Team of the future: Young Blazers should be title contenders in a couple of years

Music critic Jon Landau, after attending a concert in May 1974, wrote, "I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen."

That was more than a year before Springsteen released Born to Run. Tens of millions of records sold, countless concerts and more than three decades later, "The Boss" is an icon who continues to produce top-selling albums with his buddies in the E Street Band.

What does this have to do with basketball?

Nothing, except that, to borrow the line from Landau, Utah Jazz fans at EnergySolutions Arena on Tuesday night saw the future of the NBA and its name is the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Blazers are young and brash yet play under control in coach Nate McMillan's system. Their opening-night roster had an average age of 24 years and 26 days, making them the youngest team in NBA history.

Yet, after a rough start, they are nearly back up to .500 on the season and are on a six-game winning streak — and that's without their can't-miss, All-Star prospect, Greg Oden, who is out for the year recovering from knee surgery.

"We know we have potential," said McMillan after beating the Jazz on Tuesday. "We know we are growing up and learning how to play the game of NBA basketball and playing together."

In their two wins over Utah this week, the Blazers' top scorer and rebounder, second-year forward LaMarcus Aldridge, sat with a foot injury.

Of course, experience is an important factor in NBA playoff success. It will take time for Portland to develop into a title contender. But four or five years from now, watch out. Consider:

• Oden, a 7-foot man-child, is expected to recover fully and will likely be a force in the league for years to come. After playing at Ohio State for one season and helping the Buckeyes to the national title game, Oden entered the draft as the most heralded prospect since LeBron James.

He's just 19, and his rehab from knee surgery is reportedly going well. If anything, it's going too well and he's getting into too good of shape. Oden has reportedly gained 30 pounds of muscle and is now 280 pounds.

• Last year's rookie of the year, guard Brandon Roy, has a strong all-around game and the ability to lead. He came into the league a bit more polished than most rookies after a four-year college career at Washington where he was the Pac-10's Player of the Year as a senior. Still, he's just 23.

• Aldridge was the No. 2 pick in the 2006 draft and has shown a marked improvement in his low-post moves and scoring. He's averaging about 10 more points and three more rebounds per game this year than he did as a rookie. The former Texas star is 22.