As trade rumors swirl like the out-of-season snowflakes in Oregon this week, fans ebb and flow between excitement and dread with every rumor that comes from an unnamed but incredibly credible source.
In Portland that’s no different.
Let’s take a chance to rewind two years to a midseason acquisition that can offer hope for this year’s trade deadline. Two years ago the Blazers traded Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw and cash to the Los Angeles Clippers for then-35-year-old center Marcus Camby.
What does that trade have to do with today, you ask?
After the season ended, Camby signed a two-year deal with the Blazers. He said he did it largely because of the way he was treated by Portland’s fans.
If Portland is able to land a solid player near this year’s deadline (insert your hopeful Rajon Rondo, Steve Nash or Deron Williams rumor here), management will need to rely on the fans to play a part in getting that player to resign.
But it won’t be as easy as it was with Camby.
Camby is the kind of player that seduces fans and teammates into falling in love with him. The guy doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective. He doesn’t take a ton – or even a handful – of shots. He’s averaging 4.1 shot attempts per game this season. Yet he’s one of the team’s more effective players. No other center in the league can toss an alley-oop as well as Camby. You expect to see guys like Raymond Felton and Gerald Wallace throwing lobs, but there isn’t much that can bring the Rose Garden decibel level to 11 like a Camby-to-Aldridge alley-oop.
Then he celebrates it in his own style – the style Portland has adopted as its own: The backhand high five.
Think about it. You’ve seen it. At first you were confused by it – just like his windup jumper. Then you accepted it. Eventually you even embraced it. Now you find yourself backhand-fiving friends all the time.
When you see the team struggling, it’s Camby’s rangy arms circling the other players up in the middle of the key during a dead ball. After he gives his wizardly words of advice, it’s Camby who makes the effort play to swing the momentum in Portland’s favor.
Maybe he’s not in position to get that offensive rebound, but he’s going to bat it out to a teammate on the perimeter.
In the world of sabermetrics and wins above replacement and player efficiency ratings, there is no measurement of balls batted to teammates to keep possessions alive. If there were, Camby would lead the category in each of the last two seasons.
As fans we applaud his nearly 10 rebounds per game, his 1.5 blocks per game. These are his statistical achievements that are most valuable to this team.
But it’s the other areas – not the statistics – that have made Camby a fan favorite and make him invaluable to the Blazers. Those are what implored the fans to treat him so well, to thank him on the street.
Likewise, that treatment from fans was what made him resign with Portland after being dealt here midseason.
While it’s unlikely this year’s trade deadline will bring Portland any new way to greet one another, Marcus Camby gives us hope management will land a player the fan base can appreciate. And one who just might stay a while.
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