Brandon Roy will be the man who gets the ball when the game is on the line.

The Portland Trail Blazers were down and out before their season even started last season after micro fracture surgery on the Greg Oden’s right knee sidelined the #1 draft pick for the entire 2007-08 campaign. The news seemed to take the wind out of the sails of both players and fans, as both were pinning hopes of a championship squarely on his shoulders. The result was a disappointing 41-41 record, and another year removed from a playoff berth that would define head coach Nate McMillan’s tenure in Portland. With the prospect of a healthy Oden for the entire year, Portland looks to blaze a trail through the Western Conference all the way to the playoffs and beyond.

 The Trail Blazers seem to have all the players needed to make a championship run, with second year Texas Longhorn starter, LaMarcus Aldridge, proving that last season was just the start to a longstanding relationship with Portland fans. With Oden in the middle, the Trail Blazers frontcourt could pose a real threat to the league’s elite. The numbers speak for themselves when it comes to the third year sensation that raised his scoring average from a mere 9.0 PPG to a more than respectable 17.8 PPG while grabbing seven boards per contest.

Forward Travis Outlaw will continue to spark the offense coming off the bench this year, and should spend time with the starting five thanks to a foot injury to Martell Webster. Outlaw scored 13.3 PPG last season and should see a gradual spike in his numbers in the early going. Perennial All-Star Brandon Roy is solid in every aspect of the game and will provide fantasy owners with great numbers in every category while anchoring the Trailblazer’s backcourt. Roy’s biggest asset for the team is his propensity for wanting the ball when the game is on the line, and he is not shy about driving the lane and getting the foul where he is shooting a team-leading .753 from the stripe.

With the addition of rookie guard and Arizona standout Jerryd Bayless, and Spain import Rudy Fernandez, the team has put everyone else on alert for a run deep into the playoffs this season. Fernandez has been tagged as possibly the best all around player outside of the US, and has been compared favorably to Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul. Bayless is just 20-years old, but in his first year at Arizona, he led the team in scoring at 19.7 PPG while also dishing out 4.0 PPG. We know he can score, but with Roy, Aldridge and Oden this team needs him to be a passer. The jury is still out on whether that part of his game is NBA caliber.

 The only problem for the Trail Blazers this season, other than being in the tough Western Conference, would be the fact that Oden is still considered a rookie in the league, and some question whether he take the physical beating that is required in the paint. If he holds up, and Fernandez is as advertised, the sky is the limit in Portland for years to come. With another year of seasoning under their belts, Roy and Aldridge should Blaze the Trail and compete with the Utah Jazz for the top spot in the division.

PROJECTION: SECOND PLACE, just behind the Utah Jazz. They should win more than 50 games this year and make a run at the championship.