The Portland Trail Blazers are about to find out what happens when you tear down a championship contender for a shot at building a better one.
It wasn't supposed to be like this for them. But Wesley Matthews' Achilles injury changed things—everything, actually—something head coach Terry Stotts readily admitted.
"Everything hinged on Wes’ Achilles," he told SB Nation's Paul Flannery. "That skewed everything. We were playing very good basketball. Depending on matchups and everything I thought we could have a good run. Not just that year, but moving forward."
Entering the game in which Matthews went down, the Blazers were 40-19, owners of the third-highest winning percentage in the brutally built Western Conference. Losing him set the stage for their first-round playoff exit and a busy offseason that saw them bid farewell to four of their five starters.
Another full-on rebuild is subsequently underway in Portland, bringing with it a harsh, if necessary reality: The Blazers' championship-chasing days are, for the time being, over.
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Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Dan Favale
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