How Good Would a Healthy Blazers Team be?

[Built Ford Tough]

It is no secret that this team has been devestated by injuries, particularly to what was considered to be their two franchise building blocks in Brandon Roy and Greg Oden. Despite the fact that Oden has never really been able to stay on the floor for any significant amount of time and Roy is a shell of his former self, the Blazers have consistently been in the middle of the Western Conference pack and haven't been an easy out in the playoffs.

 

So it begs the question, just how good would a healthy Portland team be? Would they be a legitimate championship contender? Would they be a top 3 team in the West?

[Dr. Feelgood]

If Portland would have been healthy from when we drafted Roy and Aldridge (remember, Aldridge had a heart condition that made 19 games) up until now, Portland would definitely be a top 3 team in the West without a doubt...Would also be contenders too. I may have a biased opinion, but I truly believe that.

[Jenneral]

They'd be very good. No question about it.

[Nitro]

Well, I have no idea what a completely healthy Oden can be capable of, so going by the only season where he played the majority of the games, I'd say they'd move up a bit, but wouldn't seriously be contenders. Now, if Oden fulfilled much of the potential he had coming out of college, then I'd say they would possibly be favorites to win the championship.

[Real Deal]

At one point, Oden was putting up similar defensive numbers to Dwight Howard, so I'm not really sure what Portland would be doing these days. After seeing Roy play some of the best defense on Kobe I've seen in years, and seeing him take over games before he even stepped into his prime, I'd have to say that a trio of Roy, Oden and Aldridge would turn any team into a contender once they reached their primes (and, well, they'd accomplish that together, since they are all young).

 

With Camby and Miller, two vets, and guys like Batum and Matthews, Portland would've had chances to get to the WCF, and I don't see why those squads wouldn't be able to take any WCF team to seven games.

[The Regime]

They would be a top 3 team in the West for over a decade without a doubt, and by the time they hit their primes they would be title contenders. A healthy Oden and Lamarcus Aldridge would be the third best frontcourt in the NBA only to Pau Gasol/Bynum and Marc Gasol/Zach Randolph. Brandon Roy before his injury was a top 3 shooting guard, and then you add in top of the line role players in Gerald Wallace, Wes Matthews, Nicholas Batum, and Raymond Felton and you're probably looking at a team who at the very least makes yearly trips deep into the playoffs.

 

Excellent defensive wing play play and big play, and on top of that you have an excellent iso player for critical basketsdown the stretch, and unbelievable three point shooters across the board, the team would be flat out filthy.

[?QuestionMark?]

They'd be scary good.

 

A healthy Roy was on the verge of being a superstar on the same level as Kobe, James, Paul, Wade, Dirk, etc. Add to the fact he plays both ends of the floor and he's clutch and the Blazers would have had a stud to build around. Even if Oden didn't live up to the hype, if he'd stay healthy he could be a 10/10/3 type center that anchors defensively.

 

The rest of the team would have provided enough talent and balance that they'd be competing for titles right now.