Counting tonight, the Blazers have 6 games remaining on the schedule, and the final five are all teams that will most likely make the playoffs (The Lakers being the one who could still miss it- fingers crossed!). Tonight's game against Dallas won't be a cake walk either, as the Mavs are 4 games ahead of Portland for 10th in the West. It seems like Portland has achieved its task of keeping their first round draft pick this year, and will thus give it up to Charlotte next year (Unless we fail to make the top 12 again). The 2014 draft is stacked, but giving up a pick in the low 20s- A real possibility- wouldn't be the end of the world. The 2013 is very weak at the top, but has decent depth from the 20-40 range, involving many "contributors" at the next level. Portland would essentially have to win out against this tough schedule to lose their pick this year, which is unlikely to happen. Portland is also 2 games ahead of Philadelphia, which prevents them from moving to what would be the #11 draft choice if the lottery falls as predicted. Essentially what I am trying to get at is that there are not many consequences for how we play the rest of the season.
The starters should not get more than 32 minutes a night. This is the time to see what players like Barton, Claver, Freeland and especially Maynor and Leonard can do against very good teams. We have a good idea of what Hickson provides. His future with Portland, while very much in doubt, has most likely been decided at this point. Leonard, Claver, Barton and Freeland are all under contract for next season, and it would be a good idea to continue to recognize if they are still in our long term plans. Claver especially has made strides over the past month. Maynor is an RFA next year who would fit great as a Blazer next year, though we will most likely fail to tender his qualifying offer and allow him to become an UFA. Just like Hickson the previous year, that does not guarantee that Maynor will not be in a Rip City uniform next season. Pavlovic and Jeffries are not in the teams long term plans. Nolan Smith will walk as well. Luke Babbitt could return on a minimum contract, as he provides some value as a stretch 4 at the end of the bench. This is the time to pair them against match-ups that the rest of the season might have avoided. For example, can Claver contain Kobe? Can Leonard do better against Howard? Can Will Barton make an outside shot? There are still questions over the last 6 games that need to be answered.
Just as Wesley Matthews said after the Houston game, this team "needs to play with some damn heart." He is right. This team's fate is most likely secure in that the 12th pick in the draft will most likely be ours. We have to answer any questions that still remain. Here are my big 3:
1. Can Leonard provide any 1 v. 1 post defense? He has been bad in this aspect, but has made lots of strides offensively. If he is ever going to be a starter his on-ball defense, and his awareness on that side of the ball has to improve.
2. Can Freeland be a reliable bench option? Over the past few months, the minutes Freeland has received have been plagued by negative plus/minuses. Can he be an asset off the bench? It could impact his future with the franchise.
3. Can Matthews back up his talk? Matthews was upset over a lackluster effort against Houston, but Wes himself shot very poorly, including 1 for 11 from the field. He has potential to be a leader for this team moving forward, but he has to back it up with a good performance. An efficient 15-20 point outing would do wonders for his confidence/leadership.
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