Olshey, Blazers optimistic Whiteside’s transition will be seamless

Part 3 of a multiple-part series with Trail Blazers president of basketball operation Neil Olshey that provides an inside look at the Trail Blazers' summer of change) With Golden State no longer in the power position in the Western Conference, the race to the NBA Finals is much more wide open than it's been in several seasons. And the Trail Blazers this summer wanted to make sure they were a part of that race from the start. A team looking only to make the playoffs wouldn't have worried so much about finding a quality center to hold down the position until the anticipated return of Jusuf Nurkic sometime around the All-Star break.