Which situation would you rather be in: Portland's or Houston's?

It is really hard to know. Existing superstars vs star-superstar potential.

I could go either way. Portland might be fun, unless it doesn't turn out. Houston certainly has existing superstars. Togh call.

Next year we should kick their butts. After that, it could get tougher each year.

 

Definitely Portland. We have two flawed superstars in the sense that Tmac is only gonna get worse from here on out, and I doubt Yao will be able to overcome his lack of speed and mobility. With our two "flawed" max players and their terrible supporting cast, Portland has a lot more to look forward to.

 

Our situation. Because I'd rather cheer for Tmac and Yao.

 

I'll agree that Portland has potential all over us. However, as I look at their roster; I can't find a leader. Noone stands out as the go to guy. Noone is pointing his staff across the water crying out "Follow me to the promised land". Sorry, I got carried away!

Anyway, we have 2 allstars who have at different times have taken over the team when the other was out and lead the team to victories. All we have to do is find a piece or 2 to complement them.

I'll take our chances now and in the long run.

 

And we do

 

Given the right amount of trades we could opt to be in their position... however, I still would take the Rockets in a heartbeat. I see Rick Adelman pulling a Phil Jackson in taking a good team and with minor adjustments making them a great team. Rockets 2008!

 

nothing like looking forward to being a sub .500 team for the next 4 years. hell...the tampa bay devil rays have a lot to look forward to as well since they have "potential" and they suck. they might get to .500 one of these years. man that's something to look forward to.

 

I agree with you, too bad Portland isn't going to be a "sub-500" team starting NEXT YEAR.

 

Im pretty sure Williams was drafted before Webster so Portland never had a chance to get him.

 

so they are going to be fighting for a playoff spot next year in the west? thats what you are implying by saying they will be above .500, since that's what got the warriors in the playoffs. they are probably going to draft oden and trade randolph for pennies on the dollar and they will still be way over the cap. randolph had a hell of a year last year for them and they were still terrible. there is no way oden will consistently contribute at the level randolph did last year. oden is going to be a great defensive player, but don't forget that the guy doesn't have a developed offensive game. that is going to take a few years to develop.

i do love watching brandon roy play. that guy has a silky smooth shot and the game looks easy to him. i hope to god he stays healthy because he will be amazing to watch for years to come, but it's just unlikely that he will. he had that heel surgery this season and he has already had 2 knee surgeries, correct? also, he finished the season with a swollen right knee and tendonitis in his left knee. he is like a grant hill in the making.

other than that i am reserving judgement on lamarcus and jarrett jack. and who knows maybe martell webster will develop his game more in the offseason...he is kind of a wildcard for them as well. either way...the blazers are not going to be .500 anytime soon.

 

I would take Portland's situation in a HEARTBEAT.

Our situation is obviously worse. T-Mac's best years are over. I don't think T-Mac will work well under Adelman since he doesn't like to move without the ball much and his jumpshot is gone. In a motion offense you MUST be able to spot up shoot. T-Mac's only good attribute last season was his consistent passing and playmaking, but under Adelman he won't do that. Also Yao is still on the fence. Is he a superstar or just a star? Can he dominate games when they matter the most or will he fade away like he always has? These are all unanswered questions and our window of oppurtunity is getting smaller.

Portland on the other hand has great young talent in Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, and a FUTURE HOF LOCK in Greg Oden. They also still have Zach Randolph but they'll probably trade him for something decent. Portland will be a ten year dynasty once they draft Oden, similar to the Spurs when they drafted Tim Duncan.

 

The New York got all happy when their young draft savior Ewing came to town.......how many rings did ewing bring them?

 

The way Ralph Sampson was a lock for the HOF, right?

 

Ralph Sampson



He was the most heavily recruited (for both college and the NBA) basketball prospect of his generation btw

 

i dont think durant will be that dominant. he'll score for sure more than oden, but his skinny frame and lack of a great first step will hurt him. he ain't gonna face college players anymore

 

so are u saying lebron's best yrs are over? he's shooting just as bad as tmac and he's facing the east teams.

dude, tmac was never in a rhythm all season. that's why his shooting was wildly inconsistent. let him work on that and then we'll evaluate. i'm damn pretty excited about next season w/ an offseason under his belt. usually tmac combes back strong every yr before last yr b/c he never sat and waste an entire offseason like he did last yr.

and yao can only improve. he can't play as weak as he did v. utah. he knows the playoff intensity for a star now.

 

Portland still doesn't have a decent coach. they're like the Clippers part 2, or 3 or 4 or however many times the Clippers were loaded with "young" talent with unlimited "potential". anyone remember when the Clippers had Brand, Miles, the number one pick in Olawakandi, Maggette and Andre Miller? they couldn't even make the playoffs. even now, they still have Brand and Maggette, but also added Livingston (who's probably finished now), Cassell, Mobley and Kaman (who can't freaking stop Yao, but is still way better than Kandiman), and they still get lottery picks; as if they needed any more.

for that matter, don't forget about Chicago, who have Deng, Gordon, Hinrich, Thomas, Nocioni, Duhon, Wallace, the Knicks' 9th pick, and Gundy's pick Thabo Sefalosha. again, they're "almost" there as a contender on the leastern conference. but they're still years away from reaching the elite in the entire league.

i still believe that Houston has what it takes to contend for the title, right now. heck, they'd be playing in the "real" finals right now, if it weren't for that dumbhead of a coach that they finally fired.

 

Ours, we have a better situation now and everyone keeps forgetting that the way the contacts in the Rockets' are we should be able to pull off some very good moves next offseason.

So even in the future when portland comes into its own we have the possibility of being in a better situation. Not saying it will happen, but the possibility is there....

 

the Rockets side in me says: The Rockets
the objective side in me says: The Blazers

 

LeBron was never known as a great shooter. He's a great player, but not a great shooter. T-Mac has always had a consistent jumpshot before last season. If he can't find his rhythm in 82+ games then what makes you think he'll find it over the summer? It doesn't take half a year to find your jumpshot. T-Mac is becoming similar to David Wesley. Wesley used to be a good shooter, then he started declining and his shot was gone. T-Mac is following the same route.