The Trail Blazers have left town and they aren’t coming back … at least not for a while.  They are off to the East Coast for a seven game road trip that will test the mettle of this young team.  They departed with a .500 record after an exciting victory at the Rose Garden against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Black Friday.  Road trips always challenge a team, but if the Blazers continue to play as they have been a 4-3 record on this trip is not out of the question. 

The trip begins in Brooklyn.  The Blazers were greeted with the unfortunate news that power forward LaMarcus Aldridge would be out with a sore back that apparently tightened up on the flight out.  It is unknown how long the Blazers will be without Aldridge.  On the bright side this presents a nice opportunity for Meyers Leonard to get some minutes and valuable experience with the first team. 

It has been a very tough season so far for the Portland Trail Blazers. Prior to the game against the Sacramento Kings, their first 7 games have all come against playoff contending teams. Those 7 opponents had a combined record of 31-20. The Blazers were 2-5 at that point and only Charlotte, Cleveland, and Toronto had allowed more points per game.

One thing that I remember hearing GM Neil Olshey say after he was hired was, “We want to build sustainable success.” Well, how can you sustain success when all your success is relied so much upon your starting five?

After 6 games the Portland Trail Blazers, 2-4, are off to a predictable start for this season of low expectations.  What is also unsurprising is the ever present hum of the NBA rumor mill, or in this day in age, the tweets coming from Twitter.  Thursday evening scout and featured writer for Crossover Chronicles, Wendell Maxey, @w_maxey, tweeted out, “in order to get a deal done, i fear blazers may have to include leonard. i doubt babbitt and smith are making phones ring off the hook.” There is a lot of truth in what Maxey stated.  The Blazers have some very good starters, but after that the assets on their rosters are few and far between.  The player most likely to draw interest around the league would be center Meyers Leonard.

Leonard is a young rookie with plenty of room for growth.   Thus far this season, he is averaging just over 19 minutes a game and contributing 4 points and 4.5 rebounds.  Not spectacular numbers, but it is evident that Leonard has a lot of upside and untapped potential.  He plays hard and seems to want to succeed, always a key ingredient.  Not to mention the fact that he is 7’1” and very athletic.  Blazers assistant coach Kim Hughes thinks Leonard has the ability to blossom into an NBA all-star.

After 6 games the Portland Trail Blazers, 2-4, are off to a predictable start for this season of low expectations.  What is also unsurprising is the ever present hum of the NBA rumor mill, or in this day in age, the tweets coming from Twitter.  Thursday evening scout and featured writer for Crossover Chronicles, Wendell Maxey, @w_maxey, tweeted out, “in order to get a deal done, i fear blazers may have to include leonard. i doubt babbitt and smith are making phones ring off the hook.” There is a lot of truth in what Maxey stated.  The Blazers have some very good starters, but after that the assets on their rosters are few and far between.  The player most likely to draw interest around the league would be center Meyers Leonard.

Leonard is a young rookie with plenty of room for growth.   Thus far this season, he is averaging just over 19 minutes a game and contributing 4 points and 4.5 rebounds.  Not spectacular numbers, but it is evident that Leonard has a lot of upside and untapped potential.  He plays hard and seems to want to succeed, always a key ingredient.  Not to mention the fact that he is 7’1” and very athletic.  Blazers assistant coach Kim Hughes thinks Leonard has the ability to blossom into an NBA all-star.

Jamal Crawford was a polarizing player here in Portland last year. The vet came in to help fill the void that his good friend Brandon Roy left with his sudden medical retirement. Most of his career, Crawford has come off the bench as the 6th man, even winning the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award with the Atlanta Hawks in 2010.

Many people around Portland loved seeing Crawford shoot the ball from all over the court, make almost every free throw and take the court with some swagger. While at the same time, a lot of people here thought that he was “part of the problem” when it came to the underachieving team that seemingly quit on Coach Nate McMillan.

I do not understand the concept of arm sleeves. Why doesn’t one just wear a long sleeve shirt under the jersey? Does only one arm get cold?

A teammate of mine on the Cross Country team likes to wear them. And although a good friend of mine, the apparel decision is a strange one. I mean I’m not going to say it’s weird or anything- she’s way faster than me anyway. I am inadequate of laying that judgment upon her. Still, I’ve got to just say these things are as peculiar as vests and toe socks and should be abolished from all clothing assessments.

Why did I make you read that rant?

Damian Lillard, that’s why.

Coming into this NBA season, I was fully prepared to sugar coat a below-par season from these Portland Trail Blazers. Even after the Halloween night upset of the Lakers, I thought maybe it was just a fluke type of win. But then my tone changed strangely enough in the loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

LaMarcus Aldridge is the leader of this team and has never really been known for his leadership, grit or fight. He is seen around the league as a big guy with a nice touch on his midrange jumper, an adequate defender, and a very athletic power forward.

Many, including myself have said the Portland Trail Blazers would not be very good this season.  This may still prove to be true.  But if nothing else, the Blazers may become a team of intrigue.  Through three games, the Blazers have defeated the Lakers, Rockets, and played a solid game against the Oklahoma City, narrowly losing to the Thunder in their home opener to begin the season 2-1.

Damian Lillard is playing up to, if not beyond, expectations, averaging 21.3 PPG, 9 APG, and 4 RPG.  To be honest, all of the Trail Blazers’ starters are playing well.  LaMarcus Aldridge is picking up where he left off last year.  Nicolas Batum is too.  Unfortunately, that means he is playing inconsistent.  J.J. Hickson, despite being undersized at the center position, is playing with a lot of energy and is averaging nearly a double-double per game.  Wesley Matthews is the go to guy on the defensive end and has moments in which he is a knock down outside shooter.  Collectively, the Blazers’ starters are challenging their opponents.  Despite the commentary from fans and pundits, they are playing a competitive brand of basketball that is fun to watch.

Blazer fans, welcome your new fearless leader, Damian Lillard.

The buzz around Lillard grew throughout the summer, into camp and more during the preseason. Then, in a season-opening win over the LA Lakers, it boiled over even more. It’s for good reason – the No. 6 overall pick scored 23 points and had 11 assists in his professional debut. That’s great.

But that wasn’t his biggest contribution.

He came through the biggest on what was probably his worst decision of the night. And it was a missed shot.

It came early in the game when the 6-3, 195-pound Lillard tried to dunk over the hulking 6-11, 265-pound Dwight Howard.

Lillard got stuffed, fell to the ground and the ball went out of bounds.

This play, this one unspectacular offensive play, proved to everyone in Portland that Damian Lillard is here to play ball and he is not backing down from anyone. He saw an opportunity and he tried to seize it. Sure, the smarter play is to float the ball over Howard. But it was the rookie’s first game and he wanted to make a statement – he wanted Howard on a poster.

It didn’t happen. Lillard will learn.

The Portland Trail Blazers opened the season last night hosting their longtime rival, the Los Angeles Lakers. The crowd fed the Blazers energy early on and carried it throughout the night. A happy Halloween it was for Rip City as the Blazers held on for a 116-106 victory.

A big key to last night’s game was the aggressiveness of the Blazers. I saw little to no hesitation in these players.