Portland Trail Blazers: Best In The West

The West appears to be wide open this season.  There are a lot of games left to be played and things will surely change, but as of right now it looks like there are about four or five teams with a shot at losing to Miami in the Finals (that’s my word).  Considering the chemistry issues the defending champs are currently facing, Oklahoma City’s lack of a post presence, and LA’s loss of Lamar Odom (and a healthy Kobe Bryant), the door is wide open for a team like Portland to sneak through.  At this point, would they really be sneaking, though?  To say Portland would be sneaking through the door makes it seem as if they can only get the job done if other teams underwhelm, but that really isn’t the case.  Portland may seem like an underdog due to their lack of a superstar, but when you take a longer look at them something dawns on you: this team has everything. 

Post Presence: Portland may not have a superstar like Kevin Durant, but in LaMarcus Aldridge they have a player who can get a bucket with his back to the basket.  This becomes increasingly important come playoff time. 

Size: Portland doesn’t have an imposing center like Andrew Bynum, but they’ve got size.  Marcus Camby is 38 years old, but as long as he can stay healthy he remains a quality big man on the defensive end of the floor.  Kurt Thomas is even older than Camby, but he’s rugged and has the ability to do a pretty good job on a guy like Bynum. 

Shooting: Portland has Wesley Matthews, one of the league’s finest long-range snipers, along with Nicolas Batum, another solid three-point shooter.  Raymond Felton likes to play with the ball in his hands, but he can spot up for three as well.  Off the bench they’ve got Jamal Crawford, the all-time leader in four-point plays.  This team has the firepower that it takes to consistently put points on the board from beyond the arc, yet they don’t rely upon three-point shooting so heavily that an off-night will destroy them.

Perimeter Defense: Nicolas Batum is one of the best up-and-coming perimeter defenders in the NBA.  His 6’8 frame, long arms, and quick feet allow him to stay with elite scorers at multiple positions.  The same can be said for Gerald Wallace, who can guard any three along with some twos and fours.  Wallace is also excellent at playing the passing lanes and blocking shots.  Raymond Felton is one of the strongest point guards in the league, and one of the few who won’t be out-muscled by a guy like Russell Westbrook.

Toughness: This team is tough, both mentally and physically.  With all of the ups and downs they’ve endured over the past few seasons there’s absolutely nothing that will demoralize this group of players.  They do have some guys who have proven to be prone to injury, but every single one of them is also one of those guys who will go out and play through it if at all possible. 

Athleticism: Gerald Wallace is an elite athlete at the small forward spot.  LaMarcus won’t wow you with his slam dunks like, say, Blake Griffin will, but he’s not some stiff that’s going to get dusted in transition.  Nicolas Batum is another excellent athlete on the perimeter, and Marcus Camby remains an above average athlete despite being 38 years of age.  Wes Matthews and Raymond Felton aren’t great leapers, but they’re both stronger than most at their positions.  The Blazers don’t thrive on getting up and down the floor in a hurry, but they can run when they want to and keep up with teams that do thrive in transition.

Experience: Jamal Crawford and Raymond Felton, the primary ball handlers, aren’t going to fold under pressure.  These are two players who have been around for a long time and have been heavily relied upon to get the job done in late-game situations.  Felton was a go-to guy for the Bobcats at one point, and Jamal Crawford has been a closer with every team he’s ever played for.  While Crawford doesn’t replace Brandon Roy, he’s on the same elite level when it comes to the ability to create and hit a big shot in crunch time.  He’s hit countless game-winning buckets for multiple teams in the regular season, and a few more for the Hawks in the postseason.

Bench: Jamal Crawford alone gives them a potent bench attack.  Nicolas Batum would be a starter on many teams, and Kurt Thomas is extremely reliable.  If they sign another solid frontcourt player they’ll be in great shape.

Half-Court Offense: The Blazers can score points in a slow-down, grind-it-out, playoff-style game.  Like I said before, LaMarcus Aldridge can get the job done in isolation situations with his back to the basket.  Raymond Felton is a solid floor general who will make sure his team gets good looks.  The Blazers also have a deadly pick and roll that seems to lead to countless alley-oop dunks for Aldridge.  Jamal Crawford is an excellent player to have when the game has become ugly and baskets need to be scored.  

Coaching: I’m not much of an X’s and O’s guy, but Nate McMillan always seems to get the best out of his teams.  Who the hell expected the Blazers to win 50 games last year?  The players stepped up and got the job done, but McMillan deserves a lot of credit for keeping that team on track through an insane amount of injuries to key players. 

Did I miss anything?  If so, they’ve probably got that too.  I’d argue that the Portland Trail Blazer’s are the NBA’s most complete team.  What exactly is their glaring weakness?  Every other team has one:  Miami can’t score against a zone, Oklahoma City doesn’t have a scorer in the post, Chicago has no one who can create outside of Derrick Rose, LA has Derek Fisher, etc.  I suppose Portland is injury prone, but other than that they’ve got no major issues that jump out at me.

Oh, and they’re also number one in the conference at the moment, coming off of wins over the Thunder and the Lakers. 

^That has nothing to do with anything… it was just awesome.