There was a time where being a Trail Blazers fan was a dirty secret. Everyone knows about the Jail Blazers era and all attached to it.
However that time is over.
For the last few years I’ve been proud to proclaim myself as a Blazers fan once again. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been proud to be a Blazers fan, I’m just not expecting an adverse reaction to the idea any more (unless you’re talking to a Lakers fan).
Brandon Roy and the boys have formed a great culture — one of teamwork, fun and winning. There is so much hope in the organisation.
Today is the first day in a long time where I am a little ashamed in the way the Blazers have handled themselves. Management’s decision to issue a subtle memo to other teams, threatening legal action should they try to sign Darius Miles, was not a classy move in my opinion.
More than that, it just doesn’t seem to be a smart move. All this will do is make enemies of GMs leaguewide and possibly encourage them to sign Miles just to spite the Blazers. As noted by Don at with malice, it would be very hard to assert that a team signed Miles purely due to the adverse effect it would have on the denizens of Portland.
Yes, Miles signed a retirement statement as a result of his injuries. Yes, team doctors stated their medical opinion that he was not fit to carry on a basketball career. However, Miles is still a person; a player trying to resurrect his career. If he can legitimately do so and a team is happy to sign him, then so be it. The Blazers will have to work around it. So many teams have bad contracts sitting on their books (hello Raef LaFrentz!).
All I see this situation being is an unwarranted distraction to the fantastic season that these young Blazers are having. Even with Brandon Roy out injured, the team has manged wins over the Celitcs and Pistons — no small feat. Their record far surpasses what most would have expected this season (to date).
Reminders of the last link to the Jail Blazers era are not what is needed in PDX.
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In other Blazers news, check out this great article on Jerryd Bayless at BustaBucket. Anyone got a new nickname for the rookie?
The Oregon Live blog asks if Bayless is indeed pressing for more minutes of late.
All kinds of views on the Miles situation over at Blazersedge.
