Fantastic Four: Which Blazers Should Be Honored?

1980’s – Billy Ray Bates… man is this dude even alive? Sorry Ben, but we can’t have Sam Bowie on our court— EVER.

Nice touch with Drazen by the way, I really liked that.

Jim

Brian Grant demonstrated class as a Blazer. He has continued to give to the community and is an example of the character of player we hope to have as Blazers.

hall of fame

I’m going with Arvydas Sabonis for the 90s. If for no other reason than the idiots (like ‘Sheed throwing a towl in his face) he had to put up with. Sab was a great player. Imagine how much better he could have been for us, had he been here during a larger portion of his prime. He was 31 when he joined the Blazers as a rookie in 1995, the year I graduated high school. But basically I just remember his quiet, classy play. I’ve seen very few big men who could pass like he could.

we should honor Shavlik Randolph….seriously, the man’s name is Shavlik, lets honor him

70’s: Bill Walton-Without him, we’d not have that lonely banner in our rafters.
80’s: Sam Bowie- I was fortunate enough to meet him while he was doing some grocery shopping when i was about 8 or 9. I was too stunned and shy to say anything, but he was very cordial and fetched down a piece of paper from the clerk at a nearby cash register to sign for me. One of the happiest moments of my childhood! He’ll always have a special place in my heart for that.
90’s: Clyde Drexler-do I really need an explanation?
2000’s: Brian Grant-I’ll usher him in the same way as Ben did. I think he epitomizes what this franchise has tried to stand for in it’s 40 years of existence. Even though he was a part of that rag tag group that Trader Bob brought in here, he stood well apart from the rest of that group.

70s: Bill Walton
80s: Clyde Drexler
90s: Arvydas Sabonis
2000: Brandon Roy (or Grant)

70s Lionel Hollins
80s Jim Paxson
90s Clyde
00s Kevin Pritchard

1970’s : Bill Walton. Love him or hate him, Walton is the reason the PTB have a NBA Championship banner. Walton’s exodus from Blazerland left many fans angered by a feeling of betrayal and some of that is justified. Time heals all wounds, and I love listening to Walton announce nationally televised games because he always drops PTB nostalgia in fond reverence.

1980’s: Kevin Duckworth. Words cannot describe what a great guy and proud Trail Blazer Duck was. Trading Walter “the knife” Berry for Duck was arguably the greatest trade in PTB history.

1990’s: Chris Dudley. Dud’s work ethic was beyond compare. He was a true workhorse, and even as a diabetic played in over 800 NBA games. His free throw mechanics were truly laughable, but as a post defender and shot-blocker, Duds was one of the best in the biz. Super smart and ultra charitable, What a shame when he fractured his ankle in 93. That cast of he, Clyde, TP, Buck and Jerome would have been awfully tough to stop. Duds is a true class act and one of my favorite PTBs.

2000’s: Kevin Pritchard. Let’s give credit where credit is over-due. KP resurrected the franchise back into respectability. He revived a fan base that had had enough of bad eggs with talent in favor of drafting and acquiring high quality characters whom the fans appreciated. In KP we trust.

1970s – Larry Steele- great basketball intelligence combined with killer defense and a sweet shot. The Kentucky Rifle should be there.
1980s – Jim Paxson- when the team was struggling to rebuild after the championship, he provided the same kind of excitement and talent that Brandon Roy does now.
1990s – Terry Porter – unlimited heart and game savvy. Ran the team without boasting and came through in the clutch innumerable times.
2000s – Brian Grant – raw energy combined with strength, commitment, and game sense. He was a monster in the paint.

70s—Maurice Lucas
80s—Clyde the Glide
90s—Sabas
00s—Bonz er, I mean Brandon Roy. If you wanted to honor a past player here, I think Damon would be apt.

one of the guys who mopped-up player sweat during games. I mean, talk about your unsung heroes…

If this is a voting thing, count my vote the same as yours.

Each pick is meaningful and I appreciate that you want to honor people who really gave to our team emotionally.

1970’s Harry Glickman

This is the man who brought basketball to Portland and guided us through our initial years. It is who brought us our only championship. He selected the players. He selected the coaches. He established a rock foundation we could build on.

1980’s Bill Schonely

The voice of the Trail Blazers brought drama and reality into every game. His work was worth listening to win or lose. He was our audio logo, our theme song, our familiar voice through most of our years. He belongs in every decade but after Harry Glickman, Schonz rises in importance as a huge part of the connection of fans to the team. Blazermania was born and raised by Shonz.

1990’s Paul Allen

This man has invested a huge part of his life and fortune into the Trail Blazers. He brought us the Rose Garden while our rival to the north foundered on a new arena. He financed huge losses to give us 21 consecutive years of playoff basketball. Paul’s passion for the game and team has been the major influence that has brought us strong teams and a great place to play basketball for so many years.

2000’s Kevin Pritchard

The early part of the decade was ugly but Kevin has since been our rescuer. He is credited for re-creating a culture we can embrace as a community and a team we can love. KP is a fitting spire of hope for many years to come.

Players are memorable and necessary but the men behind those players have been the real MVP’s of the Trail Blazers. These four men much be included in the commemorations.

1970’s Lloyd Neal ( Should have been Moses – someday I’ll get over it, but not yet )
1980’s Wayne Cooper ( cooooooooper!!, coooooooooper!! )
1990’s Buck Williams
2000’s Paul Allen and KP

Walton=ring, so he’s gotta be the guy. Luke or Neal if not him

When I think 80’s blazers, Pax is the guy I think of, despite Clyde’s many great years in the 80’s

Since I bumped Clyde from the 80’s, he’s gotta go here, which mean no spot for TP…damn this is tough.

00’s-could go with Grant or Sabas for former players, BRoy obviously if not.

As for players, however, I’d stick to the classics…

1970’s – Bill Walton
1980’s – Jim Paxson
1990’s – Clyde Drexler
2000’s – Brandon Roy

But for the purposes of this exercise, my most deserving Blazers:

70’s Walton – No Walton, no championship, end of discussion.
80’s Paxson – Our leader of that era
90’s Clyde – Who else? Two Finals, 2nd best SG in the league behind the MJ
00’s Sabas – Roy will have his day next decade, Pippin’s glory was as a Bull, so Sabas

Casting a wider net, Players that defined the Blazers -

70’s – Petrie, Schlueter, Wicks, Steele, Neal, Walton, Luke, Gross, Hollins, Twardzik
80’s – Paxson, Kermit, Thompson, Natt, Vandeweghe, Bowie
90’s – Clyde, Porter, Buck, Duck, Jerome, Cliffy, Bryant, Dudley, Strickland, B. Grant
00’s – Damon, Wallace, Sabas, Pippen, Zach, (excluding current players)

Don’t let these guys get within 500 feet of the building – Rider, Wells