Minnesota Timberwolves: Updated Northwest Division power rankings
By Ben Beecken
Minnesota Timberwolves: Northwest Division power rankings, No. 4
No. 4: Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers have had a messy offseason, to put it lightly.
It started with rumblings of Damian Lillard’s unhappiness, followed closely by the firing of Terry Stotts. Lillard spoke up about his preferred replacement for Stotts, putting the franchise in a difficult spot when it came to the head coach search and hiring process.
There were mixed reports regarding Lillards’ thoughts on eventual hire Chauncey Billups before Lillard spoke out a couple of weeks later, mostly backing the hire with his comments.
The tumult surrounding Stott’s firing, the coaching search, and Billups’ hiring is not a good look for the Blazers and remains shrouded in controversy. But there still isn’t a true answer to Lillard’s situation, with plenty of rumors swirling that he would prefer to be traded and hasn’t been thrilled with the Blazers’ offseason thus far.
As for player movement, Portland has been quiet. They’re bringing back midseason acquisition Norman Powell on a five-year, $90 million deal and are replacing the departed Zach Collins, Carmelo Anthony, and Enes Kanter with Cody Zeller, Ben McLemore, and Tony Snell.
Turmoil with the team’s best player? Check. A rocky head-coaching transition? Check. So-so moves in free agency? Yep, it’s a three-fer.
Now, add all of the above to the reasons that Stotts was fired and Lillard was upset in the first place: the Blazers finished sixth in the Western Conference this year and lost in the first round of the playoffs after finishing eighth in 2020 and suffering the same postseason fate.
Portland has been treading water for the past couple of years, and they aren’t exactly on solid ground heading into the 2021-22 campaign. It isn’t hard to envision the Timberwolves overtaking Rip City in the standings by next spring.