NFL
By Monte Perez
Last season the Portland Trail Blazers were sellers at the trading deadline.
- They traded CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr., and Tony Snell to New Orleans in exchange for Josh Hart, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Tomas Satoransky, Didi Louzada, a protected 2022 first-round pick, and a couple of future second-round picks
- They traded Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Clippers in exchange for Eric Bledsoe and Justice Winslow, and Keon Johnson. Bledsoe was waved on July 6th and never played a game for the Blazers.
Most experts thought this team was rebuilding and it would take them a few years to compete for a playoff spot. They forgot to tell Chauncey Billups or Damian Lillard. As of Sunday, November 20th, Portland has a 10-6 record. That is good enough for first 3rd place in the Western Conference.
Lillard has been playing at an all-star level since coming back from an injury. He is averaging 27 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds. Anfernee Simons has become a legitimate No.2 scoring option He is averaging 22 points per game. Jerami Grant is such an underrated power forward. Everywhere he goes, he puts up numbers. He is averaging 20 points and 5 rebounds per contest. He is also shooting 47% from three-point land. He is the perfect inside/outside compliment to center Jusuf Nurkic.
Prediction:
I don’t know how far this team can go, their depth could be an issue. But, if they add a few pieces at the trading deadline, they could be a top 4-6 Seed. Billups has got this team playing competitive basketball rather quickly. No one saw that coming.
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