Why I hate my team.

Because the summer is a bit of a boring time for basketball, I don't really have a lot to write about. I don't follow college basketball so I don't have anything to say about the draft picks until they actually play in the NBA. I don't want to talk about Free Agency and trading until later in the offseason so I can write a comprehensive column. The Dwight Howard saga is still going, and hopefully will end soon. When it does, I will definitely be writing about that "Dwight-mare". The Summer league has just started and I'm excited to see some of these new guys in action (Especially when the Anthony Davis debuts against Damian Lillard and Meyers Leonard!)
Anyway, one of the biggest signings so far has been Brandon Roy's return to the NBA via a two year contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. I, along with every other member of Rip City, loved Roy when he played with us and was deeply saddened when he retired. Seeing him return is both good and bad. I'm happy that he is (hopefully) able to continue a moderately successful career, and sad that he isn't doing it with Portland. Rip City members are used to this type of bad luck and suffering though. While I'm glad Roy didn't turn to the dark side and join a team like the Lakers or the Heat, I feel like its yet another diss on Portland and wouldn't be surprised if his comeback with the Wolves was quite successful. This story got me thinking about other bad luck stories Rip City has written over the years, and after going through them all (and there are a lot of them), I came up with 10 stories that showcase Portland's bad luck the best.
Most of these are through draft picks, and a couple of them are infamous (Oden over Durant and Bowie over Jordan). Some of them aren't as well known, at least not in common knowledge. In fact, Portland's bad luck dates back to their very first lottery pick in their 3rd year of existence. Now before we go into these 10 stories, we need a bit of context. When looking at something like "Bowie over Jordan", its not quite as simple as comparing them from today's point of view. Portland is certainly not the only team to have a bad draft pick and what's critical to this column is the legitimacy of these decisions. We all know choosing Sam Bowie was indefensible because of his injury history even if back then we didn't know exactly how great Jordan would become. So in calling these the top 10 stories of Portland's bad luck, I mean that these 10 stories don't have a legitimate defense, much like Bowie over Jordan. We'll look, of course, at why the Blazers did what they did in an attempt to support this column, but remember that these are subjective and are my personal top 10. In reverse order, here are the 10 worst things to happen to the Portland Trail Blazers:

10: Sebastian Telfair. Sebastian Telfair was a point guard drafted out of high school after deciding not to play for University of Louisville. Telfair was an incredibly hyped high school player who averaged 30 points and 11 assists a game his senior year. Despite being so hyped, he never played very well in All-Star games (He took only two shots in one game and shot 1-10 in another). He also needed to work on his jumper very badly and scouts were worried he might be too short and skinny to handle the NBA. Instead of going to college and improving there, Telfair spent the summer building up muscle and practicing his jump shot and then announcing he would enter the draft. As hyped as he was, the signs were there that Telfair's transition would not be easy and he wasn't going to be able to score 25+ points by driving to the rim every game. Sure enough, Telfair disappointed in Portland averaging 9 points and 4 assists in 24 minutes on 38% shooting. So who did Portland pass on? Two picks later, the Boston Celtics took Al Jefferson who went on to be a solid big man. With the 17th pick, Atlanta took Josh Smith who has had a very good NBA career despite never making an All-Star team. Smith was the youngest player to reach 500 blocks (At only 6'9" too) and is a dominant combo forward. Not only that, but Smith also entered the draft out of high school and while not having the same statistics as Telfair he was a much more promising talent. So there you go. At number 10, Portland took a high school bust over one of today's best forwards.

9: Brandon Roy's knees. Only at number nine, the fall of one of Portland's most promising stars ruined a potential annual contender and set Portland back into the rebuilding era. Roy (along with Aldridge) was acquired on draft day through some last minute trades. First, Portland sent a packaged deal to Boston that included a second round pick, Theo Ratliff, and the above mentioned Sebastian Telfair. In return, Portland got a couple of unimportant guys (Dan Dickau and Raef Lafrentz) and the number 7 pick (Randy Foye). They then flipped Foye (The 7th pick) for Roy (The 6th pick). Not sure that that worked out, but it did. Little did Portland fans know that, even as Roy was making all-star games and carrying us to the playoffs, Portland's front office already knew about the time bombs that were Roy's knees. When Roy got injured at the end of the 2010 season and it started to become apparent that his knees wouldn't last, Portland's future was quickly cast into doubt. When he got injured again even worse in December 2010, it was clear Roy would no longer be the All-Star that he used to be. Roy's last great game came during Game 4 of the first round of 2011 playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks. I've already shared the video at least once on my blog, but here's the video of his game again. Roy's knee struggles didn't get any better during the lockout-lengthened offseason, and shortly before the start of the season, Roy announced his retirement. It was a sad ending to the career of such a great player for Portland. Three All-Star games, Rookie Of the Year, and a ton of potential. Instead, Portland got to go back to rebuilding, which is what we're still doing today. The loss of Roy probably wouldn't have made it in this list if it hadn't been for the potential for the rest of his career had he stayed healthy.

8: Moses Malone. Today, Moses Malone is one of the 50 greatest players ever. for his career, he averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds. He led the NBA in rebounding five straight years, won the MVP three different years, leads the NBA in career offensive rebounds, and in seventh all-time in points scored. The Blazers drafted him with the 5th pick in the 1976 ABA dispersal draft. Malone had played in the ABA for two years and averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds, so it was clear that Malone was a great player. Now at the time, Portland had Bill Walton playing Center (don't worry... we'll get to him). Despite the fact that it was well-known among Portland's front office that Walton was not going to be reliable for too long, they decided to trade Malone since they already had Walton. They traded Malone before he even got to play a game for them. A year later, Walton's feet broke down and Portland was screwed. Too bad. Malone played for 18 seasons after Walton left Portland. Had Portland kept Malone and had him share minutes with Walton, maybe Walton would have lasted longer and that Portland dynasty could've continued. But you know... when you already have one good center who isn't gonna last much longer, there's no need to replace him until you absolutely have to.

7: Arvydis Sabonis. Portland drafted Sabonis in the 1986 draft. Sabonis was a young dynamic center who played for the Soviet Union. The Blazers drafted him right after he injured his achilles tendon but that's ok because, you know, that's what Portland does. Sabonis went on to lead the Soviet Union to a gold medal at the 1988 olympics over the US team. When he dominated everyone in those Olympics, he did it despite limping on another achilles surgery that he was ordered to play on even though he hadn't fully recovered. Sabonis said that for a stretch during 1985-88, the Soviet Union had worn him out and not allowed him to recover from injuries. Not being allowed to recover properly, Sabonis was heavily limited in his mobility by the time he came to play for Portland in 1995. Despite being 31 years old and carrying several injuries to his legs, groin, and ankles, Sabonis averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds in his "rookie" season for Portland. The next season, he averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds. Even though he was effective for Portland, he was nothing close to what he had been in his prime. When he was examined by Portland's medical staff in 1995 before the start of the season, Blazers President Bob Whitsitt, after looking at Sabonis' X-rays, that "Arvydas could qualify for a handicapped parking spot based on his X-rays alone."The consensus is that, had Sabonis started playing for Portland in 1986, he would've been one of the greatest centers of all-time. In his prime, he dominated the paint, had great post moves, could shoot 3s, played great defense, and was probably the greatest passing center ever. Considering that Portland made the Finals twice in the early 90s with Kevin Duckworth playing Center, its possible that Michael Jordan has Sabonis to thank for his six championships.

6: Bill Walton's feet. In 1977, Bill Walton led a spectacularly underwhelming cast of talent to the NBA championship, prevailing over Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers. The next season, the Walton-led Blazers went 50-10 before Walton broke his foot and ended his season. Playing with names such as Maurice Lucas, Lionel Hollins, Bob Gross, Dave Twardzik, and Larry Steele, the Blazers weren't much without Walton who averaged 19 points, 15 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 4 assists in 35 minutes per game. He led the NBA in rebounds and blocks that season and was one of the best defensive players in the league. Walton's ability to grab a rebound and throw the ball down the court to instantly start a fast break was at the heart of Portland's offense for the few months that he was healthy and at the peak of his powers. Unfortunately, just when it seemed like a Blazers dynasty might be unfolding, Walton injured his foot soon after the 1978 all-star game. Despite only playing 58 games in the season, Walton won the regular season MVP trophy. When the playoffs came, Walton's doctor persuaded him to play while using a painkiller despite his foot not being fully healed. He rebroke the foot despite not being able to feel it and accused the Blazers medical staff of poor treatment and demanded to be traded. He sued the team and settled out of court and was traded to the Clippers. Walton's injury problems continued for the rest of his career and as of 2010 he has had a total of 36 surgeries. Incredibly, Walton wasn't even the first failed #1 draft pick for Portland. That honor goes to...

5: LaRue Martin. The Blazers took Martin with the #1 pick of the 1972 draft. Martin's career can be summed up in two sentences prominently featured on the first paragraph of his wikipedia page : "Martin was taken first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1972, drafted ahead of future Hall of Famers Bob McAdoo and Julius Erving. Martin has been cited as the worst first overall draft pick in NBA history." Martin unknowingly became the first of a long line of failed big men #1 picks for the Blazers. Martin only played for four season before retiring before the start of the 1976-77 season. He averaged a less than stellar 5.3 points and 4.6 rebounds for his career. Martin was never able to translate his college success (where he outplayed Bill Walton in the NCAA playoffs) to the NBA. In fact, Bob McAdoo scored more points in his rookie season than Martin scored in his entire career. Imagine if the Blazers had taken Erving instead because he was, you know, the best choice, and they had kept Moses Malone. How long of a dynasty would that have been? Five years? 10 years? It makes me sad just to think about it. As for the argument that the Martin pick could be backed up, While Martin's college playing was impressive, the Blazers front office (along with other teams) had posed questions about Martin's ability to translate his game to the NBA with the potential possibly being outdone by the risk of taking him. The Blazers took him over McAdoo, who won the NCAA championship in 1970 and made it to the Final Four two years later. McAdoo played in college for four years and had established himself as one of the best and his game was a sure thing for the NBA. He was one of the first big men to be able to shoot from the perimeter, almost like an early version of Dirk Nowitzki. McAdoo led the NBA in scoring his first three seasons and was the last player to average 30 points and 15 rebounds for a season. As good as Erving was, I'd rather have McAdoo playing alongside Walton or Malone. If Martin had been able to produce a semi-legitimate career, then maybe this would've have been such a disappointment to me. Oh well. At least Martin can ease his mind knowing he''s not the only lottery pick to fail for Portland.


4: the 2005 draft. After the 2004-05 season, the Blazers finished with a record of 27-55 and lucked into the 3rd pick of the draft. On the day of the draft, the Blazers traded their 3rd pick for the 6th pick, the 27th pick, and a 2006 first round pick from Utah. The Blazers ended up taking Martell Webster with the 6th pick, Linas Kleiza with the 27th pick. In the 2006 draft, Portland's pick from Utah ended being #30 overall and took Joel Freeland with the pick. None of these three players made it very far with the Blazers or, in fact, any other team. Freeland has played in Europe since being drafted, and Kleiza was traded to the Denver Nuggets for Jarret Jack. Webster, at the time, became the highest drafted player to be sent to the D-league until Hasheem Thabeet a few years later. After missing several games over the years due to injuries, Webster was traded to Minnesota in 2010 for Ryan Gomes and Luke Babbitt. 
After getting the 3rd pick from Portland, the Utah Jazz took... Deron Williams! And if that's not enough for you, Chris Paul was drafted 4th the same year!So essentially, the Blazers traded Chris Paul or Deron Williams for Ryan Gomes, Luke Babbitt, and Jarret Jack. Imagine how different Portland's outlook would be if we'd had one of the two best point guards in the league playing for us. And yet, as horrible as that is, that's not the worst of it...


3: Greg Oden. Yes. That's right. Portland made not one, but TWO, bigger mistakes than Greg Oden. There's not really much to say about this because everyone knows about it. Portland incredibly won the 2007 draft lottery and had the "tough choice" between Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. Now, obviously Portland's executives hadn't learned from the "Bowie over Jordan" mistake (Oops! I gave away Number one...), otherwise this never would've been a discussion. Both Durant and Oden played one year of college. Here are their college statistics:


Oden: 15.7 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 3.3 BPG, 62% FG, 0.7 APG.
Durant: 25.8 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 1.9 BPG, 1.9 SPG, 1.3 APG, 48% FG.


This is before ever adding into account the fact that the knowledge of Oden's knee and foot problems were no secret to Portland's front office. So why was this ever a question? Oden's defense wasn't anything incredible other than his shot blocking skills. Heck, Durant even rebounded more than Oden! Given Portland's track record, maybe this pick shouldn't be as surprising and disappointing as it is, but every now and then I can't help but watch Durant and wonder what could have been...


2: Mychal Thompson. You have to love that the top 3 worst moments in Blazers history are all drafting a Center with a lottery pick in a draft. Of all the names in this list of disappointments, Thompson probably had the best career. He was a solid player for the Blazers for eight years, including a season where he averaged 20 points and 11 rebounds. He averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds his senior year of college before joining the NBA, and while he's certainly not as bad as some of the names on this list,  he's not as good as the number 6 pick in the same draft, Larry Bird. When Boston drafted Bird in the 1978 draft, they took him his senior year of high school even though Bird had committed to going to college for a year. Boston decided to take Bird and wait for him, and the rest is history. Now obviously if Boston decided that Bird was worth taking with a lottery pick and then waiting a year, his potential was certainly at least somewhat clear. Of all of Portland's number one pick, this is the most excusable though. But still, taking Thompson over Bird is just sad. And now that leads us the the incredibly unsurprising number one bad decision by Portland...


1: Sam Bowie. You don't have to be a Blazers fan to know this one. Portland had the number two pick in the draft and took fifth year senior Sam Bowie over the now world famous Michael Jordan. Houston took Hakeem Olajuwon first in the draft, which shouldn't be frowned at too much since Hakeem DID lead Houston to two championships and by all accounts was one of the best centers ever. Taking Bowie over Jordan, however, was simply incredibly stupid. Now, to be fair, its not like Jordan entered the league with everyone knowing just how good he would actually be. He was great in college and everyone expected him to be a star professionally, but nobody expected him to reach the heights that he did when he was drafted. Despite that, Bowie should never have been taken second. He averaged 10 points and nine rebounds his last year in college and his statistics weren't as great as you might think. He missed two years of college basketball because of injuries to his shins, and it was common knowledge that despite Bowie's potential, his injuries weren't gone. We all know what Jordan went on to be, and Bowie's career has a great resemblance to that of Greg Oden. enough said.


So if we were to put together a roster of players the Blazers stupidly missed out on, here's the eight man roster: Chris Paul/Deron Williams, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Josh Smith, Moses Malone. Bench: Julius Erving/Bob McAdoo, Kevin Durant, Arvydas Sabonis. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I hate my team...