Best Bet – Trail Blazers to make the playoffs (-200)
Worst Bet – Trail Blazers to win the Western Conference (+2000)
The Portland Trail Blazers have been good the last few years but they can’t seem to get over the hump in the playoffs and they are hoping the changes this offseason can get them over the hump. One of the big reasons this last season they couldn’t get over the hump was that Jusuf Nurkic was lost for the season.
To say the next year’s team is going to look different, might actually be an understatement. Maurice Harkless, Al-Farouq Aminu, Meyers Leonard, Enes Kanter, Evan Turner, Seth Curry, and Jake Layman are all on different teams this year.
The team shocked a lot of people when they traded for Hassan Whiteside and they hope he can get them over the hump this year. If not he is an expiring contract, so this is a very low risk deal for them. They also traded for Kent Bazemore who should be a weapon either in the starting lineup or off the bench right away.
Pau Gasol was also signed and he should be another good veteran presence. How much he has left on the court is still to be seen, but this is another low-risk signing.
So now the big question is where does the team go from here? Will the Trail Blazers take a step forward and make it to the NBA Finals and win a title? Or will all the changes this offseason be for nothing? Only time will tell but the pressure is on the Trail Blazers to figure it out and take that step forward.
Trail Blazers Win Total: O/U 46.5 Wins
If you have read some of my other previews about the Northwestern division you probably know exactly how I feel about the Trail Blazers and their win total.
Last season they won 53 games but after all the changes to their team and the Western Conference, Vegas has moved their number down to 46.5.
This actually isn’t a play that I like very much, but I think the only way that you can attack it is taking the under. Being in the Western Conference this year is going to be tough and there are going to be a lot of teams, beating up on a lot of other teams and that is going to cause to a lot of teams to have their win total drop from what many might expect.
The bottom of the Western Conference is also stronger this year, and I think they might actually be better than what people expect. The Suns and the WOlves aren’t going to be as bad, and the Pelicans might be a team to look out for this year.
With all those reasons I think that the only way to attack this is going with the under, but it’s only a lean and I would bet it lightly.
Odds To Make The Playoffs: Yes -200, No +170
The good news for the Trail Blazers with the rest of the teams getting better in the Western Conference is that -200 is all you have to pay if you think they will make the playoffs.
What people seem to forget about this team is that Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are still around and they did get some good role players back.
Last year it did take 48 wins to get into the playoffs but I think that number will be a lot less with everyone being more competitive. This is one of the best plays on the board because I don’t see any reason this team won’t make the playoffs, and I don’t think it will be all that hard.
All the Blazers players are going to have to wait a little longer to golf because they will be playing once the regular season is over.
Odds to win the Northwest +600
The Northwest division is competitive and the Trail Blazers come in with the third best odds behind the Utah Jazz and the Denver Nuggets and ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
When betting a division that isn’t a run away you should always look for value and this is a team that I think offers a ton of value. The Nuggets are going to be good and so will the Jazz but the Jazz are going to have to figure out how to play with eachother so there could be some early struggles.
+600 is really high for a team with as much talent as the Blazers and I think they have as good of shot as anyone to come out ahead.
Take the value that is offered here, and bet the Trail Blazers to win the division.
Odds to win Western Conference +2000
There is no way reason that the Trail Blazers can’t win the Western Conference, although I don’t have enough confidence in them to place money on them.
Who comes out of the Western Conference is anyone’s guess and will probably come down to which team can limit the injuries during the regular season.
Injuries hurt the Trail Blazers last season, and it scares me that might happen again this year which is why I don’t have enough confidence to lay any money on them to get done.
If you want to place money on them I don’t blame you, but I would advise against doing it.
Odds to win NBA Championship +3300
Most believe that the team that wins the Western Conference will have a leg up on winning it all, but I don’t think that is going to happen. It’s going to be hard to get out of the Western Conference and could take a couple of long series to just make it to the NBA Finals.
I think that type of beating up during the playoffs is going to hurt the team that makes it out, and for that reason, I don’t think there is any value on the Trail Blazers to win the title.
If this moves to +4000 or more I think there is some value but not at this price.
