The Portland Trail Blazers, CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, Zach Collins, and the rest of their team are currently 8-6, tied with the San Antonio Spurs for the fifth seed. Although it is still very early in the season, the Blazers are not starting from the beginning that many expected of them. On top of that, the team is now in a battle with the injury bug.
Center Jusuf Nurkic and shooting guard CJ McCollum, who started the season this season, are both expected to extend longer. They will join power forward Zach Collins along the sidelines. The way the Western Conference is set up could easily put the current injury list Portland out of the playoffs, even if there was the situation the Blazers do not want to do again.
To prevent you from being there again, here are three panic buttons the Blazers need to do.
Blazers targets:
Al Horford
The Blazers lost their depth at the bottom with the injury to Nurkic – all under a big deal with Collins on the sidelines.
Now they have to rely on Kanter to man the means. The scientists that the Oklahoma City Thunder are entering rebuilding mode may allow the Blazers to trade for Al Horford.
Horford is a reliable veterinarian who has made deep runs in the playoffs. He can jump the three, facilitate his position and defend if the Blazers get him.
The delay would be Horford’s contract. His current status in the league does not match his contract. The Blazers will likely have to give up all four of their second-round concepts in 2021, along with Nassir Little and Anfernee Simons.
The Thunder would receive a young, resilient four, in Little, and a rising point guard – who could play with and behind Shau Giuldreos Alexander. The Blazers will get a solid point threat that has proven its worth in the playoffs. With the current state of the Western Conference, they may have to grit their teeth and make this agreement.
2. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber
If we move to a younger possibility, the Blazers may decide to end the Lillard McCollum era and decide to trade McCollum.
The Dallas Mavericks are another team that has not yet started what they were hoping for, and that may need to sharpen things up. They can use a McCollum player to be not only another player in their starting lineup, but also a leader in the locker room. The Mavs are young and talented, but do not have enough experience to pull off close games.
The Blazers are nice and exciting, but their backcourt is too small to defend in the post-season. The addition of Tim Hardawy Jr. at the starting lineup or the bench will give the Blazers a natural backhand – in the long run. Maxi Kleber is not the edge-protecting type big, but he can pop the three and is very young. For what the Blazers want to do offensively, it’s a must to surround Lillard with quality shooters. Portland would get two knockout three-point shooters with no injury history.
McCollum, with the Blazers, is not big for the two locks, but Luka Doncic is a very long point guard, and so it could be canceled. McCollum would be able to maintain his natural position, and the Mavs would have an excellent defender on the ball to guard the elite point guards in their conference.
Dallas will probably also have to throw their first pick to the Blazers in 2023.
Top Blazers Target:
1. Lonzo-bal
The Blazers rely on McCollum and Lillard to be their playmakers every minute of every game. The formula has not worked out in the past, and now that McCollum has been out for some time, they will need another person who can create for others.
The Pelicans have that person. Lonzo Ball is an excellent game creator and defends at a high level – an area in which the current Portland rugby field is struggling.
Portland has high expectations and aspirations every year. They play well in the regular season, get a hype, and then they excite in the playoffs. They struggle in the playoffs because they are an undersized backfield with one defensive liability and another undersized defender. Damian Lillard is an overwhelming defender. He struggles to stay in front of the ball and is usually the guy who makes a turn. McCollum is actually a very good defender, but he is only 6’3 and needs to defend the two grooves – a position that sees players 6’6 and higher.
Ball is 6’6 with a wingspan of 6’9. Not only does he stay ahead of the ball, but he is also an excellent assistant defender. He showed he could play off the ball, and with Lillard as a Blazers teammate, he would have more room to attack the basket.
In his current team, he has to play the role of a spot-up shooter, something that has not yet been his strong case in the league – although he has shown improvement. With the Blazers, he does not have to be an elite three-point shooter. Instead, he will be able to be a scraper who can also shoot the ball – his real game.
The Blazers will then be able to chase Ball and Lillard’s minute to ensure there is a playmaker on the floor at all times, and they will also have someone who can create for Dame – to take a load off of him.
This move improves them defensively and offensively and will not force them to break the bench as Ball is still on his rookie contract. The Blazers could trade Rodney Hood for Ball head up.
The Blazers will get a playmaker, and the Pelicans add a reliable three-point threat to open the way for Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
