We have all been in a room or forest so dark we couldn’t see anything around us, so dark you may not have even been able to “see your hand in front of your face.”
This scenario perfectly describes many Blazer fans this season. They can’t see anything past the moment they are in. If the team lost a couple in a row, according to the fan, this is quite possibly the worst season ever. As Ray-Ray turned the ball over multiple times in the same possession it seemed, fans all said how much they miss Andre. When Coach McMillan was fired, most fans said, “Oh, now they’re just giving up on the season.” They couldn’t see past the dismal present to the more promising future.
I totally agree that this has been a season of extreme ups and downs. The team started off great with a 7-2 record. Analysts around the league were predicting that this team was special and might actually contend. The city of Portland as a whole bought into everything. Even after the bad news of Brandon Roy retiring before the season, there was optimism in Rip City. Then the downward spiral began. A downward spiral that included a blown goaltending call, a Valentine’s Day blow out loss to one of the worst teams in the league and on top of it all, reported locker rooms problems.
All of these events led us to the trade deadline. The deadline could not have come soon enough. This franchise needed some change. Fans around the area were calling for Nate’s job, no one liked Raymond Felton, and even harshly criticizing the poor post-all star game play of LaMarcus Aldridge. Fans could not step back and see that this is a team approaching a transitional period. No one was positive but it soon became apparent.
After the deadline had passed and the team came out with a strong performance against the league’s best Bulls, they suffered a tough loss to the Thunder. Fans all of a sudden fell back off the bandwagon. It wasn’t uncommon to hear phrases like, “Let’s just lose the rest and get a good pick.” “Same ol’ Blazers.” “Wish they would have made a trade that mattered.”
Let me turn a flashlight on for those fans that can’t see their hand in front of their face. Since the deadline the Blazers are 2-2 against four playoff teams. This is with an interim head coach that just a few years ago was an interim video guy. This is with your starting center being Joel Przybilla, who everyone loves, but is just getting back to the game after a year off. And without former All-Star Gerald Wallace, who was traded to New Jersey.
The schedule the rest of the way for the Blazers is very favorable for them. This is a very near future positive. The acquisition of J.J. Hickson off waivers was a great addition. The test runs of Hasheem Thabeet and Jonny Flynn could turn into very positive things. The rest of this season could still hold many beneficial things, even if the team misses the playoffs.
In the New Jersey trade, the Blazers acquired a game-changing, lottery draft pick. Possibly a number 4 or 5 pick in this upcoming draft. Add the probable lottery pick that the Blazers will get after this season and you are left with very good draft prospects, especially in this deep draft. Plus, there is always the possibility of packaging one of the picks with other assets to acquire a proven veteran player, which could really benefit this team.
The off-season will tell us all a lot about this Blazer franchise and where they stand. There will be a GM search, a coach search, re-signing Nic Batum and a draft with possibly 2 lottery picks. Along with all of these positive things for the franchise will swirl talks of Paul Allen selling the Blazers, talks of how this team chokes in big draft spots, how this team has always been underachieving. But with any organization there are the naysayers.
After all is said and done with this season, some bandwagon fans will fall off. Oh well. Doesn’t really matter. The same fanatics that fill the Garden every home game, will still be there. Just know that there are brighter times ahead for the Blazers. These last five weeks of the season will be a learning curve for the young guys and a pre-cursor to a very busy off-season for the front office. Fans, hang on tight and enjoy the ride.
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