Over the next month, we’ll be talking with a variety of people who cover each NBA team to find out a little bit about their team, and how they expect the season to go. We’ll also find out what they believe will be the most intriguing matchup when the two team’s meet during the regular season. We move onto the Northwest Division and the Portland Trail Blazers. We’re joined by HoopsHabit’s Chris Reichert, whom you can follow on twitter @Chris_Reichert.
Game Dates
Saturday, January 10th @ Portland
Friday, March 20th @ Orlando
Last Season: 54-28; Fifth in Western Conference; Lost in Second Round To San Antonio Spurs
January 8th: Portland 110 Orlando 94
March 25th: Orlando 95 Portland 85
Projected Starters
Point Guard: Damian Lillard
Shooting Guard: Wesley Matthews
Small Forward: Nicolas Batum
Power Forward: LaMarcus Aldridge
Center: Robin Lopez
Below Chris answers some questions on the Blazers for us
Jan 18, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard C.J. McCollum (3) brings the ball up court during the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The Trail Blazers defeated the Mavericks 127-111. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Q: We didn’t get to see a lot of C.J. McCollum last season. What do you think we can expect from the second year guard this season?
A: McCollum is in a tough spot to be honest. Lillard and Wes are going to get 35+ minutes a night, and with Stotts’ track record, I don’t see that changing anytime soon. The other issue here is that Will Barton outplayed him last season, and Barton surprisingly brings more play making ability than C.J. has so far. Now, C.J. missed some time at the beginning of the season with his foot injury and that put him behind the eight ball, and after that the Blazers were rolling and he just could not crack the rotation. With the addition of Steve Blake to help the ailing bench, I see McCollum being third string whether he plays point guard or shooting guard and if that’s the case I wouldn’t be surprised to see Portland possibly dangle him a little bit at the deadline. He still has value to an NBA team, I just don’t see his highest value being in Portland.
May 2, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) makes a three pointer at the buzzer over Houston Rockets forward Chandler Parsons (25) to win the game during the fourth quarter in game six of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
Q: Damian Lillard really took that next step last season and put his name into the conversation as one of the best point guards in the league. Going into his third season, what kind of improvements do you want to see out of him?
A: Lillard has some areas to improve — just like any other player — but as you made reference to, he has exploded into one of the top point guards in the Association rather quickly so it’s not as if he’s a “work in progress”. However, his defense is definitely sub par, he could average more assists, and he needs to finish better around the basket this season. The defense is a real issue because it exposes LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez to unnecessary foul trouble, and keeps Lillard out of the “elite” category of lead guards. At 5.6 assists per game it’s not as if Dame doesn’t get his teammates involved, but when you consider he has Aldridge, Batum and Matthews to score the ball, he really should be averaging around eight or nine assists per night.
Lillard hasn’t shot well inside of three feet in either of his first two seasons which is surprising considering his level of athleticism. In 2012-13 he only shot 53.1 percent from 0-3 feet and last season that declined down to 51.2 percent. That might not sound so bad, but consider that Chris Paul shot 70.6 from inside three feet and it all makes sense — it’s doubly important because Lillard took almost 30 percent of his overall shots from inside of three feet, so there is a definite impact.
Q: What’s one matchup that you’ll have your eyes on when the Magic and Blazers meet?
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A: The names aren’t sexy but I’m going to be watching Robin Lopez vs Nikola Vucevic — I mean they have the best nicknames on their respective teams also so that adds to it (RoLo and Vucci Mane!!). With the departure of Arron Afflalo I see Vucevic taking the next step offensively and I think he will lead the Magic in scoring this year. Given that Lopez is in Portland to rebound and play defense, I find that to be the matchup my eyes will immediately focus on.
Q: After being somewhat of a surprise last season, what do you think are fair expectations for Portland this season? Where do they finish in the Western Conference, and how far do they make it in the playoffs if they make it?
A: It’s a lot different to come into a season with expectations and I think the Trail Blazers will feel that pressure a little more this season. In 2012-13 they only managed 33 wins and then last year they surprised everyone with their energetic start and finished with 54 wins, and progressed to the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs for the first time since the 1999-00 season. Now teams know exactly what to expect and Stotts is going to have to make some adjustments to oppose that fact.
I think they finish anywhere from 50-52 wins which should put them around sixth in the Western Conference — the issue there is that it projects them for a first round matchup against the Thunder, Clippers or Spurs potentially and that will not bode well for this group. I still think they are far from being title contenders but they will surely compete at a very high level again in 2014-15. Depending on the matchup, I could see them making the second round again, but the heavy hitters in the West are all still better in my opinion — like Canibus said…2nd Round KO.