NBA
BASKETBALL April
27, 2001 - - - - -
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On
the Portland Trail Blazers By
Ricardo Aparicio
Whether
correct or not, certain labels get attached to teams and
players.
For a player, the label can last for the duration of a career (the
David
Robinson "soft" label immediately springs to mind); For a franchise,
however,
a label can last for decades. Despite sporadic success in the past
and
a promising future, the Clippers are the first team people think of when
it
comes to futility. The mighty Lakers were once regarded as losers during
their
string of runners-up finishes in the 1960s and early 1970s. Nowadays,
if
a particular label fits one particular team, the label is disappointing
--
and
the team is the Blazers.
1)
ROUGH START AND A TASTE OF CHAMPAGNE The
sobering reality for Portland fans is that disappointment has
followed
the Blazers franchise for nearly its entire history. Portland began
play
in the 1970-71 season with a typical expansion record -- 29-53 -- but
also
with a cornerstone type of player. Geoff Petrie was co-Rookie of the
Year
in 1971 (along with Dave Cowens), but Petrie was out of basketball due
to
injuries following the 1975-76 season. Bill Walton was the next savior,
but
he too was beset by injuries. After two injury-plagued seasons, Walton
played
in 65 regular-season games and the Blazers win the 1977 NBA
Championship.
2)
THE NEXT STAGE - COMING UP SHORT That
was the high point. The very next year, Walton broke his foot
once
during the season (the Blazers were 50-10, but finished 8-14 after the
injury)
and once again in the playoffs. After a harsh falling out with
management
and Blazer medical staff, Walton was traded and the would-be
dynasty
was over after one year. Many mediocre seasons followed. After the
Blazers
drafted Clyde Drexler in 1983, Portland reached the NBA Finals in
1990.
After achieving the 1-1 split the road team fights for, Portland was
swept
on their home floor by the defending champion Detroit Pistons. In 1991
Portland
won three of five against the Lakers during the regular season, but
lost
in the Western Conference Finals 4-2. In 1992 Portland again got the 1-1
split
against defending champion Chicago, but lost the series in six games.
Drexler
was traded to Houston in 1995, where he helped the Rockets win their
second
straight NBA Championship.
3)
HERE AND NOW The
current incarnation of the Blazers is altogether different. They
can
best be described as a jigsaw puzzle with twelve corners. After all --
corners
are great pieces, but you need lesser pieces to complete the picture.
The
school of thought in Blazers management seems to be, "Role players and
chemistry
be damned. With a roster this deep, we can overcome any team.". But
the
tried and true method in the NBA, the star system, has won championship
after
championship, year after year. While Mike Dunleavy struggles to get
touches
for Rod Strickland, Steve Smith, and Bonzi Wells, Tim Duncan and
David
Robinson win rings. While Damon Stoudamire, Stacey Augmon, and Detlef
Schrempf
sulk about playing time, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant win rings.
While
Rasheed Wallace gets technicals and ejections, Duncan's Spurs or
O'Neal's
Lakers will be winning more rings.
4)
MORE TUNNEL AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL Unfortunately
for Blazer fans, it's going to get worse and stay worse
for
a long time before it gets better. Their best young talent doesn't even
play
for them anymore (Jermaine O'Neal), their best player can't keep himself
in
a game against the Grizzlies (Wallace), their center (Arvydas Sabonis)
can't
run (a slight handicap in basketball), their small forward can't seem
to
do anything since leaving Michael Jordan's side (Scottie Pippen), and
their
bench, the "deepest in the NBA", gets routinely outplayed by the Laker
bench
(Mark Madsen, Tyronne Lue, assistant coach Bill Bertka) in the playoffs.
5)
WHAT TO DO My
advice to Blazer management: Drop a bomb on that franchise and
start
over. Fire Dunleavy (it's not all his fault, but you have to start
somewhere)
and blow out the roster. See to it that only Wallace, Stoudamire
and
Wells remain with the team. Hire a shrink, buy some Prozac, and fix
Wallace's
little temper tantrums. Bring in some nice, complimentary, role
players
to go along with the three players that remain. Draft players like
Petrie,
Walton, and Drexler. Finally, have some patience and let your team
grow,
for crying out loud! Look how long some players had to wait for their
NBA
titles with the same team: Julius Erving, seven years. Isiah Thomas,
eight
years. Michael Jordan, seven years. Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson,
ten
years. If these Hall of Famers can wait, so can you.
As
I write this, the Blazers are down 0-2 to the Lakers in the 2001
playoffs.
But if the atmosphere doesn't change in Portland, I'm afraid the
contents
of this article will apply anytime in the foreseeable future.
