The Portland Trail Blazers do not look like much of a threat sitting in 7th place in the West only seven games of .500 with a 32-25 record. But the Blazers have suffered injury problems as they do every year it seems. Their best player, Brandon Roy, as only played in 24 games and just returned from arthroscopic surgery on both knees. Their best rebounder, Marcus Camby, has been out for weeks due to knee surgery as well and is listed as day-to-day. Their former #1 pick, Greg Oden, is out for the season with a broken kneecap too. So for this team to still be in the playoff hunt is a minor miracle to start off, and then they went out and made a pretty decent sized splash in the trade pool yesterday
Portland's General Manager, Rich Cho, brought in a guy that can do a little bit of everything. The guy is 3-4 man Gerald Wallace formerly of the Charlotte Bobcats. Wallace is averaging 15.6 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game in 39 minutes per game. He is a great finisher around the rim, can shoot mid and long range jumpers, and it's a beast on the boards. I know what casual NBA fans are thinking: "Wait, since when does getting 8 boards a game make you a beast on the boards?" Well for a taller man that is average, but when you are only 6-7 like Wallace then that is pretty impressive. Wallace also will bring more energy to this team. But now the Blazers have a problem. Who's going to start, Wallace or Nic Batum?
To me, this is a no-brainer. Batum, while averaging about 7 minutes less than Wallace, is averaging 4 points and rebounds less than him. 7 minutes less time on the basketball court and could make up the difference, but I think Wallace is the better player than Batum. He is the older, more experienced player who is definitely the better boards crasher. They are probably even scoring wise. Since Camby is out right now, I think Wallace should get the nod over Batum. When Camby returns to the starting lineup is where I see a tough decision between Batum and Wallace.
In conclusion, keep an eye on the Trail Blazers towards the home stretch of the regular season and in the postseason, if they make it. With Roy back, Camby most likely returning soon, and the addition of Wallace, the Blazers are all of a sudden a formidable and very dangerous team. They have plenty of scorers and plenty of guys that can grab rebounds. They are so talented that even their second team could put up big numbers on you. Even if they have a disappointing finish to the season, you should still watch because they have three of the most exciting players in the NBA in Wallace, Batum, and Rudy Fernandez. All three know how to finish with style, and there is a good chance all 3 could be on the floor at the same time as well. In the end, look for Portland to blaze a trail to the Finals...or at least look great trying.
References
http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/group/2
http://espn.go.com/nba/team/stats/_/name/por/portland-trail-blazers
http://www.nba.com/blazers/news/injuries.html
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=6155334
http://espn.go.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/1026/gerald-wallace
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