No team has received more hype about a bright future over the past few years than the Portland Trail Blazers. After a long hiatus from the postseason they finally made it back last spring, but were summarily dispatched by the Houston Rockets. Now is the time for the Blazers to live up to all the hoopla and take that next step. Simply put, this season the Blazers need to find some postseason success. Here is a preview of what to expect this season, and what we here at HOOPSWORLD see as we look into the state of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2009-2010. Five Guys Think... Travis Heath After losing out on Hedo Turkoglu and Paul Millsap in free agency, the Blazers finally got their man when Andre Miller agreed to terms. For the last few seasons the Blazers have benefited from being able to talk about being a team of the future while not having to completely live up to that potential. This is no longer the case as the Blazers' window of opportunity is now officially open. Over the years we've seen a number of young teams who can get to the playoffs rather quickly but then have trouble getting out of the first round for a number of seasons. This is something the Blazers are going to have to overcome this season no matter how well Portland performs in the regular season. 2nd Place Northwest Division Bill Ingram As much as the Blazers wanted to add Hedo Turkoglu to the mix, Andre Miller may address more immediate needs for the team. A true upgrade over Steve Blake, Miller gives the Blazers a legitimate set-up man at the point, someone who will instantly make LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, and even Greg Oden even more effective. This is the year the Blazers challenge for Western Conference supremacy in the postseason. 1st Place, Northwest Division Luke Byrnes The Trail Blazers have one of the best collections of young talent in the NBA and, with the addition of Andre Miller at the point guard position, are primed to compete for a Western Conference crown in 2010. Brandon Roy is one of the game's best young players and LaMarcus Aldridge is blossoming into one of the top second options in the NBA. If Greg Oden can stay healthy and become a consistent force on the defensive end, the Blazers will make a deep run in the playoffs this season. 2nd Place, Northwest Division Joel Brigham This is the year the Blazers grow from boys into men, led by Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and newly-signed point guard Andre Miller. This is a roster absolutely stacked with talent, and if they can get a full, healthy year out of Greg Oden averaging more than 21.5 minutes a game, they should be fantastic. The Blazers are an excellent field goal shooting team with a roster of talent coming into its own. This team is going to have a bandwagon this year, and for now, I'm on it. 1st Place, Northwest Division Yannis Koutroupis For years we've been talking about how good the Portland Trail Blazers are going to be once they finally get some experience and now they finally have it. Andre Miller and Brandon Roy form one of the best backcourts in the league while LaMarcus Aldridge continues to develop into an big time power forward. The spotlight will really be on Greg Oden as his development is key in the Blazers' rise to contention. If he can get into shape and contribute significantly nightly the Blazers will be in the mix in the West, if not it's time to chalk him up to another victim of over hyping. Martell Webster is under some heat as well to contribute, but because of their depth the Blazers can't be viewed as anything other than the second best team in the Northwest even if Webster and Oden don't breakout. 2nd Place, Northwest Division Top Of The List Top Offensive Player: Brandon Roy. In three seasons in the league Roy has notched a Rookie of the Year award, two All-Star appearances, and a second-team All-NBA selection. Last season he led the team in scoring (22.6 points a game), assists (5.1), steals (1.13), and was fourth on the team in rebounds (4.7), all while shooting a career-high 48% from the field. During the six-game series with the Rockets he raised his averages in scoring, rebounding, steals, blocks, free throw shooting, and three-point shooting (a phenomenal 47%). The Trail Blazers have other offensive talents, such as power forward LaMarcus Aldridge and now point guard Andre Miller, but Roy is the captain of the ship. As he goes, the Trail Blazers go. Top Defensive Player: Nicolas Batum. It's very, very rare for a player to step into the role of defensive stopper as a rookie. It's even more rare for that rookie to be coming from overseas because in addition to making the adjustments to the NBA game they also have to adjust to life in the United States with the changes in food, language, and everything else. Batum not only did both, but did it well. As the other starting wing player (opposite Roy) Batum routinely found himself matched up with the other team's best offensive player, on any given night guarding players like Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Josh Howard, or Stephen Jackson. Those guys are always going to get their points, but Batum made them work harder for their points while also preserving Roy's energy to direct the offense and saving his fouls. Joel Przybilla gets an honorable mention here as the team's best and most consistent post defender, rebounder, and shot blocker. Top Playmaker: Roy. The offense of the Blazers runs through Roy. Steve Blake may have been the starting point guard, but 75% of the time his first pass was immediately to Roy after bringing the ball up court. Then Roy would initiate the offense with a drive to the hoop, pass around the wing, or entry pass to the post. With the addition of Andre Miller as the new starting point guard, a consummate playmaker in his own right, perhaps some of that pressure will come off Roy's shoulders, but whether or not that's a good or bad thing remains to be seen. Top Clutch Player: Roy. There are players you don't want to see the ball in their hands when a team needs a basket. Kobe Bryant. LeBron James. Ray Allen. Paul Pierce. Roy belongs in that same group. Every time the Blazers need a score – not just in late-game situations – the ball will be in Roy's hands and he will be moving towards the hoop (though, as the Houston Rockets can attest, Roy can shoot too). His deceptive speed and body control will almost always allow him a good look at the hoop, which is all a coach really asks for in final shot situations. Top Unheralded Player: Joel Przybilla. Ever since the Blazers drafted Greg Oden two years ago Przybilla has been the forgotten man. Actually, even before then. However, while Oden struggled with consistency, foul trouble, and injuries last season Przybilla stepped right back into the starting lineup and did what he always did – led the team in rebounding (8.7), blocks (1.18), and scored 5.5 a game on 63% shooting. The rebounding number was a career-high, despite playing more minutes in two other seasons during his five years in Portland. Przybilla also proved durable last season, playing in all 82 games for the first time in his nine-year career. He'll probably move back to the bench this season as the team hopes Oden can gain the form they hope, but if needed Przybilla can step back into the starting lineup without the team missing a beat. Best New Addition: Andre Miller. The Blazers had money to spend this summer and while Miller ended up being their third option he was probably the best use of the money. He'll be the starting point guard and take some of the playmaking pressure off Brandon Roy, while at the same time giving the team what they haven't had in a long time – a true point guard. Miller is a threat in the pick-and-roll, in the post, in the open floor, and can hit the mid-range jumper. When was the last time the Blazers had a point guard that multi-talented? Terry Porter? Miller doesn't have that kind of range, but he could have that kind of impact. Portland's only other additions were rookies Jeff Pendergraph and Dante Cunningham plus veteran Juwan Howard, none of whom figure to see consistent action. Who We Like 1. Brandon Roy. The $80 million man is the team's leader, heart, and soul. He's the best player, the top playmaker, and just an overall nice guy. Why wouldn't we like him? 2. LaMarcus Aldridge. Unfortunately for Aldridge this is always going to be Roy's team, but he could be just as important to the team's success. Aldridge is the Blazers' best post scorer and has range out to the three-point line, plus his post defense has improved a lot over the past couple seasons. With an almost- unblockable high jump shot in the post – a la Rasheed Wallace in his heyday – Aldridge could still stand to improve his rebounding a tad. 3. Greg Oden. Is he better than Kevin Durant? Nope. Will he ever be better than Kevin Durant? Probably not. Should we hold that against Oden? Absolutely not. Unfortunately for Oden his career will always be linked to Durant's, but he still has the ability to become a monster of a defender in the NBA and he will never be asked to be more than the third option – if that high – on offense as long as Roy and Aldridge are around. Given that, the chances he is ever a 20-10 player are very slim…but 15-15 isn't out of the realm of possibility at all. Oden has very good defensive instincts and when healthy and comfortable ( such as just before getting a bone chip in his knee in February ) has nice hands around the basket. 4. Andre Miller. Andre Miller is not going to talk much. He won't be a media favorite and he's not the type of point guard to get someone's face on the floor like Chris Paul, but even after 10 years in the NBA Miller is a threat for a triple-double when he steps on the floor and his demeanor demands full effort from his teammates. With a young and athletic team he will want to push the tempo – and it's been a long time since Portland had a point guard who could consistently do that with success. Watching him direct the offense from the post should be quite the joy for Blazer fans. 5. The Bench. Assuming Nicolas Batum takes the starting job at the small forward spot – or even if he doesn't and the spot goes to a healthy Martell Webster – Portland's bench is full of players who have been starters. Steve Blake started for the team the past two years. Przybilla started for four years. Webster was a starter in 2007-08. Travis Outlaw has started off and on. Rudy Fernandez has had much success as a starter for Spain in international play. Veteran addition Juwan Howard has had a lengthy NBA career most players strive for. This bench is deep and talented, and as long as everyone accepts their role and stays ready in case of an injury, this bench could be the best in the league. Along with the experience and leadership it boasts excellent shooting (Fernandez, Webster, Blake), good post play (Przybilla), good rebounding (Przybilla, Webster, Outlaw), and some outstanding athleticism (Webster, Outlaw, Fernandez). That's a recipe for postseason success. Strengths As one would expect from a team that won 54 games last season, added a starting point guard, and didn't lose anyone who made a difference, the Blazers have a few of them. They are a good rebounding team – actually, scratch that. They are an excellent rebounding team, grabbing 53.4% of all the rebounds in their games for tops in the NBA in 2008-09. A healthy Oden and Webster should only improve that. They were also fifth in the NBA in scoring differential at +5.3. Their 14th-ranked offense (99.4 points a game) may look average as the number suggests, but when you pair that with the fourth-ranked scoring defense (94.1 points a game) it becomes outstanding. With Andre Miller leading the charge now you can expect the team's pace (of which Portland had one of the lowest Pace Factors in the NBA) to increase – the only question is if they can maintain or even improve the differentials that made them so successful last season. Weaknesses Free throw shooting is one weakness. As a team the Blazers shot 77% from the line, which isn't horrible (18th in the league) but it's not great either. (In a for-what-it's worth stat, Portland's opponents led the NBA in free throw shooting at 80% from the line.) Portland's worst offenders were centers Przybilla and Oden, who both shot under 67% but get to the line a combined 5.8 times a game. The Coach's Chair By Mike Moreau What Needs To Be Said On Opening Day.... We now have one of the most talented and experienced backcourts in the NBA, and as much good young talent and depth up front as any team in the league. The step we took last year was an important one, but our next step is the most important - to move toward contending. And we have to carry ourselves as just that – contenders. No more talk about potential, or upside, or the bright future. Our future is right now. We are in the thick of this hunt, and we defer to no one and back down from no team. Winning on the road is the best way to make that statement, and we will walk into opponents arenas expecting to win. - Mike Moreau The Burning Question What's Next For Jerryd Bayless? Portland was thrilled when they came out of the 2008 NBA Draft with Bayless, but he didn't play too much last season (12.4 minutes in 53 games) and with the addition of Miller is clearly the third point guard. He can play the two with his dynamic scoring abilities, but that spot is manned by Roy and Rudy so there won't be minutes there either. Blake is a free agent after next season – can he be patient for another year? The general consensus from observers is Bayless took a step back at this past summer's Vegas Summer League from his outstanding performance as a rookie – so will he even be ready? http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=13889 --

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