A Look Back, and a Glimpse Forward

The Blazers magical season came to an unfortunate end Thursday night in Houston. The Rockets finished off the best of seven series in six games, leaving myself and many other Blazer fans longing for October to get here ASAP! I, like others, was frustrated with how the season ended, but now I would like to take a quick look back at this magical season, and ponder the bright future these Blazers have in store for us.

Throughout the season I saw a true NBA superstar emerge in Brandon Roy. Roy was the heart and soul of this team; making last second shots, locking down other teams stars, and giving his all every time he took the floor. The NBA’s MVP went to LeBron James this year, but if you really consider what the MVP award means, shouldn’t Roy be a leading candidate, if not the front runner? I honestly believe that no player meant more to their team than Roy did to the Blazers, and Roy finishing 9th in the MVP voting is insulting. Roy doesn’t have the flashy moves of a Chris Paul, the breath taking athleticism of King James, or the resume of a Kobe Bryant. Nationally, Roy may never be viewed in the same light as these aforementioned superstars, because he doesn't have a "look at me" type of personality. Houston’s Ron Artest recently stated that Roy was the hardest player he has ever defended. Artest is perennially regarded as one of the best defenders in the league, and giving a third year player that type of praise is unheard of. Roy may never truly be appreciated by the common NBA fan because of his old school approach, and team first demeanor, but this young star has earned the respect of his colleagues, and teammates throughout the NBA.

With Roy playing “Batman” for the Blazers, his partner in crime LaMarcus Aldridge, aka “Robin” has transformed himself into the most feared young big man in the league. Who else currently possesses his combination of raw athleticism, deadly mid range jumper, emerging defensive presence, and up and coming back to the basket game? After watching Randy Foye put up meaningless (and honestly underwhelming) numbers in Minnesota, and Tyrus Thomas flail around like a chicken with his head cut off this postseason, I have to believe Kevin Pritchard has a decent understanding of what he is doing. If you were to plug Foye and Thomas into the current roster, the only excitement in the Rose City this offseason would be the debate of who we should take with the first pick in this June’s draft. KP has given us two franchise bookends, and filled in the gaps with some extremely exciting prospects.

As I look into the future, I believe this youthful team has most of the pieces in place for a 6-8 year championship window (Rudy, Batum, Martell, Joel…Outlaw, though I would like a more veteran/cerebral presence at the 3), similar to what the Spurs had earlier this decade with Timmy, Parker, and Manu. Not to rain on the parade (referring to my prior two paragraphs), but Greg Oden must show significant improvement next season if the Blazers are going to dominate the NBA landscape for the better part of next decade. I understand Oden was a rookie this year, coming off a devastating knee surgery, but 8 points, 20 minutes, and 5 fouls isn’t going to cut it next season. GO did impress me at times in the Houston series, but was that due to my lowered expectations (or possibly Mike Rice and Barrett assuring me that the refs have it out for Greg)? I was getting excited when GO was able to play 3 minutes without picking up a silly foul, or missing a dunk. There were minute flashes of brilliance this year…the put back dunks, weak side blocks, etc., but the Blazer organization clearly expected more than one rim rattling dunk a game from Oden when drafting him. Greg was however drafted into the perfect situation, because of All Star players like BRoy and LA, GO has been able to mature at his own pace, however slow that may be. If GO was on the Thunder, he would be getting crucified on a national scale, and deemed a bust by NBA analyst from coast to coast. I do concede that maybe I have been to impatient and critical of GO at times, like I stated earlier KP hasn’t let us down with any of moves thus far, so time will be the deciding factor.

At the beginning of this season Blazer fans would have settled for any type of playoff appearance. Instead they were able to win 54 games, tie Denver for the Northwest Division Title, and secure a fourth seed in the daunting Western Conference. I think this team is still a piece or two away from representing the west in the finals next year. I would like to see the team add someone like an Udonis Haslem or Brandon Bass to the frontcourt, and maybe try to move Outlaw while he has some trade value. Another key will be the return on Martell Webster, in 2007-2008 Webster showed significant improvement, and if he can build on that the Blazers may have their small forward of the future. All in all, this was an amazing season for the Blazers, exceeding everyone’s expectations. This off season KP will make the necessary adjustments, ensuring the team contends for the foreseeable future. GO BLAZERS!!!