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DENVER, CO – MAY 7: Damian Lillard (0) of the Portland Trail Blazers shows signs of frustration against the Denver Nuggets during the third quarter on Tuesday, May 7, 2019. The Denver Nuggets versus the Portland Trail Blazers in game five of the teams’ second round NBA playoff series at the Pepsi Center in Denver. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
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DENVER, CO – MAY 7: Damian Lillard (0) of the Portland Trail Blazers shows signs of frustration against the Denver Nuggets during the third quarter on Tuesday, May 7, 2019. The Denver Nuggets versus the Portland Trail Blazers in game five of the teams’ second round NBA playoff series at the Pepsi Center in Denver. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
The grass was greener for the Portland Trail Blazers after they acquired Damian Lillard as the 6th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. And on top of that, they hired coach, Terry Stotts.
While Lillard ended up being Rookie of the Year, Stotts led the Trail Blazers to the Playoffs 7 times on the trot.
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However, the 2019-2020 season marked the first season that they fell short in quite some time. With Lillard’s dominance, they were expected to go quite deep in the postseason.
However, they finished with 35-39 and got eliminated in the first round of the playoffs itself. This made it very clear that they needed to make some major changes this offseason so that they can improve their chances at the title.
They made sure of making the best decisions possible in this offseason. Forming their roster around Lillard and giving him a good supporting cast to bank on, an aspect that was missing last season.
It looks like the decisions the Blazers have made have pleased legendary NBA player Charles Barkley. It seems like the Portland Trail Blazers are one of his favorite teams in the NBA.
Portland Trail Blazers did a good job this offseason
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 25, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter (11) scores a basket against the Miami Heat during the first half in game five of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
On ‘The Dan Patrick Show’, Barkley was asked whether he followed the NBA this offseason. Charles stated, “Yeah, of course, I am. It’s been interesting. I’ll tell you the team I really like, the Portland Trail Blazers.
“I think they made a couple of nice additions. They’ve got to get everybody healthy now. They didn’t have Rodney Hood last year and one of my favorite players, Zach Collins. I love the addition of Enes Kanter.”
He further appreciated Enes and said, “I never understand why people trade Enes Kanter. He’s one of my favorite players in the league.”
This will be Kanter’s second stint with Portland. Previously, he came in 2018-19 and averaged 13.1 points, being an integral part of the team as they made their way to the Western Conference Finals.
And now, through a three-party deal, Enes left the Celtics for the Blazers, while Mario Hezonja was sent off to the Memphis Grizzlies. Is Charles Barkley right? Has Portland created a championship-caliber team this offseason?
