Football Teams

Two teams that were having trouble selling NBA tickets only a year or two ago have reversed their fortunes much faster than expected. The Portland Trail Blazers and Philadelphia 76ers are winning with rosters full of young players, something very difficult to do in the NBA.

After going 32-50 two years ago, the Blazers improved to 41-41 last year and should only improve on that mark in the 2008-2009 season. The Blazers should be competing for a playoff spot in an extremely tough conference. The craziest part about that is the Blazers have 10 players on their roster that are 25 or younger. The team is led by do-it-all guard Brandon Roy. Roy, 23, averaged 19 points per game during his second season in the league and added nearly six assists and five rebounds per contest as well. The team also gets a lot of production out of 22-year-old LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge has a great jump shot for a 6-11 player and looks like an All-Star in the making. Martell Webster, 21, and Travis Outlaw, 23, are other quality players that contribute on a nightly basis. And don’t forget about Greg Oden. Last year’s number one overall pick missed all of his rookie season after undergoing micro fracture knee surgery last summer. If Oden recovers well from the injury, he could develop into one of the top centers in the league very quickly. His inside game and rebounding prowess should nicely compliment Aldridge’s inside-outside game and rebounding deficiencies while his inside presence as a shot blocker should vastly improve Portland’s interior defense. The Blazer’s have the thirteenth pick in the 08 draft, but a lot of draft prognosticators are looking for them to trade it for a veteran to help the young guns along. Regardless, it looks like Portland will be getting better every year and selling more NBA Tickets every year.

Many predicted that the 76ers would be the worst team in the NBA last season. After trading Allen Iverson in 2006, it appeared that Phili would be in for a long rebuilding process. With an average age of just 25, the Sixers defied their critics last year and made the playoffs, earning the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. Led by veteran point guard Andre Miller, 32, this band of youths includes rising star Andre Iguodala, 24, Samuel Dalembert, 27, Louis Williams, 21 and Thaddeus Young, 19. Iguodala is establishing himself as one of the best defenders in the league and a very versatile player on the offensive end. Rookie Thaddeus Young looks like he could be a star in the making and Louis Williams took some major strides last year. The one thing the teams seems to be lacking is low-post scoring. I’d look for them to try to sign free agent Elton Brand, explore the option of trading for a guy like Zach Randolph or address the need in the draft by taking a player like Florida’s Mareese Speights. The Sixers are certainly moving in the right direction and NBA tickets to see them play are sure to be popular among basketball fans.

Tags: Football News // Add Comment »