Development was the key word for the Blazers in the last season, as GM Kevin Pritchard was step by step building a young team via the draft and with Head Coach Nate McMillan, the Blazers were turning into a better team year after year. I remember that the Blazers ended the 2005/2006 season with a dismal 21-61 record and since then, they have finished the next regular seasons with records of 32-50, 41-41 and last year with a record of 54-28. This franchise is a model of consistency and progression. Presently any rebuilding franchise will look for the Blazers previous seasons as model to build their own teams and all the credit goes to Kevin Pritchard.

But now forget the days of development, as this word was replaced with the contention word. Portland is coming from a terrific season, where they had the second best record in the West (tied with Denver and San Antonio), but failed to make an impression in the playoffs by losing in the first round against the Rockets. The next step for them is to be able to handle the pressure of the postseason and getting victorious in the first round. It might weird to say it, but sometimes young teams struggle consistently to get out of the first round for a number of seasons. Just look at the seasons the Rockets needed to get past the first round!

After building his team via draft, GM Kevin Pritchard decided to fish in the free agency during this off season. Hedo Turkoglu would be a terrific fit for them, but he decided to go to Toronto instead; Paul Millsap would complement the Blazers' frontcourt, but he decided to stay in Utah and then, the Blazers agreed with PG Andre Miller a three-year deal worth $21 million. The Blazers will take a step backwards in their offensive scheme to take two steps further in the future. I remember that last season, the offense of the Blazers ran through Roy, even though he is a SG. Steve Blake was more an off point guard and it was Roy that initiated the offense with a drive to the hoop, pass around the wing or entry pass to the post. However with the addition of Andre Miller, as the new starting point guard, Nate McMillan must find a magical formula for the Blazers' offense. Andre Miller, unlike Steve Blake, isn't a reliable shooter in the perimeter, as he rather prefers to attack the rim and in fact he attempted just 0.6 3pts shots per game last season with the Sixers, hitting just 28.3 % of those shots, so in order for him to be effective, Miller will demand the ball to be in his hands and so, Brandon Roy will play less possessions in the offense as a playmaker. How is this going to work will be the pivotal question for the Blazers this season.

Brandon Roy is the uncontested leader of this franchise and he rightfully earned that status. In just three seasons, Roy has already accomplished the Rookie of the Year award, two All-Star appearances and a second-team All-NBA selection.  Last season, Roy reached for the first time the 20-points mark (22.6 points per game) in his career, while his shooting efficiency climbing to 48%. He also dished 5.1 assists per game (team high) and grabbed 4.7 boards per game. Roy is already one of the best NBA players during the crunch time, as the Blazers have already won a lot of games down the stretch due to him. I have little doubts that he will have terrific numbers once again this season, but the biggest challenge for him will be to successfully be a true leader of this team that suddenly will have the pressure to win - something that the Blazers didn't have for a lot of seasons.

If Roy is the uncontested primary option for Portland, then LaMarcus Aldridge is the second option. He has the potential to be a terrific player in this league, due to his unbelievable range of his jump shot. Last season he averaged 18.1 points per game, while shooting 48.4 % from the field and grabbed 7.5 rebounds per game. However, he needs to be more consistent the whole season and avoid mental lapses in the biggest moments. Last season against the Rockets, he started the series with a 3-12 FG performance; then bounced back with an 11-19 FG show, just to fall back in the next game: 6-15 FG. But let's not forget that he's just 24 years old and he will just start his fourth season as a pro, so the potential room for his is incalculable.   

Coming from "nowhere", Nicolas Batum established himself as an important role on this team. Despite being a rookie that was coming from overseas and naturally it isn't easy to adjust to another different lifestyle, Batum stepped up and grabbed the role of a defensive stopper with some success. He is yet to prove that he can be a good offensive player, but his utility was valuable in the defensive end because he give some defensive rest to Roy in guarding the other team's best offensive player. If Batum provided defense in the Small Forward position, Travis Outlaw coming off the bench was the offensive spark. Outlaw was the Blazers' 6th man and when he is hot, he can literally carry the team on his shoulders, however the problem is when he is cold, he still takes the shots down the stretch. His role for this season will be the same and as long Outlaw is happy with his minutes, the Blazers are well served with him.

Greg Oden is the guy that can guide the Blazers to another level, but he needs to establish himself first in this league. Injuries were a major enemy in his first two seasons, but he also seems to be too stressed on court to show that he is a good player. Also it's impossible to dissociate him from Kevin Durant, however he must live with that and chill out about his potential. If things go well with him mentally and physically, then Oden has the tools to be a monster of a defender in the NBA. He has very good defensive instincts and he can reach the mark of double digits rebounds per game and two blocks per game this season.

Portland has in my opinion arguably the best and deepest bench of this league. Last season, their unit was the second most prolific unit in the league with 35.3 points per game and this season, this won't be different at all. Steve Blake is a solid point guard backup and a good team mate and we must not forget Jerryd Bayless as well for this position. Rudy Fernandez beat the NBA record for more 3 pointers in a season for a rookie last year and he is a deadly shooter on the perimeter, however he has the potential to give way even more to the team, so it will be interesting to track his numbers this season. Playing at his huge potential, Rudy is a potential starter for practically every team in this league. The Blazers have also Martell Webster in this season (damn, they really have so many options) and most have forgotten that Webster started 70 games for the Blazers in 2007-08, but injuries literally shut him down since then. If he can stay healthy this season, he will also give a great contribution to the team this season. Finally backing up Greg Oden, the Blazers have Joel Przybilla and he is the most underrated player in this organization. When Oden was out, he stepped it up and did his job terrifically. In the last two months of the regular season, Przybilla grabbed more than 10 boards per game and averaged 1.7 blocks per game. When the regular season ended, he led the team in rebounding (8.7 rpg) and blocks (1.18 bpg), while playing in all 82 games. He is a durable and reliable back up who can step up to a starting role when the team needs him and this makes him a great piece for Portland.

The Blazers will enter a different dimension this season - the contention for the Championship and they will have to handle the pressure of having such expectations. Forget about those days when losing was part of a learning process, right now the Blazers want to win it all and they have to live with that. Brandon Roy is the leader of a deep and talented roster, but they still don't know the feeling of being in the biggest stages. This process of growing from boys into men is never easy and the Blazers will have to go through it.