What Trail Does Portland Blaze Next?

Coming off the heels of a historic ‘15-’16 season, Rip City is still left buzzing about their Portland Trail Blazers. Although their season ended on what most consider to be a proud note, the city finds itself left with more questions than answers. One of the defining characteristics that has always been true about Blazer fans, is that they all have a very good memory. Good, bad, or indifferent, they all know who the team has been, where the team has been, and what the team has been over the course of the franchise’s history. As many highs as this team has had, it’s had its fair share of haunting history as well. And as magical as this last season was, don’t think for one second that fans have forgotten about the offseason leading up to it. Knowing what they know about both the current situation and the last, Rip City can only ask what’s next?

For those of you still hungover from all the Blazer booze, remember that last offseason was the one where ⅘ of the starters left the team. From last year’s roster to the current one, only five players were on both. It was every team’s worst nightmare. Obviously, you don’t hear anyone in Portland complaining today. The team that was then created for this season was eventually embraced and beloved as if “Portland Meltdown 2K15” never happened. But it did, and we’d all be wise to not forget that, as it could be the key influence in what and who we prioritize this offseason. At this point,we all know that both the organization and the players that left had their reasons for their roles in events that unfolded last offseason. Some had issues with individual roles, simple issues of money, contracts, or just lack of morale. Depending on how you look at it, some chalk it up to just being the nature of the sports business. Some say it was selfishness in the locker room. Others say it was poor leadership in the front office. However you want to spin it, at the end of the day, one thing is incontrovertible: This city deserves a team that’s here to stay.

It doesn’t matter who’s on it, Trail Blazer fans will always commit to a Blazer team that commits to them. If you look back at the season, you’ll remember that this team didn’t just earn our respect because they got the wins; they earned our respect because of how they got the wins. When they realized they had nothing to lose, they threw caution to the wind. They became fearless. Pure talent is great and all, but in Rip City, we love the work horse and the underdog more. And whenever this time of year rolls around, people start debating how to prioritize the three core options: current roster, draft picks, and free agents. This year, it is quite clear that they need to protect the team they have first.

There’s potential value in both free agency and in the draft, but at such a delicate time for this franchise, keeping the critical pieces of this team together must be priority number one. General Manager Neil Olshey will always tell you that he’s a big believer in leveraging the draft system. But he will also tell you that he will never make a move just to make a move. Whether you agree with everything he’s done or not, that’s the kind of thinking we need this offseason. So in that regard, we should thank our lucky stars that the fate of this team currently rests in his hands. Because if nothing else, he understands that obviously, sacrifices must be made to achieve the ultimate goal. But he also understands that they can’t sell their soul to do it.