It’s true there are many more important things going on right now than the start of another NBA season—but hey, sometimes we all need a simple distraction, and isn’t that what professional sports are for? And the Portland Trail Blazers are a pleasure-filled distraction as the darkness of autumn descends. With the arrival of cold and rain, a new and exciting show is coming to town, and the more you know about it, the more there is to enjoy. So get ready, Rip City: Here are 10 solid reasons to pay attention to the 2018-19 Trail Blazers season.
1) It’s Put Up or Shut Up Time
Diehard Blazers fans have been following the twists and turns of the offseason, praying for some needle-moving changes in the lineup that might propel our team to the top. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen for Portland, and most sports pundits agree that this year’s Blazer team looks similar in strength and skill to last year’s squad, which finished third in the heated Western conference but faltered in the playoffs. And now that the Western conference has gotten even better (see reason #4), treading water isn’t going to cut it.
Consistency in a line-up can be a good thing, but if this year’s Blazers don’t make some real noise, major changes will be coming—most notably to the celebrated backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Fans have debated for some time if those two can truly carry a team to glory, and this season will almost certainly be their last as a pairing if something big doesn’t happen. Fan favorites, both Dame and CJ want to stay together—but if that’s going to happen, the Blazers need to take things up a level.