Who’s your favorite Trail Blazers forward ever?

Two weeks ago I wrote a poll asking about the best Trail Blazers forward of all time. Surprisingly (not really) several commenters took umbrage with my three-option poll of Maurice Lucas, Rasheed Wallace, and LaMarcus Aldridge and demanded I add additional options. Buck Williams and Jerome Kersey still have fans 20-plus years later!

So here’s a new article and poll on our FAVORITE Trail Blazers forward of all time. In addition to the All-NBA triumvirate from last week, I’m adding these poll options:

Bobby Gross

Gross was the original super-hustling role player at forward for the Blazers. He drew the impossible assignment of covering Julius Erving during the 1977 Finals and did about as well as could be hoped. Coach Jack Ramsay considered Gross a perfect player for his offense which called for constant motion and passing acumen from the forwards.

Buck Williams

Williams came to Portland in 1989 from the Nets as a three-time All-Star. Buck’s personal stats took an immediate hit as he transitioned from borderline star to defensive lynchpin with his new team. But the sacrifice paid off — Buck is considered by many the key player that boosted a solid 1989 team into a Finals-caliber roster in 1990.

Jerome Kersey

Jerome was THE energy guy for the early-90s Finals teams — Clyde Drexler and Kersey on the fast break were one of the most underrated transition scoring combos ever. He finished high on many of the franchise’s statistical leaderboards, returned to Portland after his playing days ended, and had a really nice signing voice:

Alaa Abdelnaby

He was suggested in the comments section of the last article so why not?

Cliff Robinson

Robinson transitioned from being a super sub for the ‘90 and ‘92 teams to more or less leading the team in the mid-’90s. One of the original stretch forwards, Robinson was critiqued for playing poorly in the playoffs, but was a mainstay for nearly a decade during the regular season. Robinson had a very long career, he’s still in the top 25 in league history for both games and minutes played.

Scottie Pippen

This one’s a personal pick because of the 2000 playoffs. As an older player, Pippen seemed to pick his spots during the regular season. He was effective but not one of the best players in the world anymore. That changed in the playoffs — throughout the second round and Conference Finals series he was the best player on the court for the Blazers. His game five effort to keep the season alive against the Lakers is one of those “box score can’t tell you the whole story” classics.

Brian Grant

Grant famously gave Karl Malone fits as one of the few players who would stand up the Mailman’s physicality. A combination of Maurice Lucas’ toughness and Buck Williams’ lunchpail effectiveness makes him an easy choice as a fan favorite even 20 years later.

Honorable mention: Kermit Washington, Calvin Natt, Travis Outlaw, Kenny Carr, Nic Batum, Larry Steele, Lloyd Neal, Mark Bryant

Dishonorable mention: Sidney Wicks, Shawn Kemp