The Portland Trail Blazers have been rather inactive this off-season, but they have made a couple of moves that will slightly help their bench.
The Blazers signed Chris Kaman early in the off-season to add a much needed big man to their bench. Portland was really lacking size off the bench last season. Therefore, this was a sensible move. Kaman plays well in the mid-post and has a solid mid-range jumper. He can also rebound and provide some shot blocking. Kaman was in and out of Mike D’Antoni’s rotation with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he should get plenty of minutes with Portland.
Steve Blake is another piece the Blazers have inserted into their second unit. The Blazers picked up Blake with no intentions of re-signing Mo Williams. Blake, unlike Williams, is more of a traditional point guard. Portland signed him for his ability to play make and ball handle as well as knock down three-pointers.
The Blazers have also inked Darius Morris to a non-guaranteed contract. We will see if the Blazers decide to keep him or not, but Morris has fantastic size for a point guard and plays hard on the defensive end. He will be a perfect third point guard for the Blazers if they choose to keep him.
The Portland Trail Blazers have done a solid job this summer. The most important thing is that they grabbed a big man to shore up the frontcourt for their second unit. However, despite slightly improving their bench, the Blazers will still be a top 4 or 5 team in a tough Western Conference.
Grade: B-
Depth Chart:
PG: Damian Lillard/Steve Blake/Darius Morris/Diante Garrett
SG: Wesley Matthews/C.J. McCollum/Will Barton/Allen Crabbe
SF: Nicolas Batum/Dorell Wright/Victor Claver/James Southerland
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge/Joel Freeland/Thomas Robinson
C: Robin Lopez/Chris Kaman/Meyers Leonard
Coach: Terry Stotts