[Knicksboy34Participant]

I keep seeing the Blazers appear in all sort of FA talk. I mean I dont think every one on the team is but : I think this is the most overrated group of talent in the NBA by fans. I think this is just a playoff team. I dont see a Title in their future, to me adding Hedo can help but no that much. I think Hedo’s game is more fit for the West then the East. I dont wanna sound like a hater but do we really see this team as a legit Title Contender? Besides Roy, Aldridge and Outlaw (Barely)- Webster, Batum, Fernandez, Oden, Bayless, etc. Is this a winning team? a Championship winning team? I understand they are young now but do you see them developing into a title winning team?BTW, I’m one of the people who overrated them by being the 1st fool in line when i bought a Oden Jersey…

Don’t Criticize me please, just throw out your opinion.

[thetruthParticipant]

in two years. will be the best team in the west, and they will make it to the nba finals.
here are my reasons roy is a stud , just plan out stud, aldridge is a beast downlow, oden will get better, bayless will shine soon, fernandez will also get better, and as for as turk, he will sign with them, but after one year they will trade him .

[gatorheelsParticipant]

I don’t see them being close to a championship team right now. Until they get a legit true starting PG then they will just be getting beat early in the playoffs everyyear. Hedo doesn’t do a whole lot for them.

[Knicksboy34Participant]

Yea, I mean right now, I just dont see the Future Title team.

Also, it wont be far an away. I think Minnesota, Los Angles Clippers, Oklahoma City and Golden State could be a good team in 2-3 years.

[birdman113]

Portland has Batum who at 19 was able to guard the best players in the league and stuff players like Wade, and Lebron. also he was able to dunk in Gasols face twice. they have Bayless the summer league mvp in his rookie season, he has a nasty work ethic. i could see him scoring 15-20 points if he was drafted by a bad team. they have Oden who when hes healthy i see as a 15pts 11rebs guy. they have theyr stars in Roy, and Aldridge. they have a lot of cap space and a bunch of players stashed overseas. i dont think their contenders now but i can tell you this. them and the Thunder will become a fierce rivalry 5 years from now.

[HaleParticipant]

I think they will be a team that gets to the 2nd round or the conference finals every year but never gets to the ship and wins it ala Phoenix a few years ago.

[Knicksboy34Participant]

Thats what i see too.

[birdman113]

the blazers have a center who has the talent to be one of the greatest big men ever. the Suns never had a true center that was good before they traded for Shaq. i disagree.

[HaleParticipant]

Oden will not be one of the greatest centers ever, that is a joke. He will be a guy who gets 15 and 10-12 in his prime. He should be a defensive stopper for years but no Bill Russell or David Robinson.

IMO Amare is better then Oden ever will be, so it doesn’t matter plus in their running style they didn’t need a center.

[MattissickParticipant]

I agree they are the most over rated but I still like them. They wont win a championship or even come close to it. Oden is going to have the same problems as Yao because he is too big. Aldridge is pretty good but 18-8 isnt anything amazing. Sure he is still young. Roy is one of the best in the league and I think Bayless can be like a Ben Gordon. They wont be able to catch up to the lakers or spurs in the next couple of years.

[europebasketball]

turk belongs on a team where he can control the ball most of the time and a fast pace tempo like the knicks

[HaleParticipant]

I doubt Bayless will still be in Portland in 3 years.

[birdman113]

3 years from now is when theill be really good. Batum, Oden, and Bayless will all be really good by then. and by the way yupyup its not up tempo teams that win titles its grinders. thats why the Suns never won a title. Oden getting good reports about his workouts too.
http://blog.oregonlive.com/blazers/2009/07/trail-blazers-greg-oden-gets-an-a-plus-in-summer-workouts.html

[maravich44Participant]

If Blazers get the dominating defensive presence they were expecting and 15 ppg and 9rpg out of Oden, they will be a contender. They have a very good young nucleus and stars that will get better. They also have a front office that has done an excellent job of building. The West is loaded, but Spurs, Suns and Dallas are a little long in the tooth. Portland is about 2 years away from having a very good contending team IF Oden is the real deal. I don’t expect him to be the next Russell, but he is much better than he has shown. He’s still young. His injuries haven’t been career threatening and he’s a good young man, not some idiot with a me first attitude. I can see the Blazers being a contender for years to come if they keep the nucleus together and IF Oden performs up to expectations of a reasonable level. Not many young centers in the league with his potential.

[HaleParticipant]

Ok, birdman do you think that the Blazers will win a title in the next 5 years?

[birdman113]

he has an amazing work ethic and likes Portland i think hell be around hes not the kind of player who all he cares about is money, and scoring. yes i think they will win at least 1 title in the next 5 years.

[Knicksboy34Participant]

I dunno. I mean 5 years, we dunno. 2010 FA and Draft and 2001 FA classes may sway things. I think if i had to put money on it….The earliest Portland can win a title 2012

[birdman113]

your wrong. if Oden stays healthy their contenders in the 2011 playoffs. maybe even next year.

[Knicksboy34Participant]

im not wrong. You disagree. Portland needs a true PG. Bayless is more of a scorer. They are still a young team. They have to deal with San Antonio, LA, Pheonix, GS, Utah, Houston and even Denver for a couple years.

They are a good reg season team, not a good playoff team yet.

[HaleParticipant]

I really don’t see them winning it all, they aren’t better then Phoenix was a few years back plus the east will always have LeBron or Dwight in the finals.

[OldSkoolBasketballParticipant]

You seriously think Minnesota and Clippers would be good in a couple of years? Only thing they will be good at is in the lottery.

[birdman113]

do you mean you dont see them contending soon. or in the future?

[Knicksboy34Participant]

Both Teams have solid players who can be good and turn around both Franchises.

[HaleParticipant]

Soon, they are too young. They need a true pg, Blake is not that guy, Oden really needs to step up and Aldridge needs to take his game to the next level if these guys want to win a championship.

[Knicksboy34Participant]

Thats my thing…I think Aldridge is a good #3 option right now, i dont know if he increases his game to #2 status…

[birdman113]

aldridge is Rasheed wallace right now. but he has the talent to be as good as Garnett he just needs to be more aggresive.

[Knicksboy34Participant]

I dont see it. KG was a really special player and he was putting up like 20-10 right now…at Aldridge’s age…

[birdman113]

Aldridge is putting up 18-7 on a not crappy team.

[OldSkoolBasketballParticipant]

KG was putting up that stat because he was the only good player on that team. You put Aldridge on a Kings team or something he will put the same number of points and rebounds, maybe even better.

[Knicksboy34Participant]

I just do not see Aldridge as another KG… also, i dont see noone stepping up as a legit #2 and #3 option

[birdman113]

you forgot Baylss. if he was on a bd team i could have seen him winning rookie of the year. once he gets playing time hell score.

[Knicksboy34Participant]

you think……he will score, we dont know. He couldnt beat out Blake or Sergio…now he has to potenially deal with Miller, Blake and Mills?

[OldSkoolBasketballParticipant]

we are kind of overrated but you can’t blame us. No one expected us to have 54 wins, tied 2nd best record in the west with the second youngest team in the league. We have the best future out of all 30 nba teams, that is a fact.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

They finished 4 in the west and were a team of third year players and rookies playing major roles. We had a 19 year old starting at SF, who has an incredibly bright future in Nicolas Batum. Clyde the Glide might be tripping (he said he was better than MJ), but he might not be wrong to say that Rudy is better than Hedo. Hedo is a great player, but it took him a long time to get to where he is, and Rudy is certified raw. Not to mention that, while I am sure no one read my comment on Rudy in the NBA section, he is a basketball player. True point guard is not a necessity for a championship team. Do you really think Utah has a deeper and better team than Portland? I think Deron Williams may indeed be a better player than B-Roy right now, but Utah has huge glaring holes in their team, and they are suffering from not having an SG more than we are from not having a great PG. Knicksboy, I am surprised you are already regretting that Oden jersey man. It was his first year in the league. As I also commented earlier, Oden averaged as many rebounds in 21.5 mins this year than Eddy Curry did in his highest average rebounding year in 35.2 mins. Eddy Curry is not by any means who you want your center comparing too, but it is apparent that Oden is not that guy. I mean, Tyson Chandler is considered a good center, and by all means, I think Oden will be much better than he is. Plus, Tyson was the second pick in a draft where the first pick blew and the draft blew, so I guess it is right to have lower expectations.

Their is not a better collection of young talent in the league than in Portland. I think people overrate them in thinking they can compete by next year, but it is not crazy to think that they could be building something special. The Celtics, Spurs, most likely Cavs and even teams like the Lakers and Magic have small windows, the Blazers have one that seems to be wide open. Even if Oden averages “only” 15 and 10 or whatever, I would definitely take that over have a stiff at center. Say you are happy with Joel as a starter? Well, I am MUCH happier with him as a back-up, he has been in the league a while and this was his best year. For as much, “non-stat sheet” stuff as Joel may supposedly do that Greg supposedly does not, Joel is not an acceptable starting center in this league. Unless you are a Dallas fan that thinks Erick Dampier is an acceptable starter, I do not think you have a hard time agreeing with that.

Brandon Roy is turning into a great player, and a large part of that is the people he is playing with. When you play with good players, it elevates your play and makes life easier. LaMarcus Aldridge is a stud, he reminds me of Rasheed Wallace without Sheed’s unfortunate ability of totally losing composure when things do not go his way. I still think you have to add Oden, who is finally going to be back to normal after the microfracture which took a year of basketball away and another year to get back to normal (look at Amare). You do not have 7 footers with Oden’s combination of size and athleticism, plus the guy has basketball instincts. Also, as the team develops, as will team defense, and watch for a huge drop in personal fouls for Oden, which will lead to a major spike in minutes. The guy plays 30 minutes, he is getting a double-double. Nicolas got valuable playing time with the unfortunate injury of Martell, and the guy is a stud. Look for him to play a back-up role and if Martell comes back and takes starting duties, he is too perfect for this team. If Martell had played last year, the team would have been MUCH better, and add a few more wins. He spreads the court tremendously, and if he has improved his ball handling, teams are in trouble. Nonetheless, a very tough match-up and a bear to move around. Add to the fact that Bayless is a total killer, and regardless of his “true point” abilities, made good things happen when he had the chance, plus he is only going to improve. I honestly see Outlaw on his way out, and hopefully for either a solid vet point (hopefully not someone with a contract like Kirk Hinrich) or like B-Roy and EVERYONE is saying, a banger of a back-up PF, this team is stacked. Starting 5’s make your team nice, but if you are deep, you are going places. This team is deep. We have some weak links in our 5 as of now, but it is vastly improving and our bench gave us the ability to get home court advantage in the play-offs. So, are the Hornets or Jazz teams with brighter futures than Portland? I tend to think I would take the Blazers roster in the long run over any other team in the league at this point. The flexibility and ability they have at this point is something the league has not seen in quite a while.

[Knicksboy34Participant]

Yea..Mikey but this is more of a question of can you see this team develop into title contenders?

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

I believe that they will. When you have guys like that at the 2-4-5, adding in their depth and development of young players, I do think they are going to be title contenders. What on the team leads you to not believe that? I think people are very much sleeping on Jerryd Bayless, and I have not lost faith that Portland will come to their sense on JB. Plus, you need to factor in that at some point this off-season, Kevin Pritchard will likely trade some players that make this team a whole lot more proportioned according to positional needs on the depth chart. I do not see a team in the league building a title contender better than the Blazers. Knicksboy, who do you think is ahead of the Blazers as far as developing a title formula, other than the older teams that I had mentioned in my previous posts?

[Knicksboy34Participant]

I think Portland will be like…..late 80’s and 90’s Portland

I see success, but i dont see a title.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

I respect your right to disagree, but I am just wondering who you see being legit title contenders in the next little while. I have so far only heard people disagree with Portland being contenders, but no one has said, “because I think the Lakers, Magic, Knicks (who I still believe have a good chance to sign LeBron/Bosh) will be able to take them down.” So, I just want to know your theory, because it is good to know the theory behind the claim.

[Knicksboy34Participant]

There will be a flip in the NBA in 2010. I think the teams we see who are bad or not contending now ( Minnesota, La Clippers, Oklahoma City and Golden State in the West. NY, NJ, Indiana, Charlotte in the east will contend)

My issue is for what we see in Portland…are they gonna fit that? Title Winners? I can’t see it. I think Roy and Aldridge are solid cornerstones but the rest is just guessing. We Dont know if Oden is gonna turnaround, We Dont know if Bayless will even get playing time this year let alone be a successful PG, We dont know if Outlaw can be your Artest (Lock down defender). Plus, Is Rudy staying? can Webster coming back healthy? can Blake run this team? I dunno…if the answer to even half of those questions are yes.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

When it comes to saying the Blazers will be contenders, most definitely. But, I for one think Outlaw is gone, I think Bayless got snowed due to Portland being unable to unload Sergio, and that Rudy will come back and be very valuable. As far as Oden, if he gets even slightly better, than that is big for this team. Do people think he is going to get worse? I just am shocked that 9-7 in his rookie year is causing this much skepticism. When the guy plays, he makes a difference. Do they think he is going to foul more, get hurt more, I just am blown away that people are already predicting a sophomore slump. Oden has great hands, he opens the court on offense and is a great offensive rebounder and he is a fantastic shot blocker. Do people really think Thabeet is a better shot blocker than Greg? I know I don’t. But yes, if things change, the Blazers might have issues contending. But for a team so young to be doing so well, I just do not think those questions are enough to make me say they are going to be lost in the fold. Add to the fact that they have an owner willing to spend money and good management, than I think they will stay ahead of many of those teams you listed. Teams that might give them issues are the Lakers, Oklahoma City (Sam Presti seems to be building a team, they just need bigs), New York/Cleveland (Wherever LeBron/Bosh go, they will be contenders), Orlando, Miami (contingent on them signing a Bosh or Amare Stoudemire) and Chicago. I think that the Spurs and Boston are going to get passed over most likely due to age/injury and I really think Utah and New Orleans have age issues they need to address other than of course with their brilliant play at point. Even with all of these possible road blocks, I think the Blazers played well enough and are young enough to give a ton of optimism to the people in Portland that they could be a championship winning team. Roy, Aldridge, Oden, Rudy, Bayless, Batum, Webster, Joel and the other pieces that will be added down the line see this team contending for a title.

[birdman113]

you realize it takes two years to fully recover from microfracture surgery. and teams with good centers win titles and i think with a good point guard Oden could be an amazing player. and also Batum is our lockdown defender. hes 19 and is an amazing shotblacker and defender.

[JoeWolf1]

Portland is really deep, but their caliber of depth isn’t the greatest, they need to get make some moves, losing Jack hurt and i agree with yupyup, Blake isn’t the point guard to lead the team, in addition, Bayless isn’t going to be ready to lead a playoff caliber team for a few years. Plus he’s a shoot first point guard, that wouldn’t pair well with Roy. Turk would be a good sign, but Rudy would want out. Portland has too many issues to consider them as a Championship favorite in the next couple years

[Knicksboy34Participant]

Hedo just signed with Portland.

Yea, I mean right now i think this group is overrated. I hope they win a title and Oden becomes a 20-10 player ( I have the man’s jersey).

Also, I believe Oden is a FA in 2011…..nah, he wont leave right?!?!

JK

[gatorheelsParticipant]

Chicago has a really bright future IMO. I would say in the East they are definitely the team of the future. In 2010….DeMarcus Nelson, Tyrus Thomas, Jerome James, Linton Johnson, Brad Miller, Anthony Roberson, Tim Thomas, & Salmon (ETO) all come off the books. That leaves Chicago with a ton of money to spend in the free agent market. The Bulls will certainly at least get one of these players…Wade, Amare, Bosh, Boozer, Okur. I imagine they may re-sign Salmon as well, Tyrus may just be let go if he asks for too much money. Rumor has it they have been trying to trade Tyrus. Either way….the Bulls are in the drivers seat and have a lot of great options. They may even get 2 big stars in 2010. With a core of Rose, Hinirch, Deng, & Noah along with the new rookies in James Johnson & Taj Gibson the Bulls will continue to be a playoff team. In one more year they will be serious contenders to win it all.

2nd Brightest Future in the East goes to the Knicks. In 2010….Eddy Curry, Duhon, Harrington, Hughes, Jefferies (ETO), Milicic, & Sene all come off the books. Once again the Knicks should be able to control the free agent market and get 2 big stars. LeBron is coming to the Knicks. David Lee & Nate Robinson probably both will leave New York this year. As long as the Knicks dont waste money on Jason Kidd I love their future. Wilson Chandler, Gallinari, Jordan Hill, & Toney Douglas is a descent nucleus. Add King James & Chris Bosh to that lineup and all of sudden you have an immediate title contender.

I still think the Blazers need a legit true starting PG. Blake isn’t good enough, Bayless is a combo guard. They have to re-sign Roy & Aldridge next season. With the signing of Hedo the Blazers dont have anymore money to use in this years’ free agent market. So pretty much the Blazers team now isn’t going to change much the next 5 years IMO. Unless they trade Outlaw, Webster, or Bayless for somebody like Hinrich &or Andre Miller. Is a lineup of Bayless, Roy, Hedo, Aldridge, Oden good enough to ever win a title…I don’t think so. As good as Roy is I dont think he is a total superstar ready to win a ring. I dont see enough players in that lineup that can step up in pressure situations.

Dont sleep on the TWolves. They wont be winning a championship anytime soon but they will make the playoffs sooner than people think. The problem is hardly any players want to play in Minnesota. The organization just isnt that great. However, in 2010 all the bench warmers come off the books including: Madsen, Cardinal, Telfair, Etan Thomas, Craig Smith. The TWolves will have some cash to spend in 2010. They probably wont be able to land a big named free agent but they should get a few real high quality role players. With Rubio coming back in 2 years & Flynn having time to develop they will be solid at the PG position. Brewer could turn it around and become a solid starter. We all know about Love & Jefferson. Gomes is a solid SF. Not enough talent for a title but they wont be in the lottery too much longer.

[OldSkoolBasketballParticipant]

Are you serious? Losing Jarret Jack didn’t hurt us at all. In fact it helped us quite a bit. We don’t have that much issues.

[Knicksboy34Participant]

100% agree with Gator…dont for get the Clippers and Durant in 2011 (shhh, dont tell noone)

[gatorheelsParticipant]

That is true birdman….microfracture surgery is no joke. Oden just needs time, he will be one of the best Centers in the league eventually. The same injury really hurt Amare. McCants had the same surgery too, and it really affected his game. He might just now be fully recovered.

[maravich44Participant]

I am a Bulls fan and hope you are right. I have lived through the days of having money to sign 2 max free agents. Bulls wanted Grant Hill and T-Mac years ago and had money. That’s why they re-built. Problem was they didn’t want to play in Chicago. We lost 2nd tier guys too and had to settle for Ron Mercer and Brad Miller and Brent Barry. I would love to see Bulls get Wade, Bosh, Stoudemire or any 2 of those guys. I’m not holding my breath for that to happen, and if it doesn’t, our future is pretty mediocre with only Rose a true star to build around. This years draft didn’t help either. Knowing Gordon wasn’t coming back, they should have drafted Ellington or Budinger or at least picked Blair at 26. I also don’t want Iverson. He can score, but I don’t want him anywhere near Rose. With the free agent class and strong draft, next off-season is the key to the Bulls short and long-term future. I sure hope you are right!

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

By calling Bayless a combo guard, is that insinuating he can’t play point guard or is not a “true point guard.” I think “true point guard” is one of the most overrated terms that gets thrown around the NBA right now. The fact that Bayless is versatile and has the tools to score, so therefore that somehow limits his abilities as playing the point is to me quite a bogus claim. I agree that Steve Blake is not good enough to be a starting PG, but he is a great back-up, and I think if you add Bayless to their young and talented starting core, that is a tough team. I would take Bayless over Jack in the long term for sure, most definitely am still down with that trade. I like how you broke down the cap situation, as I too think that is why those teams will be tough, but the Timberwolves? I agree that they could become a low level play-off team, but I just do not like their direction and see no identity for them to build a team. Yes, we all know Love and Jefferson…..play no defense, and that Corey Brewer turning it around is looking pretty doubtful, though I will give him time. Also, tell me how Flynn and Rubio make a good backcourt? Yes, I think they are both “true point guards”, but unless one of them can guard a “combo guard” like Bayless, or more likely a starting 2 in the NBA, I do not see it working. I know, Ricky has a wing span, he is not a total defensive liability, but that applies to him guarding smaller players. Ask Chris Paul to guard Kobe, Wade or some of the other 2’s in the West, he is not looking like an all-defensive team player. They could turn it around, but right now, I rate their management situation behind only the Clippers and Memphis. I do not see the wrath of Kahn having a happy ending.

[Knicksboy34Participant]

Bayless and Jack are almost the same players. They can score very well and are average passers.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Bayless is a crazy psychotic athlete and I believe will be a better mid range guy than Jarrett. Plus, I believe his court vision is underrated. He is a shoot first player, but he has gotten very little chance to run point. Jarrett ran point in college for G-Tech and had a lot of success, but he is definitely a shoot first player and his court vision was questionable as he would tend to have a shot selection that would drive people crazy. But, Brandon Roy has great court vision, and I believe that if you run a combo with Roy (who could be considered a combo with his PG skills, similar to Dwyane Wade in that effect), good things will happen. Just a hunch.

[Knicksboy34Participant]

see…thats what im saying. I believe this group is overrated. We are talking about a guy who couldn’t get the bench last year. The only guys who we know contributes are Roy, Aldridge, Rudy and Outlaw…. Im not predicting a title, i wanna wait and see. I saw at least 30 different posts saying ” there gonna give Bayless the reigns this year, he was MVP of the summer league, he should start!” People need to slow down. He will not start and to be honest with you- I would not be shocked if a team like Toronto or Phoenix calls offering a Stats or Bosh and want Bayless in return.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

STAT and Bosh? Get serious. The Blazers are not going to do that, it is just not happening. See, you can play the, “wait and see” card, but realize that their are people who are fans of this team and what they are doing in ways that you are the Knicksboy. You like what the Knicks are doing, as a fan, you are biased to what the Knicks do. I too like that the Knicks have put themselves in a position to have a super power team, though at the same time, I am not necessarily a fan of the Knicks farnchise. I have never been a Blazer fan, but I consider Portland my home, I loved when they got Oden and I see the formula they are using plus the perspective pieces they have in place to building a contender. Of course we will have to wait and see Knicksboy, so for now, if you play that approach, you win the argument. But, the fault in that approach is that if you suddenly jump on the band wagon and Bayless does become a solid contributor, than you are jumping on the band wagon. I will play that approach with the Knicks, who as of right now have no real pieces that can lead them to a title down the road, and say that since the Blazers have some guys on their team right now who can potentially (key word) lead them to a title, that I do now think theyt are title contenders. Also, Paul Allen spends money, so does Dolan (even though Dolan did some horrible things with his money, as did Paul). Add in that Pritchard and Donnie Walsh have good basketball minds, you are probably looking at teams that could be in the finals in the next 2/3 years.

[Knicksboy34Participant]

Im not biased. That’s the ideal thing tho. Be Honest : if you had to guess how many people (percentage) think Portland is winning it all? I would say a legit 15%. That is crazy for a team who (lets get serious) had 1 good season. I mean, i believe in the wait and see approach but many people (mostly POR fans) are getting a little crazy. I think this Portland team will be the old school Blazers. A very solid team with solid players (a couple stars) but not a title team.

As for the Knicks…i am skeptic #1 i wanna see 2 superstars around this time or i wanna see Dantoni fired.

[adjose5Participant]

they’re building a solid team for the future. title contender? not yet, but if they make the right moves this summer, they can take that next step and grow as a team. heres a post i posted yesterday

I read that they are going after David Lee, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. 2 of your big 3 of the future are LA and Oden, what they need is a back up power forward like a Mcdyess, Juwan Howard or Leon Powe . I think the Blazers should either sign Andre Miller or Mike Bibby or trade for Hinrich. If they are looking at small forwards, why not go after Tayshun Prince or Shane Battier? Both the Pistons and Rockets are in rebuild mode and Travis Outlaw is only 24 so he’d be a solid piece for those teams. Battier or Prince would give excellent defense, can hit the open shot and are veteran leaders that the Blazers are in dire need of. Another option from what I’ve read is Shawn Marion which isn’t a bad option either.

so if they get say Andre Miller and Shawn Marion or Tayshun Prince and get say Mcydess or Powe as the back up PF, i think they’re the 3rd best team out West behind Lakers n Spurs while Denver is right behimd them. They have the potential and ability to grow as a force out West, i dont see them being just a playoff team

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

I do not exactly understand your last response. The ideal thing? But, I agree that the Blazers have 0% chance of winning a title next year. I believe they have a 95% chance of being a title contending team in 2-3 years and believe that their pieces are going to be superior to the old school Blazers due to the quality of players and this teams depth. Yes, I know you will name me old school Blazers players (I will do it for you, Drexler, Ainge, Kersey, Robinson, Duckworth, Bryant, Porter, Lions, Tigers, Bears, Oh My), but this team is looking like the players could trump those from back than. I apologize for calling you biased, that was a bad assumption on my part, but your argument I guess does not make sense to me as saying they will not be contenders next year therefore they will never be contenders. I think their window is much larger than just next year. So, I agree with you saying they are “overrated” by people who believe they can win it all next year, but to say that they have the look of a team that will not contend in the near future, with the formula they have plus the pieces they could add to make their team rock solid, does not seem like a very strong argument to me.

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