While I think its a shame to use an unfortunate event like this as a means to bring a jersey retirement about, I do think that in Blazerland he deserves it. He was a great man off the court, and did a lot of the community, and on the court as you stated he was quite a talented player.

He wore number 00, which is a pretty uncommon number in pro sports, so it would take nothing away from future players, and it would be a great way for Blazers fans past and present to remember that Kevin Duckworth was everything that a Portland Trail Blazer should be. I for one would feel great about it if it were to happen.

When I get a little older, and I am taking my children to Blazer games I want to have them look up at the rafters and say “That #00, was a great man.”

We have retired several numbers that did not deserve it, so perhaps Duck does under Blazer criteria.

However, you can’t be retiring jersey numbers of every guy who becomes a moderate star. Retire Duck and you have to retire Kersey, Cliff and Buck (in addition to TP of course).

There are ways to honor Duck- the memorial service they are planning sounds like a beautiful way to do so. Retiring his jersey would not be the right move in my opinion.

You cant retire the numbers of everybody that ever helped get us to the finals, but I think Duckworth’s number should be retired. I don’t think that just because someone has died that you should retire their jersey, but I think the combination of his contributions on the court in those finals runs, and his work in the Portland community, along with the sudden and tragic circumstances of his passing are reasons enough. Get it done Blazers.

#30. get it done.

So it could very well be done some day to honor Duck posthumously, but rather not so soon. This also wouldn’t send the right signal IMHO, if people just think they retired his jersey because he tragically happened to die way too early.

His family and friends can better experience the appreciation and respect he had in the community now by having the service in the Memorial Coliseum and a minute of silence or another fitting tribute at the home opener in the Rose Garden.

I’ve got to say no. Before he died, he wouldn’t have even been considered. Not that he wasn’t good, or even very good. But Jksnake99 is right, it should be a very rare thing. Otherwise, what numbers will everyone else wear? It’s like in writing, if you emphasize everything, it has the same effect as if you emphasized nothing at all.

We readdress a few months later, after the sting and sadness of his death has faded a bit.

I’m not sure, pre-death, if we would have agreed he should get his number retired. I agree with those who say it should be very rare, and while we all love Duck with all of our hearts his career probably doesn’t warrant that.

However, since we’re all sad from his passing and wish to honor him the best we can, we should find other ways to remember him by for now and come back to the number retirement question later on when we can consider it more objectively and rationally, and not simply emotionally.

I love Duck, so it isn’t a besmirchment on his character or his Blazer career to not retire his number.

Mortimer

Duck falls in with a lot of players who were great, but fall short of having their number retired, even under these circumstances (I agree with those who said that once the shock and sadness passes, most would likely say his number shouldn’t be retired).

Instead, maybe it’s time for the team to create a Blazers Hall of Fame. Include all the important moments, memorabilia, and induct players by giving them a player’s night at a game. Great way to have a promotion without retiring numbers.

It would have been a given that Duck would belong in a Blazer Hall of Fame, even before the events of this week… give him a big ’ol portrait and lots of memories.

Speaking of which, perhaps Portland will set up a big in-memoriam portrait , at the Rose Garden before next season.

-Tim

As far as stats go, no. I am not saying he had horrible stats, because he filled the role we needed at the time – a giant plug in the lane to defend against the top centers in the league. I view him a little higher then I do Pryz right now, and only because of the team he was on. If he was a better player by 5% he would have been a top 5 (maybe even 3) center in the league in the early 90’s. But he wasnt.

However, since when does the wonderful town we call home here in Portland ever do things normal? We are “Weird” and we love it. Why not retire a players number in memorial of the kind of character we lost durring the “Jailblazer” years? Why not memorialize a man who has had nothing but accolades on the kind of person he was on and off the court? I do feel he deserves some kind of memorandom. He had a huge heart, unfortunately he also had a body that tried to contain it.

Maybe we dont retire his number, how about a jersey with just his name, no number. Something to help remind people of what we had pre “Jailblazers” and what we strive for in the “culture” we want with our team in the future.

should produce some throwback Duckworth jerseys to honor him.

Didn’t he come up with some numerology on how to retire jerseys a while back in order to see how TP fit? What does it look like if we run those same numbers on Duck?

I said I thought the whole 90-92 starting five should be retired.

- Buck Williams should be a no-brainer. Take any argument for Porter, substitute “rebounds” for “assists,” and he should be in.

- Kersey was a huge scorer, rebounder, defender — the team’s main hustle player, very exciting.

- Duckworth was THE main option in the paint, a really strong, very effective center. He may not have been recognized as a top center in the league (oh yeah, wait, he was an all-star), but he was crucial to the team’s success.

I was sorry to see Oden wearing 52. I hope he’ll pick a different number and make it his own.

Or to be more specific, I don’t agree that 00 should be hanging from the rafters, yet it should still be retired in Duck’s memory. Yes, everybody dies, but not everybody makes Portland their home when they retire, are as connected to the community or are such a stand up guy deserving of such a memorial.

Some sort of plaque, memorial or annual award in his honor is appropriate, along with retiring the number. But the jersey shouldn’t hang in the rafters. Heck, Duck would probably prefer it that way…a man of the people, still rubbing shoulders down in the crowd, not lording over from above. I think it speaks even more highly of Duck that his number wouldn’t be retired because of his achievements on the court.

Sure do retire his jersey. It wasn’t like he was a nobody, who has become somebody from a death. He was a good player. One I think is worthy of such an honor. I remember him back in 90 and 92 and he was one of the Blazers star players. So yes, retire it for his good play during his tenure.

http://www.nba.com/blazers/news/Trail_Blazers_and_the_Oregon_C-281305-1218.html

They are already moving in a good direction to honor his memory.