Portland
Trail Blazers
Northwest
| Team Rating | |
| Offense | Defense |
| 114.0 | 110.5 |
| 3rd Overall | 20th Overall |
Statistics through 1/25/09
W
26
L
17
PCT
.605
GB
9.0
CONF
11-12
DIV
3-3
HOME
16-5
ROAD
10-12
LinksStatistics | Tickets
|
Category | Grade | ||
 Everything starts on offense with LaMarcus Aldridge (17.5 pts) as Portland always works it inside-out ... Greg Oden (8.8 pts, 7.2 reb) is coming along more slowly than expected.
|
b |
||
 Brandon Roy (22.6 ppg) is growing into a dynamic leader in just his third season ... Steve Blake, Sergio Rodriguez and Jerryd Bayless are solid if not spectacular.
|
b+ |
||
 As with any young team, the Blazers need to improve their focus on defense ... Oden and Joel Przybilla use their size and physicality well when protecting the paint.
|
c+ |
||
 Rudy Fernandez (38.8 3-pt. pct) gives them an outside threat and Travis Outlaw (11.7 pts) is one of the best slashers in the game.
|
a- |
||
 Nate McMillan increased his team's win total in each of his first three seasons in Portland and has the Blazers on pace for 50 wins after going 41-41 last year.
|
a |
||
b+
Summary
Even with Oden's slow start and Roy and Blake missing time because of injury, the Blazers have lived up to the lofty expectations. Roy and Aldridge give Portland a one-two punch on par with Western Conference stalwarts Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol in Los Angeles and Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan in San Antonio.
Fernandez, Oden, Bayless and surprise starter Nicolas Batum comprise one of the most talented crop of rookies in the league. After the Lakers, Spurs and Hornets, the Blazers are right there in the conversation with the Nuggets, Rockets and Suns as the fourth best team in the West.
Securing the No. 4 seed will be crucial to the Blazers' playoff success. They struggle on the road (11-12). If their personnel can continue to improve at their current pace, the pieces are there for this team to be a contender for the next several years. -- Dave McMenamin
Explanation of Marking System
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