Are the Blazers elite?

[tlongII]

Everyone knows what I think...

I want to hear everyone else's opinion.

[Chieflion]

Keep thinking what you want then.

[bostonguy]

No they arent. Maybe in a few years but certainly not at the moment. Win a playoff series first then we can talk about that next step to being elite.

[gaKNOW!blee]

:lmao

:lol

:lmao

[Culburn369]

Yes, but only when the Lakers come to town.

[KidCongo]

Have to mature and get experience.

[Guajalote]

Future looks bright if they can keep their pieces healthy and on the team.

[lil_penny]

I wouldn't say they are elite yet.. I would like to see how the season pans out first before I say that... I think adding miller was a good upgrade and the team matured and learned a lot from the rockets during the playoffs, imo it will make for a great key for next year hopefully.

[Ghazi]

No IMO because their defense is mediocre and they lack reliable post offense. Furthermore I just think they're too damn young. When's the last time someone as young as Roy led a team to a title? Duncan in '99 I think.

Miller was a nice signing though.

EDIT: D-Whistle didn't lead the Heat to a title in 2006. But alas, Roy isn't really in Whistle's class anyway.

[CubanMustGo]

http://www.phuckpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/oh_hell_no_cat.jpg

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Not quite, need a bit more seasoning and guys like Oden and Batum to develop, but in 2-3 years you should be contending, especially as by then the Celtics and Mavs will have fallen off the age cliff, the Spurs will be staring at the post-Duncan era, and Kobe will be declining.

[Findog]

Elite: Lakers, Celtics, Cavs, Magic, Spurs

[BlackSwordsMan]

future suns of the east

[Kai]

Elite: Lakers, Celtics, Cavs, Magic, Spurs

this. The Blazers are a clear tier-2 team. They seem to lack a toughness that will hopefully come with experience. Roy is an absolute stud, though.

[iggypop123]

by the time they can be elite its time to pay all those rookie contracts and they will regress instead

[redzero]

If they trade for Chris Paul, maybe.

[spursfaninla]

Blazers COULD be elite....

in 2-3 years.

You have to give it to TBONG, he has been a faithful (though delusional) Jail Blazer fan forever.

And a Spurstalk Troll just as long. At least he is (mostly) confining it to the NBA forum now.

[23LeBronJames23]

We will see next year!

[KSeal]

No.

[Chieflion]

If they trade for Chris Paul, maybe.
Any trade with Chris Paul in it must have Brandon Roy or Greg Oden going to the Hornets.

[Cry Havoc]

:lmao

Enjoy your 6th seed 1st round exit.

:lmao

[Ghazi]

^ gmab

[redzero]

I would take Roy over Wade anyday of the week.

Are you insane? I would take Wade over Roy and Kobe.

[Findog]

I would take Roy over any SG in the league not named Kobe.

So you're saying Wade is a PG?

[Findog]

I would take Roy over Wade anyday of the week.

Wow.

[johngateswhiteley]

Are you insane? I would take Wade over Roy and Kobe.

agreed. Dwayne Wade is the best SG in the league. its true.

[Findog]

The only thing Roy has on Wade is durability, youth and the fact that he's still playing on his rookie contract. That's a GM perspective, not a coach perspective.

[Ditty]

by the time they can be elite its time to pay all those rookie contracts and they will regress instead

yah that should strart catching up with them next season and the following luckily blazers have the richest owner in the league but supposedly he is losing money so we will see how much he get into the luxary tax or all these talented young players might leave in 2011 when the contracts expire and there will be one team that will have alot of money that summer :toast

[DMX7]

No, they are not.

Elite= Lakers, Spurs, Celtics, Cavs

(yes, I left off the Magic, they won't be back)

[Rogue]

The only thing Roy has on Wade is durability, youth and the fact that he's still playing on his rookie contract. That's a GM perspective, not a coach perspective.
D-Whistle is a damn good player but not this good, you praised so much as though dude had carried his team to finals in 06 and finally won the championship without the help from those bribed officials and their whistles. His youth and off-showing style gain him so much love from the fans and coaches while his poor shooting skills are always ignored. Kobe is unarguably superior to the rest SGs followed by names like D-Whistle and Roy, but it's really a difficult job to tell another one from these names better than the rest. Roy, D-Whistle and Durant are roughly around the same horizon, if Durant is also considered a SG.

[Allanon]

I think Portland will get a big-time FA in 2010 and become elite. But until then they're still lacking veteran leadership.

Only way to get that leadership is to keep on truckin' in the Playoffs or go and buy somebody. Andre Miller is a good start but he doesn't have the respect that a more talented player would garner.

Either way, they're an extremely entertaining team to watch.

[23LeBronJames23]

No! only Elite teams are
Cleveland Cavaliers
LA Lakers
Boston Celtics

and after just gettin Andre Miller dont make them Elite!
But i bet that Portland did get better!

[tlongII]

Wade is great, but I think Roy is better. Dwyane turns it over too much.

[tlongII]

And we ARE an elite team. All of our players are better merely from experience and we won 54 games last year.

[milkshakeballa]

There are three talking points that no reasonable letter about TLong can possibly ignore:

I invite you to talk to TLong yourself if you feel that I'm misrepresenting his position.
TLong is blinded by greed.
It would be grossly premature for TLong to claim final victory.
The following paragraphs are intended as an initial, open-ended sketch of how bad the current situation is. I have the following to say to the assertion that he can achieve his goals by friendly and moral conduct: Baloney! He can write anything he wants about how things would be different were we to give into his demands and let him gain a virtual stranglehold on many facets of our educational system, but "TLong" has now become part of my vocabulary. Whenever I see someone annihilate a person's personality, individuality, will, and character, I tell him or her to stop "TLong-ing". On a closing note, I hope that this letter, while incomplete, informal, and having no authority except its own inner strength and conviction, has clearly demonstrated to you that TLong's dissertations prove that he did little to no research before concluding that all literature that opposes cynicism was forged by sneaky yokels.

[23LeBronJames23]

Wade is great, but I think Roy is better. Dwyane turns it over too much.

They both about as good, only Wade stats are higher. imo dwayne is better.

[The Franchise]

Wade is great, but I think Roy is better. Dwyane turns it over too much.

I think they can be considered elite, and ^ this statement is just retarded.

[tlongII]

There are three talking points that no reasonable letter about TLong can possibly ignore:

I invite you to talk to TLong yourself if you feel that I'm misrepresenting his position.
TLong is blinded by greed.
It would be grossly premature for TLong to claim final victory.
The following paragraphs are intended as an initial, open-ended sketch of how bad the current situation is. I have the following to say to the assertion that he can achieve his goals by friendly and moral conduct: Baloney! He can write anything he wants about how things would be different were we to give into his demands and let him gain a virtual stranglehold on many facets of our educational system, but "TLong" has now become part of my vocabulary. Whenever I see someone annihilate a person's personality, individuality, will, and character, I tell him or her to stop "TLong-ing". On a closing note, I hope that this letter, while incomplete, informal, and having no authority except its own inner strength and conviction, has clearly demonstrated to you that TLong's dissertations prove that he did little to no research before concluding that all literature that opposes cynicism was forged by sneaky yokels.


FYI - This was written by a typical Laker fan. I'll leave you to your own conclusions...

[Lars]

They would be if they took Durant. Pritchard really messed up with the whole Darius Miles thing, then the Raef thing, then all those draft picks and cap space with nothing to show for it.

I cant say they are elite because they would still get waxed by SA, LA, Cle, Bost and Orlando in a series.

They are about Dallas/Denver level atm, but better than the Hornets/Jazz/Suns

[ElNono]

LOL Blazers
LOL Oden
Elite??? :lmao

[Culburn369]

They would be if they took Durant. Pritchard really messed up with the whole Darius Miles thing, then the Raef thing, then all those draft picks and cap space with nothing to show for it.

How bout when they messed up and took Bowie instead of Jordan?

[23LeBronJames23]

How bout when they messed up and took Bowie instead of Jordan?

haha. hey Durant The Next Jordan lmao

[redzero]

Wade is great, but I think Roy is better. Dwyane turns it over too much.

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u115/rcbaker87/Not_sure_if_serious.jpg

[The Third Man]

All of this depends on Greg Oden's development. I don't think Brandon Roy is going to get much better (and I am not dissing him, I just think he has squeezed as much talent as can be expected from his athleticism). There also may not be enough minutes available for a lot of their young players (Fernandez, Webster, Outlaw) to develop properly. I also tend to think of Aldridge a solid player, but a bit too soft to be elite. We shall see. As a Rockets fan, I would certainly rather be in their shoes, of course.

[Rogue]

All of this depends on Greg Oden's development. I don't think Brandon Roy is going to get much better (and I am not dissing him, I just think he has squeezed as much talent as can be expected from his athleticism). There also may not be enough minutes available for a lot of their young players (Fernandez, Webster, Outlaw) to develop properly. I also tend to think of Aldridge a solid player, but a bit too soft to be elite. We shall see. As a Rockets fan, I would certainly rather be in their shoes, of course.

I think they can be considered elite, and ^ this statement is just retarded.

[carrao45]

Wade is great, but I think Roy is better. Dwyane turns it over too much.

Roy is not even close. Wade does have better stats, but I like to go by watching the player and judging by what I see. And after considering the games I have seen of both, Wade is better, by quite a bit in fact

[DJB]

They would be elite if Popp was their coach.

[DJB]

No! only Elite teams are
Cleveland Cavaliers
LA Lakers
Boston Celtics

and after just gettin Andre Miller dont make them Elite!
But i bet that Portland did get better!

An elite team doesn't get swept in the finals.

[Amaso]

Brandon Roy isn't even close to D-Wade. He doesn't dominate possession to possession like Wade. Roy is a top 15 player though. Probably closer to #10 than #15.

[milkshakeballa]

FYI - This was written by a typical Laker fan. I'll leave you to your own conclusions...

My point...I wasn't expecting you to even understand my post because of yout limited vocabulary..which is probably on par with my pet snail Martha.

So don't try to reson my post TLong...its out of your league.

[Spurs da champs]

Yeah if Oden gets some game.

[JamStone]

There are two elite teams in the NBA right now, the Lakers and the Celtics. The only other team that can make any kind of argument to being in the class of those two teams is the Spurs. After that, there are a few teams that are "contenders." As always, guess it would depend on what your definition of "elite" is, but to me, no, the Blazers are not elite. Good team, among the second tier of contenders. But, not elite.

[Chieflion]

There are two elite teams in the NBA right now, the Lakers and the Celtics. The only other team that can make any kind of argument to being in the class of those two teams is the Spurs. After that, there are a few teams that are "contenders." As always, guess it would depend on what your definition of "elite" is, but to me, no, the Blazers are not elite. Good team, among the second tier of contenders. But, not elite.
The other team that made the finals is not elite. Ok. A team with LeBron James is not elite? Wow. Just Wow.

[JamStone]

As always, guess it would depend on what your definition of "elite" is

[mystargtr34]

Pretty much what everyone is saying, i put the Blazers in the second category with Dallas, Denver and a healthy Utah. Im not sure there's any second tier teams in the East, after the big 3 there is a pretty big drop... maybe Atlanta.

[Muser]

The other team that made the finals is not elite. Ok. A team with LeBron James is not elite? Wow. Just Wow.


No they're not, you have LeBron, old man Shaq and a bunch of scrubs.

[spursfan1000]

No, they need Oden to get better, lets say a 15 PPG and 12 RPG player. Miller is getting old so he wont be there when the Blazers are ready to make a run for the title.

[TDMVPDPOY]

No, they need Oden to get better, lets say a 15 PPG and 12 RPG player. Miller is getting old so he wont be there when the Blazers are ready to make a run for the title.

u think oden will get 15ppg 12rpg?

[Chieflion]

No they're not, you have LeBron, old man Shaq and a bunch of scrubs.
Lebron's impact is more than two all stars. You forgot Mo Williams. To add on, you also forget that unless Danny Ferry is an idiot, he should trade Ilgauskas as an expiring for a mobile and athletic 4.

[benefactor]

http://static.flickr.com/23/27444937_5c82cc736e.jpg

[JamStone]

1. Danny Ferry is an idiot.
2. They're not trading Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
3. Teams aren't just going to give away their mobile and athletic power forwards just for an expiring contract, unless you're talking about the caliber of a Jared Jeffries.
4. The Cavs are a very good team, but are still no match for the Celtics or the Lakers if all teams are healthy.

[spursfan1000]

u think oden will get 15ppg 12rpg?

no thats why I said they wouldent be a elite team...

[IronMexican]

I think they are #2 in the West.

[MaNu4Tres]

With the new transitions and if all teams are healthy.

Contenders for the championship in order:

1)Lakers - Reigning champions til get knocked off therefore deserve #1 slot

The rest of the bunch has no clear cut favorite
2)Magic
2)Celtics
2)Spurs
2)Cavs

Teams on the outside who need miracles or injuries from teams above to have some kind of chance:

Western Conference
Denver
Dallas
Portland
Utah
New Orleans

Eastern Conference
Toronto
Washington
Atlanta
Miami

[sook]

this thread is just too funny

[tlongII]

1. Danny Ferry is an idiot.
2. They're not trading Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
3. Teams aren't just going to give away their mobile and athletic power forwards just for an expiring contract, unless you're talking about the caliber of a Jared Jeffries.
4. The Cavs are a very good team, but are still no match for the Celtics or the Lakers if all teams are healthy.

Horseshit. The Celtics are far too old and injury prone to be considered above all other teams in the league. Likewise for the Spurs. The only possible "elite" teams this season are the Lakers, Cavs, and Blazers.

[Killakobe81]

I would say one step below Elite but could get there ..If Oden is everything YOu believe him to be in 2 years. Doubt he will do that in his first full healthy season, but down th road if he Roy AND aLDRIDGE ARE HEALTHY THAT IS A NICE big 3.

[Killakobe81]

Are you insane? I would take Wade over Roy and Kobe.

YOU MY FRIEND ARE NOT VERY BRIGHT unless YOU TALKING About in the future because he IS younger ...but Kobe is better than Wade ...

LOL Wade can not win without Shaq ROFL ...dont agree with this but this is the haters logic on this board ...