Worst Season Ever?

[Rastapopoulos]

Man, this season sucked ass. Was it really worth it fighting to avoid a lockout? Let us count the ways this season stank:

1. Brandon being forced to retire.
This would be enough for any season. While not on the level of Magic Johnson retiring because of HIV (we all thought he was a goner), and we had some idea this was coming last season, this still was a kick in the 'nads of massive proportions.

1a. Oden being waived.
Again, this shouldn't've been too much of a shock, but it still hurt. It was like watching your dog being run over, thinking that he might be okay, and then watching an asteroid fall on him.

2. Felton essentially destroying the franchise
I had high hopes for Felton, I really did. He won an NCAA championship. He came high-praised as a great lockerroom influence. He was almost an All-Star with the Knicks.
And then he turned out to be a fat pouty loser.
The fact that he's now playing actually pretty damn well is just extra hurtful. It raises the possibility that some in the organization might lobby to keep him after we fail in all our efforts to get someone better (DWill, Rondo, Dragic, hell even Sessions).
Those Nate-Haters among us can at least thank Felton for getting Nate fired.

3. Crawford
I never wanted us to sign Crawford, so this didn't hurt THAT much. But boy, he really proved his haters right, didn't he? Way to spoil that "local boy, Roy-buddy, turns down better offers to come home to the Northwest and carry on the Brandon legacy" storyline, Jamal.

4. That Whole Nuggets Trade
Yes, Rudy got injured. But didn't that Andre-and-Rudy-and-Faried for Nolan and Felton trade suck? And not even in retrospect - everyone hated it from the beginning. I'm still vainly insisting that Faried isn't all that, but it's getting harder and harder to do.

5. The Inexplicable Collapse
Seriously, WTF? We started well. We were playing well as a team DESPITE all the adversity. And then the bottom fell out. We were comically awful. Why? Why did EVERYTHING go bad at once?

6. Batum stagnating
How long can we continue to insist that there's an all-star in Nic waiting to bust out? Hire somebody to slap him and tell him to fucking put the effort in.

What did I miss?

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

You forgot about Nate being fired. But many see that as a good thing.
On the bright side, we have a ton of cap space and two high draft picks. Should be a fun off-season.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Other factor:
The success of Oklahoma City. Remember when they were just a lesser copy of us? They had all the luck we didn't. Do they ever even get injuries?

 

[illmatic99]

Really didn't need to rehash all that. Sigh.

 

[HailBlazers]

Step.. Away... From the Ledge

http://www.kgw.com/news/Man-chased-by-police-leaps-off-downtown-building-147583385.html

But Yea, it hurts to imagine what could of been:

Dre Miller
Roy/Mathews/Rudy
Batum/Wallace
LMA/Camby/Manimal
Oden/Pryzbilla

 

[The_Lillard_King]

Step.. Away... From the Ledge

http://www.kgw.com/news/Man-chased-by-police-leaps-off-downtown-building-147583385.html

But Yea, it hurts to imagine what could of been:

Dre Miller
Roy/Mathews/Rudy
Batum/Wallace
LMA/Camby/Manimal
Oden/Pryzbilla

Or what might be:

Flynn/Smith
Matthews/Crawford
Babbit/Williams
Aldridge/Rhino
Joel/Thomas

 

[e_blazer]

I think this season was a necessary thing to go through in order for the Blazers organization and fan base to turn the page on the Roy/Oden//Aldridge Big 3 dream with McMillan as the coach who was going to take them to the promised land. Kind of like ripping a bandage off, it hurts when you do it, but it has to be done in order for healing to take place. If Roy had returned and gimped through another season and if Oden had just had some debris cleaned out of his knees rather than needing microfracture right now, the Blazers would probably have made a lower seed spot in the playoffs and been out in the first round. McMillan would still be the coach and the Blazers would likely be hoping that Roy's and Oden's knees would somehow hold up enough to allow them to play together next season with the dream of at least one title run out of that group still dangling like a carrot. Now, with all of that brushed aside and the organization probably having a couple of lottery picks and cap space to make moves next summer we can look forward to getting on with a new building plan centered around a new coach and LaMarcus Aldridge. Yeah, this year hurt, but at least it was short and now we have something more realistic to be hopeful about for next season.

 

[HailBlazers]

Or what might be:

Flynn/Smith
Matthews/Crawford
Babbit/Williams
Aldridge/Rhino
Joel/Thomas

that would make you jump

 

[blue32]

Batum is a role-player, nothing more, nothing less....always has been..... So I am not too worried about that point, but the rest of the stuff is spot on.

 

[magnifier661]

You could argue this is the worse season ever, but I would be hard pressed to argue that the 2004-05 team was the worst ever. We have a good opportunity to turn the frown upside down if we get lucky in this lottery. We have great cap space and a good core of players for next season. We get lucky in the draft, then we have a shot at becoming considerably better in one season.

 

[santeesioux]

The year they only won 21 games and only got the 4th pick was worse for me (yeah they ended up getting two of the best players in the draft, but it still sucked at the time.)

 

[magnifier661]

The year they only won 21 games and only got the 4th pick was worse for me (yeah they ended up getting two of the best players in the draft, but it still sucked at the time.)

That was 04-05 and I absolutely agree.

 

[THE HCP]

The year they only won 21 games and only got the 4th pick was worse for me (yeah they ended up getting two of the best players in the draft, but it still sucked at the time.)

Man I was at that lottery party downtown...... what a punch to the stomach to not get the #1 pick. Anybody remember the Rise With Us sign behind Wheelz feel to the ground right as we found out we got #4?

 

[Nikolokolus]

A crap season for sure, but I like answers and I think we got a few this year, so I can live with it.

Hopefully we'll look back on this phase in the franchise's history and we'll see it as the "chemo-year(s)" -- a painful but necessary "treatment" for what ails the team in order to finally get healthy instead of limping along for god knows how long slowly rotting from the inside-out.

 

[magnifier661]

A crap season for sure, but I like answers and I think we got a few this year, so I can live with it.

Hopefully we'll look back on this phase in the franchise's history and we'll see it as the "chemo-year(s)" -- a painful but necessary "treatment" for what ails the team in order to finally get healthy instead of limping along for god knows how long slowly rotting from the inside-out.

Very well said and I agree. Yes looking at it in the "now"; it sure looks like a mess. I think we may look back at this season and laugh about how terrible things were before they got better. I have a feeling that Roy may even come back after next season; which we would have an opportunity to resign. He will be over his "Amnestied contract"; so playing in Portland will not be out of the question. <--- Hoping he is a player coach.

 

[Wheels]

04/05 was better for me. I felt more valued as a paying customer cause they needed to. I had more access to the team (No Comcast) and Went to considerably more games (around 20 I believe) This year I have been to 1. Seen less than 10 on TV

 

[PapaG]

Other factor:
The success of Oklahoma City. Remember when they were just a lesser copy of us? They had all the luck we didn't. Do they ever even get injuries?

Remember when Bill Simmons was getting bashed here for thinking that OKC had a better future than Portland a few years ago? I do.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Remember when Bill Simmons was getting bashed here for thinking that OKC had a better future than Portland a few years ago? I do.

Remember when we actually thought Roy and Oden would be able to play multiple seasons together. I sure do.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Yeah, you can't really beat '04/'05, because that's also the year of Chris Paul ROY after we traded down. (But then again, he only became Truly Great in ensuing seasons, by which time we were better.)

I think what makes THIS season worse is that we came in with at least reasonable expectations of goodness. I mean, I predicted that the Blazers would get the 8th spot in the playoffs and I was by FAR AND AWAY the most pessimistic predictor. I don't think anybody seriously expected anything in '04/'05. Even if Martell was going to turn out good, he was still drafted right out of highschool.

 

[e_blazer]

Remember when the main point of a Blazers forum wasn't to make other posters look dumber than yourself?

Oh yeah...forget it. That has never been the case.

 

[PapaG]

Remember when we actually thought Roy and Oden would be able to play multiple seasons together. I sure do.

It's just funny how much vitriol went to the writer who actually got it right. After Oden missed the entire first season, I never had any illusions about him becoming some permanent fixture. I took heat for it, and it's not something that I'm happy I was correct about, either.

 

[Nikolokolus]

It's just funny how much vitriol went to the writer who actually got it right. After Oden missed the entire first season, I never had any illusions about him becoming some permanent fixture. I took heat for it, and it's not something that I'm happy I was correct about, either.

After the first surgery I remember feeling pretty apprehensive about his future, but still hopeful. By the time he'd suffered the kneecap splitting for no good reason and then had to have microfracture on his other knee nine months after that I lost any hope that he'd ever amount to anything in a Blazers uniform ... Them's the breaks I guess.

 

[Ed O]

I am less engaged with this season than I've been in... at least 13 years or so. I think that's got very little to do with the team's (lack of) success, though. Even when the team was winning, I didn't find the team very interesting to watch and I had the feeling (which only faded for about three days when I got my hopes up) it wasn't going to last.

The Oden and Roy injuries really hurt, and I found the draft day moves to be pathetic. That combination of heartbreak and mediocrity in the front office (on the heels of getting rid of Pritchard and Cho) feeds into my apathy about the team.

I need something to shake it up and I'm hoping that the team stops trying to build for the playoffs and, instead, tries to get players that might help us challenge for HCA and, ultimately, a championship.

Ed O.

 

[magnifier661]

I am less engaged with this season than I've been in... at least 13 years or so. I think that's got very little to do with the team's (lack of) success, though. Even when the team was winning, I didn't find the team very interesting to watch and I had the feeling (which only faded for about three days when I got my hopes up) it wasn't going to last.

The Oden and Roy injuries really hurt, and I found the draft day moves to be pathetic. That combination of heartbreak and mediocrity in the front office (on the heels of getting rid of Pritchard and Cho) feeds into my apathy about the team.

I need something to shake it up and I'm hoping that the team stops trying to build for the playoffs and, instead, tries to get players that might help us challenge for HCA and, ultimately, a championship.

Ed O.

Even my homer self seemed very unmotivated to get back into the season for the most part. I started loving the team again when we fired Nate and traded Wallace and Camby. What we got back wasn't anything spectacular; but it got me excited because changes were being made. The most excitement I had so far was how we stole Hickson. He has become the one bright spot this season. I was hoping Flynn would have knocked it out of the park too, but he will only amount to a reserve for a team. Nothing too excited about if you ask me.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

I think what makes THIS season worse is that we came in with at least reasonable expectations of goodness. I mean, I predicted that the Blazers would get the 8th spot in the playoffs and I was by FAR AND AWAY the most pessimistic predictor.

Two things:
1. Now I actually read through the thread instead of just linking to it, I see that a lot of people had the Blazers in the bottom half. And, of course, one negative nelly had them way lower than I did.
2. This doesn't mean that I was smart (and wasn't supposed to), just that the general mood was one of cautious optimism. (I actually thought I was being a bit negative at the time. Plus I thought that everyone else would be good.)

Of course there were the cockeyed optimists and the relentless moaners who mark the true extremes, but we discount them.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

I am less engaged with this season than I've been in... at least 13 years or so. I think that's got very little to do with the team's (lack of) success, though. Even when the team was winning, I didn't find the team very interesting to watch and I had the feeling (which only faded for about three days when I got my hopes up) it wasn't going to last.

The Oden and Roy injuries really hurt, and I found the draft day moves to be pathetic. That combination of heartbreak and mediocrity in the front office (on the heels of getting rid of Pritchard and Cho) feeds into my apathy about the team.

I need something to shake it up and I'm hoping that the team stops trying to build for the playoffs and, instead, tries to get players that might help us challenge for HCA and, ultimately, a championship.

Ed O.

Wow, Ed. Way to perfectly capture my experience. We're twins!

I'd add that the massive Trading Deadline Massacre actually simultaneously made me feel more optimistic about next season, but to lose all interest in this season. Without it, I would be even MORE gloomy.

 

[mook]

I canceled DirecTV this year, but went with League Pass Broadband. Kind of wish I hadn't bothered with LP at all. I haven't watched any NBA game in a few weeks.

I'm much less interested in this team than I was with the 21 win team from 2005. To go from the promise of Oden/Roy/Aldridge/Batum to this....

Shit's just too depressing.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Just remember folks it's always darkest just when things go pitch black.

 

[e_blazer]

I'm thinking that Sacramento Kings fans would love to swap places with Blazers fans.

 

[PapaG]

Even my homer self seemed very unmotivated to get back into the season for the most part. I started loving the team again when we fired Nate and traded Wallace and Camby. What we got back wasn't anything spectacular; but it got me excited because changes were being made. The most excitement I had so far was how we stole Hickson. He has become the one bright spot this season. I was hoping Flynn would have knocked it out of the park too, but he will only amount to a reserve for a team. Nothing too excited about if you ask me.

Hickson is nice, but I don't see him as a difference-maker worth a large contract. I was actually hoping that Thabeet would suddenly find his game and start dominating on defense and in rebounding, or at least give a glimpse of those skills. He was the one pick-up this season that could actually be a franchise-changer, given his size. I still hope he sticks around for another year or two, if the price is right. He just turned 25, and some big men take longer to develop their game. He did put up a 13 PER his rookie year on 10% Usage, so maybe there is something there that can be developed in the right situation?