5-3 at home 4-8 on road 9-11 total edit: looking a little closer 3-5 at home 5-7 on road 8-12 total
This team is the most difficult to predict of an Blazers squad I can remember. So many rookies, but an experienced core, a proven All-Star, and what looks to be an unusually gifted rookie PG. In addition, there are guys who are technically rookies, but who have a lot of experience in Europe. I'll say they go .400 in their first 20 games and improve from there. 8-12
If we win game 1 against LAL, look for a lot of posts that humbly suggest.... "Learn the Game, Then Post!"