The Goods Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 The Nuggets won the race down the stretch in the division, but could certainly feel the hot breath of the Trail Blazers on their necks as they went down to the wire. With salary cap flexibility and a GM in Kevin Pritchard whose hand has always been as fast as a gunslinger's, there was every reason to think Portland would take the bold steps this offseason to get a jump on the division. Several weeks into the summer, everyone is still waiting for the Blazers to make their move in free agency or the trade market. But even the status quo and just another year's maturity might be enough to push Portland to the top. Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden all have plenty of room to grow along with the Blazers' postseason prospects. The Nuggets advanced out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since the previous century and the ride took them all the way to the conference finals. Can they repeat that trick in a Western Conference that always seems to reload and get more difficult? The Jazz are in a transition in their first full season without the late team owner Larry Miller calling the shots and are likely in an evolution that will end Carlos Boozer's stay in Utah. That's the sound of rolling Thunder that can be heard in the distance as Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook make room for James Harden in a lineup that is oozing with youthful talent and maybe needs only another year before making real noise. It will be a whole new ballgame in Minnesota, once everybody figures out what game they're playing. A new general manager, a new head coach (eventually) and two point guards taken in the space of five minutes of the draft has plenty of heads being scratched. Full Article: http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/fran_blinebury/07/17/northwest.division/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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