Even in bad times, this is the team I wanted

Okay, this is going to be a bit long winded and full of emotional appeals, so stat heads and non-emotional types this is your heads up to eject now. Greg Oden is my favorite human being in the NBA. There are other guys who are better at what they do, and others who provide me with more jaw dropping “wow” moments when I watch them play, but there isn’t one guy in the NBA I would trade for GO – not LeBron, not Kobe, not Melo, nobody. Greg Oden is the living, breathing embodiment of everything I ranted, raved, and begged for during the era of the Patterson family (Reuben and Steve), Miles, Z Bo, Bonzi, and bad Sheed (good Sheed is probably getting ready for his ornament drive as we speak). I and many other people asked for the following things when the Rose Garden was 1/3 full and Z Bo was picking up skanks at the Greek Cusina – a team of guys who play hard, respect the fans, and give back to the community. Being a good, contending basketball team was a piece of this puzzle as well, but it was a piece in a larger whole. Give me a team a can feel good about, that’s what I asked for.

Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, LMA, Pryz, Travis Outlaw, Martell Webster, Rudy Fernandez and the crew are exactly what I asked for. Even Coach Mac and Steve Blake, who frustrate me from time to time with their schemes and play, are consummate pros and good family men who are busting their tails for this franchise. This is exactly what I said I wanted, and its here. Portland has a team it can be proud of, and that’s a big thing in NBA Green Bay, a one sport town rabid 24-7-365 for its hometown heroes.

This year was supposed to be a step toward the title. Instead, it’s looking like the Odyssey with ACLs – the ending may be okay, but the ride is not going to be all that fun. Watching Greg go down was like being punched in the stomach. I got choked up, I felt empty, and in the aftermath I admit that I’ve had my doubts if this squad will ever fulfill what I thought (and still believe) could be its championship potential. As of right now, I'm avoiding my radio and semi-glad Comcast is still reaching it's evil hand over my DirecTV dish, because I don't want to look at the Blazers without Greg. 

In the aftermath of another injury to GO, inconsistent play from stars like Roy and LMA, and what can be deemed frustrating decisions by Nate, a lot of people have started to talk about shuffling the deck, including either trading or letting GO walk. To be 100% honest, maybe some of those drastic measures are necessary to bring a title to Portland. But if that’s the case, count me out. These guys are what I said I wanted when I was ready to wash my hands of the NBA. Injuries are things you can’t control, but despite that I am completely convinced that each of these guys will give us all the effort they can. That doesn’t mean the results will be what we want, or that Blake and Pryz will put up career numbers like they did last season. But one question that I will never need to ask about this team is are they trying, because the character of the men in that locker room won’t allow anything else. Add to that I still believe in the talent of the core of this roster. This is just a nightmare year from a health perspective, so I'll concede the battle of 09-10, but not the campaign. 

Now, the NBA is a business, so I won’t be naive enough to pretend that there won’t be more Channing Frye moments where the Blazers and a hard working player need to part ways for whatever the reason. But the day I see this team out and out scrap a guy like Greg Oden is the day I become a fan of the game and not a team. If Greg, Brandon, and Martell can’t do anything more than make it to the first round for the next 10 years, then so be it. I’ve seen all three of those young men make true, sincere positive impacts on the lives of kids in this community, and most of the interactions I was privileged enough to have access to were not for cameras and won’t ever be the subject of a column. This is the team I wanted, and this is the team I asked for. Is it somewhat irrational to form an emotional attachment to a crew of 20 somethings who don’t know me from Adam – of course. But the fact that I know I am one of thousands who feel that way says something about who these guys are and what they are about. When Sheed left town, it was long overdue. When Z Bo left, it was a celebration for the fans. If one of those three bounced, particularly Greg, it would probably be tears. And the same goes for Rudy, Travis, LMA, and others, those are just the three who are my choices, with GO being the #1 guy.

Let’s think about recent history. The fact that the Rip City Blazers never won the title has done absolutely nothing to dim my memories and admiration for that team. It does not diminish my absolute joy that Terry Porter and Jerome Kersey are back in town, it didn’t make the feeling of shock and sadness when Duck passed any smaller, and it doesn’t lessen my ultimate Trail Blazer memory, when Clyde Drexler made the day of a fifth grader who showed up late to an autograph session by signing the back of my basketball jersey because that was the only thing I had with me he could write on. The way I felt about that team is how I feel about this squad. Winning is nice, mainly because this is one of those rare cities where you feel it with them and they way the whole city vibes when the team gets hot, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not that important. What’s important is this is a group of guys we can all be proud of. They’re down this season, and in all honesty they may not get back up. Injuries will do that. But the main thing I asked myself is has anything other than the record and prospects for success changed for the worse between the beginning of the year and now. The answer for me is no, and on my admittedly sappy criteria for evaluating the Blazers, that clinches it. I hope these guys turn it around on the court because they deserve it, but if they don’t they are still my Portland Trail Blazers. And the day the organization starts jettisoning players like Greg Oden in pursuit of more Ws is the day they can become somebody else’s. #52.