NBA: Forecasting the Unpredictable Northwest Division
By Wardell
Portland Trail Blazers
Sleep all you want on these Blazers. But I for one do not want to look like a fool by underestimating this team anymore.
I guess more specifically, I don’t want to sleep on Dame D.O.L.L.A.
Damian Lillard has shown again and again that he is undoubtedly a superstar in this league. He’s ridiculously talented, unquestionably tough and incredibly relatable to a younger audience.
Lillard is exactly the kind of player that you’d want to build a team around. That’s exactly what the Trail Blazers hoped they did this offseason. By adding Evan Turner to lead their bench and Festus Ezeli to anchor the paint, the Blazers hope that they have the necessary pieces for their backcourt to reach the next level.
They don’t have enough to make a championship run quite yet, but anything could happen. This trade-deadline could be one of the most active in NBA history, so there’s a chance the Blazers find another near-star to put next to Lillard and C.J. McCollum.
Regardless, they’ll be sure to make noise in the regular season and earn a high playoff seed in the Western Conference. As far as how long they’ll last in the playoffs is truly unknown.
Realistic Expectation:
They win the Northwest Division and earn the fourth-seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
My bold prediction:
Lillard finishes third in the MVP race, behind only Russell Westbrook and James Harden.
