| 23 September 2009
When training camp opens for the Portland Trail Blazers next Tuesday, there will be a new addition at the practice facility from last year – one that hasn’t been present in seasons past.
It's not Andre Miller, Juwan Howard or Dante Cunningham.
Call it “the expectations.”
All last season we constantly heard from management, the coaching staff and players alike that there were no expectations on the Blazers. The mantra was preached and practiced. The theory: no one expected Portland to make any noise. No one expected the unexpected. But now after co-winning the Northwest Division by notching 54 wins, a brief postseason run - and doing so as the second-youngest team in the NBA last season – heavy expectations will be heaped upon Portland this time around.
It’s as if “the expectations” were the key acquisition between the playoffs, draft and free agency.
Many will expect the Blazers to pull an encore. Many will expect upwards of 60 wins with Greg Oden playing a full season, Martell Webster returning from injury, Andre Miller having an instant impact at the point and the growth of Portland’s youth movement, LaMarcus Aldridge maturing in the post, Rudy Fernandez and Travis Outlaw solidifying the second unit, and Brandon Roy etching another notch in an already impressive resume with what should be another all-star bid.
That’s the crazy part about winning; teams must maintain a certain level of excellence to stand firm on that perch largely based on the potential which surrounds them.
It will be interested to hear over the course of the next week or so leading into training camp how those expectations change – regardless if they are self-induced or placed upon them by “experts”, “the media”, or even those ever pesky “naysayers”.
Questions still arise though: How will Kevin Pritchard, Nate McMillan and Brandon Roy’s tone about "the expectations" change based solely on their previous accomplishments from last season? And what sort of pressure derives from dealing with such expectations?
Is having depth ever a bad thing? How will those minutes be spread around? Did Portland get better defensively? Who will squabble first about their lack of playing time? Can the fragile stay healthy? Can this team play physical basketball? Will the road treat the Blazers kind? And the ever present lurking debate – will the team make a move in February at the trade deadline?
Whether they like it or not, greatness is expected from this team – another winning season with a trip to the playoffs, and perhaps out of the first round this time. Every team heads into camp with their eyes on the Larry O’Brien prize in hopes of sustaining the preseason, an 82-game regular season and postseason push. But even we know some expectations are more realistic than others.
And maybe we all should be slow to place too much on the shoulders of this team.
That’s the thing about “the expectations.”
These guys have to attempt to live up to them.
pic via: talkhoop
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