Preseason and the eternal optimism

Fans of the Portland Trail Blazers are a different breed of cat. Despite years of heartache they still come around every October with an exuberance reserved for fans of franchises accustomed to lengthy runs of playoff success. Even going into a rebuilding season some fans are going a little crazy with their predictions. I read on a message board recently a guy predicting a 4th place finish in the west. Yikes! Now that Portland has beaten the Lakers in a preseason game we'll have to hear about how great this team is going to be. I really don't want to be the Debbie downer here, so I'm going to just say do it the first game of the year and we'll talk. There's a few pieces in place to turn this ship around, and it will be exciting to see these young guys run. But there are going to be some incredibly frustrating moments this season. Who knows where the Jay Jensen curse will strike next. Are we done with just Elliot Williams? Remember how this team folded like a tent after the controversial goaltending call against the Thunder last year? How will this team react to similar adversity? I will keep my optimism bottled up for now and stick with my team through the bad times. Basically I'm saying wait til next year before the season starts.