If you would like to see your questions addressed in next week’s edition of Mailbag Monday, email them to ripcityproject@fansided.com. I am always happy to hear from you. For more information, check out the introductory article.
"So… where the heck is Thomas Robinson?– Marcus B."
Robinson appeared to be first off the bench at power forward early on (when Joel Freeland and Meyers Leonard were dealing with injury/illness), but disappeared shortly after. I believe the tide turned in Freeland’s favor when his lockdown defense on Al Jefferson allowed the Trail Blazers to mount an impressive comeback over the Charlotte Bobcats on November 11th. Since then, Robinson has been relegated to the end of the bench.
There are a number of reasons Robinson fell out of favor, the first being Freeland’s consistency and ability to do the little things that help everyone else. Freeland is not only a better shooter and more fundamentally sound defender, he is a prolific offensive rebounder. He leads the Trail Blazers in offensive rebounds per 36 minutes (6.3) with the widest production gap between him and the next man down (Robin Lopez: 4.1). Second chance opportunities are hugely important for any team, and Freeland’s are part of why Portland leads the entire NBA in rebounds per game.
The second reason Robinson has disappeared has to do with contracts. The Trail Blazers elected not to extend him a qualifying offer this summer because $4.7 million is a lot of money to designate for another year from someone who would play limited minutes behind LaMarcus Aldridge anyway. The team is wise to give minutes to players that will probably be around next year (like Leonard, who had his option exercised) as long as those minutes do not come at the cost of wins.
The third reason is just that Robinson is raw. This can be a positive or a negative. He has an undeniably higher ceiling than Freeland or Leonard, but the Trail Blazers are looking for the highest floor when filling out the lineup. They will need reliable contributions more often than they will need an X-factor that may or may not pan out on a game-to-game basis. Robinson is explosive, but sometimes explosions cause collateral damage.
"Where do you rank the Blazers within the Western Conference now that we are a month through the season?– Alex G."
I don’t particularly care for rankings myself, as they are at worst arbitrary and at best speculative. Right now the Trail Blazers are doing exceedingly well, but so are a slew of other NBA teams. This will change throughout the year as schedule difficulty fluctuates, injuries pile up, and trades occur—though I suppose your question is specific to present day.
Right now, within the Western Conference, I would comfortably place the Trail Blazers above the following teams (based on talent, not necessarily record): The Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, and probably the New Orleans Pelicans. The rest is a mixed bag.
Among the remaining teams (Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, and Los Angeles Clippers), I think the Trail Blazers belong somewhere in the middle. I would place them anywhere between second and sixth best in the West, assuming player health across the board. If I had to slap a ranking on it, I would say fourth for now.
"Hey David! Do you play fantasy basketball and are you any good? Go Blazers!-Justin R."
I have a group of friends that I’ve played with since college, and I like to think I am good at it. I have always ranked third or better in the playoffs (10-team league). About half the time I will just outright win the league, but injuries can make things unpredictable. I haven’t really taken it seriously this year since I’ve been laser-focused on work.
A few years back, I secretly ran my roommate’s team because he was invited to play with his friends and knew nothing of basketball. He was supposed to be the league freebie. His first year he went undefeated and they chalked it up to beginner’s luck. The second year took a bit more work since he auto-drafted, but he still ended up with a repeat championship. He was not invited back for a third year.
This season, I did two leagues. One team built with a high ceiling; the other with a high floor. They are 1-4 and 4-1 respectively thanks to several major injuries within the former. Pro-tip: unless you’re just messing around, don’t actually put Derrick Rose, David Lee, Brook Lopez, DeMar DeRozan, George Hill, and Dwight Howard on the same roster. I feel guilty having cursed them all.
I consider Fantasy Basketball a fun way to make games more interesting. Normally, I don’t go out of my way to watch a matchup like Orlando vs. Brooklyn, but when I have players on both sides I suddenly care deeply about the performance of Deron Williams and Tobias Harris so I can satisfy my penchant for trashtalk.