Portland Trail Blazers Tickets

Portland Trailblazers 2009 Season Update The Portland Trailblazers have overcome injuries and distractions this year to still sit in second place in the Northwest Division and hang in the uppper echelon of the Western Conference.

As expected, the Blazers are lead by guard Brandon Roy. For some reason, head coach Nate McMillan thought it might be best for the team if Roy came off the bench. That caused a frustrated Roy to lash out, but he is no worse for the wear.

Roy is still starting and averaging over 22 points and five assists per game. He is the team's unquestioned leader and always seems to make the big play in crunch time.

The Trailblazers had to be excited by the development of center Greg Oden this year only to see him lost for the season with a serious knee injury. It's disappointing to see Oden's progress come to a halt and also means the team has less depth down in the paint.

Oden is actually the team leader in rebounds, averaging over eight per game. There is really no way to make up for his lost production, but hopefully he can return 100 percent healthy in time for the start of next season.

LeMarcus Aldridge will try to help fill the void. He is averaging over
16 points per game, but his work on the glass has been disappointing this year. The Blazers would like to see Aldridge become more aggressive when it comes to trying to grab rebounds, as well as on the defensive end of the floor.

The team still has some questions at the point guard position, where no one has emerged yet as the true starter. With Jarret Jack no longer with the team, the position is at least a little bit clearer, but Steve Blake and Andre Miller are still battling each other for playing time.

For now, the Blazers are sticking with the quicker Miller at point guard. Not only does he have the ability to get into the paint, but he is also much quicker and a better defender. Blake is a better pure point guard, but his lack of quickness makes him mostly an outside player on offense. He also struggles to stay in front of quicker guards on the other end of the floor.

Rookie Jerryd Bayless has been a spark plug and instant scoring off of the bench. Portland has to be thrilled at how quickly the rookie has adapted to playing in the NBA. Look for him to continue to earn more playing time as the season progresses.

Portland has a ridiculous amount of young talent and wants to show that they have grown from last year's disappointing first-round playoff loss. Despite the loss of Oden, this team is ready to take the next step and win a first-round playoff series. Look for the Blazers to show that they are getting closer, though not quite there yet, for being a true contender out West.