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.

It's amazing what a difference six months can make.

It was just over six months ago when the Portland Trail Blazers played their last NBA regular season game. It was a loss at the hands of the Utah Jazz, which left the Blazers ten games under .500 and eight games out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The loss also meant that Portland had ended the season riding a seven-game losing streak, going 4-10 in the final month of the season.

If you have followed the Trail Blazers during the pre-season, you know that expectations are not high for the 2012-13 season. Let’s be honest, it’s going to be a long season. Despite the pessimism that surrounds this team there are a number of bright spots.

For starters they have a full-time general manager in Neil Olshey, who Blazers owner Paul Allen hired over the summer. This in itself is an upgrade, as last season they operated without one. In Olshey’s limited time with the team he selected two promising prospects in point guard Damian Lillard and center Meyers Leonard. Both players have exhibited potential and could become corner stones of the franchise for years to come. Olshey also went head-to-head with the Minnesota Timberwolves to sign Blazers free agent small forward Nicolas Batum. If Batum lives up to his potential and the riches of a 4-year $44 million contract, this will prove to be a shrewd move by Olshey.

In addition to adding and retaining players, Olshey also hired a new head coach. He selected former Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks head coach and recent assistant coach of the Dallas Mavericks, Terry Stotts. What Stotts will bring to the table is a more exciting brand of basketball, a motion oriented offense and hustle defense. This should be a welcome change from Nate McMillan’s lethargic isolation basketball.

Halloween is a holiday that is surrounded by sights and sounds that are inherently spooky. People dress in scary costumes and haunted house activities everywhere make a killing. But this Halloween may be a little more frightening as a Blazer fan.

Superman is coming to town in a Laker's uniform for the first time. Dwight Howard and company come in after one of the most successful off-seasons in NBA history for any franchise. They brought in future hall of famers Steve Nash and Howard. Pairing those two with Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant and they will scare teams all year long.

But for the Blazers, starting their season with the Lakers is a little more scary then most.

The youth of this Blazer team will make it fun to watch at times this year but the inexperience that comes along with youth is extremely dangerous facing an veteran team like the Lakers.

Coming into a season there are so many thoughts, emotions and nerves that can affect a team in the early games. The Blazers have five rookies that should see playing time, and one of those rookies will be starting day one. The Lakers on the other hand will be starting four future hall of famers.

I used to play volleyball. Then, I realized that the amount of hand-eye coordination I have is in the negatives. This made running seem pretty ideal.

Winter is here now and that means two things:

- Running in the snow

- Basketball

I don't understand the joy in either of these things. Although I'll probably never really understand the joy runners find while running through northwestern blizzards, hopefully this winter I can at least accomplish my goal of understanding and learning to love basketball.

I've lived extremely close to Portland my whole life but I've yet to get acquainted with the exciting culture of the Trail Blazers.

I have seen the Brandon Roy jerseys fill my high school with students who understand the sport.

And those who don't.

I’ve gone to games. I have worn red and black together...which is really something I wouldn't do for any other occasion. I have won the free Chalupas. I have endured the red plastic clickers throughout half time. I haven’t learned the core of the culture though. I've never really understood the sport.