The Blazer lottery

With slightly over a 5% chance of winning the lottery Portland Trailblazer fans were by and large resigned to another middle-of-the-pack selection. It was not unreasonable to assume they would select another project who would show splashes of brilliance in limited playing time but not really help the team all that much immediately. Portland rookies have a long history of blooming elsewhere or not at all. Many fans are still not happy about Portland letting Jermaine O' Neal go just as he was blossoming into a perrennial All-Star. Last year provided hope with the Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy showing his aquisition was an outstanding move and the development of Jarrett Jack. The Blazers' other outstanding rookie, LaMarcus Aldridge, also showed flashes and demonstrated that he will be a force if he can remain healthy.

Still, not even the most optimistic Blazer fan believes this team does not still need another piece or two to move from laughingstock to legitimate playoff contender. Too many recent events have inured them to a culture of losing. The once-proud franchise took a tumble as player after player got in trouble and embarrased himself and the team. Fans took it personally when Damon Stoudemire did the double whammy of getting caught with marijuana...and, even worse, did it by "hiding" it in tin foil to get through security. This came in the same period of time that multiple players were caught in possession while driving home from a game in Seattle, when multiple players were involved in dog-fighting scandals, spouse abuse cases, and more.

The franchise has been mired so deep in its losing ways that fans hoped Darius Miles would not return even though he is arguably the most athletic Blazer with skills the team was sorely lacking. His attitude and actions soured fans on him to the point that many, perhaps even most of them believed the team was better off without his prodigious talents. He was symbolic of all the problems that had led the Blazers from perrennial playoff contenders to a team that essentially quit on the second half of a season and lurched into the lottery with a high percentage chance of receiving the 1st pick. They did not get it but did pick up Roy and Aldridge. Enthusiasm started to grow.

Last season saw a young team that at times played brilliantly, competing with the best the league had to offer, but other times did not look like it belonged on the same floor as cellar dwellers. Fans did not care as they at least showed up to play every night, stayed out of trouble, and did everything in their power to show the fans they wanted to play basketball and wanted to play in Portland. Belief started to grow. Maybe, just maybe, with a piece here or there, the Blazers could return to their winning ways while using solid citizens to do so.

One ping-pong ball seems to have provided the optimism that the corner has already been turned. While a debate rages over who best serves their needs, Oden or Durant, the optimism is reminiscent of the attitude when the Blazers aquired Scottie Pippen and fans immediately started talking about a potential 70 win season. Will it be just as unjustified? Only time will tell. For now, however, there is an excitement about the team that is good to see. Whoever they pick that excitement can only be a good thing for Portland basketball.