There’s been no shortage of feel-good stories this NBA season. Near the top of that list: the Portland Trail Blazers’ unlikely ascendance from playoff afterthought to upstart prodigies with plenty of promise for the future.
The NBA’s cognoscenti were split on whether the Blazers—the ninth-youngest team in the league—would wind up cresting the playoff picture or playing for a lottery largesse.
Portland’s impressive march to the Western Conference Semifinals, where it met its ultimate demise at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, may have seemed validation enough.
To the contrary, general manager Neil Olshey saw in this season the seeds of a potential contender in the making.
Obviously, Olshey’s sentiments speak as much to his team’s impressive playoff performance as it does the hard reality of Portland’s financial situation. As CBS Sports’ Matt Moore notes, the Blazers will enter the 2014-15 season with close to $65 million in committed salaries—or slightly over the projected salary cap.
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Article written by Jim Cavan
Portland Trail Blazers Confirm They’re Entering ‘Win-Now’ Mode
May 17th, 2014 by Jim Cavan Leave a reply »
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