Trail Blazers Position Breakdown: Power Forward

The most athletic position on the squad is occupied by the power forwards. I challenge you to find a power forward who can run from end line to end line quicker than LaMarcus Aldridge or anyone, not named LeBron, who can jump higher than Travis Outlaw. Fortunately for the Blazers, these two do much, much more than run and jump. Aldridge is on the verge of becoming a perennial All-Star and giving the Trail Blazers their best option in the low post since Rasheed Wallace at the turn of the millennium. On the other hand, Outlaw is busy being one of the NBA's best 6th men, ready at any time to explode offensively and always locked and loaded in the 4th quarter. If one were to look at the statistics from 08 to 09, it would seem like neither player really progressed at all, which is false. Aldridge is notoriously known for picking his game up post All-Star break, which he did this year as well by upping his ppg to 19 and rpg to 9 and he was one of the only players not named Brandon who showed up on a consistent basis during the 1st round playoff series. Two of the biggest knocks on Travis are his turnovers and his shot selection. During 2009, Outlaw raised his field goal percentage from 43% to 45% while cutting his turnovers down to 1.1 a game from 1.3. Both margins seem very small and minuscule over the course of the year, but anytime you are talking about a bench player, their contributions can have an expedited impact since they are the ones trying to keep the game close or extend the lead. If there is one aspect of each player's game that must improve for Portland to take the next step, it is rebounding. There is no way a 6'11" power forward, with an even longer wingspan, who plays damn near 40 minutes a night is pulling down 8 boards a night. There is some pass based on the fact he plays next to Przybilla and Oden who grab anything within the stratosphere, but asking for 9 rebounds per game is not an impossible task. If the L-Train wants to become the premier power forward in the game once KG, Dirk, and Duncan pass the torch, then there must be an increase in rebounding. Travis has never been a great rebounder, but it wasn't too much of a flaw when we was getting the bulk of his minutes at small forward. It wasn't until the 07-08 season when Travis finally broke out and used his quickness to exploit the bigger, slower power forwards. Although it worked in his favor on the offensive end, Trav routinely had problems keeping his man off of the glass, and it was no more apparent than Game 4 vs. Houston when Luis Scola had his way with our entire front line on the glass. A lot of Blazer fans have yearned for the day Portland goes out and acquires a bruising power forward who can come in, play physical, and board just like the great Maurice Lucas, Buck Williams, and Briant Grant, but those aspirations will have to wait for at least another year. Portland can afford to go finesse at the 4 when the center position is doing yeoman's work down low. Pryz and G.O. provide the muscle, while Aldridge and Outlaw bring the seemingly effortless repertoire of athletic moves. The bottom line is that both players compliment their fellow frontcourt players perfectly. Joel and Greg both do work specifically on the blocks while both LaMarcus and Travis spread the floor with their fluid jump shots. Its the perfect inside-out match. If G.O. progresses as expected by staying on the floor longer or Outlaw grabs a rebound more per game, the days for longing for a banger at the 4 will be a distant memory. The team will go as far as Greg goes; no addition to the power forward spot will make that big of an impact. Portland is set at the 4 for the distant future with two young gunz who still already produce on the NBA level, yet still have untapped potential. Update: The Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to a 1 year deal with veteran and more importantly, former Fab Five member Juwan Howard. Juwan won't have his biggest impact on the team during actual games, rather it will be his leadership and motivation tactics provided during practice and on the bench. He already made his vocal leadership known during his first visit during a scrimmage when he repeatedly called for Oden to get the ball in the post. Howard should provide some nice insurance off the bench for the 4's, but his impact may not be measured until the season is over. 2009-2010 Trail Blazer Power Forward Grade: B+