HOOPSAHOLIC

Did anyone expect the Trailblazers to have the season they had last year? Well... I actually predicted them to make the playoffs going into last season as my sleeper team, but I didn't think it would happen like it did. The Blazers looked great under head coach Terry Stotts, and this year it'll be interesting to see how Portland performs now that people expect them to be good. 

LaMarcus Aldridge showed us all last season why he should be considered one of the best big men in the entire league. He averaged 23 points and eleven rebounds per game to spring this Blazers team into relevancy. His back to the basket game along with his ability to knock down the mid-randge jumper is what makes Aldridge so skilled and dangerous. He causes matchup problems for teams becasue he can get away from the basket and really stretch the floor. I think Aldridge will build on the year he had last season and average even more points. He's actually one of my favorite players to watch in all of the NBA despite being a Longhorn.  

Aldridge will have the help of his point guard Damian Lillard to help lead this Blazers team on a long playoff run. Lillard averaged 20 points and six assists per game last year in his breakout season in which he made his first all-star game. Lillard is a playmaker, willing his team to more than win last year. He's very athletic for a point guard and can knock down the three-ball efficiently. Last season he knocked the Rockets out of the playoffs on an incredible buzzer beating shot. The swag this dude has is truly through the roof, and If I were a Blazer fan I'd be thrilled to have Lillard running the show. 

The wing players on this Blazer team will be the ultimate difference maker on this season. Both Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum have proven they're great pro players, and both fit into the system Stotts is running in Portland. Matthews averaged 16 points per game last season while Batum averaged 13. They are both better than average defenders who can cause mismatches due to their long length (especially Batum). They'll both be asked to knock down open shots more than ever now that Lillard and Aldridge are two of the league's elite, so I think the success of the team will depend on how role players such as Matthews and Batum perform. Both CJ McCollum and Dorell Wright will also have some responsibility in that category as well, but to a lesser extent since they'll be coming off of the bench. 

Robin Lopez will once again be the starting center for the Trailblazers after averaging eleven points and 8.5 rebounds last season. Robin isn't as good as his brother Brook, but he's definitely a starting center in this league. The Blazers also brought in Chris Kaman in the offseason to bring depth to the position. Kaman has never been known to stuff a stat sheet, but he's a respectable NBA veteran who will be useful if Lopez goes down with an injury. Both Meyers Leonard and Thomas Robinson should get playing time at the post as well. 

I have the Blazers finishing in fourth place in the Western Conference, giving them home court for the first round of the playoffs. The bench for this team looks to be a little suspect, but I ultimately think they have one of the better starting lineups in all of basketball. I think that strength alone will take them a long way barring any type of serious injury.