The Blazers have plenty of growing to do but have a nice
young core of players in Zach Randolph, Brandon Roy, Martell Webster, Jarrett
Jack and Travis Outlaw.
The Blazers will need years to undo the team's mismanagement
during the Bob Whitsitt era, where talent was gathered at the expense of
character. Even before their decline, they weren't an easy team to root for
Of the 15 players on the roster, eight are new, including 6'10"
forward LaMarcus Aldridge, the No. 2 pick out of Texas, and 6'6" shooting guard
Brandon Roy, the sixth choice from Washington. One of the holdovers is
25-year-old power forward Zach Randolph, a double double threat whose off-court
activities have been all too reminiscent of Jail Blazers past
This appears to a be a very competitive roster for a team that
only won 21 games a year ago. The youth at point guard and the uncertain future
of Randolph and Miles will probably hinder the team's growth initially, but a
more important gauge of Portland's success will be the development of the team's
young players (on and off the court).
With a solid head coach and some young talent, the Trail Blazers
should improve this year, if they can keep the off-court shenanigans to a
minimum. But it is a long road for Portland back to respectability. It seems
unlikely they’ll repeat last season’s last-place league finish, but a last-place
division finish would surprise few
Season Opener:Get
Trailblazers Tickets
Nov. 1 @ SEA (10 p.m. ET) Home Opener:
Nov. 4 vs. MIN (10 p.m. ET)