Blazers headed back to the Top

Ryan if I would have known all you do is hate I would have given my co-author position to someone like Jim Rome the hater himself. Why don’t you do a post on someone you support, then I will go and hate on that. To me its insecurity, haters in most cases are insecure bandwagoners (Lakers, Yankees/Red Sox, UNC, Patriots, now Celtics, etc). Although if you want to keep hating that is okay too I guess, I will just have to keep doing these “reply” posts instead ones on my own. If you need some more creative ideas click here.

Now that I am back in Portland, the Rose City, I can do your Blazer hater post justice. Let me break it down for you, "Mr. I am in love, so I can't think about sports clearly...."

1. How can you be anti-Blazer now? I understand in the past they had trouble with the law, but now they are as clean as a whistle and are 40-40, how can you hate a team that doesn’t even make the playoffs? (Too bad they are not in the east they would practically have home court advantage with that record).

2. Bill Walton, yes weird and now has a man crush on Kobe Bryant (not Kobe Karl) and the Lakers (thanks Luke) he did set records in Portland and won a championship.

3. Charles Barkley, who doesn’t love to listen to Sir Charles, that my friend is true entertainment.

4. Sam Bowie/MJ, there is no way MJ would have beat Portland without that supporting cast which is always overlooked. Scottie Pippen, John Paxon, Horace Grant, B.J. Armstrong, not too mention one of the greatest coaches of all time.

5. Kevin Duckworth, just because he preferred to lay the ball in, not dunk it is no reason for hating. Here is where I would rip on your “team or guy” but you don’t have one. Did I mention he was an all star, the same year Kersey, Clyde, and Coach Rick were also all-stars?

6. Here is where you really blew it brother, Sabas, (Arvydas Sabonis) Arguablly one of the best players ever. You know you were ripping on him and his time in Portland, but not only did he rip it up then, but then was well after his prime. It was politics that kept him out of the states, no other reason. In 1996 he finished second in voting for 6th man and rookie of the year. He took the Blazers to the playoffs every year he was in Portland (1995-2001). He and Rasheed were the first two big man to really introduce the outside shot (3 pointer) from the big man. Previous to them it was unheard of, now you see it all the time (Dirk, Sheed, Jamison). He could pass better than Magic, he had a sweet baby hook that was money, he could actually hit free throws (unlike Shaq) and this was all in an athletic era, and still no one could stop him.

7. Greg Oden, originally I agreed on Durant but not after I thought about it. Oden was by far the right decision. We already have an all star forward in Brandon Roy who was the rookie of the year last year. We don’t need Durant, for one he ways less than I do, and secondly he won 19 games this year. I agree Oden does look like he is 50 in the face he will change our club. Today to win, you need a big man, though this was different in the 90’s look around today. Lakers-Gasol and Bynum, Suns-Shaq, Celtics-Garnett, Pistons-Sheed, Jazz-Boozer.

In conclusion you said it yourself NBA teams need a big man to be successful, that’s exactly why we got Greg Oden who has put on 40+ pounds of raw muscle this year while he has been out. The Blazers had a great season considering they were the youngest team in the NBA and would have made the play-offs if the west hadn’t been the toughest it has ever been this year. With Nate McMillian at the helm I am confident you will see Portland in the playoffs next year, and in the finals shortly after that.

Go Blazers, Rip City for life, and boooo haters and Lakers! By the way, how can you not love the only black man in NBA history to go bald and not shave his head upon doing so (thank you Clyde the Glyde)