The Trailblazers are going to run the ball a lot more than they did last year with Andre Miller in charge. 27-year old Raymond Felton is the new starting point guard for the Trailblazers. He played in 75 games (54 starts) for the Knicks & Nuggets last year and he averaged 36.5 minutes, 15.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Felton has now played in 474 games (423 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 35.2 minutes, 13.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game. 23-year old rookie Nolan Smith will probably be Felton’s caddy in 2011-12. He can handle both guard spots. 22-year old Armon Johnson played in 38 games (0 starts) as a rookie last year for the Blazers and he averaged 7.3 minutes, 2.9 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

I don’t think the Trailblazers have to do much at all when the lockout is lifted. Maybe they will want to bring in a veteran big man to back up Marcus Camby at center, but that’s about all they need. They can pick that guy up in free agency to keep the current roster in tact. The Trailblazers are a team on the rise in the Western Conference.