Up three with seven seconds to go, The Portland Trail Blazers scrambled to get back on defense after Lamarcus Aldridge hit two clutch free throws. The Chicago Bulls pushed the ball down the floor and handed the ball to Luol Deng. Deng took one dribble and launched a 29 foot three point shot and missed. Portland won the game 98-95.
While the biggest storyline of the night was Derrick Rose injuring his right knee, which ended up being a torn medial meniscus injury, Portland's unexpected success was an underlying story. After the win against the Bulls and their subsequent win against the Golden State Warriors, Portland is now 12-2, second in the Western Conference and one half game below the San Antonio Spurs.
While some expected Portland to improve on their 33-49 record from 2012, few thought that Portland would be 12-2 at this point in the season. They have won ten games in a row thanks to a strong offense (104 points per game) and an improving defense (98 points per game).
On March 15, 2012, the Blazers fired head coach Nate McMillan and waived center Greg Oden. It marked the end of an era for the Blazers. Oden, the number one overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, could not overcome the multitude of knee injuries he suffered during his time in Portland. He was supposed to be a franchise changing center, and was productive in the limited time he was healthy. Also, he was taken over small forward Kevin Durant, who has quickly become a top three player in the NBA. This compares to Portland in the 1984 NBA Draft, where they chose power forward Sam Bowie from the University of Kentucky second overall. The guy taken after Bowie in the 1984 draft was a shooting guard from UNC named Michael Jordan.
Another major draft mistake, albeit due to bad luck with injuries, doomed Portland for another era of disappointment. However, with a combination of strategic personnel moves, Portland has rebuilt quickly. The best way to build an NBA roster is through the draft, because in the salary cap era, having a key contributor with three or four years of a rookie contract makes room to sign other key veterans with the extra cap space. For the past few years, Portland could not find a long-term solution at point guard, with guys like Andre Miller after his prime and Raymond Felton attempting to fill the void. With the sixth overall pick, the Blazers selected Weber State's (Utah) Damian Lillard, who averaged 24.5 points per game in his senior season. While Lillard produced greatly in his time at Weber State, many scouts feared that his success was a product of his competition rather than his talent. The Blazers, in fact, found their point guard of the future. Lillard won the Rookie of the Year award and gives the team great scoring, outside shooting and playmaking from the point guard position.
At shooting guard, the Blazers signed Wesley Matthews, an undrafted second year player who excelled at Utah. He was signed to a five year, 32 million dollar deal, a bargain for a player who can drive and is one of the NBA's best three point shooters.
In July 2012, the Minnesota Timberwolves signed restricted free agent Nicolas Batum to a four year, 46 million dollar offer sheet. Portland decided to match the offer and retain Batum, who has a unique combination of perimeter shooting, passing, perimeter defense and shot blocking abilities.
The Blazers' 2006 NBA draft trade, which essentially swapped the Bulls' Aldridge for the Blazers' Tyrus Thomas, has turned out exceptionally well for the Blazers, as Aldridge is a cornerstone of the franchise, averaging 22.3 points per game this season.
At center, the Blazers drafted Meyers Leonard, who has been in and out of the lineup. The starter has actually been center Robin Lopez, who they acquired in a trade. Lopez has provided quality interior defense, shot blocking and rebounding for the Blazers.
This year, the Blazers drafted C.J. McCollum from Lehigh University (Pa.), who is one of the top scorers coming out of the draft. He has yet to make an impact for the Blazers and will provide a big spark off the bench.
Overall, the Blazers have built a team to succeed in all facets of the game. They have scoring from the perimeter, with Lillard, Matthews and Batum all being proficient three point shooters. All three of them also can drive the basketball off the pick and roll, and create plays for their teammates.
In the interior, Aldridge is one of the top post scorers in the NBA, and can make mid range jump shots as well. Lopez is capable of scoring in the interior as well, and can get offensive rebounds, and thus, give the Blazers extra possessions on offense. Last year, the Blazers relied too heavily on the starters, which wore them down later in the season. Now the Blazers have a much deeper bench than they had last season.
Defensively, the Blazers have quality individual defenders that form a cohesive defensive unit. While Lillard and Matthews are not amazing individual defenders by any means, they are capable of slowing down quality offensive players, and are not liabilities on defense. Small forward Batum and Lopez are the team's two best defenders and both can block shots. They are excellent help defenders and rebounders, and Batum's length is ideal for slowing down scorers who want to drive towards the basket. Aldridge's defense is also improving and he is one of the better rebounding power forwards in the NBA.
After Oden's failed stint with the Trail Blazers, the future looked gloomy in Portland. However, with the development of Aldridge, wise salary cap moves and a strategic roster composition, the Trail Blazers are built to contend for the playoffs right now.
While they are not expected to be better than the Spurs, Rockets or Thunder in the Western Conference, with their strong start, they are beginning to place their name in the conversation.
– By Shawn Farshchi
Photo courtesy of Flickr, Rachel Wente-Chaney
