Can I Feel Sorry For Myself?

by Krang on Apr 20, 2011 12:10 PM PDT

Ughh...Down 2-0 to Dallas. Brandon Roy bomb shelling the media with exclamations of being disappointed and uncomfortable with his role. Well can I feel sorry for myself?

Why is being a Blazer fan so difficult? Every franchise faces challenges and cycles of success and failure and rebuilding and growth and retraction. Franchises from time to time become embroiled in high drama or a peripheral media drama.

But The Blazers? Why does it seem The Blazers always become team dysfunction? Other teams draft #1 picks and they go on to varying degrees of success or failure....but The Blazers? We get Oden and a warped mirror evil fun house of twisted limbs and contract questions.

Other teams have All-Stars, and players that become injured or deteriate and it's never a good story, but it doesn't become a playoff run derailment, or a State Wide debate over his role or lack of role, or capabilities or lack of capabilities

Even the replacement of our GM became a summer long mysterious drama culminating in an odd highly public Draft Day firing.

Just once could something for this team unfold "normal"?

The past decade...Jail Blazers...Paul Allen Selling The Team...Not Selling Team...The Rise and Fall of KP...Honk Once, Honk Twice, Cry forever....and now Brandon Roy....and the enigma of his physical and mental state...

I love this team, I want to support this team BUT...I'm really beginning to believe this team is cursed in a way that is rare. We are a never ending soap opera...always spinning away from the game into public drama's of individuals and team psyche...

And yes, I know this happens to everyone, but not to this extent.

How much today, would I rather just have to worry about what THE TEAM has to do to get back into a playoff series instead of being presented with the enigmatic riddle of the angst of Brandon Roy...which will lead inevitably to a whole off-season of debate and commentary?

I'd like it to be a "Great Day to be a Blazer" but instead, I just feel like feeling sorry for myself...It's becoming hard to be supportive of a franchise that seems so routinely cursed by dysfunction.

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Comments

The cure for what ails you.

Feel good that LaMarcus is rising as the face of the franchise, and that I can’t think of ONE time he has been the source of drama. Even in his first year, when he felt like an outsider, and lost on “Brandon’s Team” he kept it to himself. Also, he is usually healthy.

Feel good that Cho is every bit the GM that Pritch was, without all the bravado and media whoring.

Non drama factions Batum, Crash, Matthews and LMA is something to build around!

by The Penguin on Apr 20, 2011 12:20 PM PDT reply actions 4 recs

I love your comments.

There are definitely some promising things about this team that have developed this year as you have pointed out. Personally, I’d add the fact that there is still some hope with Greg Oden. The best part about it is that the team no longer has to depend on him and anything they get from him is gravy. Whatever happens with Brandon, I wish him the best. He doesn’t deserve to be crippled by his injures. It’s an ufortunate fate for him, but his fate has unveiled the silver lining that is Lamarcus Aldridge, franchise player.

by JAWKS on Apr 20, 2011 1:30 PM PDT up reply actions

There ya go!

Stealth > Wealth

by 500dogs on Apr 20, 2011 5:41 PM PDT up reply actions

Good take. +1

"She turned me into a newt!
A newt?
...I got better."

by Seijeff on Apr 20, 2011 8:52 PM PDT up reply actions

Now try being LOCKED to the Blazers . . .

for 35 + years as a FANATIC (Oregon’s ONLY PRO team) and then
being betrayed by Management in the COINCAST deal. Being blacked
out from ANY cable game with NO opportunity to PAY ( $5, $ 10, even $ 20
per game) to even watch the team in good or bad play. It’s EXTREMELY frustrating !
It’s a blessing to have a few KGW games, as well as the playoffs. I’m dissapointed
in many of the negative factors, ie BRoy’s health/demise, GO’s health problems, etc.
The most difficult is sticking as a fanatic through the tough times (Jailblazers, multiple
1st round exits, etc.) only to be denied the ability to PAY to watch the team. When players
get traded, they often quote, “It’s a business”. In the case of some of us fans, " It’s BAD
Business" !

GO BLAZERS !!!
COINCAST & BLAZER BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SUCKS !!!!

It's GO time !

by walkoff41 on Apr 20, 2011 12:56 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs

"COINCAST".....

That’s awesome!!

by JAWKS on Apr 20, 2011 1:33 PM PDT up reply actions

there are online opportunities

if you have a PC there’s no reason not to be able to watch every TB game

(and no, I can’t share a link because that would violate BE rules)

There’s no reason to stress about the teams fate for the past 10+ years. Either Paul Allen or Rich Cho will figure it out, replace the head coach and upgrade the roster, or they won’t

but the odds that Roy won’t be back after the lockout just went up exponentially, last night. It would be better for Brandon and everybody else if he moved on after this series—and fortunately Rich won’t even have to look for a trade partner, he just needs to take the amnesty clause that the league will hand to him and use it

When reached 40 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Apr 20, 2011 6:24 PM PDT up reply actions

I would suggest ...

feeling sorry for the team, or simply feeling sad, before you feel sorry for yourself.

"These are dreams that we have." --Rudolfo Fernandez

by bfan on Apr 20, 2011 1:14 PM PDT reply actions

I don't feel sorry for myself..

But i’ve never signed an $85 million dollar contract before.

Treat people well because Karma can hit you at any second.

by Net Ranger on Apr 20, 2011 1:16 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs

I think we're fortunate to be Blazers fans.

Folks in a number of NBA cities have had a tougher time than us, although in different ways. Some owners have never given the slightest indication that they want to build a winning team. For some teams, boneheaded trades and free agent signings never seem to end. In some cities, the fans get to see their favorite stars walk.

In the end, my point of view is captured by my sig.

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.
--Alfred Lord Tennyson

by CatMan2 on Apr 20, 2011 1:51 PM PDT reply actions

I don't see why not.

I sure as hell felt like jumping off a bridge last night.

by Sheedwasright on Apr 20, 2011 1:52 PM PDT reply actions

Ditto. But in this city I just couldn't decide which bridge to jump off.

by brobot on Apr 20, 2011 3:21 PM PDT up reply actions

It's nice to have so many options.

by dulcamara on Apr 20, 2011 3:25 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

I woke up at 2am and lost my lunch.

I don’t know if that was the game or the wings, but it sucked.

Stealth > Wealth

by 500dogs on Apr 20, 2011 5:43 PM PDT up reply actions

You most certainly can feel sorry for yourself.

But really though, it’s not healthy to spend too much time in that space. I say, go for it, give yourself a bit of wallow, but like Jacuzzi time, it’s important to limit that before you suffer any adverse effects.

But aside from the general unhealthiness of it, let’s look at a few reasons why being a Blazers fan is not really so bad anyway:

1. The could be worse argument: See Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, ~~Sacramento Kings~~, and ~~Seattle Supersonics~~.

2. The misery loves company argument: You’re part of the largest and most vibrant fan community online in the NBA, possibly in all of pro sports. Imagine writing this post on a blog that pulls <20 comments a day.

3. The “It’s not a bug, it’s a feature” argument: The (current) Blazers are a well-covered team that has a good relationship with the local and national media. We get to see more, and know more about what is going on with the Blazers that most teams do. While some people complain that Brandon can be too forthright at times, I don’t see anybody wishing we could wind the clock back to the days of “Both teams played hard.” In a lot of other markets, I don’t think you’d know as much as you know now. Is ignorance bliss? I’d rather have a good sense of why things are tough, IMHO.

4. The Conspiracy Theory argument: It sucks to be a fan of a small market team in general. There are all kinds of forces at work that hurt small market teams and create problems where there shouldn’t be problems, and amplify problems that would happen to any team. IMHO, part of being a Blazers fan is accepting the pitfalls of being a small-market fan in general.

"You can pretty much flip a coin to see which Portland team will show up: the dark-horse world-beaters or the mixed-up eggbeaters" - Dave

by conspirator5 on Apr 20, 2011 2:24 PM PDT reply actions 6 recs

Ah. I very much enjoyed this comment. thanks.

"You're standing in my sunlight, please move." —Diogenes to Alexander the Great

by pixelpusher on Apr 20, 2011 3:41 PM PDT up reply actions

Heh, yeah, you've pretty much summed up well most of the drama recent Blazer fans have been going through.

For a small market team we sure do get a ton of news feed about our dramas. More so than teams like the Grizz, Hornets, Kings, Timberwolves, etc. Heck, I’d even say we match the Lakers with their year in year out soap dramas. The major difference between them and us is theirs are of the prima donna variety while ours is of the emo type stories. For myself, after last night’s disheartening loss, I’ve brought down my expectations and hopes to just one good, solid, and confident Blazer win. At least give me some momentary joy for the end of the season.

by Stryder9 on Apr 20, 2011 4:44 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs