NorthWest Sports Blog brings you daily features on Oregon, Washington State, and BC amateur and pro sports teams.
NWSB Insider and Portland Trail Blazers blogger Jon Irwin takes a look into Nicolas Batum’s stellar beginning to the 2012/13 season. Despite an offseason spent trying to get away from Portland, Batum looks to have turned a corner in his career. With highs in all stat categories, Batum is becoming a major cog for the Blazers.
Bryant Knox previews the Portland Trail Blazers Nov. 26 matchup against the Detroit Pistons. Portland has a legitimate chance at taking down an Eastern Conference foe on the road, but they’ll have to worry about Greg Monroe in the middle. They key matchup in this one will be between Moroe and whichever big man gets the assignment—J.J. Hickson or Meyers Leonard. LaMarcus Aldridge is questionable.
NWSB Writer Bryant Knox previews who the Portland Trail Blazers will take on in their next 5 games. The team has made it through its first five games of the season, and while the results weren’t always what you want to see, they remained competitive in each and every contest. The Spurs, Hawks, Kings, Rockets and Bulls are coming up. Tim Duncan, Josh Smith, DeMarcus Cousins and James Harden await.
NWSB Writer Bryant Knox recaps the Portland Trail Blazers 2012 preseason. Underwhelming pre-season. Lessons learned along the way give us a decent picture of an exciting young roster, including draft pick Damian Lillard, but the growing pains of an inexperienced team could derail high expectations at times throughout the year. LaMarcus Aldridge is the go-to option, but did J.J. Hickson, Nicolas Batum or Wesley Matthews do enough to become the No. 2 option?
NWSB Writer Bryant Knox previews the 2012-13 NBA season and breaks down who could be he most improved player on the Portland Trail Blazers. Following the disappointment that was the 2011-12 NBA season, there’s plenty of room to grow on such a young roster, and there are a few viable options for the team’s most improved player. Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews and J.J. Hickson are all possibilities candidates.
NWSB Writer Bryant Knox recaps some of the 2011-12 season’s most memorable moments. The 2011-12 season was one of the more forgettable years in recent memory for fans of the Portland Trail Blazers, but even the most bleak situations have a few fond memories when it comes to NBA basketball. Nicolas Batum set a franchise record, LaMarcus Aldridge took his game to a new level and Brandon Roy made an unexpected return to the Rose Garden Arena.
NWSB Writer Bryant Knox breaks down how the Portland Trail Blazers did in ESPN’s annual NBA Rank. The team’s players range from No. 20 all the way down to No. 460, but the question is, did ESPN get their rankings right? LaMarcus Aldridge led the way at No. 20, Damian Lillard was surprisingly low at No. 211 and Jared Jeffries was surprisingly high at No. 268.
NWSB Writer Bryant Knox states five “what if” scenarios for the Portland Trail Blazers 2012/2013 NBA campaign. Every NBA season tips off with more questions than answers, but the Portland Trail Blazers have been home to the unexpected more than most the past few seasons. With as much talent as Damian Lillard brings into the league, it’s easy to see how the Blazers’ success will rely heavily on how well the point guard adjusts to the game.
NWSB Insider and Portland Trail Blazers blogger Bryant Knox is back today to weigh in on the two options the Blazers have with LaMarcus Aldridge. Of course the best case scenario would be building around him and winning the NBA title, but this is reality, not fairytale land. They either trade him and recoup what they can, or they can wait it out and hope for the best. Either way it will be a challenge for the fans.
NWSB Insider and Portland Trail Blazers blogger Bryant Knox is back today to weigh in on the legacy of ex-Rip City coach and former Seattle Supersonics legend Nate McMillan in another episode of our Moments In Time series. McMillan was fired last season, and while his departure wasn’t the way most envisioned it, he has earned himself a permanent spot in Rip City’s history, alongside Brandon Roy.
NWSB Insider and Portland Trail Blazers blogger Bryant Knox weighs in with some predictions for the offense in Rip City in 2012 under Terry Stotts. The season could be full of rough patches, as the team will enter with a young, inexperienced roster, but know right now that even if the team can’t find success right away, they’re going to put on display a far more entertaining brand of basketball in 2013. The utilization of LaMarcus Aldridge should be nothing new.
NWSB Insider and Portland Trail Blazers blogger Bryant Knox weighs in with his predictions for the 2012 PDX Blazers. Without sounding too cliché, the most realistic prediction has to come somewhere in-between the best and worst-case scenarios. He says Meyers Leonard and Nicolas Batum could also be pleasant surprises in Rip City next season.
