I think Blazer fans are starting to get excited. Right now Theo is the talk of Portland. Portland has never had a big shot blocker since the days Dull Walton, and everybody is loves what Theo is bringing. He has helped us win a couple games already.
Rahim has not really found his niche yet. His presence though has help Zach get his offense going again. This needs to be something Mo focuses on. Zach is left handed, and Rahim right handed. They like to set up on opposite sides of the floor, and they both like to take the ball to the key rather than the baseline. If Mo develops this correctly we can develop good spacing on the floor, and we have multiple options on diving to the basket, and we still have to big guys that can score. Zach needs to work on his passing, and I would like to see Rahim develop a baseline move, and then "Oscarmire" and DA can spot up, backdoor, or dive to the basket on the pick and roll. Few teams have the advantage of two big time scorers on opposite sides of the floor, and Mo needs to figure out how to exploit that.
Miles has really been a tremendous surprise. This was a steal plain and simple. McInnis was redundant, and he is easily replaceable. Miles will never be that super player envisioned when he was drafted #3, but he has some real skills. He is solid in the open court, has shot the ball surprising well, has good shot blocking skills for a SF/SG, is a good defender in the passing lanes, and a solid passer. He has many of the qualities of a Scottie Pippen, but so far he hasn't shown that same passion for winning, and intensity on the floor. He would be a senior in college right now if he hadn't been drafted, so he still has major upside. He still needs to get that focus and intensity if he wants to take it to the next level. Right now he is a 12 pt, 4 rb, 3 ast type player. He could be a 17/18 pt, 7 rebound, 5 ast, 2 stl type player.
We still need a shooter behind DA. This was Person's role, and I hope we can find someone like him. A player like that would do wonders for us.
We can defintely make the playoffs, but it is still an uphill battle, and no guarantees. This offseason will be interesting. Dale Davis is gone. We have two mid-first round picks. Outlaw will be ready to start getting more minutes. It will be interesting to see if Charlotte is willing to take Damon off of our hands. Damon has played very well all year, and has really stepped up. There are other options out there that would be better for us in the long run (Brent Barry), but if he stays one more year, then that is fine.
