Portland Trail Blazers: NBA Finals or bust in 2021
Jusuf Nurkic, Portland Trail Blazers.
Time to put up or Blow up
Let’s get back to what we do know about the Portland Trail Blazers. This current big three isn’t working. They’ve only won the Northwest Division twice in the last 10 years. Also, in those past 10 years, they’ve missed the playoffs twice and reached the conference finals just ONCE!
If the Blazers bring back Whiteside, Ariza, and Anthony but don’t do the following: A) win the Northwest Division, B) make it to the conference finals, and C) make it to the NBA Finals, then changes must be made. This roster needs to be blown up.
Sorry for the hurt feelings; I like winning. Winning is fun. One thing the team would need to do is get some financial cap flexibility. That means moving either Lillard or McCollum. The Blazers would have their pick of teams and offers to choose from. Nurkic has some value as a good player on a nice contract. How many teams need a starting big man in the new NBA, that can generate a good offer for the Blazers to take?
The Blazers don’t need to go the way of “The Process” for a rebuild, either. This team can go the way of the not so common reload route. They could easily move one of their elite starting backcourt players and be a viable playoff team. The Northwest has no dominant team, such as the Los Angeles Lakers; they need to get past.
The 2020-2021 season is it for this current group of Portland Trailblazers. Either they reach the above goals, or management must change the dynamic.
Do you think 2020 is the final chance for the Portland Trail Blazers big three to prove themselves? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.