The Portland Trail Blazers returning for four games won’t be a good thing

Shams Charania recently announced the NBA are in talks around the season returning in June. Could this return be bad for the Portland Trail Blazers though?

Though there has been no official confirmation of a season return or a finalized date, the NBA are in talks to play games in July at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. There has also been talk of a minimum amount of games per team being played to get across a certain financial threshold for local TV stations. This number is 70, and the Portland Trail Blazers have played 66 games.

Though the return of NBA basketball would be exciting for players and fans, a measly four games would mean the Blazers would almost certainly miss the post-season. They are currently three wins behind the Memphis Grizzlies and are only two wins ahead of three other teams.

Within these four games, the Grizzlies would have to lose three and then the Blazers would need to win at least three and rely on a tie-breaker that isn’t in their favour, or to win all four games.

This is possible, but pretty unlikely. Obviously there is a fair bit of speculation involved here, but the Blazers don’t want to return for four games. They are one of the teams who have benefitted from the break in terms of their previously injured players in Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins now being available to play.

Even if there were eight or so games, that would suit this team. No other team is able to bring back two starters from injury. Especially when you look at the other talent already on the roster, this Blazers team at full-strength is dangerous.

LeBron James has already said earlier in the season that no team would want to face the Blazers as an eight-seed.

Having a crazy four games to try and make the playoffs could be exciting, but it just gives this team too much of an uphill battle to do it.

We will cross our fingers on the Disney solution though, because of the no travel time with everyone staying on site, this may give the league enough time to play the rest of the regular season. As a team with the returning injured players, 16 games gives us enough of a run at that eight-seed.

Yes, we want to see NBA basketball, but finishing in ninth position in the West wouldn’t be any fun.