tlongII
10-29-2014, 10:38 AM
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2014/10/portland_trail_blazers_coach_terry_stotts_happy_an .html
http://imgick.oregonlive.com/home/olive-media/pgmain/img/oregonian/photo/2014/10/05/-2bc87920389117f3.jpg
The Portland Trail Blazers Steve Blake drives during Fan Fest, Oct 5, 2014, at the Moda Center.
Because I'm happy ... Happiness is the truth ...
Terry Stotts was in the middle of answering a question during a chat with reporters last week when music started blaring from his pants.
It was about 90 minutes before tipoff of the Portland Trail Blazers' exhibition finale against the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Blazers' coach paused mid-sentence, reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. The above chorus and that I-can't-get-it-out-of-my-head tune from the song "Happy" rang out, delighting a throng of chuckling reporters.
"Whoops," Stotts said, sheepishly, before silencing his phone. "Time to do media."
That's right. Stotts' cell phone alarm is set to Pharrell Williams' 2013 hit song, which is only fitting as the Blazers prepare to open the 45th season in franchise history.
This has been one of the happiest, smoothest and least drama-filled Octobers in recent memory in Portland. Between last season's thrilling playoff ride and the rare continuity that comes from returning virtually the entire roster from that team, the Blazers feature an amplified level of confidence and hope.
Last season at this time, the Blazers were a great mystery and everyone -- even the team's general manager -- struggled to predict how things would unfold. There was talent. There was optimism. There were playoff hopes. But there were also plenty of question marks about a retooled and untested roster.
Things are different entering the 2014-15 season, though. You no longer hear players and coaches say they simply hope to compete for a playoff spot. They have greater desires.
Thirteen of 15 players are back, including all five starters. Two free agents additions -- Chris Kaman and Steve Blake -- have added experience and depth. Young talent like CJ McCollum has taken the next step in his development and earned a rotation spot. Playoff hopes have been replaced by a mindset of "embracing being elite."
But what does that mean? What is the Blazers' ceiling this season?
I don't think we have one," All-Star Damian Lillard said.
"No limit," All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge said of the possibilities. "I feel like if we come into this season with the same mindset we had last year, (embracing) unselfish basketball, playing for each other, playing defense and trying to get better at the defensive end every night, then anything's possibility."
Experts have weighed in, offering less optimistic predictions. A collection of national prognosticators have slotted the Blazers anywhere from sixth to ninth in preseason NBA "power rankings." Vegas is giving the Blazers 20-1 odds to win the Western Conference and 40-1 odds to win a championship.
Of course, the same group of folks failed to foreshadow last season's surprising success, so take it for its worth. Besides, the lukewarm conjecture suits the Blazers just fine, and the idea that they think they should be mentioned in any conversation debating Western Conference contenders is beside the point.
"The thing about our team is we really don't care about the conversation," Lillard said.
There's been a different feeling hovering around the Blazers this preseason. The feel-good innocence that accompanied last season's hope has been replaced by a hardened, laser-like focus.
They relished the ride of last season's scintillating start. They savored the dramatic first-round upset over the Houston Rockets. But the San Antonio Spurs slammed them back to reality with a second-round smack down. And as they were licking their wounds, the Blazers were taught a lesson about what it means to be champions.
"Last year, I think everything was so new, so fresh, we played off of -- not necessarily an anger -- but almost a disrespect and an edge," shooting guard Wesley Matthews said. "We still have that edge. But we saw what championship level is like when we played the Spurs and it was a business approach they had to everything. That's what we've got to do."
And that's the best way to describe the feeling around the Blazers so far this season: Businesslike.
The way they see it, they aren't a young and fun team anymore. They're contenders, and that requires a different temperament.
"I think there is a businesslike mentality," Stotts said. "But I think that's part of the maturation process for us."
It will take more for the Blazers to surpass last season's success. And the path won't be any easier.
The West is as talented as ever. The Spurs are the Spurs again. The Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors are loaded. The Dallas Mavericks and the New Orleans Hornets are better. The Oklahoma City Thunder, when injured star Kevin Durant returns, will be a force.
The Blazers' place among these elite will depend on the answer to a slew of questions. Is Kaman -- who averaged 10.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks, while shooting 61 percent during the preseason -- going to be the force his play has suggested he will be? Is Blake going to do enough to make fans forget Mo Williams? Is McCollum poised for a breakout? Can a deeper, more talented bench do enough to help one of the best starting lineups in the NBA? And can that starting lineup have another unprecedented run of good injury fortune?
Every component of the Blazers' starting five had career years last season, including Aldridge and Lillard, who were All-Stars. Can they do it again? And can the defense, which made dramatic improvement last season, take another step forward and support the Blazers' dynamic offense? Can the Blazers' chemistry remain strong and can individuals stay focused on the team when so many are fighting for a new contract?
The answer to these questions -- and to how high this team can ascend -- will begin to unfold Wednesday night, when the Blazers host the Thunder in the season opener at the Moda Center.
It's been a "happy" October, and it's time to see if Happiness is the truth.
"We've been waiting for this since May 14, since we lost to San Antonio," small forward Nicolas Batum said. "We just want to get started and try to show last year wasn't an accident."
http://imgick.oregonlive.com/home/olive-media/pgmain/img/oregonian/photo/2014/10/05/-2bc87920389117f3.jpg
The Portland Trail Blazers Steve Blake drives during Fan Fest, Oct 5, 2014, at the Moda Center.
Because I'm happy ... Happiness is the truth ...
Terry Stotts was in the middle of answering a question during a chat with reporters last week when music started blaring from his pants.
It was about 90 minutes before tipoff of the Portland Trail Blazers' exhibition finale against the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Blazers' coach paused mid-sentence, reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. The above chorus and that I-can't-get-it-out-of-my-head tune from the song "Happy" rang out, delighting a throng of chuckling reporters.
"Whoops," Stotts said, sheepishly, before silencing his phone. "Time to do media."
That's right. Stotts' cell phone alarm is set to Pharrell Williams' 2013 hit song, which is only fitting as the Blazers prepare to open the 45th season in franchise history.
This has been one of the happiest, smoothest and least drama-filled Octobers in recent memory in Portland. Between last season's thrilling playoff ride and the rare continuity that comes from returning virtually the entire roster from that team, the Blazers feature an amplified level of confidence and hope.
Last season at this time, the Blazers were a great mystery and everyone -- even the team's general manager -- struggled to predict how things would unfold. There was talent. There was optimism. There were playoff hopes. But there were also plenty of question marks about a retooled and untested roster.
Things are different entering the 2014-15 season, though. You no longer hear players and coaches say they simply hope to compete for a playoff spot. They have greater desires.
Thirteen of 15 players are back, including all five starters. Two free agents additions -- Chris Kaman and Steve Blake -- have added experience and depth. Young talent like CJ McCollum has taken the next step in his development and earned a rotation spot. Playoff hopes have been replaced by a mindset of "embracing being elite."
But what does that mean? What is the Blazers' ceiling this season?
I don't think we have one," All-Star Damian Lillard said.
"No limit," All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge said of the possibilities. "I feel like if we come into this season with the same mindset we had last year, (embracing) unselfish basketball, playing for each other, playing defense and trying to get better at the defensive end every night, then anything's possibility."
Experts have weighed in, offering less optimistic predictions. A collection of national prognosticators have slotted the Blazers anywhere from sixth to ninth in preseason NBA "power rankings." Vegas is giving the Blazers 20-1 odds to win the Western Conference and 40-1 odds to win a championship.
Of course, the same group of folks failed to foreshadow last season's surprising success, so take it for its worth. Besides, the lukewarm conjecture suits the Blazers just fine, and the idea that they think they should be mentioned in any conversation debating Western Conference contenders is beside the point.
"The thing about our team is we really don't care about the conversation," Lillard said.
There's been a different feeling hovering around the Blazers this preseason. The feel-good innocence that accompanied last season's hope has been replaced by a hardened, laser-like focus.
They relished the ride of last season's scintillating start. They savored the dramatic first-round upset over the Houston Rockets. But the San Antonio Spurs slammed them back to reality with a second-round smack down. And as they were licking their wounds, the Blazers were taught a lesson about what it means to be champions.
"Last year, I think everything was so new, so fresh, we played off of -- not necessarily an anger -- but almost a disrespect and an edge," shooting guard Wesley Matthews said. "We still have that edge. But we saw what championship level is like when we played the Spurs and it was a business approach they had to everything. That's what we've got to do."
And that's the best way to describe the feeling around the Blazers so far this season: Businesslike.
The way they see it, they aren't a young and fun team anymore. They're contenders, and that requires a different temperament.
"I think there is a businesslike mentality," Stotts said. "But I think that's part of the maturation process for us."
It will take more for the Blazers to surpass last season's success. And the path won't be any easier.
The West is as talented as ever. The Spurs are the Spurs again. The Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors are loaded. The Dallas Mavericks and the New Orleans Hornets are better. The Oklahoma City Thunder, when injured star Kevin Durant returns, will be a force.
The Blazers' place among these elite will depend on the answer to a slew of questions. Is Kaman -- who averaged 10.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks, while shooting 61 percent during the preseason -- going to be the force his play has suggested he will be? Is Blake going to do enough to make fans forget Mo Williams? Is McCollum poised for a breakout? Can a deeper, more talented bench do enough to help one of the best starting lineups in the NBA? And can that starting lineup have another unprecedented run of good injury fortune?
Every component of the Blazers' starting five had career years last season, including Aldridge and Lillard, who were All-Stars. Can they do it again? And can the defense, which made dramatic improvement last season, take another step forward and support the Blazers' dynamic offense? Can the Blazers' chemistry remain strong and can individuals stay focused on the team when so many are fighting for a new contract?
The answer to these questions -- and to how high this team can ascend -- will begin to unfold Wednesday night, when the Blazers host the Thunder in the season opener at the Moda Center.
It's been a "happy" October, and it's time to see if Happiness is the truth.
"We've been waiting for this since May 14, since we lost to San Antonio," small forward Nicolas Batum said. "We just want to get started and try to show last year wasn't an accident."