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  4. title => "Is there a Portland Trail Blazer curse?"
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  6. article_body => "<p>With Arvydas Sabonis headed into the Basketball Hall of Fame this week, it got me thinking about the talented big men who have played in a Portland Trail Blazer uniform.<\/p>\n<p>Two of them now are in the Hall of Fame and two more possibly would have been worthy of consideration had they stayed healthy.<\/p>\n<p>Bill Walton and Arvydas Sabonis were franchise makers. Healthy and in their prime, each man would have brought multiple titles to Portland. Great passers and scorers, their versatility would have meant nightmares for opposing defenses and would have elevated teammates to high levels.<\/p>\n<p>These guys were among the very best who ever played their position. And the most well rounded.<\/p>\n<p>I cannot imagine one franchise in the league that got so little -- thanks to injuries -- from two men who still managed to get inducted into the Hall of Fame than Portland did.<\/p>\n<p>But it doesn&#039;t stop there.<\/p>\n<p>Sam Bowie has become the punch line for every Trail Blazer joke. You know, the guy Portland took instead of Michael Jordan. Yeah, heard that. But what a lot of people don&#039;t know is exactly how good Sam was before his many leg injuries destroyed his career.<\/p>\n<p>If you go back to that draft, please remember the ultimate prize at the time wasn&#039;t Jordan or Bowie. It was Hakeem Olajuwon. Portland was a coin toss away from drafting him that season. Hmm, bad luck strikes again.<\/p>\n<p>But I can also remember Portland personnel guru Stu Inman telling me before the draft he wasn&#039;t that worried about the coin toss. &quot;You can&#039;t lose,&quot; he said. &quot;Bowie is going to block shots like Olajuwon and he&#039;s going to score better and he&#039;s just as fast.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>I saw Bowie as a rookie and I can tell you he was really something before all the injuries. As a first-year player the guy averaged 10 points, 2.7 blocked shots, 2.8 assists, 8.6 rebounds and shot 53.7 percent from the field. He could shoot, run, rebound and defend.<\/p>\n<p>Sam Bowie was good, folks. REAL good. Again, with the other pieces the Blazers had at the time, it&#039;s not unrealistic to think of championships.<\/p>\n<p>And that brings us now to Greg Oden. Those of you who&#039;ve seen him healthy know what I&#039;m talking about. All Portland has needed from him is good health. Everything else would fall into place. The guy is a franchise maker.<\/p>\n<p>But again, not healthy. Who knows if he ever will be? And isn&#039;t that a pretty incredible thing to happen to this franchise yet again?<\/p>\n<p>And oh, did I mention a curse? Since it&#039;s Hall of Fame week, allow me to mention that the Trail Blazers have three former players who have been inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame: Drazen Petrovic, who died in a car accident. Fernando Martin, who died in a car accident. And Sabonis -- who would be wise to be extra careful when driving, I think.<\/p>\n<p>A curse? Well, maybe not. But at least this is one very unlucky franchise.<\/p>\n"
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Northwest

Northwest

With Arvydas Sabonis headed into the Basketball Hall of Fame this week, it got me thinking about the talented big men who have played in a Portland Trail Blazer uniform.

Two of them now are in the Hall of Fame and two more possibly would have been worthy of consideration had they stayed healthy.

Bill Walton and Arvydas Sabonis were franchise makers. Healthy and in their prime, each man would have brought multiple titles to Portland. Great passers and scorers, their versatility would have meant nightmares for opposing defenses and would have elevated teammates to high levels.

These guys were among the very best who ever played their position. And the most well rounded.

I cannot imagine one franchise in the league that got so little -- thanks to injuries -- from two men who still managed to get inducted into the Hall of Fame than Portland did.

But it doesn't stop there.

Sam Bowie has become the punch line for every Trail Blazer joke. You know, the guy Portland took instead of Michael Jordan. Yeah, heard that. But what a lot of people don't know is exactly how good Sam was before his many leg injuries destroyed his career.

If you go back to that draft, please remember the ultimate prize at the time wasn't Jordan or Bowie. It was Hakeem Olajuwon. Portland was a coin toss away from drafting him that season. Hmm, bad luck strikes again.

But I can also remember Portland personnel guru Stu Inman telling me before the draft he wasn't that worried about the coin toss. "You can't lose," he said. "Bowie is going to block shots like Olajuwon and he's going to score better and he's just as fast."

 

I saw Bowie as a rookie and I can tell you he was really something before all the injuries. As a first-year player the guy averaged 10 points, 2.7 blocked shots, 2.8 assists, 8.6 rebounds and shot 53.7 percent from the field. He could shoot, run, rebound and defend.

Sam Bowie was good, folks. REAL good. Again, with the other pieces the Blazers had at the time, it's not unrealistic to think of championships.

And that brings us now to Greg Oden. Those of you who've seen him healthy know what I'm talking about. All Portland has needed from him is good health. Everything else would fall into place. The guy is a franchise maker.

But again, not healthy. Who knows if he ever will be? And isn't that a pretty incredible thing to happen to this franchise yet again?

And oh, did I mention a curse? Since it's Hall of Fame week, allow me to mention that the Trail Blazers have three former players who have been inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame: Drazen Petrovic, who died in a car accident. Fernando Martin, who died in a car accident. And Sabonis -- who would be wise to be extra careful when driving, I think.

A curse? Well, maybe not. But at least this is one very unlucky franchise.