April 21, 2011, Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum (88, left), center Marcus Camby (23, right), forward Gerald Wallace (3) and forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) exchange high-fives following game three of the first round of the 2011 NBA playoffs at the Rose Garden. Portland defeated Dallas, 97-92. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-US PRESSWIRE

2011-12 results:  28-38, overall, 4th in the Northwest Division

Key Departures: Gerald Wallace, Marcus Camby, Raymond Felton, Jamal Crawford, Kurt Thomas, Jonny Flynn, Joel Pryzbilla, Hasheem Thabeet.

Key Additions: Terry Stotts (head coach), Damian Lillard, Meyers Leonard, Will Barton, Victor Claver, Joel Freeland, Jared Jeffries, Ronnie Price, Adam Morrison.

The 2012-13 season for the Portland Trail Blazers is surrounded by question marks. Should LaMarcus Aldridge be included in possible MVP consideration? Is Damian Lillard the point guard of the future? Can Meyers Leonard be a solid NBA center? Will Claver and Freeland be able to gel into NBA basketball after playing overseas for their entire careers? What direction can coach Terry Stotts take the Blazers?

LaMarcus Aldridge showed the league that he’s not only Portland’s number one offensive weapon, but he’s one of the best big men in the league and will go for a second consecutive All-Star berth. Nicolas Batum is the next weapon and will definitely need to prove he’s worth that gross $46 million, four-year offer sheet that Portland matched in July.

It’s difficult right now to see what direction the Blazers are headed. They had to swallow the fact that the Brandon Roy-Greg Oden dream is dead and turned their sights to lottery picks, thereby drafting Lillard and Leonard with the sixth and eleventh picks respectively. Both had a very good Summer League experience, and while Lillard has been said to be in contention for Rookie of the Year, all the young players on the roster need time to grow.

This upcoming season is not a “win now” mode. It’s more of a learning curve and no one expects Portland to win a lot of games and hang around the cellar of the Northwest Division. Even snatching 35 wins would exceed expectations.

March 13, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) dribbles against Indiana Pacers power forward Tyler Hansbrough (50) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeated Portland 92-75. Mandatory credit: Michael Hickey-US PRESSWIRE

The Portland Trail Blazers are in a pickle with their roster right now. There’s a big disparity in the number of players at each position, and it seems as though the team will be featuring two rookies in their starting lineup — not your everyday equation for a Playoff-bound team, especially in the power-packed Western Conference.

But at the core of this young, seemingly rebuilding Blazers squad lies their general, LaMarcus Aldridge, who assumed the role after Brandon Roy was amnestied/retired.

After being snubbed in 2011, Aldridge played in his first All-Star game last season,  boasting season averages of 21.7 points, eight rebounds, 0.8 blocks and 0.9 steals per game. And with everything going on in Blazerland this year, those numbers have no other direction to go but up.

The newest head honcho in Portland, Terry Stotts played a key role in the Dallas Mavericks’ championship season. Serving as their assistant coach during the run, Stotts’ role was a sort of offensive mastermind, developing new ways to help get the Dallas shooters open.

LA cont: “(Stotts) was a key component of changing things to help free him (Nowitzki) and move him around. I’m excited about having him.”

— Joe Freeman (@BlazerFreeman) August 8, 2012

LA on Stotts: “Dirk said he’s an offensive genius. He played a very big part of the offense changing the year they won the championship.”

— Joe Freeman (@BlazerFreeman) August 8, 2012

With Stotts running the show, as well as Kaleb Canales, Jay Triano, David Vanterpool and big man specialist, Kim Hughes, L.A.’s numbers will spike again this year, earning him another All-Star reserve position on the Western Conference All-Star team.

Aside from Nicolas Batum, who’s also staring at a make-or-break season, and Wesley Matthews, the majority of the scoring responsibility will be placed on Aldridge’s shoulders.

2012-2013 Projections: 24.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 blocks, 1.1 steals per game

@BriscoXCI | KrisWinfield@gmail.com

April 1, 2012; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (12) comes off the bench to greet Portland Trail Blazers power forward J.J. Hickson (21)during the third quarter of the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Rose Garden. The Blazers won the game 119-106. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-US PRESSWIRE

With the No. 6 and 11 overall picks in the 2012 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers did exactly what we thought they would do: go with Damian Lillard at six and, because Austin Rivers wasn’t available, pick up Meyers Leonard at eleven.

And with loads of cap space headed into a relatively decent free agent pool, the Trail Blazers, again, did exactly what we thought they would do: make a run at one marquee free agent in Roy Hibbet (God, that would’ve been a great acquisition), and match any offer, no matter how gaudy and over-priced it may have been, on restricted free agent Nicolas Batum.

But now that the dust has settled and team rosters are finally coming into shape, the question of whether or not this year’s Blazer squad is, in fact, enough seems to be a point of speculation, yet again.

Well first, we should define “enough.”

Enough for a championship?

God no.

That only leaves the plausible idea of the Blazers returning to the post-season, after a paltry 28-38 regular season in 2011-12, with minor changes to the roster and a still unfinished head coaching hunt. Seems kind of dull when you put it that way, but it’s always darkest before dawn.

Jason Quick from The Oregonian reported that general manager Neil Olshey has narrowed his coaching search down to two candidates: interim head coach and the widely-regarded “in-house favorite,” Kaleb Canales, and Dallas Mavericks assistant coach, Terry Stotts.

Terry Stotts and Kaleb Canales are the two finalists for the Trail Blazers head coaching position, The Oregonian has learned

— Jason Quick (@jwquick) August 2, 2012

It puts a stake into my hobgoblin idea of Stan Van Gundy running a Lillard-Aldridge pick-and-roll system, but I’ll take any semblance of Rip City  forward progress at this point.

So Portland will have what seems to look like a reliable head directing this coachable team for 2012-2013. Not super-stacked or powerhouse, but coachable nonetheless.

The Blazers’ front office, before and during Olshey’s tenure, have also done a great job of ridding the team of its so-called cancers. Marcus Camby was dished off to the Rockets, now with the Knicks; Greg Oden’s oft-injured self was released, Jamal Crawford opted out and signed with the Clippers, Raymond Felton was sent to the Knicks in a sign-and-trade for Jared Jeffries, and Gerald Wallace, who I viewed as an asset, was dealt to the now-Brooklyn Nets in return for the pick that landed Lillard in Portland.

The Blazers are still in an all-out war to keep Joel Przybilla from signing elsewhere, but rumor has it Milwaukee is offering him slip-free shower floors.

How can you argue with that?

July 19, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Mike Scott (32) and Portland Trail Blazers center Meyers Leonard (11) and guard Damian Lillard (0) go for a loose ball in the first half of the game at the Cox Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Portland does have Victor Claver and Joel Freeland, two proven European studs, en route to Rip City, and they did re-sign J.J. Hickson for another year, but the only center currently under contract is the rook, Meyers Leonard, and no amount of Summer League success or training camp drills will adequately prepare him for the onslaught of crafty, super-athletic, attacking guards that have a target on his face.

Damian Lillard will have a stand-out rookie season and probably average somewhere in the ballpark of 16 points, six assists and two steals per game, falling just short of Anthony Davis in the Rookie of the Year race.

LaMarcus Aldridge will add on to his lone All-Star appearance with yet another outstanding season, and Wesley Matthews and Nic Batum will continue lighting it up from three, and hopefully add onto their developing offensive arsenal

The wild-card is Elliott Williams.

The potential, skill and efficiency are there. The play time is lacking.

Then there’s Leonard. If he’s good, he’ll post 11 points, nine rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. That’s only if he’s good, gets quality minutes AND stays out of foul trouble.

So is this roster enough?

Had the Blazers landed Hibbert with the max offer sheet they threw at him, Portland would be flirting with a five or six seed in the West. But until Olshey can find a quality, veteran center to start over the rookie, I have to go with the under.

There’s still hope, if he can convince Jermaine O’Neal to come to Portland, rounding out the starting five with a shot-blocking, mid-range stroking big man. But if the roster stays as is heading into the season, it’ll be yet another long year passing by that L.A. doesn’t see post-season playoff action, and nobody wants that for the franchise centerpiece.