Rebuilt Trail Blazers' Time Has Come (Steve Kelley)

[ABM]

I've always enjoyed his reads.....

From: Seattle Times - Steve Kelley

PORTLAND — This team was built for this season.

Since coach Nate McMillan came south from Seattle in 2005 and Martell Webster was drafted that same season.

Since Brandon Roy was acquired in a draft-day trade a year later. And since Greg Oden was taken, over Kevin Durant, with the first pick in the next draft, the Portland Trail Blazers have been pointing toward 2009-10.

Every season since they finally stripped this team of all its high-priced dead wood and low-rent bad citizens, they have taken a measured series of small steps with their eyes on something big.

Now, in McMillan's fifth year, the patient process of rebuilding from the 21-win team of 2005-06, to a championship contender is done. Entering the franchise's 40th season, Portland is a team on the verge of greatness.......................


....................Against Houston, the team that eliminated Portland in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, in front of a crowd that felt playoff-ready already, the Blazers' smothering defense created turnovers they converted into fast-break buckets.

The Blazers' playing style is the same as the franchise's rebuilding style. The team rarely hurries. It plays with a purpose, plays with brains and patience. And it shares the wealth.

With Webster the only starter on the floor, Portland opened the second quarter with an 11-0 run. Through three quarters, the deep Blazer bench outscored Houston's reserves 35-14 as Portland opened a 75-56 lead. That should be a recurring theme for the season.

Portland opened its 40th season with a 96-87 win over the Rockets. Phase Two was off and the Blazers were running.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Good words.

True words.

 

[santeesioux]

Those are some bitter fans in the comments, love how they have to insult Oregon in general, not just the nba.

 

[BBert]

Those are some bitter fans in the comments, love how they have to insult Oregon in general, not just the nba.

What a bunch of morons. No wonder the NBA left Seattle. They'll get no sympathy from me. Huck the Fuskies.

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Great article...

...quick question: did we buy the Rudy pick before drafting him, or did we trade for Rudy on/around draft day? Kelley has him as a "not drafted" guy, but he's only ever been a Blazer.

PS: BBF sucks worse than here, so I'm back. Sorry.

 

[BBert]

Great article...

...quick question: did we buy the Rudy pick before drafting him, or did we trade for Rudy on/around draft day? Kelley has him as a "not drafted" guy, but he's only ever been a Blazer.

PS: BBF sucks worse than here, so I'm back. Sorry.

Phoenix drafted him for us in a trade, for $3 million. Same diff/splitting hairs.

 

[Nate Dogg]

Those seattle fans are just jealous and angry as they are the ones who didn't pass the legislature and funds to build a new arena.
Or at least modify their existing one.

 

[oldmangrouch]

Wow.

I have been very sympathetic towards Sonics fans.....but after reading the comments section of that article, I rather hope the douchebags never get another team. What possible problem do those fuckwits have with *us*?

 

[BlazerCaravan]

Wow.

I have been very sympathetic towards Sonics fans.....but after reading the comments section of that article, I rather hope the douchebags never get another team. What possible problem do those fuckwits have with *us*?

I dunno... imagine Paul Allen sold the Blazers and suddenly the newspapers covered only the Lakers, in full and gory detail. That'd piss me off to no end.

 

[BenDavis503]

Wow! They are some angry people up there!

 

[alex42083]

Seattle fans are brutal. Now they know what it feels like having the M's and Seahawks shoved down our throats. Tough luck.

 

[jlprk]

Wow.

I have been very sympathetic towards Sonics fans.....but after reading the comments section of that article, I rather hope the douchebags never get another team. What possible problem do those fuckwits have with *us*?

They want no NBA till their tormenter Stern is gone. They also hate Oklahoma. But their newspapers (especially Steve Kelley) keep pushing Blazer coverage onto them (because the Seattle basketball media is underemployed without the NBA). Their TV stations keep floating trial balloons about showing many Blazer games. They correctly see the source of the Blazer push as the Blazer organization, to make money from an expanded territory. Thus the lashing out at the Blazers (and by extension, Oregon).

 

[mook]

Living in Boise, I can't imagine any locals here getting nearly so worked up over a Blazers (or Jazz) article, for good or bad. (It's only been about 9 years that Boise has cared about any sport, though, thanks to the emergence of BSU football.)

Even aside from the whole jilting issue, cities just don't seem to adopt neighboring cities' teams if they are more than a hundred miles away from each other. I mean, are there really a lot of hardcore Mariners and Seahawks fans in Portland? I've never really noticed it.

 

[oldmangrouch]

Football and baseball fandom have never been limited to only people who live in cities that have teams. Do Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Wyoming, New Mexico, etc, etc, have no NFL fans? No baseball fans?

Why doesn't basketball inspire the same level of interest? Cripes, if I lived in Seattle, I would be dying for any NBA news I could get!

 

[Natebishop3]

Seattle fans are brutal. Now they know what it feels like having the M's and Seahawks shoved down our throats. Tough luck.

This. I hate the mariners and seagulls.