Yesterday we talked about some of the less-productive moves made by the Portland Trail Blazers over the last five years or so. Tomorrow we’re going to balance that out by talking about their smart moves in the same time span. Before we do, however, an interlude.
One of the subtexts of the question we addressed yesterday was whether my outlook on the team is generally optimistic or pessimistic. This subject is as old as Blazer’s Edge itself. People were debating it in the comments back in 2006, landing on both sides just as they do today. It’s possible that how you view my analysis might have as much to do with your starting point (and whether you stand on the more optimistic or more pessimistic side of it) as what I actually say. And fair enough! As long as I get both assessments, I figure I must be somewhere on the playing field.
However, I’d like to give you all a chance to give me a hard reset, at least in a way. I’ve been writing about this incarnation of the Blazers for two years, since Damian Lillard was traded. Players and perceptions have evolved, of course, but the overarching them has been the same: the Blazers are in a hard rebuild, trying to come up with a winning formula going forward. How successful they’ve been in your estimation depends, again, on perception and inclinations. Some people are touting 36 wins this season as a significant leap forward. Others are face palming and praying for divine intervention.
I tend to fall in the latter category, sort of. I believe the Blazers have made progress. They have several decent players, a couple with breakout potential. But they’re a long way from being relevant, let alone successful. Ultimate success, an NBA Championship, is so many steps away that it might as well be over the horizon.
That’s just me, though! Let’s get a little bit of that reset going by asking you the same question. How far is Portland from an NBA title, or at least getting to the NBA Finals and contending? I’d like a specific number of years, or at least a ballpark. It’s also OK to say you don’t see a path there from here at all. But either way, give us the estimated distance between the Blazers’ current position and the Finals. If you want, you can also line out some steps to get there.
Share in the comment section below! I’ll be reading with interest. I’ll also use this exercise as a potential modification to my current outlook. If most of the community leans one way or the other, maybe that’s an indication of success (or lack thereof) on the way.