By Dan Christopherson, KOIN Local 6 Sports Director
Who doesn't love a party? Especially a party six years in-the-making and the whole city's invited? A celebration that runs a couple weeks, is theme-oriented (red & black required) inspires high-fives, spine-tingling twists and turns and a few victory dances along the way?
Okay, so the law disguised in Rockets uniforms barged in and threw everybody out before they were ready to go (remind us to leave Ron Artest off the future guest list). Portland didn't get to say a proper goodbye and thank the hosts. But what a thrill ride it was, this first Blazers playoff ball in more than a half-decade. And the best part if you had a blast? It promises to be an annual bash for years-to-come.
But now comes the worst part: The day-after clean up. You look around, survey the damage, smile at the signs of the good times and memories, roll-up your sleeves and get to work restoring things. That's the job facing Head Coach Nate McMillan and General Manager Kevin Pritchard. They're tidying up on this day after the playoff exit, meeting with each player individually to talk about the season past and look ahead to the future.
For most players--the Blazer core--they'll get a rock-solid invitation to rejoin the festivities next fall. A few will be on shakier ground. Even the top contenders make off-season changes, so we can be pretty sure that some of the players fans have loved and rooted for in the past few years won't be around when training camp reconvenes.
In the Blazers' long-term plan, management has been pointing to the summer of 2009 as the first shot to make a big roster move or two. The plans are right on schedule, maybe even slightly ahead of schedule coming off a 54-win season.
They won't have quite as much salary cap space to work with. Darius Miles refusal to go quietly into his retirement years took care of that. But they'll have enough to sign a quality free agent who wants to join what is looking like the up-and-coming NBA team over the next five-or-so years. And with Pritchard orchestrating things, you can bank on at least one off-season trade.
Despite several trade-deadline temptations in mid-February, Pritchard opted to wait for his favorite time to reshape his roster--the summer. He's been at his best making moves on draft day, and while the Blazers won't have a lottery pick for the first time in Pritchard's G.M. tenure, they will have some coveted pieces to work with.
Draft night doesn't figure to be as intriguing to Blazer fans this time around, unless Pritchard swings a deal for a veteran in late June. This team doesn't need another rookie. This team needs a proven scorer to take some of the load off Brandon Roy. This team needs another veteran presence who has been to the playoffs before and can help steady 'em though next year's post-season run.
And without question, this team can't afford to upset its positive team chemistry. The next front line Blazer doesn't have to be a choir boy. But he can't be a malcontent, either. This is Brandon Roy's team, and they're hoping it becomes LaMarcus Aldridge's team in the coming year, too, with Greg Oden emerging as a leader once he truly gets his footing in this league.
Players with heart, players who want to win and players who are good guys in the community: That's the face of the 2009-2010 Trail Blazers. The next front line Blazer needs to fit that profile, and you can count on Pritchard's staff not settling for less.
The Blazer management team 10 years ago felt it had to bring in questionable characters to keep the championship window from closing. The current brain trust has worked too hard and struck gold too many times to get desperate. They'll painstakingly scout, research and find the player or players who will fit the culture they're building here.
Sure, they might have to take a small gamble. Any change this summer will threaten to tweak the chemistry. While it would seem to be a priority to land a fearless scorer who wants the ball and can perform under the ultimate pressure, that player has to accept that Roy is end game option #1. Pritchard's team will identify the veterans who might be available and zero in on the player who will best fit the Blazers way of doing things. And then they'll go after that player.
Only time will tell if they'll be successful, but this is the summer to strike. The Blazers were clearly not quite ready for the playoff party in their first go-round, but Roy, Aldridge and the core group got a taste of what's it's all about. They'll use that as fuel to earn their way back, and try and make the fun last longer the next time.
And sometime this summer, or maybe in the early fall, look for at least one new Blazer to join the party.
