There are a couple of key differences between the Portland Trail Blazers and the just-covered Raptors, and hardly any of them provide support for Rip City’s better odds.
The Blazers were lean annually, buttressing an elite starting five with next to nothing off the bench. Bringing in Chris Kaman and Steve Blake does not feel like a remedy.
Of course, second-year guard C.J. McCollum needs to see his role increase this season, and he has the combo-guard abilities to make an impact. Head coach Terry Stotts is apparently leaning toward him as a sixth man; McCollum led all Blazers reservations in minutes per game during the preseason.
For all this, it is difficult to grasp why Portland is viewed as a bigger title hazard than Toronto. The Blazers’ conference is harder, their bench is still thinner and they finished the year at just 23-19 after a red-hot start. Portland is a good group, but it may not be more than that.
It is going to be around Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge and the rest of the starters to duplicate that fifth-ranked offensive evaluation. If they can’t do that, suspect defense and an underwhelming chair may finally hit among the past year’s biggest surprises with a painful dose of reality.
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