The Portland Trail Blazers have to climb a hill to qualify for the playoffs in the NBA’s season adjusted format. In the span of eight games, they need to steal eighth place from the Memphis Grizzlies and beat the ninth seed once in two attempts OR stay in the ninth and beat the eighth seed (likely Memphis) twice in a row. Although using winning percentages as a tiebreaker benefits the Blazers, they need to win most of their games AND win any series of games. Now they will have to do it without Trevor Ariza, their only player capable of protecting great wings.
Ariza announced his decision not to participate in the bubble on Monday. Although the Blazers’ frontcourt is no longer desolate with Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic in the fold, the rotation of the wings needs attention. In addition to Ariza’s absence, Rodney Hood will not play in Orlando due to a December Achilles break.
However, let’s say Portland makes it to the postseason playing awesome basketball with Collins and Nurkic back on the floor. It certainly is not impossible. In this scenario, they would almost definitely face the Lakers in the first round.
Even with big healthy men to defend Los Angeles’ intimidating frontcourt, that’s an incredibly difficult series for the Blazers to survive. LeBron James doesn’t seem capable of losing any playoff matches before the Finals, and we all know what Anthony Davis can do as a pick and roll defender against Stymy Portland’s offense.
This is pessimistic. Everyone imagines that his team will win the championship through thick and thin. If the season ran smoothly and the pandemic didn’t exist, I wouldn’t be writing a column about everything that is against the Blazers. But given the circumstances of how this season will be completed, at least a month away from the family, possible exposure to a virus that we know little about and more, I think it is imperative to assess the team’s specific risk versus reward.
What does that mean for fans? It means not getting angry if other players follow in Ariza’s footsteps and choose not to go to Orlando. (June 24 was the original deadline to do so, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that July 1 is perceived as the difficult deadline among franchises.) I didn’t see any negative comments on Twitter when the Ariza news broke, further supporting what this fanbase stands for.
What does it mean for the team? Obviously, the guys who travel to Orlando are going to play with all their hearts. No professional basketball player steps on the floor and doesn’t let their competitiveness take over. But if more players fold, or Portland’s first games result in losses, the organization should change its goals for Orlando. The Blazers play Memphis the first game, with obvious implications for closing the gap on the eighth seed in play. They then play the Boston Celtics, the Houston Rockets, and the Denver Nuggets.
Collins and Nurkic need practice to shake off all the rust. If they go to Orlando, they give them as much career as the team’s doctors approve to prepare for the upcoming season. Then let younger players competing for bigger roles in the near future gain a high-level experience. Anfernee Simons, Gary Trent Jr. and Nassir Little would benefit from competing against the competition at the playoff level without any pressure influencing their decisions.
We all want basketball to return. I have voluntarily He watched the Blazers games this season again just to enjoy the hardwood action again. But Ariza’s decision to opt out of the Orlando bubble changes the way Portland must approach its time there. Depending on other players’ decisions, as well as the outcome of the first two games, Orlando’s restart could become an opportunity for development players for the Blazers, a true summer league. Yes, losing the postseason would be a disappointment. But using the window to strengthen the organization’s future is a plan that fans should be at peace with.
