Editor's Note: The Columbian's Blazers Blog beat writer Erik Gunderson joined Kyle Ratke to preview the 2015-16 season for the Portland Trail Blazers. That interview is embedded below. You can follow Gunderson on Twitter here.
Players Acquired: G Pat Connaughton (draft), F Al-Farouq Aminu (free agency), F/C Ed Davis (free agency), G Phil Pressey (free agency), F Daniel Diez (trade), F Maurice Harkless (trade), G Gerald Henderson (trade), F Mason Plumlee (trade), F Noah Vonleh (trade)
Players Lost: F Arron Afflalo (free agency), F LaMarcus Aldridge (free agency), C Robin Lopez (free agency), G Wesley Matthews (free agency), F Nicolas Batum (trade), G Steve Blake (trade), C Brendan Haywood (waived)
Recapping 2014-15
The Blazers eclipsed 50 wins for the second straight season, but it still never felt like they were truly a title contender.
With 51 wins, Portland won the Northwest Division before being crushed by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first-round of the playoffs. The 4-1 series loss was bad, but was worse than it appeared on paper considering it probably meant that All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge would be gone.
There were some positives, though now, it probably annoys Portland fans more than anything. Aldridge averaged 23.4 points and 10.2 boards per game. Guard Damian Lillard averaged 21 points and 6.1 assists per game. Guard Wesley Matthews remained one of the best 3-and-D guards in the league, shooting 38.9 percent from the field while shutting down whoever he was guarding. This was obviously before his Achilles injury.
The season will still likely be considered a disappointment because it led to what happened in the offseason. Had Portland won in the first round, maybe the front office keeps Matthews and Robin Lopez. Maybe Aldridge signs a long-term deal. Maybe Afflalo opts in. Who knows?
But what is done is done. The 2014-15 season was a good one for the Blazers, but unfortunately, it wasn’t good enough.
The Big Question
Who steps up after Lillard?
The Blazers took some gambles this offseason. They rolled the dice on former No. 9 pick Noah Vonleh, who was so bad in his first year, Charlotte has already given up on him. Maurice Harkless has reportedly been great this offseason, but that doesn’t translate to the regular season, as we know.
The one guy to watch closely is third-year shooting guard C.J. McCollum. He’ll finally get his big chance. Last season, he broke his hand which wasn’t an ideal start to his second season.
He averaged 6.8 points last season in limited time -- just 15.7 minutes per game. But he did shoot 39.6 percent from the three-point line. I’m not sure if he’s a starting caliber shooting guard in the NBA, but he’ll get every opportunity to prove me wrong.
How Can The Wolves Beat Them?
Surprisingly, two of Minnesota’s 16 wins came against Portland. In the first win on Dec. 10 at the Target Center, Minnesota held Aldridge to just 10 points. But let’s focus on who will be Portland’s main weapon this season. Lillard scored 23 points, but needed 24 shots to get there. You’d think if the Wolves shut Lillard down again, they should have a good chance of splitting the four-game season series again.
In Minnesota’s second win, a 121-113 win at home, Lillard did better, scoring 32 points, shooting 11-of-23 from the field. But Gary Neal ruined his night, scoring 27 points off the bench for Minnesota. A team can hardly bet on a bench player going off, so it’s probably best to just focus on shutting Lillard down. If McCollum or Henderson beats you, well, so be it.
To watch the Wolves take on Lillard and the Blazers on Nov. 2, click here.
Ratke’s Projection
This won’t be a good team. The Blazers won’t be as good as the Warriors, Rockets, Clippers, Grizzlies, Spurs, Pelicans or Thunder. The Suns and Jazz are improving. You could argue that the Wolves, Lakers and Kings will leapfrog them. We aren’t really sure about the Mavericks.
Let’s give them 13th in the West. Plenty of ping pong balls in Portland, which isn’t a bad thing a year after losing a franchise player. It’s how the system is supposed to work.
Describe This Team In 15 Words Or Less
Lillard should have the green light, all the time. Someone else has to step up.