FanPost

Blazer Blunders


That 3OT win over the Spurs? Wow. Just WOW! Just one more indication that the Blazers are on the cusp of becoming a truly elite team in the Neil Olshey era. But . . . mistakes have been made. Even the vaunted Spurs organization lays an occasional egg (Richard Jefferson, T.J. Ford, Andrew Gaze.), so "blunders" is probably inflammatory, but hey, a guy has to write an eye-catching post title. Here's my list (confined to recent history so we don't have to revisit Bowie vs. Jordan or the hiring of Maurice Cheeks):

Freakish: The Blazers could have drafted Giannis "Greek Freak" Antetokounmpo with their #10 pick. Yeah, I know, you can play the woulda-coulda draft game until your eyes bleed, but the anecdotal evidence, scouting, and (rare) video indicated this young kid had tremendous upside. That's an opportunity you don't often get and can change the fortunes of a franchise. And it would have been a twofer: after Giannis played backup SF and grew (literately and figuratively) into an NBA star the Blazers would have been able to trade Batum for an impact player and/or high draft choice. Oh, how I wanted Giannis!

Saved our bacon, Part I: The Blazers offered Roy Hibbert a max contract. Hibbert ended up being a mediocre center and may have contributed to Indiana's awful chemistry last season. And his salary would have limited the Blazer's flexibility. Fortunately, Kevin Pritchard and Larry Bird saved our bacon by matching the offer.

Saved our bacon, Part II: The Blazer's first 2014 off-season target was Spencer Hawes, despite the fact that the team already had 3 point options and what they really needed was a center with an inside game. Fortunately, Doc Rivers (the most overrated and overpaid coach in the league) talked Hawes into signing with the Clippers where he has been spectacularly mediocre. Or worse. Thanks, Doc! We ended up with Kaman, who is working out just fine. And as a footnote, Doc: beware of players who put up good numbers with bad teams.

Taco Time: French fries? Sure, this was probably a Taco Bell decision, not a Blazer decision. But still . . . I want my Chalupa!

Grab a seat: For years the Blazers artificially inflated (read: lied about) attendance figures, It's not nice to lie, and if you do Santa won't bring you any goodies. Kudos to the Blazer's brass who put and end to this.

Better promotions: Blazer game attendees need a Kim Jong-un exploding bobble-head doll. Really, we do.