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The good news from last season:
Portland won the lottery and was able to select Greg Oden with the top pick. The Blazers rebounded as a team, winning 41 games for the first time in four seasons… without the services of Oden, who was lost for the season with a knee injury. After a slow start, the team rattled off 13 wins in a row in December. Brandon Roy became an All-Star with his all-around game. LaMarcus Aldridge took a large step forward in his development. The squad was solid on defense, finishing eighth in the NBA in points allowed and field goal percentage.

The bad news from last season:
Oden missed his entire rookie season. Although they were good on defense, the team could have used the big man, having finished 20th in rebounding differential. The team also had issues scoring, finishing 28th in scoring, but the low output was due in part to the team’s slower pace, ranking 23rd in field goal attempts. Neither Jarrett Jack nor Steve Blake was able to give the team quality point guard play over the long term. Jack ended up being shipped to Indiana over the offseason.

The revolving door:
IN: F Nicolas Batum, G Jerryd Bayless, F Ike Diogu, G Rudy Fernandez
OUT: G Jarrett Jack, F James Jones, G Brandon Rush

Team overview:
The big question for the Blazers is how Greg Oden meshes with the team. Oden was an excellent rebounder and shotblocker while at Ohio State, but it remains to be seen how far along his offensive game has come. On the bright side, the big man was also able to use the year of rehab to bulk up for the long NBA season of banging with other big men. Joel Przybilla will back up and mentor Oden. The ninth-year man was healthy last season and provided his usual rebounding and defense of the rim. LaMarcus Aldridge will man the power forward spot, but provide a finesse complement to Oden. Asked to handle more of the offensive load in his second season, Aldridge responded, averaging 17.8 points per game last season, including passing the 25-point mark seven times, and hanging 19 double-doubles. Martell Webster, who started 70 contests a year ago, fractured a bone in his foot and will likely miss the first six weeks of the season. Webster provides a much-needed outside shooting touch, leading the team with 123 three-pointers. In his absence, Travis Outlaw will likely crack the starting lineup. Outlaw provided bench scoring for Portland, finishing as the team’s third-leading scorer at 13.3 points per game, but stepped up in his six starts, averaging 18.5 points per game. Channing Frye and Ike Diogu will likely back up Aldridge, but Diogu will get the first shot, as Frye suffered an ankle injury that will likely hold him out until mid-December. Diogu, who has bounced from Golden State to Indiana in his brief career, has always been productive in his limited minutes, averaging 20.1 points and 10.8 rebounds per 40 minutes in the last two seasons. Of course, his 6.3 fouls per 40 minutes are the downside of leaving him on the court. Frye had similar production coming off the bench last season, so it is important for Diogu to be productive out of the gate to win a rotation slot.

Brandon Roy will lead the backcourt once he gets past the injury he suffered in training camp that may cause him to miss a week at the beginning of the season. Roy developed his all-around game last season, averaging 19.1 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.7 rebounds last season. Steve Blake likely joins him as the starter, having started 78 games last year, especially since Jarrett Jack, who he split the spot with last season, is now a Pacer. Blake enjoyed a career year from downtown, making a career-high 121 three-pointers at a 40.6 percent proficiency rate. His ballhandling is also a strength, as he put up a 3.65-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. There are three backcourt bench options, including a rookie, a Spaniard, and a rookie Spaniard. Jerryd Bayless is the rookie from Arizona who is a proficient scorer and should provide energy and scoring punch off the bench. He may be a scorer to go with Roy’s playmaking skills. Sergio Rodriguez is the Spaniard. A flashy set-up man, Rodriguez has defensive deficiencies that have seriously limited his role on the Blazers, not to mention a shaky jump shot. The rookie Spaniard is Rudy Fernandez, a long, lanky combo guard who was drafted by the Suns in 2007 and traded to Portland. Fernandez is a skilled offensive player with NBA range and a good ability to both finish and set up his teammates, but has a way to go on the defensive end.

Fantasy note:
Oden will not be an immediate force, but is certainly worth a lineup spot. Expectations of 13.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game are reasonable. In case you are looking for a close comparison to a veteran player, he should be drafted about the same place as Emeka Okafor or Andrew Bogut, perhaps a little higher due to his potential.

Best case scenario:
Oden is everything the Blazers hope for and Roy takes another step toward stardom. The team also has a good complementary cast that provides ample support for these two and the team hits 50 victories on the dot, as well as proving to be a difficult first-round exit for one of the conference elite.

Worst case scenario:
Oden has a difficult time with his conditioning, developing his offense, and staying out of foul trouble. The team gets poor bench production, which leads to them dropping some winnable games and finishing with 38 wins.