PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (54-28)

How it ended: After putting together its most successful regular season since the Scottie Pippen-led 2000 squad that fell one game short of the Finals, Portland's playoff inexperience plagued its first-round hopes in a series against equally success-starved Houston. The Blazers looked shell-shocked in Game 1 and in their first road test, ultimately costing them an opportunity to advance. Despite the setback, a 54-win campaign and the ability to get their feet wet in the postseason made 2008-09 a massive success.

Coach: Nate McMillan has milked improvement out of the Blazers in each of the past three seasons and has the right combination of drive, patience and discipline to continue development. 

Arrivals: G Andre Miller, F Juwan Howard, F Dante Cunningham

Departures: F Channing Frye, G Sergio Rodriguez, F Raef LaFrentz

Projected starters: F Nicolas Batum, F LaMarcus Aldridge, C Greg Oden, G Andre Miller, G Brandon Roy

Position battles: Martell Webster is healthy again and looking to reclaim the starting small forward spot that Batum handled so nicely. Travis Outlaw will need to fit in somewhere and may ultimately find minutes behind Aldridge over newcomers Howard and Cunningham. Despite failing an early conditioning test, Miller relegating Steve Blake to a backup role seems like a formality. Oden, if healthy, should start ahead of Joel Przybilla at center. Ime Udoka and Jarron Collins entered camp as the main competitors for the final roster spot.

Chemistry experiment: Miller is a glue guy, so it shouldn't be too long before he's elevating the level of play of the rest of the Blazers. Oden has to continue to try and stay on the floor while avoiding the temptation to push himself to live up to that No. 1 billing all at once. How Webster's return affects the wing rotation, especially since Rudy Fernandez should command more minutes, will be interesting to monitor.

Best case: Oden stays healthy and progresses to where he's no longer riddled with foul trouble on a nightly basis, becoming a game-changer inside. Roy and Aldridge continue to make strides, aided by Miller's ability to make the game easier. Displaying a more consistent form would net the Blazers their first Northwest Division title.

Worst case: Miller proves to be a poor fit, Oden continues to appear jinxed and the guys begin tuning out McMillan and forgetting that defense breeds success. That type of implosion is always possible but unlikely. 

Prediction: The strides made by Roy, Aldridge, Oden and Batum over the course of the season make Portland extremely dangerous. If there's sufficient progress, you should expect to see this bunch get through a first-round series and improving its outlook for a bright future.