Summer can be a tense time of year for Portland basketball diehards when the Blazers miss the playoffs, as the fan base is left to speculate on an uncertain future during the free agency/summer league stretch. When the team spirals down from playoff contention with a 13-game losing streak as it did to close out the season in April, the months leading up to October become even more uneasy.
Blazers owner Paul Allen and general manager Neil Olshey have had plenty of issues to address over the last few weeks. Portland struggled to find their rhythm last season, with periods of inspired play undone by the overall inexperience of the roster. The Blazers’ bench was also among the worst in the league in 2012–13, putting even more pressure on lone All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge and Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard.
Fans have held out hope for years that the franchise will be able to land the marquee free agent that will make the difference in Portland, and it looks like they will have to wait another year after the organization was unable to lure any of the summer’s biggest names. Instead, Olshey concentrated on adding some much-needed role players to the roster. The Blazers upgraded considerably in that regard, bringing in three-point threat Dorell Wright, last year’s No. 5 pick Thomas Robinson, rookie lottery selection C.J. McCollum and veteran point guard Earl Watson.
But Portland’s most important pickup came in the low post when the team acquired center Robin Lopez through a trade with the New Orleans Hornets. The Blazers have been in need of a strong presence in the paint for a long time now, someone who can provide consistent interior defense and control the boards. Lopez will be expected to give Portland the inside help they have lacked in recent years and should complement Aldridge nicely.
The majority of Portland’s bench went on to compete in the NBA’s Summer League in Las Vegas, a two-week event that gives teams the opportunity to try out different roster combinations before the season begins. The Summer League provides a venue for unsigned players to showcase their talent and allows players already under contract to build chemistry with their teammates.
Portland’s lineup finished 1-5, but Blazer fans were treated to solid performances by McCollum and Robinson. Robinson demonstrated his ability on the glass, posting the league’s third-best rebounding average with nearly 13 per game, while McCollum shined on offense, coming in second among all scorers with 21 points per game.
It was a summer of pleasant surprises for the Blazers, but now comes the really difficult part: Portland will have to figure out whether all these new parts add up to a playoff team.