I dubbed myself "hurryup'09" back in '08-'09, when the first opening of the Blazers' championship window appeared to be just a season away.  (Except for the rabid among us, who thought the window was already open.)  I'm now changing my BE handle to "bringback'09," because that was the time when there was so much hope in Portland.  Many of us were even allowing ourselves to fantasize about a Blazers' dynasty.  Remember?  (Cue the Beatle's classic, "Yesterday.")

That all ended yesterday for me--that is, the faint glimmer of hope that remained.  Now I'm braced for a forthcoming announcement about Brandon Roy: that, after trying to play sparingly and thru pain, he's hanging it up for this season--and perhaps beyond.  I'd like to believe that the Blazers can forge ahead and be successful.  But the cold, hard fact is, the Blazers probably have to pretty much clear the decks and start over.  

The next time--if there is a next time--that the team has a choice between a "generational center" with some health question marks and "the next Michael Jordan," maybe it's time to go with the wing.  (Not that I wasn't 100% behind the Oden pick.)  And the next time a wonderful talent like Brandon Roy slips a few slots due to concerns about his knees, maybe the Blazers should pass. 

Those kinds of gambles rarely pay off in the long run--as we Blazer fans have all learned.  When the injury bug bites, it bites hard.  So you have to do everything possible to lessen the chances that it bites you.