Before Tuesday's game between the Trail Blazers and Bulls at the Moda Center, which is the NBA TV "Fan Night" Game of the Week, NBA TV analyst and former Trail Blazers guard Steve Smith took some time to discuss Portland's season thus far, the moves they made this offseason, the play of Damian Lillard and his early MVP credentials, the growth of Maurice Harkless and the matchup against the Bulls' backcourt...
What are your thoughts on Portland's start to the 2016-17 regular season?Steve Smith: "You know, it’s not bad. I really like what they’re doing. At 7-4, any time you have that type of record in the Western Conference you’ve got to be ecstatic and I still think they’re ahead of schedule. Give them credit for what they did last year and to management and ownership being able to shell out all the money they shelled out to keep most of their players. "One concern I have is, they’ve got great wing play and great guard play and I love the bigs, but when you start to watch teams that get to the next level, defensively they’re giving up a lot of points and rebounding. Those are the two areas. They’re close to last in overall rebounding, close to last in offensive rebounding. And then the defense, when you start talking about giving up 111 points per game, so that’s my concern and something they need to find some kind of way to shore up. Obviously Festus Ezeli, the status of when he returns, and then some kind of way to rebound the basketball and defend."What did you think about the moves the Trail Blazers made this offseason, both in bringing in Evan Turner and Festus Ezeli and re-signing CJ McCollum, Maurice Harkless and Meyers Leonard?Steve Smith: "I played for the organization, that organization has never been shy about paying money to go out and try to win in. They did the exact same thing when I was there. Payroll was very high but I think that’s just the commitment of the management and, more importantly, Paul Allen, who’s owned the team for a while, of their dedication to winning.
"I give Coach Stotts and his staff credit and everybody in the organization, they’ve done a nice job of putting Portland back on the map. Losing LaMarcus Aldridge, that type of talent, is obviously hard to come back, but the way they’re playing, Meyers Leonard, Mason Plumlee, those bigs, they’ve got to do it by committee. They’ve done a nice job but Damian Lillard has been the catalyst, not because of his play, but his leadership at such a young age. To be able to bring CJ McCollum on, a guy who kind of plays similar to him — ball in his hands, same size — these two guys have hit it off. You can just tell the leadership of Damian Lillard has this team playing at a high level and they’re focused on the right thing: winning. That’s what it’s about."What have you thought of Lillard’s play to start the season and the idea that he could some day be a contender for league MVP?Steve Smith: "You take a kid who has been overlooked for All-Star games putting up gaudy numbers and nobody is hesitating in saying if Portland could win — not win it all, not be the No. 1 seed, but just have a winning record, maybe get the third seed. I think they would have to get to the third seed for him to have a chance. But he’s in that conversation already. Not many people get in that conversation, especially from the guard spot. The next thing for him is winning. If they’re winning, he’s definitely in that conversation. But you have about a legitimate seven or eight guys in that conversation because they’re putting up gaudy numbers and winning. But to have Damian Lillard in that conversation shows you he’s a kid who’s worked his butt off to go from not making the all-star teams, not making Olympic teams into the conversation of having a chance, a legit chance, of winning MVP."
Maurice Harkless seems to be a guy who sometimes gets overlooked, but he's also had a great start to the season and has taken on a larger role since Al-Farqou Aminu has been sidelined with a strained left calf.
Steve Smith: "We know he’s going to rebound, he’s physical, he’s going to defend, he’s going to get out on the break. I think the next step for him is continuing to develop his offensive game. You’ve seen flashes of it this year and I think for Coach Stotts, the luxury of having a Maurice Harkless is he’s been playing two, three positions and he’s comfortable, especially defensively. I think the next step for him, because of the guard play and the way that Trail Blazers play, the ball won’t be in his hands a lot so being able to knock down spot up shots, being able score at a rate where he keeps the defense honest will keep him on the court and make the Blazers more valuable as a team."The Trail Blazers host the Bulls Tuesday night in the NBA TV Fan Night Game of the Week before heading out for a five-game road trip. What do the Blazers need to do to get a win, and specifically, your thoughts on the matchup between Portland's backcourt of Lillard and CJ McCollum versus Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo?Steve Smith: "They’re going up against the vets. Obviously Damian Lillard and Rondo, if they’re matched up a lot, it’s Dame going up against a guy with long arms, a vet defender who has been around and that’s going to compete. For CJ, obviously he has to use his youth and speed, but that’s one thing you always look at with the Portland Trail Blazers. If they’re playing a team with a big two guard — Dwyane is not that much bigger than CJ but he’s a physical two guard that likes to play inside — so seeing how they can handle that. And then it comes down to can they rebound the basketball, because if you look at rebounding for the Chicago Bulls they’re ranked around second. They get on the glass and I think one of the top offensive rebounding teams. That’s going to require a commitment from everybody and I think the guards are going to have to chip in because the Bulls are relentless on the glass."