When you take a look at the Western Conference, it seems as if the Lakers are at the top, with San Antonio not too far behind. The three to eight seeds are literally unpredictable, especially with the amount of free agent signings thus far during the off season.
What role will Greg Oden take on in Portland? Oden's role with the team and his health/effectiveness are probably the biggest concerns on anyone's mind. Oden seems to get hurt at the drop of a pin, and his fragility may be a key issue to the team's success.
How about Greg Oden's effectiveness? He missed the entire first season with a knee injury, and had some injury issues to deal with last season, but was pretty effective when healthy and his skills progressed rapidly.
The NBA world views Oden as a walking hazard that gets injured by every gust of wind that hits him. So, can Oden prove the world wrong and breakout in his second healthy season with the Blazers? If for whatever reason he remains healthy all year long and produces consistent averages, the Blazers will certainly be a top contending team in the West. Many Blazer fans have stated that it takes over a year to fully recover from knee surgery and that Oden was not 100 percent all season long during his "rookie season."
The young, inexperienced core of the Blazers team is another concern in Portland. Most of the players on the team have only played in one NBA playoffs, and that was last season, the first time the Blazers made it since 02-03. The lack of experience could limit the team's potential.
Another question that comes to mind is Andre Miller's impact on the team. The Blazers actually beat the Lakers twice last season, and Andre Miller's presence should make the team more dangerous against LA.
As far as Miller's impact is concerned, there's no doubt that most believe he'll improve the team. The bigger question at hand is the extent to which his presence will impact things.
When taking a look at the match-ups, Miller would win at the PG spot, Bryant would have a slight advantage against Roy (come on Lakers fans, give B-Roy some credit), Artest would beat Outlaw/Batum, Gasol would beat Aldridge (but by how much?), and Bynum would have an advantage over Oden (but who know's how well Oden will play).
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