Everyone loves a road trip...

Until you get beaten in your sleep by local hillbillies, that is. Portland starts off a five game road trip tonight in Orlando, and Dwight Howard has already launched his attempt to disarm the Blazers by making them all fall in love with him.

This road trip will give us some great insight into how close this team is to converting all that exciting young potential into a serious force. The Blazers have been playing much better at home than on the road, and we all know the mark of a legitimately good team is one that finds a way to win away from their fans.

Another quality of a good team is the ability to beat-up on inferior squads, as opposed to playing down to them. The Blazers have a couple teams they should squash on this trip (Miami and Minnesota), how they perform in these match-ups could be telling.

And don't forget to enjoy the trip. You can learn a lot about yourself by traveling. Just steer clear of the backwaters.