The Blazers hiring Buck Williams to be an assistant coach and community liaison brought back a flood of memories of the Drexler-era Blazers. Williams himself played a prominent role in that time, of course. Somehow you always felt secure when Buck took the court. There were better power forwards in the league but nobody was going to outplay him or push him around. In fact most of my fond memories of that team revolve around players other than Drexler, though Clyde obviously stirred the drink and freed everyone else to be the best players they could be. I remember that team as a collective, though...not so much Clyde and Everybody Else. It's kind of like completing a set of trading cards or something. You value the rarest card the most but what really makes you beam is all the cards around it that complete it. When I think back on the late 80's and early 90's I remember Terry and Cliff and Jerome and Duck and Ainge and Young and all the ways they contributed next to Clyde's clockwork 20. Back then my fandom was younger and more innocent and these guys were still heroes instead of just players. A small part of me still keeps that flame alive. Of course this was also the team that taught me how painful it is to come close but not achieve your dream... Ugh.
Anyway, since the field is so wide and fertile I thought I'd ask for your fondest memories of those Drexler-led teams. Where were you in that time, what were you doing, and what do you remember most about Williams, Drexler, Porter, Duckworth, Kersey, and company? Share below.
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)