Tom Zillerof年代BNation.com takes a lookat what's next for four "fringe contenders" once the lockout ends. Here's his assessment of the Portland Trail Blazers. ------------------------ Yes, I am being a little liberal on use of the phrase "fringe contenders"; like the Nuggets, the Blazers were excised from the NBA Playoffs in the first round (albeit in six games to the Dallas Mavericks). With the Blazers, it's not a question of contention or rebuilding -- with LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum and Raymond Felton, this should be a playoff team. But it's a matter of how the Blazers will look, what parts of their past they will take forward that the immediate lockout aftermath will dictate. Question No. 1 with a bullet is Brandon Roy. He has $69 million remaining on his contract. That's one helluvan amnesty option, especially if the league's amnesty clause wipes money off of the cap in addition to the luxury tax rolls. But at the same time, even hobbled he might be Portland's best perimeter playmaker, he has a still-great rapport with Aldridge, the team's best player, and the Blazers are better with Roy than without. But $69 million, y'all. Greg Oden is a little different: he hasn't actually contributed much to Portland over the last four seasons. Oden could take the mystery out of his situation by signing the team's (pricey) qualifying offer, which will essentially act as a one-year deal, allowing the lumberjack to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. But if Oden doesn't take the one-year flyer and opts for the chance at stability, and a team (like say, Detroit?) rolls the dice on a multi-year deal ... at what point do the Blazers cut their losses, cap their sunk costs and allow themselves to allow Oden to potentially make his mark somewhere else? Remember that when on the court, Oden has been pretty damned good. This isn't a Hasheem Thabeet situation. ------------------------ -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com |Twitter