RealGM Analysis
Following the Blazers in 10-11 has been like watching something from David Lynch, where the disturbing moments are juxtaposed with goodness and you never really know what is going on and certainly never know what will happen next.
Through it all, LaMarcus Aldridge has been Nate McMillan's Kyle MacLachlan and has been remarkable. He has been under-appreciated in his consistency throughout his five-plus seasons in the NBA and the fact that he has maintained an identical level of efficiency following the injury to Brandon Roy has been a demonstration of how he is legitimately one of the best 20-30 players in the NBA. Opposing teams game plan defensively for the Blazers these days by beginning with a plan to stop Aldridge, but he still produces.
The rest of the team is a combination of talent and grit, with a lot of credit needing to be handed (yet again) to McMillan. Portland ranks 15th in both offensive and defensive efficiency, allowing the team to remain in contention as a result of that balance.
I like Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews a lot individually, but you would prefer to have them as your primary wings if Chris Paul is your point guard. In order to overcome their offensive averageness, they either need to be paired with a star on the other wing (Brandon Roy if he's ever healthy again), or at point guard.
The Blazers have always played at a slow rate under McMillan, but it doesn't particularly suit their strengths because of their effective transition offense. Playing in the halfcourt ends up with far too many pick and roll sets and 20-foot jumpers, neither of which are reliable attributes.
Desperation Meter: Because injuries have forced the Blazers to reevaluate everything, there is no real sense of desperation from this franchise. When Greg Oden was ruled out for the season and it became obvious that Roy needed another surgery, they began playing with house money and have crept a few games ahead of .500. Roy might even be back for the remainder of the season, but we'll need to see it over a stretch of a dozen games before we believe it.
A resolution to the Oden situation this summer is possible, though I expect him to take the qualifying offer from Portland and see if he can get healthy at some point in 11-12 before it is fully settled.
They certainly won't mortgage anyone too valuable for a single-season run, but it isn't like them not to explore their options even if deadline deals were relative rare under the Kevin Pritchard regime. Rich Cho's one and only trade as GM has been the Jerry Bayless sale for a future first, so it will be intriguing to see his first classic swap.
A smaller deal involving Andre Miller or Marcus Camby is far more likely than anything involving the twenty-somethings.
