NLL Insider - Team by Team: Portland Trailblazers

by blackmajestic, updated on Friday, October 16 2015, 03:30 pm EST

Season Highlight

The Fantasy. Portland had steller year in 2013-14, finishing third in the Western Conference with a record of 57 wins and 25 losses and making a decent run the playoffs only to be bundled out in a seven game classic by Sacramento. It seemed like there is was just an expectation that the Blazers would take the next step and compete in the Western Conference Finals, if not the NLL Finals. The state of Oregon was buzzing with excitement with jersey sales at and all time high, the Moda Center was selling season tickets at a record pace and everything was looking up for the Portland Trailblazers behind their "Big Three".

Season Lowlight

The Reality. As fast as the Blazers climbed up the NLL ladder, they fell down even quicker. Was it a matter of everyone getting better while the Blazers stood still or was the previous season just a mirage while this being a sign of their true colours? Either way, the chemistry that Portland seemed to have evaporated, only winning 3 of their first 12 games and really couldn't gather enough momentum to recover. While GM Djdrew did all he could to try and respark the team, the season ended in disappointment with his once "Big Three" all doning different uniforms.

Trades...

The trading arena was tough for the Trailblazers this season unfortunately. Sometimes when you're trading away star players it can be difficult to know what you want in return. Do you want assets? or another star? or you can get lost somewhere in the middle. With mediocre results, the decision had to be made to move away from their strategy that brought them success the previous season and start the painful process of a rebuild.

Best Trade
In: Pick 16, Pick 18
Out: Pick 10

Whenever you can turn one first round pick into two, i would say thats a win. Yes they moved out of the lottery in the process but a team that needs as many young assets as they can get their hands has made a good move for the future in my opinion.

Worst Trade
In: Kyle Singler
Out: Robert Sacre, Pick 5 and Pick 36

Wow! When you finish the year before with a record well over .500 and you still have the same starting five, its fair to think that your draft selection will most likely be up around the late 20's, so if you look at it in that sense, a late first for Singler isn't a bad deal but when you crash and burn the way Portland did in the 2014-15 season and your pick falls in the top 10 of the lottery, this deal turns into an absolute howler. Hindsight is a cruel mistress

Other Notable Trades
In: Dion Waiters, Pick 48 and Pick 52
Out: Joe Johnson

As good as Joe Johnson was for the Portland franchise last season, the aging veteran wasn't going to stick around in the twilight of his career to be apart of a rebuild so GM Djdrew honoured his request for a trade. Detroit answered the call by sending Johnson's younger clone, Waiters to Portland. Waiters shall slide into where Johnson left and i expect a big year from him in the depleted Blazers team. Plus GM Djdrew cleared 15 million on the cap, winning!

In: Shabazz Napier, Matt Barnes, Kevin Seraphin
Out: Manu Ginobili and Henry Sims

Ginobili was a big reason why the Blazers had a successful season in 2013-14 but when the wheels started falling off, Ginobili was the first player of the "big three" to be dealt. To recieve Napier in exchange for the 38 year old should seal up the Point Guard responsibilities for many years to come.

In: Rasual Butler, Patrick Patterson, Al-farouq Aminu, Channing Frye and Pick 10
Out: Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard struggled big time last season getting his body in the condition to take the court and that really killed the Trailblazers hopes of making the playoffs. Between his ailing knees and his back, we may not ever see Howard back to his devestating best, so for GM Djdrew to cut his ties with Dwight may be for the best. To recieve a lottery pick and a number of consistant, quality players seems like adequate compensation for the elite big man.

The Star

Joe Johnson was a one man demolition crew this season. Despite the team falling away around him, Johnson could always be relied upon to show up night to night and was the soul reason why fans would rock up to their games. For the season, Johnson registered magnificent averages of 28.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game and of the 82 games he suited up for, Johnson was Portland's leading scoring in 72 of them games.

The Surprise

The surprise packet for the Blazers was the outstanding play from Ramon Sessions this season. The veteran who was injured at start the year was a breath of fresh air when he arrived, with averages of 14.5 points, 7 assists and 1.2 steals. Sessions could have been the missing piece but it was too late when he came back from his 17 game absence, with the team in a massive hole to try and climb out of. Sessions signed a two year mid level exception last off season and being one of the few veterans on the team, Sessions will be heavily relied upon despite his budget contract.

The Struggle

With only a handful of guys playing over 40 games for the Blazers, it would be unfair to select someone that only had or have had a short stint with Portland last season. Aquired via trade last off season, Jimmy Fredette suited up for 80 games and even started in 17 of them but had little impact. Playing an average of 16 minutes, Fredette could only muster 3.9 points, 2.9 assists and not alot else.

Best FA Signing

Ramon Sessions was head and shoulders the best free agent signed by the Portland front office. As mentioned earlier, Sessions and Johnson were spectacular together but now Johnson is in Detroit, its might be up to Sessions to shoulder the majority of load.

Worst FA Signing

Brandon Rush signed with the Blazers for a veteran minimum and barely contributed in his 38 games that he played. Averaging 10 minutes of play, for 2.2 points and 1.2 rebounds, Rush was sent to The Windy City, as part of a trade for Cartier Martin.

Draft Report Card

When you have three All-Stars to move and are looking down the barrel of a full blown rebuild, draft picks are like gold bars. GM Djdrew managed to wrangle a number of picks, five to be exact and has done a great job with those picks in my opinion.

Pick 16 - Terry Rozier
Rozier stormed up the draft boards only days before the event. The Louisville guard is good shooter, ball handler and has a knack for finding open teammates. Combined with his energy on the defensive end, Rozier has a tonne of upside and is going to compete with Napier for reserve minutes.

Pick 18 - Sam Dekker
Sam Dekker is a player that i really like. Great basketball IQ, NBA ready body, and a healthy offensive foundation to build on. If anyone watched the March Madness Tournament, Dekker with Kaminsky, was a massive reason why Wisconsin made it to the final. I think Sam Dekker will make an impact in the league this season, if not start for the Trailblazers. Smokey for ROY.

Pick 43 - Dakari Johnson
A very raw prospect out of the Kentucky system, Johnson could be a very handy role player at the next level. A big man that plays big, with intimadating characteristics may prove to be a handful for teams that like to run a small ball lineup.

Pick 52 - Tyler Harvey
Value this late in the draft is always hard to find but i think Tyler Harvey could be nice project player. A traditional Shooting Guard out of a small school, Harvey was one of the leading scorers in the country with an average of 22.6 points per appearance. If Harvey can continue to develop his already deadly offensive game, he could potentially become a serious player at the next level.

Pick 58 - Dimitrios Agravanis
After drafting someone at every other position, it only seemed right to draft a Power Forward with their last selection in the 2015 draft. The greek national is a stash for the Trailblazers as Agravanis is unlikely to play in the states any time soon. Described as a stretch four but doesnt really have consistency from behind the arc (33 percent), Agravanis is only a role player with Olympiakos at the moment and whether he makes the transition is anyones guess.

Looking Into The Future

As I gaze into my crystal ball, Clairvoyant Blackmajestic foresees dark and stormy times heading for Oregon. I feel as though the leaps and bounds they made in that successful season of 2013-14 will soon become i distant memory of better times. Portland has a number of decent young, talented players in the likes of Napier, Hairston, Waiters and co. but is that the core of players that you want to build the franchise around? I'm just not convinced. GM Djdrew may have to get active on the phones and collect as many assets as he can to fast forward this rebuild

Upcoming Free Agents

Kyle Singler - Portland have extended a qualifying offer and i believe Singler will be in the Blazers uniform next season, keen to repay the faith.

Jimmy Fredette - After a number of mediocre preformances since moving to Portland last season and the drafting of Rozier, Fredette's time may be up.

Mike Muscala - The young big man has started to make in roads in the Portland rotation so bringing him back is a priority.

Kevin Seraphin - At just 25 years of age, Seraphin feels like he has been in the league forever. With a wealth of knowledge from different franchises, Seraphin will be a handy back up option.

Rasual Butler - The oldest player on the Trailblazers roster may be told that his services are no longer needed as Portland would be wise to get minutes into the youth. In saying that though, Butler may be keep around on a veteran minimum to mentor the younger guys. We will wait and see.

NLL Insider - Team by Team: Portland Trailblazers

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