A Q&A with Dave Deckard of SB Nation’s Blazers site Blazer’s Edge.

What needs to happen for this to be an enjoyable season for Blazers fans?

Playing above .500 would be a start. Progressing to the second round would be even better. If the Blazers stall in either capacity, people will begin to question the direction.

Portland Trail Blazers / Projected Starters
Position	Starters	Bench
Guards	Damian Lillard C.J. McCollum	Shabazz Napier Pat Connaughton
Wings	Maurice Harkless Al-Farouq Aminu	Evan Turner Anthony Morrow Jake Layman C.J. Wilcox
Bigs	Jusuf Nurkic	Ed Davis Noah Vonleh Meyers Leonard Caleb Swanigan Zach Collins

What makes Blazers fans most excited about this year? What makes Blazers fans most nervous?

Watching Jusuf Nurkic develop will be the most exciting aspect. Portland's defense makes EVERYBODY nervous. If they don't improve, individual player development will go for naught.

Gut Check

Survey data collected from site writers and editors. The wider the graph the more optimism and trust the fans have in their team! The grey line indicates the average of all sites' collected data.

6.0

Out of 10

How good will your team be this year

6.7

Out of 10

Are they on the rise or on the decline

6.7

Out of 10

Are fans happy with the team’s direction or angry

6.7

Out of 10

Are they trying to win now or build for the future

What storyline might a national audience be missing about the Blazers?

It's pretty much out there on the table. The Blazers have a young version of their Big 3. They'll be exciting to watch every night. Whether that translates into significantly more wins is anybody's guess.

Why should neutrals pay attention to the Blazers this year?

Portland's offense is, and should remain, beautiful. They have two of the most exciting scorers in the league in their backcourt. With Nurkic providing a complementary inside-out game, they should be fun to watch.

And hey, if Portland's defense continues to stink, their opponents will be fun to watch, too.

What's your prediction for the season?

46-36. God knows what seed that'll be in the West. Nurkic has to stay healthy or they're back down to .500.