Your favorite player or players?

[ucatchtrout]

Your Favorite Player?

What is the criteria for becoming your favorite player? When I ask myself this question I am not really sure what the answer is. So I look back in Blazer history at players who have caught my fancy.

I think of Wicks and Walton and Lloyd Neal. Lucas and Johnny D, Thompson and Bates, Clyde and Buck, Bonzi and Sabas and Pippen, Miles and Zach, Travis and Greg and Brandon are names that readily come to mind.

I was also for a time quite enamored of Qyntel Woods and Jermaine O’Neal. I guess the longer I think about this the more guys I think of. Yet there has been only one favorite team. Blazers. So as far as the team thing goes I have been pretty loyal, but when it comes to favorite player status I’ve been rather fickle, and quick to note that I am quicker in removing a player from favorite status than the team is to trade them.

Most favorite Blazer of all time I have to say Maurice Lucas. Bill Walton will tell you he is the best player he ever played with. He even named his son after him. When I think of Luke I think of him pushing aside Bobby Gross in the NBA finals and standing in front of Darrell Dawkins, shuffling his feet and exhanging punches. Luke was the man. Tough guys like that are hated and vilified when they are on the OTHER team. When they are on your team they are your guys. I will always be glad Luke came back to Portland to retire and eventually coach.

If you know me, some of the names on that list may surprise you. One of them, Qyntell Woods, became a favorite when he was being tutored by Scottie Pippen and I saw him come off the bench at the Rose Garden and score 11 points in less than five minutes, while blocking a shot, picking up a charge and getting at least one steal. Unfortunately that was the last time I saw him play that well.

Bonzi became a favorite of mine during his second season, with his fearless inside drives and aggressive defense. Unfortunately his efforts as a player seemed to decline after he got his first big contract, which was also about the time he began to run his mouth in the newspapers.

Brandon Roy took awhile to achieve this status with me. I’ve always enjoyed his solid play, but because he was simply solid, and not flashy, or overly personable in the media, and didn’t seem to make the highlight reel the fickle fan inside me was hesitant to award him favorite player status. Sorry Brandon, you really deserved it all along. I was just being too silly to notice.

Travis was more lucky. Since I first saw how athletic he was in his rookie year he has been on my favs list. Even though he took longer than some were comfortable with to become a reliable player he has been able to retain his esteemed and annointed status every year of his Blazer career.

G.O. Why is he on my list you might ask? He hasn’t even played a single minute in a Blazer uniform. Personality and great expectations. Like everyone else I have spent more than a year listening to the pundits tell me how good he is going to be and watching video of him in practice and at Ohio State. When this team has had a great center it has gone deep into the playoffs. And everything about Greg Oden says championship to me.

I don’t seem to have one. The more I think about it, its just a whim. Something catches my fancy, or my attention and they get the label.

What is your criteria for selecting and awarding the favorite label to players?

Who are your favorite Blazer players? and why?

http://www.clubblazers.com/your-favorite-player/

 

[maxiep]

I generally prefer gritty players who succeed even though they aren't the most athletically gifted. I also like players who embrace the role being a Blazer foists upon them in the community. My all time favorite Blazer is Terry Porter. I really wanted him to replace Mo Cheeks.

 

[Denny Crane]

Pippen is up there for me. He was the Bulls' PG and they won 6 championships and could have won 3 more - if Pip didn't get his migrane against Detroit the year before their 1st, and the 2 seasons Jordan was retired.

He was traded to Houston where they made him a SF and he looked kinda average. After he moved to Portland, they figured out to play him at PG and he led them to a huge turnaround the first year he played the position, and to a big win season the following year. All on bad knees.

 

[THE HCP]

I like guys who dunk hard! aka STAT!

 

[Minstrel]

Hmm, favourites of mine that played for the Blazers have been Scottie Pippen, Clyde Drexler, Rasheed Wallace, Stacey Augmon. Non-Blazer favourites include Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, James Posey, Magic Johnson, Penny Hardaway, Dennis Rodman.

I like swingmen a lot, especially if they are great passers or defenders, I guess.

 

[Tortimer]

My favorite Blazers would be Walton, Kersey, Porter, LMA, Roy, Oden, Buck Williams. My favorite all time non Blazers would be E.Baylor, B.Russell, Maravich. My favorite non Blazer currently playing maybe is C.Paul but I really don't like any of the currently players all that much except for Blazers.

 

[AgentDrazenPetrovic]

all time is Drazen Petrovic. Don't know why, I always liked the guy.

 

[Denny Crane]

My favorite Blazer of all time would be Sabonis. I remember seeing him in the olympics before he was hurt and he could do it all. He was fast, could run and jump and dunk and block shots and pass. Hard to shoot over, obviously.

While it hurt to watch him play in pain with the Blazers, a lot of his skills continued to shine through. For his sheer guts and that talent, I was a big fan.

 

[Tortimer]

Sorry, I sort of forgot about Drazen Petrovic. I loved his game and didn't want the Blazers to get rid of him even though we had Drexler.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I generally prefer gritty players who succeed even though they aren't the most athletically gifted. I also like players who embrace the role being a Blazer foists upon them in the community. My all time favorite Blazer is Terry Porter. I really wanted him to replace Mo Cheeks.

Good choice. I also think of Larry Steele. Very smart player who over acheived.