The next round of the Blazersedge Scrubdown--our summer contest to anoint the most favored Blazer player people don't mention with franchise superstars--gets underway today. You voted all of these second round players through from Round 1, obviously. To add a little entertainment to the second round voting, I thought I'd share my memories of each player as they come up for vote.
Danny Young played for Portland from the 1988-89 season through the first part of 1991-92, right at the peak of the Drexler era. His reception in the area was lukewarm, largely due to his role replacing demi-god Terry Porter in the lineup. "Go, Danny! No...to the BENCH, Danny! Get Terry back in!" Coach Rick Adelman continued to rely on Young year after year, entrusting him to helm a second unit that carved out its own territory as a unit even in the face of an All-Star-filled starting lineup. The imposing presence of Portland's second squad owed much to Danny Ainge and Cliff Robinson but Danny Young quietly apportioned touches while providing another shooting option to spread the floor. He took care of the ball, played a little defense, stayed in shape, never mentioned his minutes (in public, anyway). He was everything you'd dream about in a reserve point guard. His poise under pressure showed through in his most famous moment, the bomb at the finish of Game 4 of the 1990 NBA Finals which would have sent the affair into overtime had it not been waved off. It was not the only buzzer-beater he'd can for Portland. In fact hitting those shots became his trademark.
Robert Pack played but one season for the Blazers, 1991-92. His arrival and early success in that season made trading Young feasible, in fact. After a long spell of largely predictable (if excellent) players staffing the roster Pack provided a one-man explosion...a surprise for fans which made him an instant favorite. He was the first Blazer in memory to have his own t-shirt as a rookie. In contrast to Young he was wild, athletic, dominating at times. His game was all about him. He could dunk. He could run like the wind. He was ahead of his time being a score-first point guard. Never meeting a shot he didn't like did not endear him to coaches or teammates, nor did his lack of defense. But if you were looking for game-changing spark, Pack had it in spades.
Danny Young or Robert Pack...who will progress to the semi-final round of the Scrubdown? Vote now!
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)