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Paxil · 03-31-2006, 08:24 AM

One Feb 3 the Blazers beat Minnesota to go 17-28. I predicted 19 wins for the Blazers this year, and boy was I looking wrong. The Blazers looked sure to win over 30. I started thinking about my eat crow post, but then a strange thing happened… the bottom dropped out. The Blazers have won just 3 of their last 26 and I still don’t know what happened. Worse yet… the team’s future is in doubt. What a difference a few months make. What the heck happened?! Juan Dixon went north of the Missin’-Dixon line, Miles shows the enthusiasm of an apathetic sloth, but what else caused this collapse? (Or are we really just this bad?) Talk about going on vacation early.

Has their been a darker hour for a Blazer fan? Maybe Mixim was a prophet… he knew the sky really WAS going to fall. =)

If it isn’t falling… what is the happy ending to this story?

RedHot&Rolling · 03-31-2006, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paxil

......Has their been a darker hour for a Blazer fan? .......

Yes IMO. 1978. Our team had won the championship the year before. The 1977-78 season we were even better, our record reached 50-10. In an instant, Lloyd Neal went down with almost career ending knee injury. Then, Walton went down with his foot injuries. Then Twardzik, then Gross. We ended up signing something like 3 non-NBA guys just to finish the season. Worse, Walton was so angry about the doctor care he got - he bolted for San Diego.

In one moment - we went from Top of the world - to also rans. That felt worse than this does. This has been slower.

hasoos · 03-31-2006, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedHot&Rolling

Yes IMO. 1978. Our team had won the championship the year before. The 1977-78 season we were even better, our record reached 50-10. In an instant, Lloyd Neal went down with almost career ending knee injury. Then, Walton went down with his foot injuries. Then Twardzik, then Gross. We ended up signing something like 3 non-NBA guys just to finish the season. Worse, Walton was so angry about the doctor care he got - he bolted for San Diego.

In one moment - we went from Top of the world - to also rans. That felt worse than this does. This has been slower.

Yes but they still played hard. There is a difference. Even with the guys brought in from outside the league, they played hard and still competed in the playoffs before bowing out.

RedHot&Rolling · 03-31-2006, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hasoos

Yes but they still played hard. There is a difference. Even with the guys brought in from outside the league, they played hard and still competed in the playoffs before bowing out.

Remember, they finished the season 8-22, .363%. Weren't they swept by Seattle in the first round?

southnc · 03-31-2006, 09:19 AM

I believe trading Patterson was the basic downfall of this year's team. Remember, they were winning withOUT Miles, who was injured.

Ruben played very good defense and was a force in the paint. Two areas where this team is abysmal right now.

Patterson also brought the "fire" that allowed this team to fight-back and over-take opponents.

I'm not saying it was wrong to trade him, but it clearly hurt the team; and don't tell me Skinner is a better acquisition.

tlong · 03-31-2006, 09:21 AM

The season has gone pretty much as I predicted. I expected 20-25 wins, and I thought they would start the season better than they finished it. People should give me more rep points.

**SheedSoNasty** · 03-31-2006, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by southnc

I believe trading Patterson was the basic downfall of this year's team. Remember, they were winning withOUT Miles, who was injured.

Ruben played very good defense and was a force in the paint. Two areas where this team is abysmal right now.

Patterson also brought the "fire" that allowed this team to fight-back and over-take opponents.

I'm not saying it was wrong to trade him, but it clearly hurt the team; and don't tell me Skinner is a better acquisition.

Totally agree on this one. I'm still glad we made the trade, but it's costing us in the short run.

hasoos · 03-31-2006, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by southnc

I believe trading Patterson was the basic downfall of this year's team. Remember, they were winning withOUT Miles, who was injured.

Ruben played very good defense and was a force in the paint. Two areas where this team is abysmal right now.

Patterson also brought the "fire" that allowed this team to fight-back and over-take opponents.

I'm not saying it was wrong to trade him, but it clearly hurt the team; and don't tell me Skinner is a better acquisition.

With or without Ruben they were not winning often. Its not like they were winning on a regular basis, but more often 1 out of 4 to 6 games. The thing you have to remember about Ruben, is that his little off court tirade sideshow he was putting on isn't too good of an influence on young players. So sometimes you got to get people like that off your team.

Ed O · 03-31-2006, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hasoos

With or without Ruben they were not winning often. Its not like they were winning on a regular basis, but more often 1 out of 4 to 6 games. The thing you have to remember about Ruben, is that his little off court tirade sideshow he was putting on isn't too good of an influence on young players. So sometimes you got to get people like that off your team.

Is Theo's vanishing act a good influence on the younger players? What about Joel's threatening to leave as a free agent? I don't think it's possible to have a lot of good influences on young players when a team is really, really bad.

I also don't think that Ruben's departure is the main reason we're bad, but it demonstrates how important having even a single player can be when you have so little talent.

Ed O.

**Dan** · 03-31-2006, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedHot&Rolling

Remember, they finished the season 8-22, .363%. Weren't they swept by Seattle in the first round?

2nd round, as they got a bye in the first round.

But going from 50-10 (the best start for a title team up until the Bulls 70 win season, iirc) to 58-24, and then basically so-so till 89-90, wasn't terribly good.

Sure the team competed, but I think they only got out of the 2nd round once in that stretch. Maybe twice (only to lose, of course, to the Lakers).

hasoos · 03-31-2006, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed O

Is Theo's vanishing act a good influence on the younger players? What about Joel's threatening to leave as a free agent? I don't think it's possible to have a lot of good influences on young players when a team is really, really bad.

I also don't think that Ruben's departure is the main reason we're bad, but it demonstrates how important having even a single player can be when you have so little talent.

Ed O.

Was I commenting on Theo or Joel?

Utherhimo · 03-31-2006, 10:36 AM

begging for rep points ~ weak!

patterson wanted to go and needed to go we would have won more games but injuries and some players quiting did us in.

Ed O · 03-31-2006, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hasoos

Was I commenting on Theo or Joel?

I don't know. Am I restricted to only commenting on what you've commented on?

Even assuming I am, I was applying your logic ("if he's a bad influence on the youngsters, he should be gotten rid of", if I might paraphrase) to other veterans on the team and see if maybe it doesn't make sense because it would lead to a team with no veterans.

Ed O.

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