So with the NBA due to tip off in a few weeks, who is the NBA's team of universal love? Who, after years of constant disappointment and embarrassment, is ready to finally take the bull by the horns and begin a new era for the franchise? It is the team in cozy and rainy Oregon: the Portland Trailblazers (or known as the "Jailblazers" since the days of J.R. Rider, Rasheed Wallace, and Damon Stoudamire).
But this team is involved in community, not a threat to it. After months of coverage pertaining to Roger Clemens, Pac man Jones, and Michael Vick, is it not time to finally cheer for the good guys?
This team is loaded with an attribute not normally publicized by the media: character. Their best player, Brandon Roy, has as many enemies as Mr. Rogers. Their center, Greg Oden, will be the most watched player in the first month, as we see if dominating at Ohio State equates to similar NBA success. And most importantly, they have basically turned over the entire roster the last five years to finally shed the label of most underachieving NBA team the last two decades.
The local fan base has already taken notice. After years of barely getting two-thirds of the Rose Garden filled, over 6000 fans bought single game tickets the very first day of sales.
What is so intriguing about the Blazers of 2008-2009 is that they have the unproven combination of inexperience and expectations. People know that they have potential and talent, but at the same time they have done absolutely nothing to warrant thoughts of a deep playoff run. But like the Rays this year, you find will find yourself subconsciously checking Sports Center every other night to see how many clutch jumpers Roy converted, or whether Oden sent an opposing shot into the fifthrow.
It seems like finding teams with players who are both good at the game and good people at the same time is a rarity. This team has a chance to redeem itself for the past mistakes its players and general managers have made, and against the aging West's elite teams, they may be a lot closer that we think.
I understand that most of you reading this article have not watched more than ten minutes of Portland basketball the last ten years, but it you want to root for the good guys, watch Portland this year. They may have gotten rid of the guns and marijuana, but this team still has plenty of weapons.
