Portland Trailblazers Season Review

 

Team Record: 70 � 12 (1st in the Western Conference)

 

Season Highlight:

 

The Trail Blazers are the gold standard for success in the NSL, the 2022 � 2023 season was no different.  Top of the western conference? Check, league best record once again? Check

The Trailblazers finish the season at the top of the league for the 3^rd time in 4 seasons, the only season they didn�t, they were one win off the pace lol.  Jmac has an absurd understanding of how to maximise his team and get wins on the board.  Reaching the Western Conference finals for a 4^th straight season is also a highlight of the season. 

 

Season Lowlight:

 

Would it be controversial to say the lowlight is a re-sim?  I know that Jmac still has nightmares about this past Western Conference Finals.  I believe he was leading in the third quarter of Game 7 in the Western Conference finals before the game ultimately crashed.  No matter how you look at it, a re-sim in a game 7 is everyone�s worst nightmare.  The Re-sim went the way of the San Antonio Spurs, ultimately eliminating the trailblazers and Jmacs dream of Lebron and KD Champsionship.  Absolutely brutal blow for the blazers.

 

Best Trade:

 

Blazers Send: Russel Westbrook, Rudy Gay, Justise Winslow, Karlo Matkovic

Blazers Receive: Lauri Markannen, Bojan Bogdanovic, Robert Covington, Seth Curry, Marko Simonovic and 2 2nds

 

This is a big trade with lots of moving parts, so there is a tonne to unpack here, as with all Jmac trades though, it�s hard to know if there is more involved than what is in this transaction.  Russ is a 2k stud and was a great 3^rd banana in Portland, albeit he was very expensive and, on a decline, therefore, we see him shipped out in this deal.  Lauri Markkanen who at the time was an above average role player, Bojan Bogdanovic, Robert Covington and Seth Curry are all great pieces to get in return for what was sent out.  Getting off Russ here was huge and created a tonne of flexibility for the blazers.

 

Worst Trade:

 

Blazers Send: Lauri Markkanen and 2 2nds

Blazers Receive: Marcus Morris Snr Bkn 27 first

 

Hindsight is always 20/20, everyone was so quick to jump on Jmac about this (myself included) saying he got the better end of the deal and I think that�s because, I don�t think anyone saw Lauri becoming what he has ultimately become in the last 12 months, he took a huge leap in his new role in Utah going from a slightly above average role player to an All-star in the NBA and looks to build on that this year.  The Nets laugh last and loudest with this deal, absolute home run in hindsight.

Other Notable Trades:

 

Blazers Send: James Harden and Pick 7 (Bennedict Mathurin)

Blazers Receive: LeBron James and future first

 

This is a league altering trade, the ripple effects from this trade are bigger than any we have seen in the NSL to date.  Jmac gets the best player by a landslide but pick 7 ultimately ends up in LA as a part of the Giannis deal.  This trade took forever to complete and was way more complicated due to Harden�s contract situation, but it got done in the end.

 

Blazers send: Robert Covington, Milwaukee 25 first, New York 25 first

Blazers Receive: Jakob Poeltl and 2 2nds

 

This deal saw the Trailblazers secure their big man of the future and ultimately allowed them to move on their engine room which was Andre Drummond.  Poeltl is a fantastic big, he rebounds, he defends, he blocks shots and doesn�t take the ball out of the star players hands.

 

Blazers Send: Cole Anthony

Blazers Receive: Toronto 23 first, Minnesota 24 first, Toronto 25 first

 

Cole is a great young player, but no matter how you look at it 3 firsts is good value for Cole even though they all project to be late.  Jmac just continues to hoard picks for his �inevitable rebuild� as he would say.

 

Free Agency:

 

Jmac is going to have his hands full trying to retain his guys this upcoming free agency.  Trying to retain Caris LeVert, Cameron Reddish, Jakob Poeltl, LeBron James (I believe).  Will they be more active than retaining these guys? I would assume so, but I believe this will be the priority.

 

Star: Kevin Durant

 

Kevin Durant was the star for the blazers in the 2023 season, purely due to a game played ruling.  While I think LeBron would have got it, his mid 20�s games played for the blazers in the regular season wasn�t enough for the nod.  KD played 50 games for the blazers in their 2022-2023 campaign and put up a very respectable 26/5/3 line on 53/40/89 splits, ridiculous efficiency, but that�s what we expect from the greatest scoring forward of all time, right?  KD�s averages took a slight dip in the post season, but this is mostly due to being paired with LeBron James!

 

Flop: LeBron James trade?

I know this likely isn�t a common thought, but I believe Jmac sees this trade as a flop now days.  LeBron being PG eligible was a lot of the reason for the trade I believe, and LeBron was not eligible to play and will not be eligible to play the point guard position for the Trailblazers.  Furthermore, the trade became a bit of a nightmare with Harden option into his contract and creating a whole other hurdle for the trade to be completed.  Finally, the assets used got re-routed for Giannis Antetokounmpo, which strengthened the Spurs in their rivalry against the blazers.

 

Draft Grades:

Does Jmac even know what the NSL draft is?  Has he ever made a pick? These are questions I have no idea about as I believe he didn�t make a pick this past season.  But with the number of picks, he has coming up in the next couple of years, he might want to get around it.

 

 

The Roster:

 

C: Jakob Poeltl / Isaiah Hartenstein

PF: Zeke Nnaji

SF: LeBron James /

SG: Cameron Reddish / Caris Levert

PG: Damian Lillard / Kris Dunn

 

It�s extremely hard to get a gauge

 

Concluding Thoughts:

The Trailblazers are the gold standard of the league, with a record of 282 � 46 since the league started, this is good for a ridiculous 85.98%-win percentage.  I believe the blazers have plenty of moves to make to get this roster right back to the conference finals/finals.  Jmac is savvy, he has the assets, he has LeBron James and Damian Lillard.  It�s a big year for the blazers as they look to cement their dynasty, 3 championships in 5 years would be one hell of a feat!

 

Good luck for the season ahead Jmac.