Best (Fitting) Blazer Team Ever
by Dave on Jul 31, 2009 12:03 AM PDT
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PrintWhile we're all waiting for Brandon Roy's contract to get done and David Lee to sign a one-year qualifying offer with the Knicks so he can get traded mid-season, I thought we'd try a riff on a familiar theme. We're going to choose our best FITTING Blazer team ever.
Right away let's describe what this exercise is NOT about. It's not about picking the best five Blazers ever regardless of position or playing style. It's not about picking the best Blazer at each position either. In fact I'm asking you specifically to avoid making a team filled with multiple-time All-Stars from Portland's history. Been there, done that, know what the results will be.
Instead I'm asking you to fit together a team of Blazers to play a style of your choosing...a style that's going to produce wins. We're only doing the starting lineup. We're only half asking how talented they are. The rest is how well they fit together with each other in the playing style you chose.
In this exercise you can't move players outside of the position they played for the majority of their time with the Blazers. No choosing Brandon Roy or Clyde Drexler as your small forward. No making Arvydas Sabonis and Greg Oden power forwards either. Obviously it's a "best of" team so you're going to have talented players on it, but try to pick just one or two of the huge, huge names and fit the rest of the team around them and their playing style. If you come up with five All-NBA guys we're going to look at you funny. Don't add even one guy to your five just because he's talented if he doesn't really fit.
Explain your focus and intent in building your team then give us the players and why they match.
Because I think there's such a wide variety of interesting possibilities here I'm going to give my starting five without fear that I'm stealing one of the only legitimate answers. See my squad after the jump.
I've decided I want to build a team that runs. I need players who are good in transition but I also need to be able to defend, rebound, and get the ball out in order to do that. I want to have enough of a back-up plan in the halfcourt offense that I'm not hung out to try on the possessions we can't run but basically pushing tempo and easy buckets are my thing.
The most obvious choice and the guy around whom I'm centering my team is Bill Walton. He's got everything I need. He can defend, he can rebound, he's the best outlet passer this team has ever seen, he can run, and he also has plenty of scoring ability in the halfcourt. He's my one-man insurance policy that this style is going to work.
My second huge-name guy has got to be Clyde Drexler. If you're going to run you have to bring the thunder. Walton starting the fast break and Clyde ending it would be nothing short of majestic. And again he can score in the halfcourt if needed.
I need a speedy, competent point guard to push the pace. For this I'm picking up one of Walton's teammates, Johnny Davis. He's lightning quick, he's athletic, and he's smart. He'll run with anybody on the team. (And this is what I mean by picking guys others might overlook because they're good and they fit your style to a "T" even if they're not usually considered among the best Blazers of all time individually.)
That just leaves the forwards. I'm a little worried about the defense and with Davis and Drexler in the backcourt I want some shooting range if I can get it. But I also need a guy who can blend in. That means I'm going to another semi-big name at power forward: Rasheed Wallace. Wallace defined his era, which means I'm nervous about violating my rule about just picking the best players. But you know what? I think you can make an argument for Rasheed as a great complementary player instead of an individual superstar in his own right. I figure Walton's got the rebounding down so I can live with ‘Sheed not grabbing as many. I love Wallace's defense. I like his offensive range. I like that he's unselfish, sees the floor, and was taught to pass. He'll keep the offense flowing instead of being a roadblock.
Small forward is the only position that remains. I really want Scottie Pippen here but he's such a big name (whether he was that big with the Blazers or not) that I fear I'm going to encourage mayhem if I select him. My next instinct is to go with Nicolas Batum because I like the skills he brings to this lineup (plus his athleticism and speed) and I don't need much offense. But I'm not going there either because many folks don't have a sense of nuance when reading these things. The next time I make a critical observation about Fernandez or Bayless I can just hear the chorus of "Well THIS guy picked Nicolas Batum for an all-time Blazer team so he's obviously a Batum-lover who's biased against the other young guys." Kiki Vandeweghe and Jerome Kersey get me into the same kind of trouble Pippen does. A motivated Darius Miles would be great but I want a guy who played right for more than three weeks and who's not going to get me booed off of the blog. Jeepers, that Wallace pick is really costing me now. It would have been so much easier if I could have just said Scottie and been done with it. (And yes, your last pick should be this tortuous if you're considering all of the factors at once and trying to find the one guy who fits them all.)
Basically I'm left with two guys. My first instinct is to go with Stacey Augmon. Plastic Man could bring some great defense and could run. But I'd like a little more rebounding support and a shade more scoring variety if I can sneak it in. For that reason I'm opting for a young Cliff Robinson, who in his early days legitimately played small forward. His offense wasn't that great then and he was a total ball hog, but nobody has to pass to him anyway. He did have a few moves and he makes our front line really tall. Nobody's going to care anymore if Clyde and Johnny let a couple guys slip by them.
So that's my running Blazer squad: Walton, Sheed, Cliffy, Drexler, and Davis. What's your style and who are your guys? The comment section is open.
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)
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Portland Pistons
If I were to build my Blazers like the recently disassembled psuedo-dynasty Pistons:
PG – Porter (A floor general, my Billups)
SG – Webster (He’s going to be beautiful off those double screens emulating Rip)
SF – Pippen (The talented, lanky point foward who can defend in the sense of Prince)
PF – Sheed (…)
C – Pryzbilla (A better Ben)
I think Prince tries to defend in the sense of Pippen
"It’s a good ol’ fashioned Rip City beat down!"
by Magnum on Jul 31, 2009 12:32 AM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
Mine would be
Pack – since he could move with speed and pass like crazy and his nickname Pacman
Clyde – I would say Broy since he is right there in my eyes but gotta go with classic
Kersey – since he was just about the best sf in our history
Aldridge – Just so good nothing more
Pryzbilla – Since I think too many people would get by the back court
or
Porter – The best pg in Blazers History
Roy – if teamed up with Porter would be insance
Petrovic – I think get played sf if I remeber right and with his silky shot
Buck – Need some D and Reb with this group
Duckworth – Had some D and board but could also score with the best in his day
What's the differance of 3-6 mil? oh about 20+ more losses, and the chance to watch the only star leave by the end of the season. Suck it Hedo!
Who is that you ask, well that shell of a man with his junk tucked away I think his name is Hedo. At least he used to be.
Canzano is a joke. When you see him kick him in the BUTT for me!
Petrovic – I think get played sf
No Drazen was only a guard, substitute Kiki if you’re looking for offense
But I’ll still take Uncle Cliffy as the best all-around Blazer SF. It’s a weak class compared to most NBA teams…
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
dunno
why I forgot about him. I tried to stay with the one a was old enough to remebver watching
What's the differance of 3-6 mil? oh about 20+ more losses, and the chance to watch the only star leave by the end of the season. Suck it Hedo!
Who is that you ask, well that shell of a man with his junk tucked away I think his name is Hedo. At least he used to be.
Canzano is a joke. When you see him kick him in the BUTT for me!
here goes
1976 blazers without the ’76 blazers.
sg, Rudy,
sg, Roy
Sf, pippen
pf sheed
c. arvidas.
versitile, pass happy, great at every position and able to screen and move off screens.
again with the 'Sheed and Sabas combo
I suspect they wouldn’t be rooming together on the road
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Just out of curiousity I'd like to see:
Sabonis
Lucas
Pippen
Roy
Porter
Passing, scoring, shooting, banging inside and good defense (mostly). Not fast but you could call them the Execution Squad.
put a body on 'em
by RayBourque on Jul 31, 2009 12:32 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
This is the team I had in mind
But I had Buck instead of Mo. But that’s probably because I’m a young buck and when I think “banger power forward” I think Buck first. But Luc would probably be better. This team has shooters in Porter and Sabonis, distributors as well as capable scorers in TP, Brandon and Pip, an ability to play inside and outside and 5 unselfish guys who will play their roles. Good squad, Ray
I want Greg Oden to tuck me in at night and tell me stories about the old times
I'd use a lineup like this
but I’d put LMA in as the PF because he can shoot. Sheed had range out to the three, but I wouldn’t intentionally pair sheed with sabonis.
The problem with Lamarcus in this lineup
is that he’s a guy you use to space the floor. With Sabonis in the lineup you already have a big who does that, so you need a guy to play around the basket and do the dirty work. Plus, Porter, Roy and Pippen are all very capable scorers, so you need someone who doesn’t need shots to be effective. You need a role player and Buck or Luc would be the perfect guy to compliment the rest
I want Greg Oden to tuck me in at night and tell me stories about the old times
This was what I was thinking of too.
Great passers at all five positions. I love a team that shares the ball well.
Oooh, except that
given that Walton’s playing weight was just 235, lets slide him in there at power forward instead of Lucas. Him and Roy would be the main offensive options with the other folks playing complementary roles.
Walton wasn't a power forward
The rules specifically say that you can’t put guys at positions they didn’t primarily play, which is also why people shouldn’t be putting Roy in their lineups as 1s. I understand he handles the ball a lot, but he does it as a shooting guard
I want Greg Oden to tuck me in at night and tell me stories about the old times
Yes Yes Yes
I might of just drooled a little bit
by trailblazeraddict on Jul 31, 2009 12:34 PM PDT up reply actions
top 5 Team
1) Brandon roy @ point. he plays that position most anyhow
2) Clyde. no explanation needed
3) Tracy Murray best pure shooter
4) Lucas the enforcer
5) Oden in his prime
Let's run with
1) Walton
2) Lucas
3) Kersey
4) Drexler
5) Strickland
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 31, 2009 12:47 AM PDT reply actions
Let's run with
1) Walton (defend, high post point-center, rebound, best outlet pass in NBA history)
2) Lucas (own the paint, intimidate and defend, face-up post scorer)
3) Kersey (run, jump, dive everywhere – a better Bobby Gross) Considered Cliff but he dropped “the pass”
4) Drexler (nothing needs to be said, just lob it high Rod)
5) Strickland (assists, defense, great finisher on the break
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 31, 2009 1:03 AM PDT up reply actions
RT: Considered Cliff but he dropped "the pass"
But that wasn’t his fault, Porter should’ve thrown him a diagonal lob 2 seconds earlier, instead of shoveling the ball to Jerome…sigh
My lineup is the same as yours, except I had Porter instead of Rod (Terry = better chemistry with Clyde, plus he was a clutch player until that fateful game 6 in L*A…) and I love Uncle Cliffy’s defense at SF (remember how he used to move his feet? Great lateral quickness for a 6’10 dude!)
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Worst single moment in Blazer history?
I think so.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Aug 1, 2009 12:32 AM PDT up reply actions
This team would be sick
I’m on board with this. Bring Rasheed and Roy off the bench and you have an unstoppable team.
Dunk
by Billy Ray Bates on Jul 31, 2009 9:22 AM PDT up reply actions
One of the best things about this Blazer teams is that there isn't one player on it anymore
that I fear coming into the game. No more, “Oh know Channing Frye is in the game, things could fall apart”. The same goes for Sergio. We should always have a solid team on the floor.
that guy
will appear at some point this season
my best guess is Outlaw or Bayless
"Tough times don't last. Tough people do."
-Chauncey Billups
won't be bayless
He’ll eat people
GO REXXXX
and turn it over
I am starting the coalition to BRING BACK IKE.
johnny 5
PG-Strickland
SG-Roy
SF-Kersey
PF-Sheed
C-Walton
strickland was a solid 19pts and 9 asst during his best year as a pro in portland (1995)and was a double threat poing guard who could not only score but drop dimes. toughest pick is roy vs drex. i pick roy because even though he has not reached his prime, i still think he will end up being a better overall player than drex. drex was a slasher/scorer but jumper was kind of broke. brandon is silky and as grown exponetially over his 3 campaigns and is breaking franchise records already and will continue to be an all star in the upcoming years. jerome kersey has been a favorite because he had the baseling J down and could jam it in peoples eyes too. not to mention could aggressively snatch boards. stat line was 15 and 8.
sheed at PF cause he changed the way PF’s play in and out.
and even though i wasnt around to see bill in his prime (born in pdx 1979) …ive seen the videos.
no
Rod only had range out to 17-18 feet…very much like Andre Miller
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Walton lived on the perimeter?
I really don’t think that is correct.
Bill still holds the playoff record for rebounds in a game
27, IIRC
Walton may be too “skinny” to play in today’s game, but he was a vacuum on the defensive boards, back in the day
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Bill was a great defensive rebounder
He did play a lot of high post, but that just drew the opposing center out, which created more opportunities for offensive rebounds.
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
I wasn't alive in the 70's
PG-Ainge
SG-Roy
SF-Glyde
PF-Sheed
C-Duck
Dictated, not read. The management.
Off the bench (can't resist)
PG-A sober Damon Stoudamire
SG-Vandeweghe
SF-Pippen
PF-Walton (Couldn’t see he and Sheed fitting together)
C-Sabas
Dictated, not read. The management.
read the instructions.
In this exercise you can’t move players outside of the position they played for the majority of their time with the Blazers. No choosing Brandon Roy or Clyde Drexler as your small forward.
unless you meant Kermit “Glyde” Washington…
by LicketyBrindle on Jul 31, 2009 5:13 PM PDT up reply actions
awesome!
here’s my “don’t care” starting five:
PG – Napoleon Bonaparte
SG – Walker, Texas Ranger
PF – Jesus Christ
SF – Jason Bourne
C – Godzilla
by LicketyBrindle on Jul 31, 2009 5:28 PM PDT up reply actions
Starting Five
Walton is an easy choice – great passer and rebounder. Can score and play defense – would have the ability to play an up and down style as well as a half court game.
Kiki Vandeweghe to me is a pretty easy choice. Walton made Gross an all star. Think about the back door passes Bill would make to Kiki, let alone Kiki’s ability to score from the outside. Kiki had the ability to play in a half court set and could also run the court.
Tough choice for me between Buck Williams and Maurice Lucas at power forward – really can’t go wrong there. They both provide toughness, defense, rebounding and can give you some scoring. I’d lean towards Lucas as he showed a little more of an offensive game if needed. Both were team players, solid character guys (why Rasheed isn’t mentioned here) both on and off the court.
The guards are a little tougher to pick. At shooting guard it comes down to Clyde and Brandon – with Paxon getting an honorable mention as it would be fun watching him and Kiki back door teams to death – and both could score from the outside. Clyde was one of my all-time favorites and was an incredibly athletic player who could finish with some of the best who has ever played the game. He was also a good rebounder and could pass. But I would almost lean towards Brandon due to his leadership ability and clutch plays…if I could make this my starting five, I would, with Brandon playing the point…if not…
Terry Porter or Lafayette Lever would likely be my choice at the point. While I think Lever would be a good choice, the better part of his career was with Denver, not Portland. Lever could run the court, penetrate and was a good distributor of the ball. On pure talent, Rod Strickland should get some mention, and although he really didn’t have any known problems in Portland, for character/culture sake I’d go with some other choices. Terry Porter would provide a good all around game – would be the best shooting PG the team could put on the court and he and Brandon would work well together – just as he and Clyde were a great tandem.
by KevNW on Jul 31, 2009 12:56 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Terry and Brandon
would be a dream half-court offense backcourt. Terry would be the perfect compliment to Roy. He played good defense, and when Roy was doubled he’d be an outstanding outside shooter or could find the open man. I picked Clyde and Strickland because we’re scoring half our points on the break with Walton outlet passes.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 31, 2009 1:24 AM PDT up reply actions
More like super miller
Life's short, Stunt it!!
by Irwin Fletcher on Jul 31, 2009 7:19 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
those four guards
would be an awesome rotation…talk about not having enough minutes to go around…but I suppose you could always slide Clyde or Brandon to SF…
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Kiki
I thought about him as well, if you were just going for offense he would be the best SF to choose, and he had a great chemistry with Clyde
but I liked Uncle Cliffy’s defense and overall floor game. Plus he could knock down an open jumper
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Rec'd just for bringing Fat Lever into the conversation
Although his blazer years were underwhelming. He did most of his damage in Denver.
thought we were tryin to stick to "true positions"....
…not the nba live lineups… just checkin cause broy doesnt play point, and clyde dont play small forward.
perfection
pg- Terry Porter
sg- Brandon Roy
Sf- Maurice Lucas
Pf- Buck Williams
C-Bill Walton
Lucas SF?
um…
"HA HA HA HA HA
I'm not laughing, I'm just listing the five ugliest Blazers ever."
- rockingharder
He was fast enough
That cat could move in his prime. If we’re putting Lucas in his prime up against today’s crop of small forwards (who are all much bigger and more muscular than the average small forward was in the 70s), then he’d match up well against a lot of current 3s as he was 6’9" / 215lbs.
by DonkeyShins on Jul 31, 2009 11:01 AM PDT up reply actions
I'm going to cheat a bit
and go with the 76-77 team. If the criteria is fit, I’m hard pressed to believe that any fictional team would fit together better than this real one. They played my favorite style- great half-court but opportunistic runners (like the Showtime L*kers and Jordan’s Bulls)
C – Walton
F – Lucas
F – Neal
G – Twardzik
G – Hollins
by tiesque on Jul 31, 2009 1:07 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I totally have to agree with you
This team fit the best together. Only one change to your lineup. Bobby Gross started instead of Neal. You had arguably the best post passer ever. You had guards who moved without the ball and who could hit a tough layup. You had a small forward who also moved without the ball, could hit a mid range jumpshot and could play a bit of defense. You had the enforcer who could rebound, shoot the ball and spark a little fear in opposing players.
Individually, I have a hard time seeing how most of those players (with the exception of Walton) would excel in any other system. And while Hollins and Lucas each had their own successes they never played on anything close to a championship team. But as a team they were nails! The end of 77 and the first 60 games of 78 are the best team basketball I have ever seen.
That’s why these collection of players was the best fit.
"I saw him in the face" Sergio's quote on the latest alley-oop to Rudy.
by blazermaniac32 on Jul 31, 2009 6:50 AM PDT up reply actions
Lloyd and Luke weren't small forwards
even though Neal was only 6’7 he always played close to the basket (banger)
neither man could guard a 3 in their wildest dreams
substitute Gross in the SF spot and that lineup was poetry running Dr. Jack’s offense
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
top 5
1) B Roy… he plays it besttter than most point guards.
2) Drexler… best blazer ever
3) Pippen… all nba defensive team and great point forward.
4) Aldridge… I wouldve said Jermaine O’neil but he became a star for another team.
5) Sabonis… Great rebounder, great passer and could defend Shaq very well.
Also, I’m glad odom went back to LA. I dont want any excuses when we drop em next season.
Beat LA!!!
by hugetrailblazerfan on Jul 31, 2009 1:12 AM PDT reply actions
I'd throw him down in my Ball movement/shooting/international flavor team
PG Strickland (part because he’s awesome part because he came to Sellwood Middle Schoolwhen I was in 8th grade there)
SG Rudy (shooter great court vision awesome passer)
SF Drazen Petrovic (lights out shooter great passer, almost picked Glen Rice though till you said Drazen)
PF Sheed (because every team needs a little crazy sauce to spice it up)
C Sabas (Great passer solid in the post can pull opposing big men away from the basket with his shooting)
by DephlatorMouse on Jul 31, 2009 2:51 AM PDT up reply actions
neither Rudy or Drazen
could be considered a SF even using the most-liberal definition of the term
3 guard lineup? OK, but that wasn’t in Dave’s criteria
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
best small forward for your running team
Never mind Plastic Man and Uncle Cliffy, I remember that Blazers were incredibly potent with Mychal Thompson at small forward. He was fast and agile enough to guard the opposing small forwards and none of them could stop Mychal when he was playing alongside Owens and Lucas. A little Googling corroborated my memory. From Sports Illustrated (April 9, 1979):
“Since March 11, when he became a starter opposite Lucas in the small forward spot—that’s a 6’10”, 230-pound small forward—Thompson has averaged 21.6 points and 9.6 rebounds while guarding and generally destroying the opponents’ best forward, Julius Erving, Marques Johnson, Walter Davis and Bob Dandridge included." (http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1094795/index.htm)
Mychal is the three man you need.
nice catch
was that before “Sweet Bells” broke his leg in the Bahamas? By the time he came back from that injury “Bum” was a PF/C for the rest of his career. I remember him playing some great defense on Jack Sikma, but then Moses Malone would score 45 per game on Mychal’s twinkie post defense
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Style before fit
My style is strong defense, running, with a half court offense with lots of off-the-ball motion and lots of ball movement.
I want Bill Walton at center.
I want Porter at the point, he can push the ball up, good defender, hits the outside shot, makes the clutch play. I kind of wanted Lionel Hollins, but technically Twardzik was the PG and Lionel was the SG, I think. Lionel’s defense was really, really good, though, and he was superb on the break. But I do like the idea of Porter taking outlet passes from Bill.
We’ll put Drexler at the SG — excellent defense, devastating on the break.
SF. Hmm. This one is a little tricky. I love Kiki’s shooting on this team, but his defense would be such a negative. Perhaps we can cover for him? No, I’ll go with a good defender, the ultimate “fit” guy on offense, who moves, moves, moves, good shooter (if not great) and can run the court as well as anyone. Bobby Gross. Not a major scoring threat, but I hardly need one on this team.
PF. Buck or Luke, Luke or Buck? If only LMA were a better defender, he could solve my dilemma, because I love him on the fastbreak. But rebounding is not Bobby’s strength, and while our guards will get some rebs, we really need rebounding strength at PF. So I guess it’s back to Buck or Luke, Luke or Buck.
Since I went with Bobby at SF instead of Kiki, I can use a little more shooting at PF. Luke is a good shooter as well as low post threat. As an enforcer, I’m pretty sure Buck could handle Chocolate Thunder, but Luke has already done it.
Walton, Lucas, Gross, Drexler, Porter. 76-77 front court and 90-92 backcourt. Great defense, outstanding rebounding, devastating fastbreak, superb half-court offense, clutch players, good shooters, everything.
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
Other than the actual 76-78 team
with Twardzik and Hollins, I would agree with your picks. While I don’t think Drexler or Porter were as good off the ball, I think they probably would have learned really quickly with Walton feeding them. This is my second choice of best fit.
About six months ago I was watching some of the highlights of the championship run and what struck me most (granted these were highlights) was how good Bobby Gross was and how well he meshed with Walton and Lucas. He was a joy to watch and very underappreciated.
"I saw him in the face" Sergio's quote on the latest alley-oop to Rudy.
by blazermaniac32 on Jul 31, 2009 6:54 AM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, he was phenomenal in Jack's system
I would say Porter was a better fit than Twardzik for that team, without a doubt. As good a passer and defender, better running the break (IMO, though that one might be debated), and a better deep threat.
The one who might be harder to argue is Clyde for Lionel. But Clyde would thrive in that system, and would be better on the break than Hollins. And if Lionel was a better fit, it was only marginally, while the difference in talent was marked. Talent does need to come into play.
I wanted Kiki on offense, because he could have been devastating in the Gross role, but he just didn’t fit the defensive excellence I wanted.
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
RT: rebounding is not Bobby’s strength
Gross was a sneaky offensive rebounder, he would take a “banana” route (baseline out of bounds, then under the basket) to get inside position and he had one tip-in where he caught and flicked the ball up and in from back behind his head
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
You're right
I should have said “defensive rebounding”.
Bobby Gross was quick enough and smart enough to find ways to get to the ball when he shouldn’t have on the offensive end. But he wasn’t that strong to box out on the defensive end, and it didn’t matter — with Walton and Lucas on the boards, he could leak out on the fast break.
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
Here's my squad
Coach: Rick Adelman (Circa 1991-1992)
C: Bill Walton (Circa 1976-1977)
PF: Rasheed Wallace (Circa 2001-2002)
SF: Scottie Pippen (Crica 1999-2000)
SG: Brandon Roy (Circa 2008-2009)
PG: Terry Porter (Circa 1990-1991)
With Rick Adelman at the helm, that starting lineup would be an average paced, efficient group of guys who’d play a modernized version of the Princeton offense — which’d include several flex motion sets — and stifiling defense.
Roy couldn run some with the right coach leading the way, since he did it with the Washington Huskies under Lorenzo Romar while in college. Roy may have trouble transitioning to a motion-based offense — since he’s fond of isolation plays — although he’s a skilled enough passer and ball-handler to perform well in it. Cutting often shouldn’t be a problem, either, especially with two other wonderful passers in Scottie Pippen and Terry Porter playing alongside him on the perimeter.
Bill Walton’s abilities as a high-post facilitator and master of the outlet pass would do wonders in a motion-based offense, while his post defense and rebounding on that end of the court would contain the paint.
On the topic of Wallace, his ability to stretch the floor and play inside at the 4 makes him versatile on offense. Now, even though Wallace isn’t much of a rebounder in the mold of a Buck Williams, Walton would be there alongside him on the frontline to pick up the slack.
Lastly, Pippen and Porter are too of the most well-rounded players at their respective positions. Whether it’s shooting, passing, rebounding, or defense, they’ve each got a variety of talents on the court.
Well, that’s that.
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
I just have a tough time putting Pippen or Strickland on an all-time Blazer team
because they were only in Portland for a short time
(That’s my own bias, though. I’m sure they both fit within Dave’s criteria)
But if we stretched the tent-pegs a little bit wider, Moses Malone was a “Blazer” during preseason in ’76…and he could be included on an “all rebounding” Blazer starting 5 (Fat Lever would be the PG on that squad, along with Drexler, Buck Williams and maybe Calvin Natt?)
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Wow two4larue I put an all rebound team below
I just skimmed through & didn’t see yours but there the same except I had Otis Thorpe instead of Buck…….NICE!
He did it! Yes he did!
One of the Worst
1. Dan Dickau
2. Richie Fraham
3. Vicktor Kryhapa
4. Josh McRoberts
5. Chris Dudley
I think I can Worst you
1. Erick Barkley
2. Charles Smith / Mitchell Butler
3. Sergei Monia / Jeff Lamp (or Qyntel Woods using the thug overlay)
4. Carlos Rogers / Reggie Slater
5. Ha Seung-Jin / Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje / Joe Wolf
put a body on 'em
Audie Norris
the atomic dog has to be the PF
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
You're right
but I think we were meaning on the court “playing”.
Isaiah’s got his own team down a bit further.
put a body on 'em
Rider was good
Probably even underrated. That guy could score on anyone.
Oh, you said best fit, not best players. You win.
"HA HA HA HA HA
I'm not laughing, I'm just listing the five ugliest Blazers ever."
- rockingharder
I was actually
a pretty big Rider fan while he was here…
As my name implies
He really did live on my street
by IsiahRiderLivedOnMyStreet on Jul 31, 2009 9:12 AM PDT up reply actions
Many burglaries?
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
wow
I apparently blocked the player from memory…zuck. I need to take a shower…
"No disrespect to Jeff Blake"
by Eat Politicians on Jul 31, 2009 11:43 AM PDT up reply actions
Wow, I never knew that Joe Wolf played for the Portland Trail Blazers.
Hmm … the Seattle SuperSonics equivalent to Wolf would be Greg Foster.
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
Wolf was from Kohler, WI
the urinal capitol of the world
I remember reading a book published by a bunch of writers who did their own fantasy basketball league and they “ranked” all of the players…and they said that Joe’s jumper was just like his hometown’s famous fixtures, because he “sprayed it all over the place”!
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Don't Forget LaRue Martin
I think he has to be way up there on the list of worst blazers ever.
Here's an all-time worst Portland Trail Blazers unit, with the condition that each player was a starter.
C: Kevin Duckworth (Circa 1991-1992)
PF: Harvey Grant (Circa 1995-1996)
SF: Viktor Khryapa (Circa 2005-2006)
SG: Ron Brewer (Circa 1979-1980)
PG: Rick Adelman (Circa 1972-1973)
A few notes here.
I’m surprised how much love y’all have for Kevin Duckworth, for he was no better than Benoit Benjamin — who gets trashed by us Washingtonians — during the same exact era. All things considered, Duckworth was an inefficient shooter according to TS%, poor interior defender, bad rebounder for his size, et cetera. By the way, Duckworth gets the nod over LaRue Martin due to his inability to pry substantial minutes away from either Lloyd Neal or Sidney Wicks. Plus, it was curtians for Martin once Bill Walton was drafted in 1974.
How did Harvey Grant — who was ironically the man acquired for Duckworth — manage to cut into Buck Williams minutes during the mid-‘90s? Although Williams was in his mid-’30s at that point and declining somewhat, he was still way superior at both defense and efficiency compared to the crappier Grant twin. Grant, for whatever it’s worth, is considered a power forward, as Clifford Robinson was technically a big 3 who could drain it from downtown and defend both forward positions.
For a guy who was supposed to be a defensive stopper and spot-up three-point shooter, Viktor Khryapa sucked mightily at both things. Indeed, the Russian’s defense was abysmal — as he posted a net points allowed per 100 possessions of +5.4, a net eFG% allowed of +4.4% that season, and a ghastly opponent PER of 21.6 — in addition, he didn’t have much range on his shot. Alas, at least he was better than fellow countryman Sergei Monia.
As a 24-year-old guy, I know nothing about Ron Brewer. Yet, from looking at his statistical production from his short stint with the Portland Trail Blazers, he appears to have been an inefficient gunner at shooting guard. Luckily, the team had a solid frontcourt at the time — with Tom Owens, Maurice Lucas/Calvin Natt, and Kermit Washington sharing minutes down low, as well as Bob Gross and T.R. Dunn splitting time as defensive stoppers at the 3 — nonetheless, a me-first chucker in Brewer and a raw rookie in Jim Paxson made for bad times at shooting guard.
Man, Rick Adelman flat-out sucked as a player. The dude is a mighty fine coach, however, so it’s all good.
Oh, and with regards to the head coach, I’d like to put P.J. Carlesimo up there for my disdain toward him or even Mike Dunleavy, Sr. due to the piss-poor job he’s done recently with the Los Angeles Clippers. Yet, that wouldn’t be honest analysis, so I’ll defer to the older folks around here and let them choose between Rolland Todd and Jack McCloskey. McCloskey, however, deserves some kudos for his successful reign as a front office executive with the Detroit Pistons during the “Bad Boys” era.
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
Disgraceful
You cannot leave LaRue off that team, no matter your excuse.
Rolland Todd won far more games than anyone should have expected given the lack of talent. McCloskey did no worse than could have been expected given the talent he had to work with. Those early teams were just bad.
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
LaRue Martin didn't meet my conditions, so he missed the cut.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/fc/tiny.cgi?id=06Vi9
You could make an argument that Chris Dudley from the 1994-1995 season should be on the list over Kevin Duckworth, but the Ivy Leaguer was both a tenacious defender, tough on the glass, and proficient at blocking shots. Yes, that 42.4 TS% is brutal no matter how you slice it; regardless, he knew his role and did all the little things similar to Joel Przybilla nowadays.
There’s also a potential argument for Wayne Cooper of the 1982-1983 Portland Trail Blazers, but he was still an overall better player than the 27-year-old version of Duckworth — who was painfully awful for someone entering in his prime years — with #00 having an advantage solely in shooting efficiency.
Everything else from rebounding proficiency, to assist proficiency, to shot blocking proficiency, to defensive rating went right in favor of Cooper. Heck, Duckworth and Cooper had the same usage percentage to boot.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/fc/tiny.cgi?id=WkrGf
Even the centers from the so-called “lack of talent” expansion era, Leroy Ellis and Dale Schlueter, rank as statistically superior to Duckworth. So, because Martin couldn’t beat out an undersized bulldog in Lloyd Neal nor a journyman in Rick Roberson for minutes and was ultimately pushed out by Bill Walton, Duckworth garners this dishonorable mention of being on my list of Portland Trail Blazers all-time worst starters.
Duckworth also got the nod over Sam Bowie, who was an altogether average player in his rookie season — which was his one healthy year in Portlad — as well as the center before him, Oregon State alum Steve Johnson, since he was solid the one season he got starter’s minutes and even played well enough as #00’s backup the following couple of years.
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
LaRue was in a class by himself.
As the #1 overall pick in the draft he should have a special exemption and deserves to make your team. History has it that the Blazers passed on Bob McAdoo because he wanted too much money.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 31, 2009 7:16 AM PDT up reply actions
If I had a second unit of role players who played badly in at least 16 minutes per game ...
over 65 contests during a given season, then LaRue Martin (circa 1973-1974) would join Caldwell Jones (circa 1988-1989), Clifford Robinson (circa 1989-1990), James Robinson (circa 1994-1995), and Jeff McInnis (circa 2002-2003) on it.
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
It really doesn't matter
Those of us who saw LaRue know, and nothing can change that. The very fact that a #1 pick had trouble getting minutes from a 6’7" center (Lloyd Neal) drafted in a lower round says it all. LaRue was the epitome of a wasted pick, but he was ours and we loved him.
If you have an “all-bad” team, and LaRue isn’t on it because of your conditions, the problem is obviously with your conditions. Some of us know bad, and he was bad.
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
Harry Glickman was interviewed for the "mania" documentary
It’s been a few weeks since I saw this on Comcast but I thought he said that “money changed hands” between Buffalo and Portland so the Braves could pick Bob out of UNC
Julius Erving was selected 12th by Milwaukee, BTW. (I doubt Inman was interested in Dr. J, though, because of Wicks) Paul Wesphal went 10th, but Geoff Petrie was in his prime. Other than that, the 1972 draft was a whole lot of dreck
http://www.databasebasketball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?yr=1972&lg=N
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Erving went low in the draft because he was already under contract and playing in the ABA.
If I recall correctly, the next season he tried to go to Atlanta instead of Milwaukee that had drafted him, and there was a 3-way fight between his ABA team (Virginia?), Milwaukee, and Atlanta over him. He ended up back in the ABA because of a court ruling I think. I’m too lazy to look this up.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 31, 2009 6:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Rolland Todd won far more games than anyone should have expected
“Mod” Todd was one of the first NBA coaches who ran an up-tempo motion offense, he was truly ahead of his time. The inagural Blazer team would litterally run veteran teams off the court, when Barnett (etc) were hitting their outside shots. This kind of offense wasn’t seen again in the NBA until well after the ABA merger (Doug Moe, etc)
Sidney Wicks was Roland’s downfall, in season 2
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
All true
but he didn’t seem to trouble them too much with the importance of defense.
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
like Nellie
and like most of the ABA coaches
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
No way Duckworth belongs on a "worst" list
He was a strong rebounder and was the only low-post scorer on that team. He could push people around down low, and he had a good little spin-around one-handed jump shot. He was a two-time all-star. You can’t suck and be a two-time all-star. (If you’re a center you can kind of coast in against weak competition, but really, you’re underrating Duck. Benoit Benjamin too.)
Here's mine
C: Sabonis
PF: Bill Walton
SF: Scottie Pippen
SG: Clyde the Glide
PG: Rod Strickland
Sabonis at C because he’s 7’3 and can pass and shoot at range. He was also a VERY tough player. Toughness is huge in my book.
I’m putting Walton at PF although I’m too young to have seen him play live. From what I’ve heard from Ramsey and seen on tape he was a great team player. Great passer/rebounder and leader. Again, toughness is big to me.
I loved Pippen on the Blazers. He was a perfect veteran fit to the team. I’m hoping Andre turns out to be as good a fit as Pippen was but that’sprobably expecting too much.
Clyde gets the slight nod over Roy because at one point he was nearly impossible to stop. Yeah his jumper was’t magnificent but he had way more athleticism than Roy has. Also my lineup could use a little extra athleticism to make up for the bad knees of Sabonis and tendonitis Pippen had; most of my players were slowed by nagging injurys that limited explosiveness and athleticism.
Rod Strickland had some of the best court vision out of any Blazer i’ve ever seen. I’m a pretty big fan of pure point guards who can drive the lane. Hopefully Andre will give us a Strickland like dimension.
RASHEEEEEEEED!
“if he wanted to be he could be the greatest player of all time”
“no i mean you mean just that he would be one of the better players, right?”
“no, im mean he would be the best. of all time.”
Even if Rasheed Wallace wasn't a headcase, he didn't have the inherent talent to be an all-time great.
In the NBA today, though, there’s two guys who do fit that bill: Vince Carter and Lamar Odom. If Carter had the heart and desire of Kobe Bryant, he’d’ve possibly been the next #23. Regarding Odom, he entered the league out of Rhode Island as the most complete, well-rounded player since Earvin “Magic” Johnson; it’s unfortunate the "Candy Man’ doesn’t have his head screwed on tightly enough.
In the end, however, it’s LeBron James who possess both the physicaly qualities and mental makeup to maybe become the best basketball player in history. Of course, James has a long way to go in his career before he comes close to eclipsing Michael Jordan and rising to the top.
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
It depends on how you define all time great
No, I don’t think there’s any way he could have been a top 20 player in NBA history, but a top 10 PF? Sure. Remember, espn ran a poll a few years back that had Buck in there (admittedly, Dirk’s probably passed him by now). You of all people, AK, should know not to discount the fact that Sheed was possibly the best defender in the league outside of KG when he was on his game. Couple that with a versatile offensive game, and the guy could have been scary.
Admittedly, the issues go beyond just the technicals and misdemeanors and extending into the fact that Sheed never really had any desire to lead a team, but he still could have been up there.
I agree about Odom, and to a lesser extent, Vince. LeBron, of course, could change everything eventually, but like you said, he has a long ways to go.
Rasheed Wallace may've been a surefire Hall of Famer in the mold of an athletic Bill Laimbeer.
Yet, even if Wallace combined Tim Duncan’s defense with Dirk Nowitzki’s offense, he’d’ve been a top-ten or so player in history instead of a true all-time great candidate. On the other hand, though, Vince Carter could’ve challenged Michael Jordan’s impressive career accomplishments if he had been capable of putting out more effort. Lamar Odom is harder to quantify than Carter, but there’s no question that he possess the natural ability to have potentially been a transcendent player.
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
Like I said, it all depends on where you put the cutoff
Could Sheed have ever been mentioned in the same breath as Jordan, Magic Kareem, or Bird? Probably not. But could he have been in the PF discussion with Barkley, Malone, Duncan McHale and KG? Definitely.
ok. so basically you guys are saying he would have been top 50. but not top 10.
perhaps perhaps. i just remember him destroying the lakers in the 7 games series. And the ONE year he was motivated to be a killer cause he was in a contract year his team wins a championship.
the biggest thing that i hear from other players, via quotes and what not, is that rasheed was unguardable in the post. He just had no desire to work for position and be a go-to killer. i remember thinking mchale had nothing on this guy when he is motivated. to me that is the biggest thing of sheed as one of the all-time dissapointments (along with vc, LO and i woudl through in tim thomas).
also, do you remember how when he was with portland sheed’ would get up for the big games against the other west pf. webber, kg, duncan. and he would play them to a stand still at the ver least even though he was totally underatted? REMEMBER THAT
thats duncan too... who you would say was top 10? i mean he beat shaqs team that year with detroit that he was motivated
and almost destroyed shaqs team in 2000. ac green robert horry were his play things. shaq is top 10 no?
If Rasheed Wallace could've put it altogether, he'd been in that top-ten to ...
top-fifteen range. At any rate, here’s my personal top-ten list of all-time greats.
1. Michael Jordan
2. Wilt Chamberlain
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
4. Larry Bird
5. Earvin “Magic” Johnson
6. Oscar Robertson
7. Jerry West
8. Shaquille O’Neal
9. Hakeem Olajuwon
10. Tim Duncan
I’ve lately thought about dropping Oscar Robertson and Jerry West down a few spots, since perimeter players weren’t as refined during their eras. Heck, since I drop Bill Russell for his woefully mediocre offense, it’d be only fair to treat “The Big O” and “The Logo” similarly. That’s neither here nor there, though.
On the topic of Wallace, though, the only guy he could’ve surpassed on that list if he’d put everything together is possibly Duncan. That’s not even a sure thing, although it’s definitely plausible looking back on it. Yet, even if Wallace played at 100% all the time for a long period, he’d’ve never been up there at the top of the mountain.
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
hakeem dominated all centers of his era.
he got to finals rookie year. took on robinson’s def player of year and 30 ppg. ewing. took on shaqs team. hakeem needs more daps. that team was hakeem all day everday.
At best, Tim Thomas would've been up there with Rashard Lewis. There's just ...
no way he can be included with Lamar Odom regarding inherent abilities. Odom’s ball-handling and court vision are natural talents possessed by very few individuals of his size, which is why he could’ve potentially been a modern-day Magic Johnson if he’d put it all together.
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
You're crazy
Vince Carter isn’t anywhere near that talented. I get where you’re going with the argument, but part of being great is the mental game, and Carter is a lazy bum. When your team misses the playoffs when you’re in your prime, you just don’t get to be mentioned in the same sentence as Jordan.
If we're discussing intrinsic abilities, Vince Carter is right up there with Michael Jordan.
Basically, Jordan’s greatness could be split into Carter’s innate talents and Kobe Bryant’s intense work ethic at honing his skills.
At any rate, we seem to have gotten into an argument of semantics over talent versus skill.
Stupid people have stupid ideas.
Best TEAM Team
C: Bill Walton
PF: Maurice Lucas
SF: Jerome Kersey
SG: Rudy Fernandez
PG: Rod Strickland
My team is my all Team team. They pass great, dominate the boards, and hustle. Luke and Bill were one of the best PF-C combinations ever. And if called to score, Luke could and did fill it up. Kersey is simply Mr. Hustle. He does it all. And on offense he doesn’t need the ball, and he loves the open court. Rudy is in there to spread the floor. Rudy is also consummate team player, someone who is so much more than just a shooter. I struggled between Hollins and Strickland. I chose Rod because he does so much to make his teammates better, and he is simply fantastic leading the break and finding the open man. Also, if I chose Hollins, then I would choose Gross, and pretty soon I would just have the ’77 Blazers. Which was a great team, a proven fit. But the idea was to create a new team, I take it.
Fun idea, Dave. But is picking Uncle Cliffy as your SF entirely within the rules you set out?
I want to play defense better than anyone ever has
Bill Walton Center
Kermit Washington PF
Cliff Robinson SF
Clyde Drexler SG
Larry Steel is my PG
Starting 5 averages per game 36 min each using the best season for each:
Points 91.2
OR 14.7
DR 30.6
TR 45.3
BK 8.5
STL 8.9
PF 18.2
FG% 50.1%
FT% 71.5%
Now granted they can’t shoot 3’s but they don’t need to with 91 points and this defense.
Larry "The Kentucky Rifle" Steele
will stand in the corner and knock down 3’s for you.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 31, 2009 2:28 AM PDT up reply actions
Too true but they would not count them as 3's in his years
and thanks for the correction of my spelling error. Larry terrorized opponents with 3 steals and in-your-face defense against the best.
Robert Pack was a good defensive PG, but Hollins might've been the best defensive guard in Blazer history
Larry was more of a swing man
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
and TR Dunn would've given Clyde a run for his money
for best defender at the 2 guard position
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I saw Larry, Train and Pack play (as you likely did as well)
The battles Larry put on were magnificent. Averaged 3 steals a game in 1973-1974. Petrie was his backcourt mate and Larry was the defensive specialist as well as the point. I have seen Hollins and Pack (up through 2000) nearly every home game they played for Portland. Larry is my guy. Remember I picked the best years of each player’s career in Portland. I think that is within the guidelines.
But there are many of the Blazers who can be argued for or against depending on one’s perspective.
Just one metric as illustration of my point of view – Career defensive rating:
Steele = 99
Hollins = 103
Pack = 107
Dunn = 107
Drexler = 105
I stand corrected
I remember that Steele led the league in steals, but I didn’t recall Larry playing the point alongside Geoff…by the time ’76 rolled around he was strictly a 2-3
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
but why did you prefer Drexler over Hollins
if your goal was to put the best Blazer “defensive 5” together?
in his prime, Lionel could hound an average ballhandler
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I could start by saying good offense is necessary to play great defense
And Drexler avg 24.9 (49.6%) to Train’s 18.1 (43.2%) per 36 minutes in their best defensive years.
In their defensive best years Drexler was better than Train in assists, rebounds and especially in PF averaging 3.2 to Lionel’s 4.3 per 36 minutes and was a push on blocks and steals while probably guarding better players in his era. Using advanced metrics to compare the players also comes in to Clyde’s favor. Also, in his career, Clyde has more steals than all but 6 other players in the league.
And Clyde had the length to guard big guards. Looking at the other teams picked here, my team will match up favorably with those teams using both defense and scoring (check out my #’s in the original post). Besides who is going to guard Clyde (picked on a majority of teams) except Clyde?
well, you started it
by putting Steele at the PG!
I think Hollins and Steele are superior defensive guards than Clyde, so if that is the only criterion, then they should be the #1 defensive backcourt
unless you want to make this like the “gold glove” competition in baseball where the defensive award is given to the player with the better offensive stats?
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
He wasn't really a PG
It’s just that we only had two decent guards….
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
Steele was no PG, though
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
My teams offense(s) is/are going to be gun toten, weed smokin, wife beating, dog fighting,
jail goin, cap space ruining underachievers.
PG. Sebass
SG. JR Ryder
SF. D. Miles
PF. R Patterson.
C. Sheed wallace
With Q. woods coming off the bench.
I was wondering about that team and how one would characterize it
maybe the all-time Punk-Azz team . . . .
And I can’t believe you left the PunzAzz MVP off the list: Zach Randolph!
put a body on 'em
squad designed to get revenge against the 99-00 lkrs
sabas
lucas
pippen
roy
porter
wouldn’t it have been great to see lucas knock the snot out of lkrs power forwards a.c. green & robert horry while b-roy destroyed young kobe’s confidence
For real though a team that passes really well and can shoot and play decent D
PG. Terry P
SG. Rudy F.
SF. Scotty Pippen
PF. Rasheed Wallace
C. Sabbas
derek anderson
steve smith
walt williams
stacy augmon
j oneal
….. ha, not the best but i loved them, (including jimmy jackson, and greg anthony)
that is definitely a certain era
perhaps you were at a particularly impressionable age then, or just starting to get into the blazers?
“the Wizard, from downtown!”
put a body on 'em
nah, i started in the drexler era, but i wanted to put out far under mentioned blazers and most of those guys are rarely talked about…..
to be honest, its sad that there are no brian grants in the crowd...
gotta have a fan favorite in there
hard to elevate the Rasta Monsta
above Luke or Buck, but he was definitely in the top 5 PFs
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Defense and offensive spacing
The key to building any team is a commitment to defense with enough offensive spacing/efficient scoring. Any team based on defense starts with the Center position. Portland’s most dominant defensive center has got to be Bill Walton. Lead the NBA in blocks and rebounds. All-Defensive First Team… Easy pick.
To compliment Walton, the PF should ideally be an excellent defender, with a solid perimeter shot. Rasheed Wallace would be the ideal front court compliment.
SF in my mind has always been a “jack-of-all-trades position” when making a team I always find a SF last, and have them specialize in the team’s most lacking area. If nothing is lacking, then you go with the most balanced player.
SG is the one position on a defensive minded team, that I am willing to sacrifice defense for offense. On the perfectly blended team, there are a few options. Roy and Drexler are by far the most talented but both of those players tended to drive the lane rather than play on the perimeter. Rudy would be a solid option. In the end, I had to go with Drexler because I thought his defense fit the players already in effect. If you are selecting a SG for their offense and you are confident that your PF and C can handle any mistakes, than getting a SG who excels at getting steals and leads the offense is ideal.
Drexler’s scoring is the main reason that he is the guy. His rebounding and steals also fit into the team philosophy.
I need a lot more spacing. PG and SF need to be able to knock the the 3PT shot.
Instantly I think of Terry Porter. As well as Porter and Drexler worked together, how could that not be your back court. Porter can stretch the defense and play off the ball (and be a great assist man.) He is another steals guy on the perimeter. He is perfect for the defensive mindset and offensive spacing on the team.
And now back to SF. The team is pretty balanced. So the SF should be balanced as well. It is tempting to go for an elite 3PT shooter, but the spacing is solid enough that an average perimeter shooter will work in the offense. The most balace SF Portland has ever had was Pippen. Elite perimeter defender with a balanced offensive attack.
Looks like my “best fit team” is just the best players:
C: Bill Walton
PF: Rasheed Wallace
SF: Scottie Pippen
SG: Clyde Drexler
PG: Terry Porter
Tony Bennett reports that Minnesota and Portland are swapping draft picks -- Roy to Portland, Foye to Minnesota. That's it? That's the trade? None of the ESPN guys seem remotely fazed. I knew Kevin McHale couldn't just pick the best guy in the draft without somehow screwing it up. I would have bet my Ndudi Ebi rookie cards on it.
Who you gonna guard?
Check this halfcourt set.
PG – Danny Ainge
SG – Drazen Petrovic
SF – James Jones
PF – Sydney Wicks
C – Arvydas Sabonis
www.kobestoppers.blogspot.com
by Kobestopper Mike on Jul 31, 2009 3:10 AM PDT reply actions
Almost put Glen Rice in at SF, but for my international flavor/shooting/passing team
PG Strickland (part because he’s awesome part because he came to Sellwood Middle School when I was in 8th grade there)
SG Rudy (shooter great court vision awesome passer)
SF Drazen Petrovic (lights out shooter great passer, almost picked Glen Rice though till you said Drazen)
PF Sheed (because every team needs a little crazy sauce)
C Sabas (Great passer solid in the post can pull opposing big men away from the basket with his shooting)
where was I
when Glen Rice played for the Blazers?
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
My Euro Blazers
Sweet shooting, awesome passing (just don’t mention defense!)
5. Sabas
4. Detlef
3. Kiki V.
2. Drazen
1. Rudy (couldn’t think of anyone else… Sergio didn’t make the cut)
The Dunking Blazers sans the Glide!
PG: Robert Pack
SG: James “Hollywood” Robinson
SF: Jerome Kersey
PF: Shawn Kemp
C: Greg Oden
My mom babysat Paul Allen
honorable mention
Johnny Davis could really fly
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
What are important strengths?
Scoring is good, you can only win the game by scoring more points than the other guys. But defense and rebounding are important. And running a good half court offense is how you with the playoffs. Running is fun to watch, but it isn’t the key to winning.
The player in my mind that most exemplifies this is Arvydas Sabonis. He’s the cornerstone of my team. A solid defender at the position (able to stand up to even Shaq in his prime), an able and willing passer, capable of hitting the outside shot, able to rebound. Even by the time we got him, he was still good enough to put here. In his prime, it would be a no brainer.
Sabas could use a great distibutor to take the pressure off of him. But defense is still a consideration. That’s why I’m going with two time All-Defensive team selection Lionel Hollins. A solid distributor and an able scorer, Hollins would be a perfect PG for a half-court, defensive oriented team.
At the PF position, we’re still in need of an über rebounder. Defense is still a must, and scoring is welcome, but not necessarily needed. Buck Williams would be a perfect fit here. An Allstar in his own right before joining Portland, he was a very willing teammate, letting others take the bulk of the scoring while he concentrated on going after the ball. Named to the NBA All Defensive team four times (twice on the first team).
We have solid defenders at the three positions I’ve chosen so far. And able scorers, but no real go-to guy. A good team needs a go-to guy. Does Brandon Roy work? He’s certainly a go-to guy. He can score, he’s an able passer, he plays well in a half-court game, he can rebound for his position. The only drawback is that Roy is not the best defender. But neither was Drexler. In fact, the Blazers have never really had an amazing defender at the SG position that warranted being a starter in this league. And while Drexler had amore storied career than Roy has up this point, Drexler is more of a runner than would fit with this team. Roy’s pace fits perfectly. And since Brandon fills a need, and fits with a majority of the concepts this team is trying to field, I’m going with most everyone’s favorite choice: Brandon Roy.
That leaves one position to fill. With Hollins, Roy, Williams and Sabonis, we have a very deliberate, patient team. It also gives us one player from each great era in Portland, though completely by accident. This is when things do get tough. Pippen was a great defender, and great player at SF, and might be nice to plug in here, but I think he’s almost too redundant, and too obvious. Maybe a player that’s missing is a scrapper, willing to get on the floor and after things. Kersey is the epitome of that player, but is a much faster player than anyone else out there. Batum would be a good fit, except he’s not enough of a scorer, at least not yet. Perhaps a well rounded player would be the best fit. So I’m going with Detlef Schrempf. His all-round game was a welcome addition to Portland when he came, though he came too late in his career. He would fit into this line up well. And wouldn’t demand the ball to be effective.
To sum up:
PG: Lionell Hollins
SG: Brandon Roy
SF: Detlef Schrempf
PF: Buck Williams
C: Arvydas Sabonis
μὴ φοβοῦ, μόνον πίστευε.
Best and Bizarro
Best
PG: TP
SG: B-Roy B-Reeal
SF: Jumpin’ Jerome
PF: Mo ‘Better’ Lucas
C: Big Willie Walton
Coach: The Doctor
Bizarro (anti-chem)
PG: D. Start-a-fire
SG: JR ‘Rough’ Rider
SF: Kiki
PF: Sheed
C: Busty LaRue
Coach: Pre-Spree Carlisemo
by The Mallorcan Rocket on Jul 31, 2009 6:25 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Fun thread
PG: Ramblin Rod Strickland
SG: Hollywood James Robinson
SF: Qytnel Woods
PF: Shawn Kemp
C: Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje
BRING IT HOME BABY
Blazer Fan
Sheed over Buck?!?
Dave, your street cred in my mind just drop to one notch below Whoopy Goldburg’s.
2-4 the who
I love broy but
How do you not build your team around Clyde? He still is the best all around player the blazers have ever had. It’s amazing to see how many people have forgotten.
Life's short, Stunt it!!
by Irwin Fletcher on Jul 31, 2009 7:26 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
I send to the floor
PG: Terry Porter
SG: Clyde Drexler
SF: Nic Batum
PF: Rasheed Wallace
C: Greg Oden
A firecracker team of guards in the front court, and three defensive powerhouses, one proven, two on the incline, in the backcourt.
"Everyone knows who you are; but only your friends know why."
- Rich Amato
We need a new topic
I just saw that on courtside mcmillan said flat out that he won’t change his starting lineup. Mcmillan hasn’t even seen Andre play with his team. It seems a bit too soon to be making such statements. I hope he is no too stubbord to at least consider andre as starter.
Life's short, Stunt it!!
by Irwin Fletcher on Jul 31, 2009 7:44 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
Yeah, we haven't discussed starting PG on Bedge yet
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
Really?
Damn… I thought it was original. I’ll get back to this fascinating topic.
I think Bayless would be my point guard because his upside outweighs any other pg’s proven ability.
How was that? Better?
Life's short, Stunt it!!
by Irwin Fletcher on Jul 31, 2009 12:01 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Might as well
That’s a good way, actually, to keep bench players from being disgruntled. Let them start and play for three minutes, then bring in the real starters, and banish the scrubs to the bench until the blowout is on.
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
check out my fanpost
“Blake is the starting PG” it’s still over there on the sidebar >>>>>>>>
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I'll look
I’m on an itouch during the day so I don’t have a sidebar. Thanks
Life's short, Stunt it!!
by Irwin Fletcher on Jul 31, 2009 1:23 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
My style: Athletic; Shooters and Leapers; Announcer's Dream; Never above .500; Good name helpful.
Anchoring this team at center is LaRue Who. The most athletic center I ever saw donning Blazer red, I once saw him jump to the top of the backboard to snare a rebound, and I have witnesses. (However, I do think it was the only one he got that game.) But a legitimate number one NBA draft pick, and the perfect athlete to center my under .500 team.
At the wings — small forward and shooting guard, respectively — we need two even more athletic and spectacular players, and guys who can flat out fill the hoop. That means Sidney Wicks and Billie Ray. Both these guys loved to shoot, were absolutely beautiful to watch, and my, could they make shots! But they couldn’t win separately, and it’s for darn sure they would never win together with only one basketball on the court.
And speaking of only one basketball on the court, at power forward, I have to bring this team some diversity; you can’t have players all alike in pure athletic talent and expect to get anywhere in this league. So, I am going for the non-athlete scorer/rebounder, another guy who can fill the hoop, who always needs the ball — none other than Zach Randolph. My team will lead the league in shots, and be last in passes!
Finally, to fill the point position, I need a legitimate setup man for our three one-man teams above, a team player and veritable coach on the court who would never mind letting the other guys get the glory, but still somebody who, when push comes to shove, can spin shots off the backboard with the best of them, better even than Twardzik. Plus, I really wanted to go back and pick somebody from our inaugural team. And all that means Rick “Floor Burn” Adelman. I loved him. (Well, to be truthful, I loved that whole team.) Some might say Rick was not athletic enough for this team. Nonsense! This guy could twist his body driving for layups like nobody else the Blazers have ever seen. The guy was great, a leader (as evidenced by his subsequent coaching fame), but short enough never to be able to win consistently in this league.
Strickland!
I’m happy to see so many people putting Strickland at their point. I loved watching him play when he was with the Blazers. He was just so smooth. It’s too bad that we had to trade him to get Rasheed. My 5-
1. Strickland. He was the best point to ever wear a Blazer uniform.
2. Brandon Roy. Another silky smooth Blazer
3. The Wizard- Walt Williams- Need someone to spread the floor.
4. LA- I thought about Buck or Sheed, I like LA a little better than both of them.
5. Sabonis- Somebody needs to rebound!
Strickland best?
Porter?
Hollins?
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
My generation
Porter was great, but I still think that Strickland, while he was here in Portland, was something special. Strickland made all of those teams after left Drexler. He really was one of the only reasons to watch the Blazers. It’s too bad the second best player was Cliffy. Only if he had some other weapons…
As for Hollins, I’ve never had a chance to see him play. It’s the same reason I didn’t put Walton on my team. I’m sure he was great, but it’s like me talking about how great Babe Ruth was. I never saw him, how do I know? So neither of them make “my” team.
You need to watch some old film
Those guys played the game the way it should be played. Moving without the ball, cutting to the hoop, constant motion, passing, all good shooters, and good to great defenders at every position. Running at every opportunity, but a great half court offense if the fastbreak wasn’t on.
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
It's a bit of a cop-out
But my best ‘fit’ team is the one I always wished we Blazer fans would have had a chance to see:
PG: Porter
SG: Drexler
SF: Kersey
PF: Buck
C: Sabas
this post makes me a little sad
Dunk
by Billy Ray Bates on Jul 31, 2009 9:28 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
All around team, offense / defense
Strickland
Roy
Pippen
Sheed
Walton
Funny
I was going to post the exact same lineup with the exact same criteria, but I was too late. I think we should make this line-up play an early Sunday road game after a late night partying on Saturday.
The sad thing is that this team would be deep, with a number of good players coming off the bench :)
I was also going to post a lineup of players doing hard stuff, but that would just be too cruel:
Kemp, Billy Ray Bates, . . . ok I’ll stop.
by unblindloyalty on Jul 31, 2009 9:47 AM PDT up reply actions
My problem was SF
I went with Woods because he’s a crook. I don’t know if he actually got busted for pot. Walton followed the Dead so that was a no brainer.
Chemistry Team
1. Point guard Terry Porter: he read the floor, played unselfish and was on a title contending team.
2. Shooting Guard Clyde Drexler: overall command of the game, scored, passed and defended at a Michael Jordan level
3. Small Forward Scottie Pippen: was an excellent passer, defender and scoring who was willing to role play along side Michael Jordan.
4. Power forward Buck Williams: tough.
5. Center Bill Walton: the Blazers never had a better center, except if we had Sabonis before the injuries.
This team was considered first for quality of character and potential chemistry. The reason Buck Williams beat out Lucas was chemistry. Bill Walton beat out Sabonis based on Sabonis was injured when we had him and couldn’t run the floor like Walton could.
This is a team that would fast break and play slow ball to run out the clock. The basketball IQ of this bunch is part of why the chemistry would be so good. The back court and wings could spread the floor and shoot threes while setting up Walton to assist as the Point Center.
"Jason Quick is one of the best fiction sports writers in the country!"
Every team needs a bench...
Starters………..Bench……..you get 12…..13-15
PG: Porter…….Damon……………………..Miller
SG: Drexler…..Roy………………………….Drazen
SF: Pippen……Kersey………………………Cliffy
PF: Rasheed…Aldridge…….Lucas………………..
C: Walton…….Sabas………Oden………………..
Nice Guys Finish Last
Oh the possibilities.
I am going to start with center and hope I can figure out a point guard.
Center: I am going to go with Greg Oden. Having Roy and Aldridge was a good start to where we are now, however it wasnt until we got the #1 pick that this city really went into a frenzy over the Blazers again. He helped to bring this city back around and in focus with the Blazers. He may not be the best pick for this spot, but hey, its not about an all star team, is it?
Power Forward: We have had a lot of really good 4’s in the franchise. But I think its a toos up between Channing Fry and Brian Grant in terms of the relationships they had with fans. Fry was able to do more then Grant just due to the technological advances we have now with blogs and everyday internet use, but I think Grant had a bit more of a heart. I am going to go with Grant on this, but not by much.
Small Forward: Mercy! Mercy! Jerome Kersey! Hands down my favorite #3 we have ever had. Being the “garbage player” he was, he was just exciting to watch. Without him, I dont believe the Blazers would have been such a force in the early 90’s. You have to have a little speed demon in the bunch thats willing to put it all on the line.
SG: Roy. Hands down. Not only is he just an amazing player and will very well eclipse Drexler in terms of a Blazer Icon, but he is also native to the NW and is a genuine nice guy. The stories of Drexler coming to practice and games almost late have always rubbed me the wrong way. Roy is willing to get people on the court earlier then training camp just to help the team gel. Roy all the way.
PG: Ugh. This is my logjam. No one really epitomizes Blazer point guard to me. At least in the sense I am trying to go with here. Oh wait, there is someone, Rick Adelman. Not much to say here really. Just an overall nice guy who cares a lot about the community and ended up turning out to be one helluva coach. You need that kind of leadership on the court.
So there we go:
- - Rick Adelman
- - Brandon Roy
- - Jerome Kersey
- - Brian Grant
- - Greg Oden
"OK, it's going to rain tomorrow. And there is going to be a Greenpeace meeting and hippies are going to be protesting" ~ The Buffet of Goodness on Portland
center
I think Duckworth had one of the best relationships with Oregon fans of all the centers we had.
I agree
It was a toss up between Duck and Greg. I will have to change it up though if Greg turns out to be a complete jerk.
I also forgot Leny Wilkins was on the squad for a while. We have had a lot of talent go through our ranks.
"OK, it's going to rain tomorrow. And there is going to be a Greenpeace meeting and hippies are going to be protesting" ~ The Buffet of Goodness on Portland
PG: Ugh. This is my logjam. No one really epitomizes Blazer point guard to me
Darnell Valentine is a really nice guy
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Before reading any other responses...here we go
the backcourt is a no brainer, Porter and Drexler
Walton and Lucas have to be the PF/C
who’s the small forward? I thought about adding a versatile defender and after 10 seconds I came up with a name that may be a surprise, to some
Cliff Robinson
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
All pickpocket team
Terry Porter, 6’3’’ guard, 1182 steals while a Blazer
Larry Steele, 6’5’’ guard-forward, 217 steals in the first season steals were documented (his third year), 846 total
Clyde Drexler, 6’7’’ guard-forward, 1795 steals while a Blazer (2207 total)
Jerome Kersey, 6’7’’ forward, 1059 steals while a Blazer
Cliff Robinson, 6’11’’ forward-center, one season with 118 steals as the best stealing big man in Blazers history
Bench:
Darnell Valentine, 6’1’’ point guard
Lionel Hollins, 6’3’’ guard
Fat Lever, 6’3’’ guard
Jim Paxson, 6’6’’ guard-forward
Sidney Wicks, 6’8 forward-“center” (at the time)
that is quite a small starting 5
bayless leaves over my dead body
by thomasikehara on Jul 31, 2009 8:32 AM PDT up reply actions
Nice one, except . . .
Lamarcus is going to struggle on defense against opposing centers, and you aren’t going to get enough stops and rebounds to run. Walton was the spark of the fast break — I think you want him at center.
All different eras
PG: Lenny Wilkens
SG: Branddon Roy
SF: Jerome Kersey
PF: Rasheed Wallace
C: Bill Walton
Haven’t seen anyone mention Lenny yet. Great player, one of the most cerebral ever. Talk about a coach on the floor.
Brandon over Clyde for no reason except I wanted a group where no one had played together in their primes.
Jerome because of his aggressiveness and because his unbelievable rebounding for a 3 allows for a power with a different skill set.
Rasheed for his shooting and his great one on one defense.
The Big Red Head because he was great at everything.
You beat me to Lenny
Great passing motion offense is what I went for,So I start with one of the best players I have seen at setting picks.Buck Williams.Now I Have to have someone to run off those picks,well that has to be Jim Paxson he tired out anyone who tried to guard him.My PG is Lenny any of you youngsters who never saw him play need to get some old footage and check out one of the best passers I have ever seen.My SF I had a hard time with I was leaning to Bobby Gross But I think I have to go with Pippen for a little more defense.For the man in the middle I went with Sabas his passing ability was awesome Walton would have worked just as well though as my coach is definately Dr. Jack Ramsey.
He did it! Yes he did!
by We-B-Dunkin on Jul 31, 2009 11:54 AM PDT up reply actions
Don't be bagging on Bobby's defense
He was superb.
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
I would never do that he was one of my alltime fav. blazers.
As good as B. Gross was you can’t put his D on par with Pippens, Scotties quickness and anticipation were amazing.
He did it! Yes he did!
Yeah, you're right
Starting to slow down a little perhaps by the time he got to Portland, though.
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
Come on
Ha was the world’s greatest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E190JAQaCHY
Who else has a highlight reel that includes them shooting a free throw.
Best fitting - Bizarro version
JR Rider at the point
Billy Ray Bates at SG
Ruben Patterson
Z-Bo
R Ramos at Center – only because no other center would want to play with the other four
These guys would work well together, except for maybe Ruben and Zach
by BlazerDavid on Jul 31, 2009 8:56 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I'm going for a half-court game that will pound you into submission
offensively. We will score every freaking time down the court. We can shoot from the 3 line well at all positons but the 4, and at that position, we will literally POUND you period.
PG: Porter
SG: Roy
SF: Kiki
PF: Buck
C: Sabas
We’ll be a slow team, and if we ever missed a shot you can run on us….but we will be the most efficient half court team ever….and we will rebound well.
We’ll take Nate as our coach.
"I'm a man, but I can change.....if I have to......I guess." - Red Green
I like the Sabas pick, not many others seem to agree
I’ll counter with
PG: Roy
SG: Drexler
SF: Pippen
PF: Lucas (only basing it off hearsay since I wasn’t born when he was good)
C: Sabas
"I've learned one thing, and that's to quit worrying about stupid things. You have four years to be irresponsible here. Relax. Work is for people with jobs. You'll never remember class time, but you'll remember time you wasted hanging out with your friends. So, stay out late. Go out on a Tuesday with your friends when you have a paper due Wednesday. Spend money you don't have. Drink 'till sunrise. The work never ends, but college does" - Tom Petty
I think Sabas is great at fitting in....particularly in a half-cout offense.
With Walton, you are better served to play a faster style.
AT PF….you just can’t go wrong when choosing between Lucas and Buck. Both were great!
Stay cool…..
"I'm a man, but I can change.....if I have to......I guess." - Red Green
by antediluvian on Aug 1, 2009 12:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Cliff was good, but not deserving enough for the list
I’ll never forget him dribbling the ball off his foot in the finals against the Pistons. I was 5 and I cried.
"I've learned one thing, and that's to quit worrying about stupid things. You have four years to be irresponsible here. Relax. Work is for people with jobs. You'll never remember class time, but you'll remember time you wasted hanging out with your friends. So, stay out late. Go out on a Tuesday with your friends when you have a paper due Wednesday. Spend money you don't have. Drink 'till sunrise. The work never ends, but college does" - Tom Petty
Half court/ball control team
Roy at SG is the foundation as he has this supernatural ability to slow the game down when he has the ball. Not to mention that he thrives off it.
Next would have to be Sabonis at center. Good rebounder, takes up space defensively, and offensively has an array of post moves and an eve greater cache of passes for finding cutters.
Buck at PF would be next to shore up rebounding and provide a great defender at a position of importance because everyone seems to have a high scoring PF now.
At PG I like Blake. Why? Because Roy is the foundation of this team and I KNOW that Blake plays very complementary to him. He can space the floor and run the offense. He may even get some layups off Sabas’ magic passing, but probably not too many.
Lastly at SF I’ll take Pippen. Maybe too famous a player to take last, but this is Blazer Pippen, not in his prime Chicago Bulls Pippen. This gives three players who can initiate the offense and a second wing player that can spread the floor with shooting or cut to the hoop when the opportunity presents itself. Also is someone who can QB the defense as well as providing strong individual performance.
So there you go, a team that goes 17 seconds or more. But ironically this teams greatest weakness would be fast/quick opposing PG’s.
"I don’t have the first clue who he is talking about, because all I worry about is Jerome." – Jerome James, on comments by coach Nate McMillan about Seattle SuperSonics players being selfish.
Forgot
Greg Anthony gets an honorable mention for PG. Blake’s chemistry w/ Roy put him over the top, but Anthony almost overcame this anyway with his great on ball defense.
"I don’t have the first clue who he is talking about, because all I worry about is Jerome." – Jerome James, on comments by coach Nate McMillan about Seattle SuperSonics players being selfish.
Lights-out team
This team would always be playing in the dark, because they’d shoot the lights out every night.
PG – Terry Porter
SG – Danny Ainge
SF – Martell Webster
PF – Cliff Robinson
C – Rasheed Wallace
WOW
with that team it wouldn’t be a successful night unless they scored 130+
"I've learned one thing, and that's to quit worrying about stupid things. You have four years to be irresponsible here. Relax. Work is for people with jobs. You'll never remember class time, but you'll remember time you wasted hanging out with your friends. So, stay out late. Go out on a Tuesday with your friends when you have a paper due Wednesday. Spend money you don't have. Drink 'till sunrise. The work never ends, but college does" - Tom Petty
Love Martell
but for lights-out, I think you would want Kiki at SF.
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
I think a lot of people forget
just what a GREAT shooter Kiki was.
"I'm a man, but I can change.....if I have to......I guess." - Red Green
by antediluvian on Aug 1, 2009 12:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Vandeweghe has huge hands
and a lonnng first step
Kiki had a dealy pump-fake and when he drove to the hoop he would finish every time, but without any flair
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Oh, this is easy
1) Terry Porter. could shoot the 3, drive the lane, pass, and defend. Basically what we need NOW.
2) Roy…..Not even close. Drexler was awesome, but Roy is a better all around scorer and a better passer and rebounder as well.
3) If Kersey qualifies as a SF, then he is my man. If not, I’ll take Kiki. Pippen is banned because he is a cheapskate.
4) LMA. He is just scratching his prime, and will easily be the best PF in Blazers history
5) Walton……duh. If we could have had Sabas in his prime, then maybe. But the only Sabas we saw was slow and broken down (although still very effective). Walton could do it all, and would complete this ridiculous starting 5.
Hi fans it Brandon Roy.
And ME.....LaMarcus Aldridge
All-Mediocre Team
PG: James “Hollywood” Robinson
SG: Juan Dixon
SF: Harvey Grant
PF: Mark Bryant
C: Jamal Magloire
Yellow Mamba FTW!
I couldn't remeber if James Robinson was a PG or a SG, all I remember is that he shot a lot....badly
what the heck lets check his stats. oh wow. wow. wowowowow.
Career statistics
Season Team G FG% 3P% FT% OR DR TRB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
1993-94 POR 58 .365 .315 .672 0.6 0.8 1.3 1.2 0.5 0.3 0.9 1.2 4.8
1994-95 POR 71 .409 .341 .591 0.6 1.3 1.9 2.5 0.7 0.2 1.8 2.0 9.2
1995-96 POR 76 .399 .359 .659 0.6 1.5 2.1 2.0 0.4 0.2 1.5 1.9 8.5
1996-97 MIN 69 .407 .382 .684 0.3 1.3 1.6 1.8 0.4 0.1 1.0 1.8 8.3
1997-98 LAC 70 .389 .329 .720 0.5 1.1 1.6 1.9 0.5 0.1 1.4 1.4 7.7
1998-99 LAC 14 .398 .267 .741 0.7 1.2 1.9 1.3 1.0 0.2 1.1 2.1 7.6
1998-99 MIN 17 .322 .295 .571 0.5 1.6 2.1 2.2 0.5 0.3 1.6 1.8 4.5
2000-01 ORL 6 .364 .400 n/a 0.0 1.3 1.3 0.0 0.7 0.2 0.7 0.8 1.7
Blazer Fan
by leeroyjenkins on Jul 31, 2009 9:47 AM PDT up reply actions
I can one-up that
PG: Eric Barkley
SG: Matt Carroll
SF: Viktor Khryapa
PF: Ruben Boumtje Boumtje
C: Ratliff
Hi fans it Brandon Roy.
And ME.....LaMarcus Aldridge
this is the greatest thread ever, some of these names make me cringe in abject horror
My God. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK
Blazer Fan
Beat this team!
PG- Damon Stoudamire
SG- Isiah Rider
SF- Bonzi Wells
PF- Darius Miles
C- Chris Dudley
No? Obviously the first 4 fit together and I think having a guy from Princeton would really round this team out.
Joking aside, my real team:
PG- Terry Porter
SG- Brandon Roy
SF- Scottie Pippen
PF- Cliff Robinson
C- Arvydis Sabonis
With this squad you have a very unselfish team with plenty of BBIQ, great defense in the front court, some 3 point shooting at the point, passing even at the center, plenty of scoring, and a game finisher in Roy. And by not including Portland’s 2 top 50 players, it’s not an all-time all-star team.
Dudley was from Yale
Bring back Franz Bread Cards!
I want to run
and maybe kick out for a three when that doesn’t work. Defense is cool, but I want my team to run up the score so I’ve mostly ignored it, but ’Sheed should keep this team from giving up a basket on every possession.
C – Sabonis
PF – Rasheed
SF – Mychal Thompson
SG – Drexler
PG – Strickland
Sabonis, and Sheed can create a ton of space for Drexler by drawing defenders out, or keeping them out when we’re running. Strickland can distribute on the run.. Thompson provides a legitimate second option both on the run and in the halfcourt (Strickland can finish too. When Sabas drifts to the three point line Sheed can cut to the rim and pick up some highlight reel alley-oops. Drexler, obviously, will get his on the run and in the halfcourt.
My Picks
PG – Rod Strickland
SG – Brandon Roy
SF – Scottie Pippen
PF – Jermaine O’Neal
C – Arvydas Sabonis
And for fun, the all UNLV team:
PG – Greg Anthony
SG – JR Rider
SF – Stacey Augmon
PF – (roster spot open! Almost was Shawn Marion!)
C – Elmore Spencer
Everyone wants to run...
I want to bang/defend
1: Terry Porter (shooter)
2: Brandon Roy (scorer)
3: Scottie Pippen (help defender)
4: Buck Williams (rebounder)
5: Moses Malone (beast in the middle)
"I just want a woman"- DrivetheLane
what is the all-time blazer non-us team?
is rudy on that list? sabonis! did detlef do enouth as a blaz?
Drazen!
im sure its been done, wont rread all of them
1) porter
2)roy
3)cliffy
4)buck
5)sabonis
by hollywoodrobinson on Jul 31, 2009 10:35 AM PDT reply actions
two different styles
Fast break w/ risk-taking D
Walton
Aldridge
Kersey
Drexler
Lever
Highlight dunking team
Oden
Lucas
Kersey
Bates
Valentine
"What we have here, is a failure to communicate."
15 man roster (in their prime)
STARTERS
5- A. Sabonis(He will force the big’s gaurding him to clear the paint for Roy and Drexler to attack)
4- B. Grant(every team needs a player that will do anything and take that cuts and bruises for the team. A rebounding work horse!)
3- C. Drexler(A high flying dunking machine. I’ve said all along, a rich man’s Travis Outlaw. Ungaurdable at times. Unlike T.O. though, he will bring a great perimeter defense)
2- B. Roy(Do I realy have to say anything about #7? Hey Paul, build the man a statue of himself outside the R.G. already)
1- T. Porter(With Roy & Drex creating doubles, Porter would be in heaven, waiting patiently for them to kick out so he could shoot his spot up three’s all night)
BENCH
5- G. Oden(coming off the bench for Sabis, he will bring athletisism and out of this world defense)
4- R. Wallace(can’t stand the guy but with greg not being a shooting like center, Rasheed would bring a G.O./LaMarcus type tandum)
3- S. Pippen(An all around guy that can attack and shoot an average %. More importantly a lock down defender who can also play/gaurd 3-4 positions on the floor)
2- G. Petrie(A 6’4 shooting gaurd who could kill it from anywhere. You always need a guy on the floor that has to be shadowed at all times. He would keep the D’ on their toes)
1- Lionel Hollins(Maybe not the best of shooting pg’s but he made up for it on the other end with his defense. He was selected on the All d team twice. With Pippen on his side on the perimeter, they would be tough to get past and if they did, Greg would be waiting patiently)
GARBAGE TIME PLAYERS
PG- A. Miller(although new to us, we know what he has done to us. 8-2 against us. The guy can flat out play. Replacing Porter or Hollins is not that far of a downgrade)
SF- K. Vanderweghe(Due to his poor defense, but his outstanding shooting ability, Kiki earned a spot on this roster. The guy could flat out shoot)
C- B. Walton(Easily could be starting or coming of the bench but being that he finds it hard to give credit to Portalnd when ever he’s on air drives my insain. That aside, He brought us a championship and is one of the greatest Blazer of all time)
Do you NOT remember BUCK?!?!? Talk about a banger and a bruiser every team needs.
"I've learned one thing, and that's to quit worrying about stupid things. You have four years to be irresponsible here. Relax. Work is for people with jobs. You'll never remember class time, but you'll remember time you wasted hanging out with your friends. So, stay out late. Go out on a Tuesday with your friends when you have a paper due Wednesday. Spend money you don't have. Drink 'till sunrise. The work never ends, but college does" - Tom Petty
top 3 coaches
1- Dr. Jack(Brought us some gold)
2- Rick Adleman( tried to bring us some gold. lol)
3- Sarge( improvment in win totals every year since being here)
Good Post
Overall “Blazers win championship” Team:
1) Porter
2) Drexler
3) Pippen
4) Rasheed
5) Early Sabonis (Rookie or sophomore year before he got too slow)
The best backcourt and frontcourt of my blazer fandom meshed together.
That's what I did
except the best frontcourt of my fandom goes back to 76-77, with Walton, Luke, and Bobby.
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
small ball
damon
dixon
wells
cliff
lamarcus
big team
pippen
clyde
cliff
lamarcus
sabas
bayless leaves over my dead body
started thinking back
wheni came across the name ramon romos in my memory. great career ahea for this guy ,then the tragic auto accient on i- 5. does anyone know what happened since with ramons life.
Ok, I'm pretty sure nobody picked my line-up
If it has already been posted then sorry….but here we go.
C- Sabas
PF – Cliff
SF – Pippen
SG – Roy
PG – Damon
So there you do, with Roy and Pippen on the floor you don’t need a true point, so I threw in Damon for his ability score, shoot threes, steal and generally make life miserable for opposing guards. Roy and Pippen can share floor general duties and pippen had the ability to get out of the way when needed (he backed up MJ after all). I always liked Cliff so I took him over LMA or Wallace (who’s my second pick). Although I like wallace because anytime he got a T you knew we would probably win. Then my big man of choice would be Sabas in his prime. He would have dominated if he got over here before his knees went (Shaq who?).
"No disrespect to Jeff Blake"
by Eat Politicians on Jul 31, 2009 11:53 AM PDT reply actions
I would go with
I would go with
Sabonis C
LaMarcus PF
Scottie Pippen SF
Brandon Roy SG
Fat Lever PG
Inallthetime
Heres my all rebound team(we pound everyone on the boards)
PG Fat Lever
SG Clyde Drexler
SF Calvin Natt
PF Otis Thorpe
C Moses Malone
He did it! Yes he did!
Favorite team
Roy
Drexler
Pippen
Aldridge
Walton or Oden, whoever isn’t injured come game time
"Tough times don't last. Tough people do."
-Chauncey Billups
YOU GUYS ARE CHEATING AND BREAKING DAVE'S RULES!!!
he said true positions, none of this Pippen at PG, Drexler or Roy at SF stuff…
here’s a lineup that FOLLOWS THE RULES!
PG – Terry Porter
SG – Brandon Roy
SF – Scottie Pippen
PF – LaMarcus Aldridge
C – Bill Walton
by rip_city_swagger on Jul 31, 2009 12:10 PM PDT reply actions
rules
are like windows. They are meant to be broken….
"No disrespect to Jeff Blake"
by Eat Politicians on Jul 31, 2009 1:36 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah
Those rules were there to make it a mental challenge.
Next, we need to construct teams where all five guys play at a different position from the positions they actually played, and yet have teams that work.
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
My favorites - fan favorites - post 1984
my all-time favorite blazer = Arvydis Sabonis ©
favorite (PF) = Brian Grant
favorite (SF) = mercy, mercy Jerome Kersey
favorite (SG) = Brandon Roy
favorite (PG) = this is the only tough one, and I am not sure about being a fan favorite, but the two man game of Sabas and Rod strickland was poetry! Blake gets my honorable mention
by trailblazeraddict on Jul 31, 2009 12:28 PM PDT reply actions
Okay, I'll bite
C – Sabas (best hands, and best outlet pass in NBA history)
PF – Lucas (consistent, tenacious, paint owner, enforcer – my knee-jerk reaction is LMA, he and Sabas, whoa! but…)
SF – Uncle Cliffy (not sure why over some others like Pip or Kersey, I just think he’s flexible and would work well in the group)
SG – Drexler (no offense Roy, but c’mon Drex in his prime? fughetaboutit)
PG – Strickland (always thought he was underrated – good D, scoring, penetrating – tough not to pick TP)
Wes Unseld may have something to say about outlet passing.....
Walton wasn’t too shabby either.
"I saw him in the face" Sergio's quote on the latest alley-oop to Rudy.
by blazermaniac32 on Jul 31, 2009 12:41 PM PDT up reply actions
Walton was no slouch at all...
no slouch. Sabas’ hands though – that upcourt quick turn, the rolling bounce pass out of the box. Pinpoint. Great stuff!
Sometimes Bill would outlet before he even hit the ground
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
The reason I didn't take Cliff:
My dad and I called him Cliffor Robinson because he has no “D”
A 6-10 SF...
He could play some D. Definitely some better choices for D at SF. He did get some blocks at that height 92-93 163 blocks close to 100 steals too. Not too shabby.
I think Walton was a much better outlet passer than Sabas.
He rebounded and threw the ball ahead to the wing without bringing the ball down below his head. He was accurate and unbelievably quick in getting the pass off.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 31, 2009 7:44 PM PDT up reply actions
Best Players at each position by their best year as a Blazer
Center:
Bill Walton 76-77: 19.2 ppg 14.9 reb 3.9 ast .528 fg%
Power fwd:
Sidney Wicks 74-75: 21.7 ppg 10.7 reb 3.5 ast .497 fg%
Small Fwd:
Jerome Kersey: 87-88: 19.2 ppg 8.3 reb 3.1 ast .499 fg%
Shooting Grd:
Clyde Drexler 88-89: 27.2 ppg 7.9 reb 5.8 ast .496 fg%
Point Grd:
Terry Porter 87-88: 14.9 ppg 3.8 reb 10.1 ast .519 fg%
First Player off the Bench: (Sentimental favorite)
Geoff Petrie 73-74: 24.3 ppg 2.8 reb 4.3 ast .481 fg%
This Team has offense, defense, and passes the ball extremely well. Not to mention there is great scoring threat off the bench.
Nice work with the Sidney Wicks
In his rookie season he racked up some gaudy numbers: 24.5/11.5/4.3
IN YOUR FACE LaMarcus Aldridge!
Wicks is the only NBA player
who’s scoring average declined every year he was in the league (min. 10 years)
you could look it up…great trivia question, impress your friends
“Sidney, who?”
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Come to think of it, you win my vote. That would be an awesome team to watch.
It’s easy to forget, but Kersey had so much more hustle and heart and Rasheed will ever have.
I watched an early 90’s game on Comcast recently with Drexler, Kersey, Porter, Bowie, et all. The athleticism and speed was unbelievable. I love our team now, but it’s nowhere near as fun to watch.
I never liked Wicks
He put up great numbers his rookie year, but he killed that team. We were never close to a winning team with him. We add a 24/11 guy to a 29 win team and go to 18 wins? Huh?
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
My team
PG- Terry Porter
He’s an excellent floor general but doesn’t need to be the star. Shoots a good % from the floor, especially for a guard. Easy choice.
SG- Clyde Drexler
Tempting as it is to go for Roy, it’s just too soon to do that. Very simply, The Glide is the best player in Blazer history. That and we know for a fact he meshes well with Porter.
SF- Scottie Pippen
By the time Scottie joined Portland he wasn’t a major scorer, just a well rounded glue guy with great leadership skills. He’ll hit shots when called upon but doesn’t need the ball to be a key part of the starting lineup. Just a an excellent all around player.
PF- Buck Williams
There are a lot of scorers on my team, but no down-and-dirty player like Buck. He’ll hustle, he’ll rebound, and he won’t back down. He doesn’t need the ball on offense to do well, but he isn’t an offensive liability.
C- Bill Walton
Best center in Portland history. Can score, rebound, pass, and defend. Wouldn’t be the second option on offense for when Drexler gets contained. Teaming him with Buck also means that Walton won’t be crowded in the post on offense and that he won’t be the only post defense.
the dagger!
Good ole smitty…He has to be one of the clutchest 3 shooters of all time. Stat nerds, push your glasses up on your noses and give me numbers!
"No disrespect to Jeff Blake"
by Eat Politicians on Jul 31, 2009 1:39 PM PDT up reply actions
fast breaking team
pg – terry porter (runs the team and shoots the 3…thought about andre miller here but thought he should prove himself first)
sg – drexler (running and finishing on the break)
sf – pippen (need someone to play d)
pf – aldridge (fastest pf in blazer history)
c – walton (rebounds and outlet passes start the break)
"Brandon, a 3-pointer out front... HIT IT!!! YES HE DID!!! OHHHHH YEAAA!"
by oregonduck4life on Jul 31, 2009 1:40 PM PDT reply actions
shooting, passing, hustle, chemistry, length, and some very clutch players.
1 roy
2 fernandez
3 pippen
4 aldridge
5 sabonis
keeping the 08-09 4th qtr squad, but swapping outlaw for a better defender in pippen, and placing sabonis as the 5 because he simpky does it all!
big, tough, 3-ball
1-Pippen (Played point for us)
2-Smitty
3-Sheed (Played the 3 at start of his stint here)
4-Kemp (sans white girl)
5-Pryz
Mean, rebounders
1-Porter
2-rider
3-kersey
4-lucas
5-oden
deceptively athletic
1-John Crotty
2-Alaa Abdelnaby
3-Viktor Khryapa
4- Shawn Kemp
5- Will Purdue
Wow Alaa Abdelnaby, nice hand sir
Blazer Fan
by leeroyjenkins on Jul 31, 2009 1:52 PM PDT up reply actions
College all stars
1-Erick Barkley
2-Shawn Respert
3-Qyntel Woods
4-Chris Anstey
5-Sam Bowie
PG Darnell Valentine- Solid passer and defender and made few mistakes on the court, and could get to the rim when needed. Not the best of shooters but had a decent midrange game.
SG Clyde Drexler- Dynamic scorer, could get to the rim at will and was equally adept at finding open teamates while doing so. Not the best defender in the world, but being flanked by Valentine and Robinson, this Blazers team would have a solid perimeter defense.
SF Cliff Robinson- Long athletic SF who could hit the open 3, was very good at drawing contact on drives (his FT shooting left a little to be desired though), and at times gave opponents fits with his defense.
PF Otis Thorpe- Absolute beast on the boards and in his prime would be good for 16-17 ppg off putbacks and breaking his opponent’s backs so they couldn’t defend.
C Arvydas Sabonis- A very good shooter for his size and position, he’d be able to take the other team’s center away from the basket making them even more vulnerable to Thorpe’s domination on the blocks. Not the best defender or rebounder as a center, but Thorpe is the type of PF that will compensate for what is lacking down low from Sabonis and vice versa.
The best team
PG- Damon Stoudamire. He can spread the floor, hit the 3 like the best of them, and attack the rim. Not to mention he was a great defender too.
SG- Brandon Roy: The kid can play. having him alonside Damon Stoudamire would be a lethal back court. Brandon might be the greatest blazer ever already.
SF- Clifford Robinson: Cliff was a stud in the day. Imagine Travis outlaw with lockdown defense. He didn’t demand the rock which helps with the chemistry of all the players. He knew his role and played it well
PF- Rasheed Wallace: It pangs me to admit it but Rasheed was a baller back 10 years ago. He has limitless range for a big man and toughness to boot.
C- Bill Walton: Arguably the best passing Center EVER! Think about what would happen if walton had the rock and roy or damon were sitting on the wings. Walton is so offensively intimidating that he cold draw the double team constantly giving our 3 point shooters wide open J’s.
Great passing, pick-and-roll and cuts to the hoop.
PG – Stoudamire
(good pick and roll PG, spreads floor)
SG – Brandon Roy
(clutch + all round game)
SF – Jerome Kersey
(rebounding and getting hit on cuts to the basket by Sabonis)
PF – Mychal Thompson
(fantastic on the pick-and-roll and cutting to the hoop + great energy and rebounding)
C – Arvidas Sabonis
(Passing, rebounding, jump shot and D)
All that glitters isn't chrome
how about this?
PG – Damon Stoudamire, when he was with the Raptors
SG – Drazen Petrovic, when he was with the Nets
SF – Scottie Pippen, when he was with the Bulls
PF – Jermaine O’Neal, when he was with the Pacers
C – Arvydas Sabonis, when he was with BC Zalgiris
sigh….
6th man
Sam Bowie, when he was in college
by LicketyBrindle on Jul 31, 2009 5:20 PM PDT up reply actions
nah
6th man – Sheed, when he was with the Pistons
7th man – Buck, when he was with the Nets
8th man – Ainge when he was with the Celtics
9th man – Schrempf, when he was with the Pacers/sonics
10th man – Ratliff, when he was with the Sixers
11th man – Jim Jackson, when he was with the Mavs
12th man – Smitty, when he was with the Hawks
Of course, like said above, Kemp would have to be the starting PF.
backup PG
Telfair, when he was in the minds of the media while in high school.
And Kemp with the Sonics would be a better PF than Jermaine.
I'm telling you guys, Ottis Thorpe was a very nasty PF in his prime.
At his best i believe he averaged something like 18-19 ppg and 10+ rpg. While not a “big name”, he’d give both solid offensive production down low and give you a top 10 rebounder all in one package. Couple with with Sabonis and you have a deadly combination of skill sets in the frontcourt.
Sabonis would force defending centers out of the paint which clears the path to the rim for players such as Drexler and Robinson who were on my team, and if the defense collapses which they undoubtedly would at some point, Sabonis or Robinson would be free for outside shots. Having a 3 point shooting center and still having a beast of a rebounder/low post scorer would give opposing coaches indigestion preparing for the game.
Valentine at PG is a good complimentary player, he won’t dominate the ball as on this team Drexler will more times than not have the ball in his hands, but he’ll make smart decisions with the ball when he has it and has a few nifty mid-range moves of his own.
The bread and butter of this team will be defense though. The backcourt of Valentine, Drexler, and Robinson has the potential of dominating the perimeter, while Thorpe and Sabonis will swallow up rebounds and do a fair job of threatening any offense in the post. The beauty of it is it’s accomplished with only one true all-star, 3 marginal stars, and 1 role player.
I can't just do five...
Coach – Ramsey
Starters
Walton
Lucas
Vandeweghe
Drexler
Porter
Second Unit
Duckworth
Buck Williams
Pippen
Roy
Jeff Petrie
Reserves
Greg Oden
Brian Grant
All-Obscuro
1- Alvin Williams
2- Ron Brewer
3- Jeff Lamp
4- Fernando Martín
5- Rolando Ferreira
Important to note: Martín and Ferreira were part of our first major dabble into Euros and other overseas players (think Drazen, Sabas, some random Greek guy).
by The Mallorcan Rocket on Jul 31, 2009 6:49 PM PDT reply actions
All-gunner team, one ball, no way to make it work team
PG: Hollywood (yuk)
SG: Bates (averaged more than 1 shot every two minutes . . take that Rider)
SF: Wicks (anyone thinking Portland could win with him is just too young)
PF: Kiki (poor Kiki standing around waiting for someone to pass to him)
C: Tommy Owens (only way to get him on one of these teams . . the master of putting up 25 against Kareem, even if Jabbar droped 40 on him)
Coach: Schuler
"Wicks (anyone thinking Portland could win with him is just too young) "
LOL. Yes, this has been a really fun thread.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 31, 2009 7:48 PM PDT up reply actions
All half court team . .
It been done already but I would tweak the line-up slightly:
C: Sabas .. .prototypical half court center in his Portland days, often crossing half court 12 second into the 24 second clock. With a 35 second clock, would have been perfect. Also the only way to really justify taking him over Walton on any “best fit” team.
PF: Lucas . . .like to put Kermit here bcs it feels like half court should be as rough as possbile, but Lucas’ offensive skills would be too useful and he was tough as nails. Buck and Alridge really could both run the floor too well to enjoy the half court pace. Wallace would fit, but if you are going to slow it down and pound it, it’s nice to have some extra toughness. As the fouls pick up, Wallace would spend so much time complaining to the refs it would distract the rest of team (+ Lucas would’ve decked Shaq instead of throwing a towel in Sabas’ face).
SF: Calvin Natt. Yea, you could pretty much put Pippen on any of these good teams as he was the consumate heady, team player at that point in his career, but I want more toughness, rebounding, and defense.
SG: Roy . . .I don’t think there is any chance he ends up being as good as Clyde over his career, but he works a half court set to perfection. Limited mistakes, tough d, extra possesions. Pick ’roll with Sabonis would be awesome.
PG: Porter. Keeping with the theme of tough D, I am sticking with Porter. Quick guards gave the Blazers fits (Kevin Johnson killed us), but the only starting quality defensive point I liked better was Anthony and his streak shooting and so-so half court offensive excludes him. Porter was clutch, would stretch the defense and provide toughness as well. Valentine pounded the rock too much and shot was unsteady and Lever really didn’t peak until Denver (and remember the run and gun Moe Nuggets inflated his stats).
All International
PG – S. Rodriguez
SG – D. Petrovic
SF – D. Schrempf
PF – F. Martin
C – A. Sabonas
6th – R. Fernandez
"OK, it's going to rain tomorrow. And there is going to be a Greenpeace meeting and hippies are going to be protesting" ~ The Buffet of Goodness on Portland
I know Schrempf mainly played FP-C
However, I like a big lineup like this. Lots of pick and rolls. Lots.
"OK, it's going to rain tomorrow. And there is going to be a Greenpeace meeting and hippies are going to be protesting" ~ The Buffet of Goodness on Portland
Their Best Years Were Behind Them
We didn’t get them in their prime.
C – Sabas (How many championships with Clyde, Porter, Buck, and Kersey?)
PF – Kemp (Are you sure this was the guy with Seattle?)
SF – Pipen (He still got it done though.)
SG – Steve Smith (Nice guy, plus we got rid of JR in the trade.)
PG – Lenny Wilkens (Our only player-coach – should have just been coaching by then.)
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 31, 2009 8:35 PM PDT reply actions
That's a good one. . .
But I wish you could have worked Walter Davis in . . .maybe on the argument that Pippen wasn’t really over the hill, while everyone else pretty much was. Sabas, if we only could have seen you when you could run . . .
Walter Davis is an excellent choice for that list, but
he was only here a few months, so I picked Pipen.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 31, 2009 10:55 PM PDT up reply actions
Lenny was STILL better
than anyone else we had at PG at the time — even if he should have just been coaching by then.
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
Wilkens probably "took over" at PG for Larry Steele
(this is a follow-up to lee3022’s “defensive team” comments, up above)
http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/POR/1974.html
looks like Bernie Fryer played more point than Larry, back in ’74
(I do not remember Bob Verga, Mo Layton or Charlie Davis)
But maybe Steele played backup PG behind Adelman during his rookie year?
http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/POR/1972.html
Dave Wohl played some PG in ’72-73
http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/POR/1973.html
Wilkens played 65 games at age 37 (and Phil Lumpkin sounds like Tolkein character…)
http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/POR/1975.html
I think Hollins has to be one of the starting guards on any Blazer all-defensive team. The only question is: was he a PG or a 2? Even though he played alongside Twardzik, I’d still call Lionel a “PG” for defensive purposes. (Then Steele could be the SG, I suppose…)
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Man, there's some names there even I had forgotten
Today, Lionel would be a PG. In fact, he’d be great next to Brandon. I think it is cheating a little to take him at the point for these purposes, though — he wasn’t really our PG back then, Dave generally brought the ball up.
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
Their Best Years Were Ahead Them
After they left the Blazers
C- Moses Malone (2nd worst decision in Blazer history. It was all about money.)
PF – O’Neal (Was he star-struck here?)
SF – Tracy Murray
SG – Petrovic (Let’s not do it again with Rudy.)
PG – Fat Lever/Robert Pack
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 31, 2009 8:54 PM PDT reply actions
Not all about the money . .
Dr. Jack also didn’t think Malone was smart enough to learn his system and worried about working him into the rotation with Walton and Lucas . . still pretty unforgivable considering Buffalo immediately traded him for 2 first rounders after Portland only got one.
I think I would go with Mario Elie over Tracy Murray. Murray stats were okay, but we all know who had more impact in more important games.
Couple of others . .Johnny Davis at PG, not in Lever’s class but above Pack. And given that Drazen’s career was cut so short, Aaron Mckie would be a good alternative at SG. Not outstanding stats, but an underated career with a couple of suspicously good years in Philly.
All good choices,
but Petro really starred with NJ.
I remember the Malone story a little differently. I recall Harry Glickman saying that they couldn’t afford him, and had no intentions of keeping him before they even took him. I think I also recall that they played him in preseason games outside Portland, but didn’t play him in Portland, supposedly because they didn’t want Portland fans to see how good he was and want to keep him. I suppose everything we heard later from the principals was revisionary anyway, since they didn’t keep one the greatest centers in NBA history. I’ll bet Dr. Jack wished that he had him 2 years later when Walton was lost and then gone for good.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 31, 2009 10:51 PM PDT up reply actions
A further thought,
we haven’t had the best of luck with centers. LaRue, Moses, Walton (injuries), Bowie (injuries). Let’s hope this trend is over.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Jul 31, 2009 11:05 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't think those stories are exclusive . . .
I vaguely remember the Glickman story as well, but mostly I remember my dad bitchin’ about how we could have done a three man rotation up front and Walton was an injury risk anyway . . .do you recall Malone’s “I rebound, ‘cause you can’t shoot the ball, if you dun’t have the ball.”
RT: unforgivable considering Buffalo immediately traded him for 2 first rounders after Portland only got one.
I think the “one” pick that Portland got turned into Mychal Thompson in ’78.
(Not sure what Buffalo got for Houston’s 2 first rounders, but since they became the Clippers it probably isn’t worth mentioning)
Harry was always a man who stuck to his word (it was his “contract”) So when he made a verbal agreement to the Brave’s GM he didn’t renege, even after Moses went out and had a monster game before the paperwork to the league office was complete.
Remember Walton’s famous line when he heard that Malone had been dealt for a draft choice? “You didn’t trade him away, you GAVE him away!”
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Here's a thought...did the Blazers EVER have a great small forward?
this should be a whole topic unto itself…but as we’ve all been trying to put these “great-tasting (less filling!)” starting 5 lineups together, this point has become clear…everyone can find at least one great player at the 1,2,4,5
but no one can seem to agree on who was the best 3…because there hasn’t been any!
and neither Martell or Travis is going to buck that trend. So…here’s hoping Batum will become the best SF in Blazer history! (it won’t take much, just an all-around floor game that’s better than Gross or Kersey…or maybe just a little less “Uncle Cliffy” in his Cliff Robinson impersonation?)
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I liked 'em both,a lot
but they would only be considered “great” by Blazer fan standards
(and neither guy even had his uniform # retired—don’t even get me started on that subject!)
So, I suppose Larry Steele is the greatest SF in Blazer history because #15 is hanging from the rafters? Yeah, we’ll “go” with that ;^)
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Calvin Natt could have been if we'd kept him
I would say Kiki was great.
When I rule the world, everyone will know how to use Excel.
has a Blazer small forward ever made the NBA all-star team?
that would be the minimum definition of “greatness” wouldn’t you think?
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
oops
didn’t Wicks make the AS game, back in ’72-73? (Not such a big deal back then)
really gotta call Sidney a PF on those Blazer teams (+rebounds) even though today he’d be a “SF” in stature
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
What is surprising is that even w/o an All-star SF, guys didn't become better after they left
You are still hard pressed to find one who played better after they left Portland . . .look at the reasonably good SFs: Wicks (yuk), Gross, Kersey, Natt, Kiki, Pippen, Cliffy, Kenny Carr . . .none of them played better after they left Portland, some peaked b-4 but it is amazing how many Glickman/Wienberg sold at the peak.
I would have to go with Kiki for pure talent, but he did his best work at Denver.
He was a more complete player there. In Portland he was kind of one-dimensional, but he sure could fill up the basket. Walton made Gross, and to some extent Terry and Clyde made Kersey. But Kersey was certainly a better overall player than Gross. People forget that Kersey hung around for 17 years in the league, and considering his playing style that was remarkable.
by BlazerFanSince1970 on Aug 1, 2009 11:01 PM PDT up reply actions
The Top Five Blazers In Court
This lineup could have been reality compared to the previous posts. Given some time and had certain trades not happened, at some point I believe all of these players would have been on the court at the same time.
Damon at the PG
J.R. Rider at the Shooting Guard
Qyntel Woods at the Small Forward
Zach Randolph at the Power Foward
Rasheed Wallace at the Center
My sixth man would be Bonzi Wells
I like this lineup a lot. I think you really have to look at the qualities that each of these players bring to the court. Each player can shoot, they have BIG offensive skills, remember when Damon put up 50 something. On Defense ZBO is the only liability, but that problem is easily solved by allowing him to guard the other teams weakest player. Even Michael Jordan said that J.R. Rider was one of the best offensive and possibly one of the more under-rated defenders in the league. When you look at this lineup, especially with Wells coming in off the bench, they could have easily challenged the 96 Bulls team. The one place this Blazers team could have a bigger and possibly the longest record ever is….. you guessed it…. IN COURT.
by shortshortsareback on Jul 31, 2009 9:31 PM PDT reply actions
My best fit
is
Porter
Drexler
Kersey
Buck
Sabas
We’ll never know how good this team would have been if Sabas had come over when he was drafted. How many titles would we have won??? This team would have fit perfectly together.
best all time?
roy
drexler
kersey
walton
sabonis
this team would be monsterous
number one in the hood G
All-coach team
Lenny Wilkens
Lionel Hollins
Rick Adelman
Johnny Davis
Maurice Lucas
I admit, we’ll lose a lot of games with four guards on the floor, but you can’t question our basketball IQ!
I think Cliff is an assistant coach, somewhere
and Damon was still down in Memphis, the last time I checked
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
lets go with
sabas at the 5
jermaine o’neal in his prime at the 4 just to be different
pip at the 3
drexler at the 2
and broy running the point
id run with that squad
I am starting the coalition to BRING BACK IKE.
I want an enforced team
Most want an all-star laden team and figure that to fit well together, but I like the idea of going with a nasty team, the kind of team that would make ron artest say “uncle” and beg to go back to the basketball. I want strength, I want durability, and I want some real nastiness.
So without further ado, I want to start with a center who knows what its like to be an enforcer… Joel Przybilla. Wouldn’t hurt cap room, never backs down from a fight and can get other players really mad at him. Whats not to love?
For the four, its a no-brainer. Maurice Lucas. No one fits my theme better, and no one is more willing to jump in front of a punch.
So with those two as my 4-5, i need some nastiness up top. Jerryd Bayless at the one makes opposing guards blush and go crying to mommy. His strength, his back-down-to-no-one style and his ability to get to the hoop make him my perfect one.
So with that, I want to pull out the guard who begged for us to get nastier, Brandon Roy. There goes all the cap room, but with those two slashing to the hoop, the half-court game has star power, and no trouble being mean.
The last player needs to be within the cap room we would have at this point, needs to be able to fit in well, and needs to be a scoring threat and a decent defender. Jerome Kersey fits it very well.
The sixth man would be our last bit of star power although he was never a 6th man for portland, Bill Walton. No doubt he would love to bang around with this team.
So, in review, my enforcer team goes like this:
PG Jerryd Bayless
SG Brandon Roy
SF Jerome Kersey
PF Maurice Lucas
C Joel Przybilla
6th Man F/C Bill Walton
I just realized
Three from one era… wow, should have picked someone other than Roy. AND Too much all-star in there perhaps. Bayless I love on that nasty team, but B Roy just isn’t nasty enough… but who to put in his place? Any tips here? Oh and if you think of someone truly nasty to stick in that SF spot for not too much money (in his time)… I’d love to get a suggestion.
The Kobe Stopper . .
Rubuen Patterson was the toughest SF to play for the Blazers . . .the 02-03 team was probably the most physical team in Portland hisory. Dudley, Dale Davis, and Sabas in middle; Patterson and Wells at the wings, Wallace and Zach at PF. Just missed being the first team to come back from a 3-0 deficit.
A blast for the past for center would have been Kevin Kurnert. Very few players could rack up fouls faster, He average 6 fouls/36 min for his career, but admitly by the time he got to Portland, he was injured more often than not and at the tail end of his time in the league.
I'll take Patterson
He completely slipped my mind. Thanks!
I had thought about Zach and Wallace but I wanted nastiness on the court more than off-court. Same goes with Wells, although I thought about him for SG, I’d like someone to spread the floor plus nasty, but we don’t have ’Melo. HE would have been perfect. Ah, maybe Wells would have been good. New lineup…
PG JB
SG BRoy
SF RPatterson
PF ML
C JP
I think Dennis Awtrey played for Portland, briefly
they didn’t give him the nickname “bad@ss” for nothing
and nobody messed with Wicks, he was a little crazy
Gary Trent, need I say more?
Mark Bryant and Calvin Natt wouldn’t start fights, but they could finish them
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
Could have drafted team
Here we go with something WAY off base…
PG – Tony Parker
SG – Michael Jordan
SF – Dennis Rodman
PF – Larry Bird
C – Robert Parish (I would put Hakeem in this spot, but cant have Jordan and him in the same draft)
Not a bad lineup…
"OK, it's going to rain tomorrow. And there is going to be a Greenpeace meeting and hippies are going to be protesting" ~ The Buffet of Goodness on Portland
I created the ultimate halfcourt Blazer team, trying not to include too much star power… essentially fitting the players into Nate’s high-low zone offense.
Greg Anthony
Brandon Roy
Steve Smith
Rasheed Wallace
Bill Walton
The obvious choice was Brandon Roy… he plays the halfcourt game beautifully. Due to his defensive mediocrity and high usage rate, I tried to surround him with two players who could defend and hit the three. Anthony and Smitty are natural fits in Nate’s offense.
Inside, there are only two options at center. As much as I loved Arvydas, I have to go with Bill at the pivot. His passing and shooting ability at the high post, defense, and rebounding make him one of the all-time greats. To complement him, Rasheed is a good fit. He was never meant to be a team leader, and he wouldn’t have to be with the great leadership present in the rest of the lineup. His shooting range, post moves, and defensive prowess would make both the Blazer offense and defense incredible.
optimism ftw
that's a 3-guard lineup
Smith was no more a SF than Roy is
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
no post player in that lineup, either.
Walton and Sheed weren’t bangers, as good of a rebounder as Bill was, he still “needed” Lucas playing alongside him
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
I was fitting players into Nate’s high-low zone offense. Steve is a perfect fit as a 3 in Nate’s offense. I remember him guarding some bigger guys in 2000, as well. If there is a huge hangup about that, then put Scottie in at the 3.
Sheed and Smith both had post games, so I’m not quite sure how there is no post scoring in this lineup… Mr. Wallace has played on the weakside, high post, and low post throughout his career. Between him and Walton, it’s the most skilled frontcourt in Blazer history, able to rebound, pass, and shoot. Plus, it’s the perfect team to station around the perimeter for Roy’s pick and roll game.
optimism ftw
Wallace was/is a "reluctant" post player
and much more liable to fade-away than to go for the “and 1”
and Smith would only post up smaller guards, but you’ve got him playing out of position at the 3
sorry, but I’m not feeling this lineup. Too soft for Nate
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
all time blazer team... for me, not just stats...
1) Rod strickland… his pick and roll with Sabas was so fun to watch..
2) Brandon… arguably the best two that put red and black on…
3) Drexler… he started his career at the 3, and even played the 3 at houston…
4) Rasheed… a flat stud at the four in his prime… lock down defender and great scorer…
5) Sabonis… with sheed down low, Sabas shined at the top of the key. then Pick and Roll with Rod…
6th man… the ultimate swingman… Pippen…
I'll buy Clyde at the 3, even though he really didn't like playing there
but hooking Sabas back up with Wallace is just “wrong”
When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!
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