I can't believe the books are hanging a sub-.500 for this season. The Trailblazers did nothing but improve their squad from a less than stellar 33 win season in 2012-13. The addition of Robin Lopez will pay dividends for the Blazers, as they now have a solidified center that can log some minutes and do the dirty work. Not to mention, Lopez is 500% better on the defensive end then JJ Hickson, which is a welcome sign to a better defensive team.
When CJ McCollum returns, the Blazers will have one of the most exciting backcourts in all of basketball with Lilliard, Batum and McCollum. They also made two very solid signings in the offseason, picking up reserves Dorrell Wright and Mo Williams, which drastically improves one of the worst benches in the NBA. It's no wonder that Portland's starters logged the 3rd most minutes as a group last season!
LaMarcus Aldridge is healthy and will benefit greatly from having Lopez by his side. Aldridge has two years and $31 million left on his contract, which makes him almost impossible to move IMO...so I don't foursee him going anywhere. He's also stated that he loves Portland and really likes what the new GM has done with the young roster.
I'm not sure if this team can make a run through the playoffs, but I really don't think it's unreasonable for this Blazers team to win 40+ games and be in the hunt for a playoff spot coming down the stretch. This is the only NBA Season Win Total that stood out to me and it's VERY worthy of a large play IMO. Goodluck.
Other leans include Cleveland O40.5 and Philadelphia O16.5