Portland Trail Blazers: “Here I am Stuck in the Middle with You”
Q4 – Did the Neil Olshey investigation hold up potential roster changes?
You bet it did. It’s frustrating as it’s been watching a team with this kind of talent level hovering around .500. I find the front office silence to be even more frustrating.
This current roster reminds me of the post-Bob Whitsitt days. A time when the team fell out of the playoffs and toiled in the lottery. Back then, there was little to no feedback from management. It wasn’t until Kevin Pritchard came in and started shaking up the roster that there was a set of goals and a direction.
I’m not saying the team is about to go through a Jail-Blazers-like dark age, but the silence is puzzling. Until management finds a prominent successor to Olshey, I’ll worry, in the back of my mind, that this team might be close to being blown up.
Q5 – When do the Portland Trail Blazers start flipping tables? (A trip to memory lane)
I remember early on in the 2007-08 season, the team was underperforming expectations and struggling to find its identity. An incident occurred that rallied and changed that Portland Trail Blazers team. After a 5-12 start in which the team suffered another blowout loss, there was a players-only meeting.
Among the highlights were a thrown chair and a flipped table (or I want to believe one was). Steve Blake went a little wild, and Brandon Roy made his claim for getting the ball in his hands. The team responded by winning their next 13 games. But the point is the Blazers pulled it together from there. They began to play with heart and finally performed to their potential.
This current Portland Trail Blazers team is stuck. They wait for Damian Lillard to save them. When he’s off (as he has been this season), they have no answers. As great as Dame is, one man can’t carry a team for as long as he has.
The Final Riff
Well, if this backcourt believes they are good enough defensively to contend, then it’s time they prove it. If Nurkic thinks he’s really an All-Star level player, he needs to prove it every game.
This film is starting to hit the last act. I’d rather not have to listen to the Steelers Wheel song when the closing credits begin to run.
Related Story: Neil Olshey is out and it’s about time
What do you think of the Portland Trail Blazers mid-pack record and even worse defense? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.