Author: Jack Gordon
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
In the past three seasons, the Portland Trail Blazers have finished as the sixth, eighth, and third seeds, respectively.
This team, in some respects, represents the middle pack of the Western Conference - teams that have dreams of competing for a title (Nuggets could also fall into this category) yet are stuck floating above mediocrity and below solid title contention.
The Blazers have been in this realm for what feels like forever at this point. Lots is always made about the Lillard-McCollum backcourt being the second best in the league (which it probably is), but as a duo, they haven’t ever been dominant. Year after year, their teams are just okay. Pretty good, but not great. We understand how incredible Damian Lillard is, but the supporting cast has never been enough to ever put fear in the hearts of other playoff opponents. Aside from the one appearance in the Western Conference Finals, the Blazers’ consistent inability to be truly relevant finally started spurring the inevitable Lillard trade rumors this summer; rumors which Lillard has outwardly shut down. But, if this team gets off to a slow start yet again, count on that noise to start up again.
So what are they missing? What have been their issues over the last number of years that just haven’t changed, forcing them in this liminal space between success and the lottery?
Well for starters, it’s important to reiterate whether or not the backcourt combo is ideal. Dame and CJ are sort of like the poor man’s Steph and Klay, and what makes the Warriors successful is the incredible off-ball movement in addition to Draymond’s playmaking, both of which the Blazers do not have.
They have been constantly searching for a reliable wing player, and have cycled through the Mo Harkless-Al Fariq Aminou types until trading for Norman Powell this past season. He’s fine, and the team desperately needs some consistency from that position, which would explain his five-year, $90 million contract. The main problem is probably their defense, which through the first few games of the season has proven yet again to be one of the worst in the league. Other various problems that haven’t gone away are Nurkic’s injuries and inability to play up to what the Blazers expect, as well as their lack of a backup point guard (Is Anfernee Simons still their guy at this position?).
The truth is that Damian Lillard, as we all know, is great enough to carry the team to a win on any given night, and even great enough to carry a team single-handedly through a playoff series (like we almost saw him pull off against Denver last season). But the roster construction, despite nice additions like Larry Nance, Jr., isn’t inspiring enough to think they’re going to be in a drastically different position than 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 or 2021. Should they have traded CJ for Ben Simmons? Will they trade Lillard? Will Nassir Little be a future MVP like the Blazers hope? I’m not sure, but all I know is that they can’t keep bringing back this team in the same way if they hope for something to change.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. This past offseason, they made some fine bench signings and replaced Terry Stotts with Chauncey Billups. There is merit to remaining competitive - we saw it with the Suns last year. If you have a team and stay ready, anything can happen. Injuries could hit other teams and the next thing you know, you’re in the finals. The Blazers are staying relevant and making some adjustments, but they still feel like the same team. They’re doing the same thing over and over, and hoping that a generational player like Lillard is enough to carry them to another first or second-round exit. So, I wouldn’t say that the Blazers are insane; but they’re definitely knocking on the door of the mental asylum.
SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE
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