Preview: April

At 47-27, the Blazers will have already exceeded the expectations many people had for them in the preseason but will be behind what others expected them to do.  They start off April in Oklahoma to face the pseudo-expansion Thunder. Portland is so much better than Oklahoma that they should seldom lose and will not do so this day.

48-27

Next up will be a road game against a Houston team that should be trying to build a record good enough to have home court advantage in the playoffs, barring their normal rash of injuries. With the incentive of a playoff seeding in hand, the Rockets will win this one.

48-28

Still on the road, again to see Memphis with whom the Blazers should be intimately familiar by now. The date is different, the result the same. Portland wins.

49-28

The next night in San Antonio Portland will be looking for the holy grail, that 50th win. San Antonio, however, when clicking on all cylinders is, if not impossible to beat at home, certainly one of the 3 or 4 most difficult games in basketball. Portland is not ready to win this one.

49-29

Home to face the Lakers, still seeking that 50th. This time they will get it as Portland makes Bryant work to get his points and the rest of the visiting team cannot shoot a high enough percentage to make up for it. Portland gets their 50th of the season against the hated Lakers.

50-29

The next night they travel to L.A. Fortunately for Portland, they face the Clippers, not the Lakers. With the 50 win barrier reached, brimming with confidence, they will win their 51st.

51-29

The next to last game is a home game against the Thunder.  Now Portland is rolling. At this point, they might even be in the hunt for some decent playoff seeding. They will knock off Oklahoma City one more time.

52-29

The final game of the season is against the Nuggets. All season these two teams will have battled. This game might even decide which team gets some sort of post-season advantage. Since the game is in Portland...they do and win their 53rd of the year.

The 12 game improvement could be larger or smaller. There are a lot of games that could go either way. My assessment is based on a few assumptions:

1)  Greg Oden will "struggle" early in the season as he tries to dunk too often, encounters some foul trouble, but makes a huge impact defensively and on the boards. His presence allows Joel Przybilla to slide to the second unit where his lack of offensive production means little but his rebounding and defensive presence in the middle allow the second unit to be more effective than expected.

2) LaMarcus Aldridge continues to improve. He should reach 20 points per game and perhaps even improve to 8-1/2 or 9 rebounds per game. With more freedom on defense, his shot blocks will go up slightly but that is not a huge deal.

3) Early in the season while on the bench do to injury, Martell Webster will learn how to move without the ball. He will then be more effective when he returns to the line-up. He does not need to score a lot to be effective. In fact, with Aldridge, Roy, Travis Outlaw and Oden all hitting for double figures, even 9 or 10 points a game would be plenty as long as he hits the three-ball when he gets it. While waiting for him, Nicolas Batum will get some key experience, show his defensive abilities, and be called on whenever Portland needs a stopper.

4) Steve Blake continues his steady play, shooting seldom but well so the opponents can't sag off him. Portland really just needs zone-busting from this position. Blake doesn't turn the ball over much, shoots a nice percentage, and doesn't need the ball to be effective.

5) Travis Outlaw returns to his role as instant offense as the 6th man.

6) Jerryd Bayless gets some minutes, but not a lot. Sergio Rodriguez and Rudy Fernandez will get most of the back-up minutes. Bayless will get a lesson from the team leaders about playing as a team member, not going off on his own so much. On this team his primary role is to defend and scoring should be an after thought. Early on he will struggle with that but between the coaching of Nate McMillan and the role Brandon Roy has already shown, he will come around.

No doubt some games I thought Portland will win will be losses and some I thought they would lose will be W's. Any way you look at it, this should be a very entertaining season and I look forward to watching it. Even if they fall short of my expectations, the type of players they have will make it fun on the court and be great people off the court and that is really all we can ask for. 

Preview: March

March opens at home against the Spurs. Portland needs to win this one to show they have legitimately arrived and when they get into the playoffs, they will not simply go quietly. It starts here as Portland, having gelled more and more as the season has developed, comes out and finds a way to beat San Antonio.

37-22

By this point, this is not the Portland team that started the season. These Blazers understand how their teammates play, where they are on the floor, how they defend, and how they work together. Their rebounding should be well above average, their zones comfortable and effective, their rotations quick and pointed, and young guns like Greg Oden, Rudy Fernandez, and perhaps Jerryd Bayless will have found their roles and be performing to expectations.

When Indiana comes into town they will run into a confident, still improving team that is starting to really click. Portland should have improving shooting percentages, decreasing opponent field goal percentages, and keep adding to the win column. Indiana will be another win for the Blazers.

38-22

The next night they travel to Denver for the second end of a back to back. Denver will be surprising people. They are better than they are being given credit for. Iverson, Smith, Nene, Anthony...with all the minutes Anthony and Iverson play and the added firepower of Smith, this team will score a ton of points. Whether they can slow teams down consistently is another matter. On this night, they will and Portland will lose.

38-23

Home for a get well game against the T-wolves. This game should be an easy W for Portland.

39-23

 But don't scoff...every "easy" win builds confidence for the tough games. Like, say, against the Lakers who now come into town. Portland has been very competitive with L.A. and both teams are out to make a statement in this game. Portland will rise up, show their spirit and use the home court to beat a Laker team that will have a sparkling record.

40-23

Only one game off their win total from last year, Portland now faces a Mavericks team that will have slipped some from last year. Overconfidence leads to sloppiness, Jason Kidd has one of those games that reminds you of why team after team wrecks itself to bring him aboard...because, when he is right, he can single-handed win games. Portland loses a home game.

40-24

The Nets now come into town. I have heard pre-season rumblings that a lot of Nets fans think they will be better than advertised. Maybe. Maybe Brook Lopez will be everything they hope for, the loss of Richard Jefferson won't be felt, Vince Carter will become Vinsanity again and Yi Jianlian will be ready to play, surprising everyone including himself. The more likely scenario for them to be competitive this year involves bringing out of retirement Darryl Dawkins, Dr. J., etc. and getting one more run from a rejuvenated Nets Hall of Fame team...Portland continues their winning ways and matches their win total from last season.

41-24

On the road for what ties for their longest road trip of the year, though this one is a bit softer than the earlier long trips. First up is Atlanta. Brandon Roy and Joe Johnson are starting to develop a rivalry. Unfortunately for Joe Johnson, Roy has his number on defense and Johnson supplies a lot more at the offensive end than on defense so Roy's superior defense causes fits for the Hawks. Meanwhile, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden should have a field day as Portland gets the road trip off to a good start.

42-24

The next night is in Memphis, the back to back scenario. This is a good chance for the Grizzlies to pull off an upset. They catch a Portland team at the beginning of a long trip, theoretically tired from the night before. But here is where Portland shows their youth is an asset. Behind the veteran-like leadership of Brandon Roy, they come out and establish themselves early, never look back and win back to back road games.

43-24

Now Portland visits Indiana. Jarrett Jack was much maligned in Portland and unfairly. He did a decent job and will do the same for Indianapolis. Unfortunately for Pacers fans, with the departure of Jermaine O'Neal they have lost too much inside presence and won't be able to deal with the Blazers as the Blazers, looking good, win their third road game in a row.

44-24

The next night they go to Cleveland. Game 4 of a road trip for a back to back to a team that is in their head. Not an easy game and not one Portland will win. 

44-25.

Next up is the Bucks, closing out the road trip. A win here would be huge, even against an out-manned Bucks team, but it will be just a bit too much to ask and Portland will lose this game.

44-26

Home to face the 76ers. This time Portland gets the job done. Winning in the Rose Garden will be a tough task for every team not named the Trailblazers this year and only the very best teams will be able to do it. Portland will focus on making that home court advantage stick and even with the addition of Elton Brand, Philadelphia is not ready.

45-26

The Suns will arrive with a heavy dose of winning in their recent history. That ends here as Oden will have come into his own, Joel Przybilla continues to be a stellar back-up, and Portland is no longer afraid of the Suns. The mystique will have ended and the Blazers hold home court against Phoenix.

46-26

In come the Grizzlies and this one is over early. Portland blows them out.

47-26

Now the Jazz come to town. Portland has been playing well enough to win most of the games they should but stumbling just often enough to remind people that many prognosticators had them winning in the mid 40s for games this year. This is one of those times where we get reminded Portland is not ready for a deep playoff run yet as they fall at home to the Jazz.

47-27

Preview:February Post All-Star Game

Early in the season Portland had to find out how good they were. They had to settle some issues regarding how NBA ready guys like Jerryd Bayless, Rudy Fernandez, Greg Oden, and Nicolas Batum were. They had to find out what offseason changes were made by Martell Webster, Sergio Rodriguez and Travis Outlaw. They had to find out what the new, improved LaMarcus Aldridge looked like.

Now they know. They know they can not only compete with any team in the League but they have a legitimate shot against even the very best teams in the League. It doesn't hurt they start with a soft schedule after the All Star game.

First up are the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies have some nice players, guys like Rudy Gay and intriguing young players in Conley, Marc Gasol, and so forth. One thing they do not have is enough talent to compete with a Blazer team that is figuring out just how good they are. Portland will kick off the post-break festivities with a blow-out win.

33-20

Next up is an improved Atlanta Hawks team. While Atlanta is not necessarily as good as they looked against Boston, they are moving in the right direction. Joe Johnson is a high level scorer, they have a good veteran at the point in Mike Bibby, and Al Horford can do some damage. However, the Blazers can come at them in waves and have the talent to overwhelm Atlanta. Another easy win.

34-20

The Clippers might have run up the white flag by this point in the season or they might find their new players mesh very well and be surprising people. From a distance, I hope it is the latter. Clip fans have suffered a long time. They will keep suffering as Portland closes out the home stand with another win to go a surprising 15 games over .500. 

35-20

Next up is a wake-up call as they go to Houston. Houston is a fantastic regular season team and the Blazers might be a bit overconfident at this point. Houston will hold serve.

35-21

The next night is a back to back as Portland goes into San Antonia. Beating the Spurs in San Antonio is a tough task at any time. However, in the mid to late season when they are gearing up for the post-season, Greg Popovich almost always has them playing at a high level. Look for them to keep their dominance of Portland going.

35-22

They close out the month in Minnesota, a team that by now will be playing the role of spoiler. But they will also play the role of "get-well" game for Portland as Portland salvages one of the three road games to finish the trip 1-2.

36-22

For the month they went 8-4. Things are looking good for a play-off spot and a good one. 

Preview: February Pre-All-Star Game

Coming off their home win over Utah, the Blazers will be riding high going into their game in New Orleans. This is one of those games where on paper, the Hornets SHOULD win...but the Blazers are capable of pulling off the upset. This is the type of game that next year, Portland should win 1 or 2 of. This year, however, the longest Blazer winning streak to this point comes to an end here.
28-19
Next up are the Dallas Mavericks. By this point in the year, Mavericks fans will be excited, thinking Kidd can take them to the promised land. Much like the infamous Captain Kidd of yore and pirate lore, he tends to start strong and finish poorly. He will do enough to lift Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard, and Brandon Bass in the starting line-up, and Jason Terry is so good off the bench that the home court advantage will be enough to power the Mavericks to a win.
28-20

Next up is a get-well game against the Oklahoma Thunder. Man it hurts to say that...the Sonics rivalry was so good for so long, going back to 78-79 when the Sonics knocked the depleted Blazers out of the playoffs, essentially ending the brief but spectacular Bill Walton era that brought the Blazers their only Championship...so far.

It intensified as the great Drexler-Porter teams of the early 90s saw their window close just as that of the great Sonics teams of Gary Payton, Sean Kemp, and ...wait for it...Nate McMillan were making their run. There were some incredible games in that stretch.

When the Sonics picked off Jeff Green and Kevin Durant last year and Russell Westbrook this year, it looked like they might be getting the early stages of a team that in a few years might provide the Blazers with some more great I-5 rivalry moments. Unfortunately, the Sonics franchise dissolved leaving behind ashes and the expansion Thunder. Portland has always had good success against expansion teams...look for that to continue as Portland wins this one to close out their road trip.
29-20

Then the Knicks come to town. Will Zach Randolph and Stephon Marbury still be Knicks? Will the Knicks be scoring triple digits night after night? Will Coach Mike no longer be considered a genius? Can New York stay within 20 points of Portland? The last one we think we know the answer to: no. Portland in a cake walk.
30-20

Next up is a return match with the Oklahoma Thunder. It will be fun watching Durant try to score fifty to keep them in the game. Another easy win.
31-20.

The last game before the break is at Golden State in a back to back. Portland will want to go into the break on a high note. They match up well with Golden State everywhere except the point. Interestingly, by this point there is a good possibility Jerryd Bayless will be seeing more playing time for Portland. If so, it makes even the point a good match-up for Portland as Bayless is reputed to already be NBA ready on defense. He could cause Monta Ellis problems in that area.
Portland wins to enter the break on a high note.
32-20

Preview:January

After the home loss to Boston, the Blazers will face soon to be arch rival New Orleans. This should be an awesome game. Tyson Chandler has the defensive skills to cause problems for Oden and West can be a nightmare on offense. Conversely, he can't stay with Aldridge defensively. Pedrag Stojakovich is going to get his points and Chris Paul will torch Portland again and again. At the same time, the Hornets have no answer for Roy or for the waves of talent Portland can pull from the bench. Look for the Hornets to win the scoring battle with the starters and Portland to dominate the bench scoring.

With so many talented offensive players on the floor, any game between these two teams has the potential to be one of those 120 point nights we see all too rarely in todays NBA, though the rugged, physical nature of play between guys like Chandler, Greg Oden, and Joel Przybilla could turn it into an 85-80 slugfest.

Coming off their loss to the Celtics, the Blazers will be hungry and will find the will to win this one.
20-13

Which is a good thing because they then head to L.A. to face the hated Lakers. Barring major injury issues, the Lakers should hold serve. In Portland L.A. will have tough battles, but in L.A. they should still prevail.
20-14

Back home to face the Pistons. This is the time of year when nobody wants to face the Pistons. They will have settled into their new rotations, they will be comfortable with their new coach, and they are still loaded with Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince, and some developing younger players. In fact, I actually have Detroit down to win this one.
20-15

Next up will be Golden State. By now they should have Monta Ellis back. With Ellis, Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, and Corey Maggette, Golden State can score plenty but stop little. Portland will rise up with a superior defensive effort and win handily.
21-15

The Blazers keep getting lengthy road trips. At this point, they have had 1 5 game home stand and one 3 game to go with road trips of 5, 4, and 3 games. Now they head out for 4 more, first up being Chicago.

Chicago is one of the few teams in the league who goes as deep at guard as Portland. With Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Larry Hughes, Sabo Sefolosha, and of course Rookie Derrick Rose, they go every bit as deep as Portland's Steve Blake, Sergio Rodriguez, Jerryd Bayless, Brandon Roy, and Rudy Fernandez. However, I think most GMs would take the Portland 5 over the Chicago 5. Either way, neither team has anything to be ashamed of.

By this game Martell Webster should be back in the starting line-up and be growing more comfortable. The Blazers should be playing pretty well with a good mix of inside-outside offense and getting their defensive rotations down. They will start the road trip off with a win.
22-15

Next up is Philadelphia. Last year it was the game in Philadelphia that set the Blazers season back several steps. When Portland blew a 20 point second half lead to come back and lose it changed the complexion of their early season. They went on to lose several games they otherwise would probably have won as their confidence was badly shaken.

This year, the 76ers are much better. It will be interesting to see what the addition of Elton Brand does for them. Some prognosticators have them going deep into the Eastern Conference playoffs. Maybe yes, maybe no. It does give them enough firepower that when the Blazers once again lose in Philly, this time it won't hurt as bad.
22-16

The next night is a game in New Jersey. Even though it is a road game and back to back, there is no reason Portland should ever lose this game. But they will. With the exception of Devin Harris, Portland is more talented at every position. This is the type of game that young teams often give up, where they know they will win but just forget to actually close the deal.
22-17

It will serve as a wake-up call, however, and they will go ballistic on the Charlotte Bobcats. The Bobcats have some talent, they just have not figured out how to put it together yet. Maybe Larry Brown will be the answer. The one thing he can't answer is the overwhelming talent advantage Portland has.
23-17

Coming home from the road trip, the Blazers face the retooled Milwaukee Bucks. In unloading Ji Yianling, they rectified a Darko Milicic-like draft mistake and got a pretty good Small Forward in Richard Jefferson. People forget how young and good he is. Along with Michael Redd, the Bucks have some scoring punch. Unfortunately, outside of those two and maybe Andrew Bogut, the best thing the Bucks have going for them is the Energee...Portland should win handily.
24-17

Cleveland is completely the LeBron James show. They keep trying to build a team that works off his skill set. They keep putting together just enough that Cleveland is a top half of the Eastern Conference team that, if they catch a break, could return to the Finals. Ultimately, at some point every year they get exposed as being what they are...a decent team with a great player. That is more effective in the regular season than it is in the post-season and thus year after year they do well early while against teams LeBron can beat with less help and sometimes win a second series if one guy gets hot...

King James is also in the heads of the Blazers. Watch him rip their hearts out once again as they play well enough to win...except for stopping James when it matters. The Cavaliers win.
24-18

By this time the Blazers will be upset with how they are playing. They let one get away in the Cleveland game, let one get away in the New Jersey game, and now Washington is in town. Arenas will take too many ill-advised shots, the Blazers will play their team game and Roy will have an outstanding game to set the tone. From here out, the Blazers will play better ball the remainder of the season. Blazers beat Washington.
25-18

2 nights later they are in L.A. This time, though, it is the lowly Clippers. On the surface, the Clips look decent. Marcus Camby, Chris Kaman, Baron Davis...that is 3/5ths of a good starting line-up. And Cuttino Mobley still has some miles off the bench. Too bad they have to play 5 guys at a time... the Blazers win this one easily.
26-18

Back home to face Charlotte. If the Bobcats can't compete with a road-tripping Blazer team, they will get shelled by a home-standing team starting to make its move.
27-18

For the first time all year Portland has a 3 game win streak and is 9 games over .500. Into town comes Utah for their second meeting. This should be a very fun game and the Blazers, riding high, should close out the month with a win.

Wins in 6 of their last 7 games give the Blazers a 9-5 mark for the month and carry them to 28-18 mark.

Blazer Preview:December

An 11-7 record is not particularly awesome and will probably have Portland about the middle of the pack or below, possibly even in the classic (and pointless) "out of the playoffs if they started today" scenario. But under the circumstances, it will be an excellent record.

They will have taken their longest road trip of the year, a trip that almost translates into an 8 game trip when you consider the only home game they have is a back to back at the end of the trip before another quick 2 game trip.

More importantly, having gone toe to toe with the NBA's best both at home and on the road, this team will realize they can play with anyone, anywhere, anytime. They will be starting to assert themselves in their roles on the team.

And promptly begin the month with another tough 4 game Eastern trip.

The first game will be in New York where D'Antoni is trying to bring the fun & gun to the Knicks. I have never particularly cared for the Knicks but if he makes them as fun to watch as the Suns were under his guidance, that is subject to change.

The Knicks have some talent but they have some issues. This should be a relatively high-scoring game, an entertaining game, and I will go out on a limb here and say a blow-out. The Blazers will have 3+ guys scoring over 20 and a couple more in double figures. They will get off to a good start with a win. 12-7

The next night they will be in Washington. Washington is another Jekyll and Hyde team that seems to start slowly, gather steam, and be dangerous by the end of the year. Agent Zero's well publicized injury issues are troubling not just because he is not on the court but also because it has a ripple effect as guys don't know if they will be starting or coming off the bench, playing point or playing the shooting guard, how many minutes they will be playing...this is unfortunate. I wish Arenas the best because he is one of the most entertaining players in basketball in many, many years. I also think even without him, in Washington on the second night of a back to back the Blazers might have too steep a hill to climb. Washington wins.
12-8.

Friday they roll in to Boston. Will Boston get back to the Finals? Maybe, maybe not. Their vets are a couple miles further along their journey...but so are their young guys. Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Big Baby...their second tier behind the Big Three could probably win close to 40 games. At home they should hold on to beat the Blazers.
12-9

The trip finishes in Toronto. The Raptors don't know what they have yet. They like what Calderon does at the point, the front line of Jermaine O' Neal and Chris Bosh is scary good, and they have filled in around those stars with guys who can perform vital functions. Yet the team is just missing...something. Something it is hard to put a finger on. They will do well in the East but I would be surprised to see them get past the second round. If this were later in the season Portland would win it, but I think they will struggle in December. Oddly, this is the time last year when they did well...
12-10

Home against Orlando. As talented as Orlando is, Portland will be angry and looking to put the hurt on someone after 2 very tough Eastern road trips in a 4 week period. Coming home to the Rose Garden, they will be ready. Orlando will go down, possibly by a lot.
13-10

Back on the road to face Utah. Last year Portland was incredible in back to backs. This year, they have the guns to make it happen but not on this night. Again, another month or so and I would think Portland would pull this off but for now, the Jazz get the win.
13-11

The next night, the second half of a back to back, home against the Clippers. Kaman and Camby are a nice start to a front line, Cuttino Mobley can still light it up on occasion, and Baron Davis will have some 40 point nights this year I would think. But they are flat-out over matched when they face Portland. Portland is better up front, better in the back court even if Boom Dizzle is better at point than anything Portland currently has. Portland has the depth, the talent, and the cohesiveness. Look for Chalupas and a blow-out as the Blazers roll past the century mark.
14-11

Next up is the Kings. K-mart will get some points, Brad Miller will look all right, and the score board will again show triple digits for the Blazers as back to back blow-out home wins occur for the first time in a long time.
15-11

So when Phoenix comes to town, Portland will be on a roll. Phoenix has had their number for a couple years but not on this night. Portland will finally get over the hump against the Suns. Oden and Przybilla will contain the Big Cactus, Aldridge and Frye will slow Stoudemire, make him work for his shots, and the sheer firepower brought by Fernandez, Outlaw, and the Blazer bench bring them a W against Phoenix.
16-11

Then on the road for the first half of a back to back against Denver. A lot of people think the loss of Camby has set Denver back, that Iverson is a step slower, and Denver is in rebuilding mode. I happen to disagree. I buy into the renewed dedication to defense they are crowing about, I think Nene will prove to be a stud, and the firepower of J.R. Smith will cause teams a lot of problems. With Kenyon Martin and Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets have a formidable front court. If they can find a way to show some team defense, this team could actually be improved from last year even with the loss of Camby. Unfortunately for Denver, most teams have improved so there are fewer easy wins for them. But they will win this one.
16-12

At home it is a different story. The home court advantage will lead to another Blazer win. With teams that are as close in talent as the Blazers and most of the teams they are chasing...including Denver...it is little things that often make the difference; slightly better shooting from the role players, a standout performance from someone, more favorable calls from the refs...the things that home court advantage often brings to the fore. Portland is too good to lose back to back games to the Nuggets and pulls this one out.
17-12

Christmas Day sees the Dallas Mavericks arrive. Last year Dallas was better. Jason Kidd is a great regular season player but when things don't go his way he becomes a cancer. On the bright side for Dallas, his arrival allows Jason Terry to possibly return to his highly effective 6th man role. Unfortunately, distractions such as the Josh Howard stuff will cost this team. They have bled off talent little by little since their Finals run.

Now, any team with Howard, Terry, Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki, and an improving Brandon Bass cannot be written off. This is still a good team with a chance at a decent seed in the playoffs. However, they will have problems matching up with Portland. Oden's power will get Desagna Diop in foul trouble, Aldridge's length will let him score almost at will, and Dallas has nobody who can stay with Brandon Roy.

The Portland advantage is even larger off the bench. When the Spanish Fly starts running and gunning and Travis Outlaw is flying around putting up shots from every angle, Dallas will find themselves in trouble. Barring some super human outburst by Dirk, this one should go Portland's way.
18-12

Toronto will arrive next. They have just enough talent to hold off Portland in Toronto...but this is in Portland. Bosh and O'Neal will have nice nights but the Blazers night will be nicer. Portland wins handily.
19-12

The month and year close out with a game against Boston. Portland is good enough to win this game. They should win it. But some how, some way, Boston will work their magic and beat Portland to sweep the season series. It will be a tough way to end the year. But there are a certain number of nights when, even on the home floor, the shots don't fall for you but do for your opponent. Maybe it is Ray Allen returning to the Pacific Northwest or Garnett going off. Who knows? But some how, Boston ends the Blazers calendar year on a down note.
19-13

Ironically, last year they were 19-13 and it was considered a huge success. How will it be viewed this year?

Blazer Preview:November

Portland should split their first two games and head to Phoenix at .500. Phoenix has a new look this year. Long gone are the Matrix and Mike D'Antoni. In their place are the Big Cactus and Coach Terry Porter.

Porter of course is much loved in Portland for his great run with the late 80s, early 90s Blazers of Clyde, Terry, Jerome, Duck, Buck and Uncle Cliffy...names that run so large in the Blazers pantheon that no other words are needed. I could probably just type #22, #30, #25, #00, #52, and #3 and most Blazer fans would have been able to identify them that way.

Now the most talented Blazer team since that one faces the heart and soul of those teams as the opposing coach. All early reports say it will be no easier to beat him now than it was when he was running those fast-breaking machines for the Blazers.

Shaquille O' Neal and Amare Stoudemire are a powerful front line. Oden will have to work to stay out of foul trouble but even if he has issues, Joel Przybilla has year after year done a better than average job of defending O'Neal. Always one of the dirtiest players in the League, O'Neal made himself even more unpopular with Blazer fans with his nationally televised cheap shot where he deliberately used the ball to drive Joel's head into the floor. Hopefully Karma catches up to O'Neal this year and he enjoys the health his actions deserve.

Oden, Aldridge, Przybilla and Frye will have plenty to do to keep up with O'Neal and Stoudemire. Last year Stoudemire got in Aldridge's head early and completely disrupted his game. Later in the season, Aldridge made some adjustments and showed he can play with Stoudemire...though I doubt anyone would question that Stoudemire is superior.

In addition, Steve Nash is the type of guard that gets the Blazers in trouble. Steve Blake cannot stay in front of Nash...not that too many guys out there can...and his penetration leads to a lot of open shots for Grant Hill, Raja Bell, and of course the big two. As a result, even the new look Suns should have good offensive nights against Portland early in the season.

At the other end of the floor, Brandon Roy has shown he can score on Bell, Aldridge is much improved, and as will be typical for this season, the Phoenix bench will not be able to keep up with the potent Blazers bench night in and night out, though on occasion they are certainly talented enough to cause problems.

This game is just too early. At some point this season Portland will win one in Phoenix, but not this one. The Suns are still too good and Portland needs to develop a defensive stopper at point. Jerryd Bayless may be that guy someday but is not there yet, nor are Sergio Rodriguez or Rudy Fernandez.

Sitting at 1-2, next up for Portland is another tough, tough match-up, the Utah Jazz. Utah is stacked and only looking to get better. Mehmet Okur is the type of Center who will cause Oden the most problems as he prefers to hang out around the perimeter. Conversely, if Okur can't figure out how to defend Oden he could find himself on the pine with large numbers of personal fouls which would minimize his offense. Even without Okur, the Jazz have a potent offense with Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams, sharp-shooting Kyle Korver, the rejuvenated AK47 Andrei Kirilineko, and so forth. In Utah the Jazz are always tough.

Last year a depleted Blazers squad snuck in a win in Utah. I would love to see it happen again and they certainly are talented enough to do so but will not be ready to do so yet. Utah will win to drop the Blazers to 1-3.

They then come home for a back to back against a very talented Houston squad. From a pure talent standpoint, Houston might have the best team in the league. They can beat you so many ways. Yao Ming and Ron Artest can beat you with interior scoring and defense, Tracy McGrady is one of the most talented offensive players, and Shane Battier, Rafer Alston, Luis Scola, Luther Head...they have a deep, good bench that can hurt you.

Fortunately for the Western Conference, they have seldom put it together all at once, their 20 something game winning streak from last season excepted. As a result, they lose a lot of games they should win and seldom go deep in the playoffs.

This will be a stern test for Portland. Despite the difficulty of their schedule, a 1-4 start would be disastrous. They will come out hot and pull out their second win.

2 nights later Minnesota comes to town. It is Minnesota, enough said. Portland goes to 3-3.

Next up is a 5 game that swings East through Orlando, Miami, New Orleans and Minnesota before coming back to face the Warriors. That is a tough road trip.

Orlando found the right chemistry last year to turn themselves into one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Oddly, they proved vulnerable at home and often looked better at home. That is an anomaly I do not expect to see repeated.

The beginning of a long road trip is traditionally hard on teams. Orlando will be hard on teams at any point this season. Include the Blazers in that as they fall to 3-4.

Miami is next up. They have the makings of a good team. Dwayne Wade is pretty much a good team on his own. The Matrix Shawn Marion is a great 2-way player who can disrupt offenses at one end and defenses at the other. Michael Beasley seems like he has the makings of a great scorer. However, those three are not enough to hold off a hungry Blazer team. Portland will break through on the road in their 5th attempt. They are certainly capable of winning before that, even against the Lakers, Suns, Jazz or Magic. It is entirely possible they will have done so but on this night they will definitely get a win.

The Hornets know to improve on last year they will have to hold serve against the up and coming teams. They are well set up to do it. Their front line of Tyson Chandler and David West is well set up to deal with Portland. Peja Stojakovich provides the zone-busting outside shooting and Chris Paul is one of the best in the game at creating offense for other guys. It doesn't hurt that he himself can score almost at will.

The Hornets bench overall is not particularly strong but they do have guys like Mike James who, when they get hot, can carry a team for short stretches. Against the Blazers James tends to get hot. Pencil in the Hornets to win this one.

Closing out the trip will be Minnesota. Though the Wolves are much improved and playing at home, they simply don't have enough firepower to match the Blazers and the young Portland team will go to .500 for the trip.

With the confidence of a couple wins they head to Golden State. The Warriors picked up the talented Corey Maggette but effectively lost Pietrus, Boom Dizzle, Matt Barnes, and Monta Ellis, at least for this section of the season. The Warriors will still be a very dangerous team. Stephen Jackson and Maggette are both capable of putting up monster numbers and, with the departure of so much scoring punch, will do so with great frequency this year. Unfortunately for their fans, the flexibility and endless waves of talent the Warriors used to be able to throw at opponents has been reduced to a much less dangerous squad. They are just good enough to tantalize...they can win on any given night and even are capable of blowing out top-flight teams. But they are also capable of losing to any team, including the Thunder that stole their mascot's name. Portland will take this one, finish the longest road trip of the season at 3-2 and stand at 6-5, over .500 for the first time all year.

They then are home for a back to back. Having a back to back after a 5 game road trip almost turns it into a 6 game road trip. Still, glad to be home, the Blazers should handle the Jekyll and Hyde Bulls. It remains to be seen if they will return to their winning ways from 2 years ago or if they have become the middle country version of Isaiah's Knicks. Either way, Portland is just plain better. The guard corp for Portland is at least as deep as Chicagos and better all the way around and the front court of Chicago is not in the conversation with Portland's. Even at the end of a road trip Portland should win.

After their lengthy one night return home Portland heads back out on the road after one day for back to backs at Sacramento and Phoenix. The Kings are just plain bad. They have Martin, Miller, and not much else. It is going to be a long, long year in Sacramento. That is unfortunate. I wish they had cashed one in when they had Bibby, Divac, Webber, Stojakovich, and those fun, fun Adelman teams. They are closer to making the NHL playoffs than the NBA playoffs with this roster. Portland picks up a road win.

Back to back in Phoenix, the 7th road game in 8 games, you can pencil this one in as unusual: a game the Blazers get blown out.

Back home, this time for 3: Sacramento, another easy win, then Miami and New Orleans. Miami should be another W. New Orleans...hmm. That will be a tough one. But Portland wants to make the playoffs this year. To make the playoffs in the Western Conference you will have to win most of your home games and about half your road games. This should be an epic, titanic struggle. At some point this year New Orleans has a good shot at breaking through in Portland and this is the time. Last year the Rose Garden was a huge factor in their success and 2008-09 will be no different, but they won't run the table.

Portland closes on the road in Detroit. Year after year Detroit rolls out their talented cast and does very well. But Portland matches up extremely well. I don't believe the hype about Rip Hamilton, Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace getting older. They play a very smart, team oriented game that relies on being in the right place more than on sheer athleticism.

That is not to slight the athletic abilities of the Pistons. They have the speed, leaping ability and power to compete with anyone. They simply use it in ways that mean their game will not see a big drop off when their legs go. Just as Reggie Miller was a lethal player long past his anticipated shelf life, these guys have a style that will extend their careers and effectiveness.

Beyond that, they are a well-balanced team. They can score inside or out. Tayshaun Prince is one of the most under rated players in the NBA. They are just plain a good team. How they only brought in one title is a curiosity that astounds me.

And yet I think Portland will find a way, in Detroit, to win. The balanced attack, the development of the Spanish Fly second unit, the way Portland can run at teams in waves will combine to produce a road victory to close out the month.

For November the Blazers should end up 10-6 and be sitting 11-7 overall. For the brutality of their schedule, that is a pretty good record.

A few of these games might flip-flop; it would not surprise me to see Portland win in Orlando but lose in Miami, for example, or beat the Hornets and lose to the Pistons. But they should be sitting pretty close to 11-7 and be well set up going into December.