I know that there are many who consider any season without a championship a total failure, and that we all had some high expectations for the team coming into the season, but for us to be where we are right now, despite all of the injuries and drama is simply mind-boggling to me. If we are realistic about our chances without Roy in the playoffs, we have to accept that the odds for any degree of advancement are (to put it mildly) poor. But just to maintain last season's momentum with a strong finish and a playoff berth is far beyond my post-injury expectations. Anything more, at this point, is simply gravy. (Delicious, savory gravy.) This team is damn fun to watch, and I am proud to be a fan. Now please, somebody pass the hex-breaking chicken's blood.
It's not only been a great season, but it's allowed us an opportunity to look at the team's future. I see a lot of Cunningham in our future. I don't see Bayless. Camby, Howard & Miller have been mentors... A lot of fun out of a lot of potential disappointment.
I agree. After the game I told my self the same thing. The NBA is entertainment and for a half a year they entertained me. The way things were going in December with injuries I thought to myself that this was going to be a "long and painful season" watching the NBA league pass. How wrong was I. It only ends well for one team. I will be be bummed when it is over, but the bounce back period will be shorter for me knowing that they battled the whole season.
I'm satisfied with the effort of our guys. 50 wins this season is pretty remarkable. I am bitter about all of the injuries though. Losing always sucks, and (as was said) only 1 teams season ends in bliss. But there is some peace of mind knowing you lost with your best team on the floor.
This team has pretty much exceeded any expectations I had for them, they've demonstrated a quality of character this year that I wasn't sure that they possessed and whether it's because of the influence of vets like Miller, Howard and finally Camby in the last 30 games I don't know, but I finally feel like this team is no longer mentally soft, whereas last year and even in the first twenty games this year, they seemed to lack a certain mental toughness. Bravo.
Teams fail for a few basic reasons: 1. Lack of talent (That was the entire Patternash era) 2. Inexperience (That was last year) 3. Injuries (That was this year) 4. Poor fit/chemistry (Kind of hard to see that happening with this squad) So while it gets tiring always saying, "Just wait til next year!", I can say it with a straight face. Although I predicted 60 wins at the start of the year, I'm quite satisfied with 50 or 51 given our injuries. And I'm still very optimistic about the future.
I loved this season as well. It showed me that this is a very well coached team and it is a team that is very tough. The MIXUM show entertained me as well. Getting someone who is so good at predicting stuff that happens exactly the other way is just very, very funny.
If the Blazers find a way to win a playoff series (or two, three, or..... four?) without a healthy Roy, Oden, or Pryz... one thinks that KP and his staff will have quite a problem on their hands during the offseason... do the missing pieces fit anymore? Look, I love LOVE LOVE MANCRUSH WANT TO HAVE HIS BABIES Greg Oden, and I still think he has the potential... no, the DESTINY of being a top-3 center in the league and a perennial All-Star, and what else is there to say about Brandon Roy? He's a superstar, this team is his and the pieces should be built around him. That being said... at what point does the team acknowledge that the pieces don't fit together when everyone is healthy? Do you keep the Roy/Aldridge/Oden nucleus, and blow up the rest hoping to find the right puzzle pieces for a dynasty? Or do you keep the pieces together as is now and roll the dice on the next 2-3 years and hope they all find a way to gel? Or do you move one of the core "three" in an attempt to make the other two that much more effective? And what about the Fountains of Youth (Camby, Howard, Miller)? How long do you expect them to make time stand still in their effort and ability? LOTS of work to be done this offseason.
I don't think Pritchard will be around for the draft. It's that uncertainty that make me nervous about the immediate and long-term future of the franchise.
I don't think there will be much discussion about blowing everything up this summer. The "RAMBO" unit (Roy, Aldridge, Miller, Batum, Oden) didn't even play 33 minutes together this year. If you ask anyone who follows this team (except for maybe Marcus Camby) that's the starting lineup next year. Assuming Roy and Oden are fully recovered. How can anyone reasonably say that we need to blow something up that's never even really been tried? Especially when, at least on paper, the pieces seem to fit so naturally together? I'm expecting a pretty sedate off-season. A crummy draft pick. Some news about the Euros. Fernandez whining a little. A little depression sets in as we realize Blake is probably our most remarkable free agent acquisition. We'll get our collective panties in a bunch over how Koponen/Freeland/Bayless do in Summer League, or if they'll even play there--but a week after it's over we'll all agree it didn't really matter anyway because it's just Summer League. Roy and Oden round into shape. The only real drama should be whether Camby re-signs here and whether Pritchard returns (although that one seems more and more like a lost cause).
