Portland Trail Blazers All-Time Most Disappointing Acquisitions #4: LaRue Martin

Spounds like Serge Ibaka to me.

I had Miles and Martin in my top two. Then I remembered (reluctantly) Sam Bowie. I assume another spot would go to Mychal Thompson (L*ker defection scorn in mind.)
Can’t think of the other spot.

This may sound like blasphemy but I’m surprised Sabas isn’t on the list. The hype to output ratio is favoring disappointment, despite his warrior like stature here in Rip City.

We can all quibble about exactly where everyone should place in the rankings, and I’d probably quibble myself. But although I remember most everyone else, I hardly remember as many details about James Robinson as Dave wrote about.

-Jack

With only three spots lefts, let’s see … Many will probably include Sam Bowie.

I might consider Bowie also. However I have to also say that some strange sense of fairness inside me keeps tugging at my conscience that someone is a disappointment because of career destroying injury. I keep thinking that if I was in the hospital at his bedside and saw the pain and disappointment in his eyes, I’d give him a hug and tell him that as far as I’m concerned he was never a disappointment to me.

For me the biggest disappointments come with the disappointment of loyalty, friendship, and attitude. Like watching the hurt in Maurice Cheeks after Darius Miles told Cheeks that Miles didn’t like him. Or a player giving the finger to fans who previously had cheered and supported him. Or team star laughing and saying “Just CTC, baby!” or throwing a towel in a teammate’s face in front of thousands, or laughing after hitting a teammate with a ball.

So if someone like Bowie ends up being chosen No. 1 largely due to injury, I’m sorry .. I really do respect others’ opinions, but I cannot agree.

-Jack

…cause it’s hard to see why it wasn’t “#2 for LaRue”

I mean, seriously, a #1 pick by a struggling franchise that was worse than Kwame Brown? The logic is tortured.

-t

I keep expecting Dale Davis to appear, though putting him in the top three would seem pretty harsh.

About 20 years ago I played in a golf tournament in a foursome with Snapper Jones and LaRue. He was a very decent and affable person. Good humored and fun. First time LaRue teed up a ball Snapper said to me "LaRue can hit it 400 yards … " WHACK! “But he has no idea where its going!” He was right. LaRue was the king of Gorilla Golf. Man that guy could put em out there, but he had no idea where they were going. I really enjoyed that day, its one of my fondest memories.

But BUFFALO was perfectly fine with him?? Wow.

I remember the fourth quarter of many games, and the Blazers without any hope of winning, the crowd at the Rose Garden would start calling for LaRue. On the radio it would sound like they were booing the team. Bill Schonely would always explain that the fans were calling for LaRue, and usually that was the only scenario in which he played. He was a fan favorite at a time when the Blazers were cellar dwellers and, in the few years they had been in the league, had always been so. Fans were much more indifferent then because expectations were so low. It was a thrill just to have a major league franchise playing in Portland. LaRue had a charming and friendly personality on a team that needed all the positive PR it could get from any source possible.

Walton belongs up there. After ’77, the TBs were the best team in the league and the future seemed to hold glittering golden rings and endless parades. Walton fell apart, turned on “the Man”agement and slinked off to the Clippers.

Back to LaRue. . .his best moment was fighting with Dale Schlueter (of the 9-73 76ers) during LaRue’s rookie year. Bakc then, in the Wild West, players could fight and it was a $50 fight. Pretty good punches thrown, for a couple of tall, less-coordinated guys.