Do the Blazer's Have a Big 3?

It’s common knowledge around the NBA. To win an NBA championship you need 3 all star caliber players. The Celtics did it last year with Garnett, Pierce, and Allen and the Spurs before them with Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker. The early 2000s Lakers were able to win championships with out a big 3, but they had 2 hall of fame players along with a hall of fame coach, same goes for the Bulls of the 90s, not to mention incredible supporting casts.

The Blazers know this all to well. They have one for sure in Brandon Roy. It’s very early on in the season, but he looks like a new Roy, and that’s saying something considering he was an all star last year. He now understands that the Blazers is his team. He is the go to guy in crunch time. He now knows that he’s a true leader on and off the court. He’s being more aggressive, taking advantage of mismatches, and makes the right play down the court just about every possession. Roy for sure is all star caliber player number one, and looking like potential MVP candidate in a few years as the talent around him improves.

The last 2 all star caliber players ( From now on All Star Caliber Players will be known as ASCP) for the Blazers are still unknown, especially since it’s beginning to look like Oden shook hands with Sam Bowie when he arrived in Portland. Aldridge is looking to be ASCP number 2. He’s developing a low post, back to the basket, gonna score because he’s freakishly tall with freakishly long arms with a freakishly high release point game. He bought a brand new bag of tricks over the summer. That bag is full of a stronger body, a quick hook shot, a fall away with a freakishly high release point, an up and under, and a power drop step. These are moves that Aldridge didn’t have last year, and he’s already put all of them on display in the first couple of game for the Blazers. He’s even learning how to stay out of foul trouble, stay on the floor, and contribute on defense. Last year all he did was pick and pop with Roy, or hang out of the weak side, or use his face up game from 20 feet. I always had confidence that Aldridge would be a great player, just not great on the post. I was scared he was just a reincarnated ‘Sheed Wallace with a full brain, but unlike ‘Sheed, Aldridge has a desire to be the best at his position. Every aspect of his game has improved. If he keeps improving, he will have a low post game, and face up game, and range to the 3 point line, how can that be stopped? If he can start commanding a double team on the block on a consistent basis, that can open up the door for potential ASCP number 3.

There is something about Rudy Fernandez that makes him special. He isn’t scared. He has absolutely no fear and he walks the fine line of being confident, but not a cocky, arrogant, asshole. Perhaps it’s because he’s not used to American culture, or he just isn’t a big star yet. I say yet with all the confidence that he will become a great player, while hoping that he stays grounded and fits in the with team unity thing that McMillen and Pritchard has built up. He’s already a part of the crunch time line up with Roy in the back court, Outlaw (Soon to be Webster), Aldridge, and the Vanilla Gorilla Pryzbilla/ Bowie 2.0. In the Olympic championship game Rudy displayed no fear. He took every big shot for Spain. Rudy was almost unguardable. He is constantly moving, looking for the big play, and looking to make the impossible play. Rudy thrives on making that “Oh my god he just jumped over every one, avoided the rim, grabbed the bad alley-oop pass, he’s 6’5’’ but gets as high as a 6’9’’ guy, trot down the floor and play D like it was nothing” plays. He’s a heady player who can take over games when the rest of the team is struggling. He just needs to learn when to take over games, and learn what makes a good shot good, and a bad shot bad. He also needs to learn how to play D, he can’t guard the chair that I’m sitting in. Fortunately McMillen is a great teacher, and preacher of D. There is a reason why he was an Olympic assistant coach.

The Blazers have 3 dark horses for being ASCPs if the obvious 3 don’t make it. The first is Oden. Maybe he will kick the bad luck bug and stay healthy, and form into the defensive force that he has the tools for. With all the scorers that the Blazers have, on the perimeter as well as a developing Aldridge, Oden can block shots and grab boards, get the clean up points around the rim and become an ASCP. Another dark horse is Martell Webster. I used to be down on him. The more I watch the more I begin to like. He’s big for his position, tall as well as strong. He can guard 3, potentially 4 spots of defense with his size and quickness. He has an absolute gorgeous jump shot. He can become an ASCP a la his jumper like Micheal Redd in Milwaukee. The darkest, pitch black of all the dark horses is Jerrod Bayless. He’s a shoot first point guard who has to learn how to become a distributor with all of the established and talented scorers that the Blazers already have. He will be waiting in the wing if the Blazers have injury problems. He is also a great trade bait that Portland can use to get the kind of point guard that they need.

The best part of the Blazers 3 ASCPs, as well as the dark horses, is that they are all really young. All of them are 25 or younger, Roy being the g’pa at 25. They have a few years to develop, and then dominate. The supporting cast is coming together, and they are just a few pieces away from contending for a title right now. If the city of Portland can be patient, and not pressure the young team, they can experience a potentially great stretch of basketball.