Outside of Roy, LMA, and Joel, can you honestly say that any member of the team showed up and played hard in all 6 games? It may not have been as blatant as what happened with the Hornets - but that is mostly because Paul was ready to throw Byron Scott under the bus, while Roy acted like a professional.
Outlaw was a disappointment in my books, constantly getting burned by his attacker as they drive towards the basket. Yes, he has made some killer last minute wins for us but is not the frontman that we want in the post season. Its obvious that he chokes defensively at times since hes been in the league for 6 years now. He has reached his plateau and can't get any better than where hes at now. Batum, Oden have slowly improved with their skills. I still don't know what I see with Bayless since Nate still gives him garbage time. Either Bayless stays next season or is dealt in a trade because he is unhappy with his limited minutes. Blake has had his ups-downs during the season but at least hes more consistent than Sergio at point guard.
We need a starting caliber point. Move Blake to a backup role, where he belongs. Nate McMillan tried his hardest to turn Rudy into James Jones. That has to stop. Greg Oden just isn't a good basketball player right now. Not even close! We need a banger at the backup PF. Bring in Blair! This guy will be able to grab boards in bunches from day one.
1. Roy and LMA are the truth and a great foundation 2. Greg Oden... well... *sigh* - I will always believe, even if i'm the last one that will believe in you. 3. Rudy was a great addition and a solid core member for the future 4. The team did better than most anyone thought and got valuable playoff experience 5. We know who is a keeper and who is a goner for the most part with some fence players 6. Nate did a great job and is improving our team by 9-13 wins every year 7. We are still looking for a PG and SF but may have the long-term answers to both on the roster (and hopefully both will be backups with at least 15mpg) I'm excited for this off-season, but no where near as excited as I am for next season. I guess whatever moves we make in the off-season will probably add/subtract from my excitement for next season. Go Blazers! Scarlet and Black for Life!
I agree with 1-7 on B-Roy's list. Not on 8. Expectations going into the season were a wining record and maybe a 7 or 8 playoff seed. We just got spoiled late.
