The brand new season is just around the corner. There are a lot of teams to watch out for, especially those who have a shot at winning it all. Unfortunately, the Portland Trail Blazers won't be one of those teams — again.

While Damian Lillard and Co. have made the playoffs for eight straight seasons now, they will probably be booted out in the first or second round this year. Here are some reasons why a Larry O'Brien trophy is unlikely for the Rip City squad.

3. The Blazers' new additions are not enough to boost their defense

It's not a secret anymore that the main reason for the Trail Blazers' playoff struggles is their lack of defense. They do well in the regular season, usually ending up anywhere between the third or eighth seed. But in the postseason, where the action is a whole lot different, the team falters.

The fault goes to both players and coaches. In terms of the latter, the Blazers' front office has dealt with it by firing Terry Stotts and replacing him with defensive specialist Chauncey Billups (more on this later).

In terms of beefing up their team, they didn't really make an effort. Some of the new players they acquired were Cody Zeller, Tony Snell, Larry Nance Jr. and Ben McLemore among others. They are good players in their own right. But among them, it's really just Nance Jr. who's a decent defender. Can he stop top centers in the West like Anthony Davis? What about Joel Embiid?

2. The transition to a new coach is usually volatile

As mentioned, Portland is now under the Chauncey Billups era. Upon his hiring, the former Detroit Pistons legend shared his vision for the team: defense. He even added Roy Rogers, who's regarded as a defensive specialist, to his coaching staff.

At this point, we only have these soft details about Billups. We have to see if his vision for the team actually turns into a reality. This is the main crux of the transition to a new coaching regime. There's a big difference between theory and execution. Billups, who only has one season of experience as an assistant, will encounter first-hand the difficulties of how to turn theory into practice.

Apart from which, as already noted above, the Trail Blazers aren't blessed with the right pieces—at least not yet. In NBA history, there have been only NINE head coaches who have won a title in their first year: John Kundla, Edward Gottlieb, Buddy Jeannette, George Senesky, Pat Riley, Paul Westhead, Steve Kerr, Tyronn Lue and Nick Nurse.

Not to take anything away from Kerr, Lue, and Nurse, but their teams were ripe for the title when they entered the picture. This is not the case for Billups. Having Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum is good–it's in fact better than other teams who do not have a potent star combo. But they need more help and Billups needs more pieces to effectively integrate his vision.

1. With Damian Lillard's future on the line, the Blazers front office is on the verge of panic

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Peter Sampson ·

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Peter Sampson ·

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Peter Sampson ·

Damian Lillard has been involved in a legion of rumors in the tail-end of the 2020-21 NBA season and a good part of this offseason. There's a hunch that Lillard will request a trade if the Blazers do not build a roster beefy enough to compete for a title.

Lillard himself has dismissed such rumors. Perhaps he's not the type who wants to actively chase for that elusive title ring.

However, the front office is smart enough to know that just because Lillard has not requested a trade doesn't mean the six-time All-Star will stay with them until he retires. Priorities change, too, especially during the tail-end of one's career. As such, the front office may be on helter-skelter mode as we speak.

They probably know that the roster they have now is still not good enough. And if they fail to make great strides this season, then that's the end of the Lillard era. Working with a ticking clock is not exactly ideal. This could set up a series of dumb roster tweaks or other rash decisions. This situation doesn't really equate to a title. Not even close.