I think the team COULD be better than some of us think, based on accepting their roles and giving effort better than last years team. But I think the team COULD be far worse than we think because they're just so unproven and young. I'd LOVE for them to make the playoffs, but I'd rather they get a top lottery pick, say top 3. But sometimes teams that know their roles, are athletic and decent shooters, can be better than you'd think. I mean honestly, did anyone foresee the Warriors winning almost 70 games? And no I'm not saying the Blazers are on par with the Warriors, just that sometimes surprises happen.
HCP gave me 5:1 odds that the Blazers don't win more than 33 games. He's on! I think we'll win about 38, he says 20.
Glad someone recognized the talent... Most writers note how we lost 4 starters and end their analysis at that. As if this team is bad because of what happened to last year's squad, even though they're completely unrelated.
lma, frye, jack, outlaw, roy, webster, sergio etc - went 50% on the year - they are saying 20 with this team? i think theres more in them than that at least!
I will never understand this line of thinking. If we had a bunch of overpriced aging vets, sure...but we don't. We have a bunch of young lottery picks. We are much better served by them actually being good players.
If the Blazers sniff the playoffs I believe it will say more about the bottom of the West than how good the Blazers are... Still expect the Blazers to beat up on the East with the talent they've put together. Maybe they lose a few more road games due to lack of experience both on the floor as a unit and NBA experience... But still.... the East is bad... Getting better but still bad. You have teams that should make the playoffs pending injuries to major stars.. Spurs/Thunder/Pelicans/Grizz/Clippers/Rockets. Then you have teams that have question marks for various reasons... Mavs/Blazers/Lakers/Suns/Utah/Kings Personally I believe the Kings/Utah/Mavs will fight over the last two spots in the West. But they still have questionmarks. Is Boogie going to get mono again? Is he grown up & ready to be the leader that team needs? Can the Mavs get healthy before they drop too many games? How many times will JaVale make Shaqtin-a-fool? Is Utah ready to take that step.. Or are they still too young? Blazers/Lakers/Suns will be the odd teams out. respectable but nonetheless I don't think they're better than those three teams. Oh I guess I shouldn't forget about the Wolves and Nuggets. Lets just call them the ugly step child of the western conference.
You also forgot about one other team in the West. No one important, mind you, just the defending champions. If the first 6 you mentioned are playoff locks, then there's really only one shot up for grabs. Personally, I'm not sold that the Pelicans will necessarily be so much better than last year--remember, they've just undergone a coaching change, and Alvin Gentry isn't really considered an upper echelon guy.
HCP is wrong. I think we are a 30 win team just because of Lillard. But... I think we are even better because we're deep with young guys who put up really good advanced stats. Moneyball. I like the moves Olshey has made, and we still have a huge chunk of cap space that could turn into a player that can help us make the playoffs. This team reminds me of the 41-41 Milwaukee Bucks. 45 wins got you 8th seed in the West. I think we're that close.
Ha oops. I won't fix it everyone makes mistakes. ty tho. Warriors are easy for me to forget. Well tbh for the Pelicans I was impressed by AD. With the Injuries that team went through they still managed to make the playoffs. I really do believe if they're healthy they're 5-7 wins better than the Kings/Mavs/Jazz. But who knows... Maybe losing a... 20+? point lead in game 4 of the playoffs on their home court rattled them and they start slowly. But sadly, I don't give the edge to the Blazers getting more wins than 4 teams to make the playoffs. Personally I expect the Blazers to finish in the 11th seed. Whatever number of wins that translates to everyone else can decide.
A few months ago I was thinking the Blazers (if Dame stayed healthy) could win half their home games, (21) and maybe about 10 road games. So anything over 31 wins will be a plus in my mind. Lets not forget a few years ago, someone representing NE Portland (And Grant HS ) was adamant that the Phoenix Suns would break the NBA record for fewest wins in a season. (9 wins) So there is hope
I was just looking at the whole league and their rosters (I don't have to be at work till 1pm). I honestly think that we have a more talented roster than the following teams.... -Philly......... Thats about it. Sorry, just being honest. So if you want to talk win total again, thats why I think 20 is about right. I honesty think we will be the underdog in about 70 of the 82 games this season. We will catch a few teams off guard and steal a win here or there. Talent wins out, plain and simple. Denny is drinking again if he thinks we are getting 41 wins.
And as far as being a fan or not, my allegiance to this squad should never be questioned FAMS. You guys who know me on here know I'm a realist. Even when we were winning 52 games and people were talking about going to the finals, I posted how I really felt. This will be like the season before we landed BRoy and LA. Hopefully some good will come from it.
If talent wins out, plain and simple, then the Kings would have won more than 29 games. It was only a preseason game, but I though we played surprisingly well against the Kings in the opener. I'm talking about our starters and rotation reserves against their starters and rotation reserves. We actually looked almost dominant against those guys. We may not look dominant against the better teams, but we can win games if we keep the score close enough for Lillard to hit some clutch shots or hit our FTs to maintain small leads. I have a good feeling that a few of the guys will step up every night to help us compete. It wouldn't surprise me if a few of the guys turn out to be very pleasant surprises given significant playing time.
We have more talent or are at least equal with these additional teams: - Brooklyn - Boston - Charlotte - Dallas - Denver - Knicks - Sacramento
So........if we win more than 30 games are you buying the beer at next season's first meet and greet?