7 Lottery Teams That Could Make The Playoffs

Apr 14, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Portland Trailblazers guard Damian Lillard (0) during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Portland Trailblazers

I wasn’t as sold on Damian Lillard as some breathless pundits, but when he was on, he was on. The Trailblazers stayed in the thick of a contested playoff race for much of the year and they were doing it with one of the most derided (and rightfully so) benches in the NBA. Neil Olshey went out and took care of that, taking a hammer to the bench and managed to pull in some much needed reinforcements.

They snagged former lottery pick Thomas Robinson as part of Houston’s annual firesale. They picked up rangy swingman and excellent citizen Dorell Wright fresh off a lost year in Philadelphia. They added Robin Lopez who always brings great energy and less great hair. They drafted scoring guard C.J. McCollum and Pac-12 Player of the year Allen Crabbe.

Sometimes it really is as simple as having talent in the NBA. Make than often! Terry Stotts did an admirable job in his first year at the helm, but ultimately the Blazers starters were just exhausted from doing all the heavy lifting. All these words and we haven’t even mentioned LaMarcus Aldridge, one of the best big men in the game, who even with all his well deserved accolades seems to be the forgotten NBA star. That’s what a few years out of the playoffs will do to your luster. With several former Western Conference powers in decline, Portland would almost surprise me if they failed to get back to the post-season.