Long time Portlanders - Lonnie Mayne used to say " There's excitement in the air". Blazer fans, can you feel it? It's amazing that about 12 months ago, we were getting ourselves comfortable with the prospects of a 20-24 win team. How far have we come!

We have a team that's deeper than any we've had in years. In Lillard, we have a legitimate superstar who proudly represents this city and who'll be part of this team for many years to come. In CJ, we have one other legitimate star / marquee player who is a joy to have in our fold. We have several players who are on the verge of becoming reliable very solid players who can contribute consistently (Aminu, Crabb, Ezeli, Davis, Plumlee,) In Leonard, we have one player who can possibly break out and be a difference maker and, along with Vonleh, present some tantalizing prospects for the future. We have We finally have some assets where we can put together one or two possibly intriguing trades that can help us in the short or intermediate term. I don't think we've had this much excitement since the Roy, Oden, Aldridge 'Rise With Us' pre-season.

At the same time, the Western Conference is shaping up to be quite the obstacle course. Barring any major injuries, who can dispute the Warrior's claim to win it all? San Antonio is, well, San Antonio, and despite Tim Duncan's retirement they are still a talented, loaded, and well coached team. Beyond these two team, how do you see the conference shaking out? Will the Clippers be as dangerous as ever? What about Utah? And how about the Timberwolves?