Gavin Dawson Honors Terry Porter

Launching the Honor Terry Porter campaign last week succeeded in provoking a reaction, although it wasn’t entirely the one I expected.  While many people voiced their support, there were dissenters for whom I readily admit I was completely unprepared.  Honoring Terry Porter seemed a Putin-esque 100% to 0% blowout to me.  Clearly, I violated the first rule of debate—I failed to consider the relevant counterarguments. 

While I busy myself pulling together the full Honor Terry Porter constitution for next week, I’d like to treat you to a little ditty from a man you know and love, Gavin Dawson, now of KXL 750 Radio.  Last week, along with Brian Wheeler, Gavin filled in for the still-recuperating John Canzano.  If you didn’t catch any of the shows, it was the most in-depth, honest Blazers coverage I’ve heard in months.  It was refreshing to hear Gavin back on the air, playing maestro of the microphone.  You can catch a podcast at this link and poke around that site for additional podcasts.

Without further ado, here’s Gavin’s meditation on Terry Porter. I hope you find it as convincing and entertaining as I did.

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As a younger fan in the early 90s I did not fully appreciate the player who still is the best point guard in Trailblazers history.  I was a young lad, before the days of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday TNT coverage.  I did not know the league, how was I supposed to know our guy was special?  Didn't all point men run the team with a cool hand, defend the opposition's best guard, rain 3s, stay out of trouble, and play with the heart of a lion?  Thanks to blazersedge.com for giving due credit to the guy who crossed the cyclops at midcourt better than anybody before or since.  Cause nobody should forget.

More than anybody to me, Terry Porter embodies being a Trailblazer.  Not only that, he embodies the characteristics winning teams everywhere thrive off of.  He was never traded in his career.

Terry Porter was Portland's original leatherman.  How do you need a hoop?  Transition, penetration, post entry, post up, pick n' roll, midrange, or from way downtown?  T.P. could do it all.  

If the Vulcans can build a time machine one day, I would vote to bring back T.P. first.

The latest developments with the roster and their impact on and off the floor isn't an incredible revolution.  They're just going back to how Terry and them did it. 

Much is made of the term "Nate Guy".  Is this guy, is that guy, a "Nate guy"?  Um, yeah.

Yeah he couldn't dunk all that well, but I never saw Kenny Walker will his team to a playoff victory.

Buck got the boards, Clyde the awards, Jerome the highlights Clyde didn't get, and Duckworth actually handled his business pretty good.  The bench was money, but the heart and soul of those teams was Terry.  

In the league there's a fine line between being nice and being soft.  See Dirk.  Terry was not afraid to take his respect.

Do you see what Washington State has done in the last three years in the pac-10.  The system and philosophy used belongs to Dick Bennett, Terry's college coach.

I understand there have been a lot of numbers retired already.  Some deserved it more than others.  This fact should not stand in the way.

Let's get #30 up! 

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Many thanks to Gavin Dawson and continued best wishes in his quest to make real Blazers talk a consistent presence on the Portland airwaves.  I encourage you to leave your thoughts and thanks to Gavin in the comments. 

I also encourage you to hit my email to share your memories of the one and only Terry Porter.

-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)